Preschool
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God (1 Peter 2:17).
The Lord, He Is God
Memory Verses
Primary
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king (1 Peter 2:17).
Junior
Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:32).
Background Scripture: 1 Kings 18
Lesson Scripture: 1 Kings 18:19-24, 29-40
Introduction
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). What more proof do we need of God’s supremacy? The account of the creation as told in the Bible teaches that God set all things in order. He established the laws governing man’s existence and established the first home. Many of the things that God ordained to be as He wants them are in question today because man refuses to believe.
Key Verse
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth (Ps. 46:10).
Lesson Scripture
1 Kings 18:19 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.
20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
29 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.
40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
Studying the Lesson
The time of this lesson was at the end of a spiritual low in the lives of the Israelites. Many were involved in idol worship. Elijah had told the people that there would be no dew or rain until he indicated it would return. Three and a half years of drought followed, during which Elijah was protected and hidden by God.
The greeting of King Ahab upon meeting Elijah again was, “Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” Elijah answered, “I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim” (1 Kings 18:17-18).
King Ahab was not a godly leader. The Scripture records that he did numerous things that were against God’s will; some of Ahab’s wicked deeds were done because of pressure put on by Jezebel, his queen.
Elijah was used by God to prove the people’s belief. This test allowed them to make a choice about God’s sovereignty; it enabled them to clearly see his power. It was God’s power that prevented even a wisp of smoke to rise from the altar to Baal. It was also God’s power that burned even the stones and dust on the altar Elijah built and licked up the water in the trench. Through the power of God, the 450 prophets of Baal were destroyed.
Fire on an altar was something easily understood by God’s Old Testament people. The first record we have of an altar and sacrifice is of Abel’s offering. In his wisdom, God used common materials and an easily understood method to bring irrefutable proof that He is supreme and there is no other god.
After fire fell from heaven and consumed the sacrifice and the altar, we could wonder if the people were completely convinced of the sovereignty of God. Why did the people say, “The Lord, He is the God” instead of “The Lord, He is God?”? Maybe it was their way of expressing that God was the true God of all gods.
Practical Truths for Today
When Moses was leading his father-in-law’s sheep, he came upon the burning bush. God’s conversation with him included Moses asking what to say when the children of Israel asked who sent him. What name should he use? God said to tell the people I AM had sent him. We do not read of any questions when Moses told the people that I AM sent him. God established his authority with his people in a clear way.
Mankind continues trying to remodel God’s design by controlling and modifying nature through genetics and engineering. The effort to remap God’s indelible moral code by allowing gross immorality, violence, and murder against the innocent and unborn only illustrates the world’s captivation with modern-day idolatry.
Sinful living on which God has pronounced judgment is openly declared as good and is commonplace. Things that the Bible judges as wrong are encouraged even by some of the religious leaders of the day, thereby creating an unrealistic perception of God and who He is. He is perceived as a benevolent, loving being who will not punish a sinner. He is seen as an indulgent, tolerant being who knows that mankind is doing wrong but will deal kindly with them because He understands man’s need to indulge his own desires.
God is absolute. He is loving, but He recognizes mankind’s depravity and aims at our rescue. God has established the law of sowing and reaping, and this means God will judge sin. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:20). Although there has never been a time when God’s supremacy has been in question, He will one day establish his absolute authority in the heart of every person. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God” (Rom. 14:11). God will someday triumph, and the forces of evil will be destroyed forever.
Do you have the simple, trusting faith to accept God’s authority over your life? Can you grant Him the privilege and right to be above all in your life? Can you with resounding conviction say, “The Lord, He is God”?
Is there ever a place, time, or situation where we put God to the test? What this really means is testing our belief against the solid and immutable truth of God and his Word. When we solemnly consider all that God has done for the human family, is there ever a need for more proof? By honestly looking at what He has done for not only us but also in the lives of our fellow Christians, no further proof will be needed.
We need to have faith “that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6). A lack of diligently seeking Him will create a feeling of continually needing more proofs—this is unbelief. Much of mankind has a belief about God, but few really believe Him. In which category are you?
Questions
- Is there ever a time to ask God for proof of his existence?
- How much reverence should be used when speaking of God?
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).