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THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S about how God took care of Elijah at the brook and at the home of the widow woman and her boy. In our story to day Elijah is still at the widow’s home, but the people in that country were still praying to the pieces of wood and stone, and no rain had fallen for a long time. We know that when the ground is dry and hard, nothing will grow, and the people were dying of hunger and thirst. God spoke to Elijah and told him to go to the wicked king’s palace again, and tell the king that He (God) would send rain upon the earth. As Elijah travelled along he saw poor ani mals lying dead by the roadside, and sick and wretched people with no food for themselves or their children. Be fore sending the rain God wanted the people to stop praying to the images of wood and stone and turn to God again. Then Elijah, told the king to go to a high mountain by the sea and take with him all the people who prayed to the images. The name of the heathen god was Baal. After the people were all gathered on the mountain top, Eli jah spoke to the people and told them the time had come for them to decide whom they would worship. He said, “ If the Lord be God, serve Him; but if Baal be God, then obey him.” The people all listened to Elijah. He asked them to bring two bullocks (young oxen), and let Baal’s prophets choose one of them and lay it on Baal’s altar, but not put any fire under it. Elijah said he would take the other, kill it and put it on the Lord’s altar, and not put any fire under it. Baal’s people did as Elijah asked them, and got the bul lock all ready. (Tell in detail the story of how Baal’s prophets called upon their idol from morning until evening, but no answer came.) Then Elijah called all the people to come near to him. (Now picture to the children Elijah’ 3 part, emphasizing the impossibility of his offering being burned from a hu man standpoint.) My, how the people
Ought this punishment to be adminis tered today? How does verse 42 describe the char acter of Ahab in contrast to Elijah? How did Eiijah receive strength to run before Ahab’s chariot? Personal Questions Would you have gone into Ahab’3 court, a place of danger? Would you have obeyed the king or the preacher? Would you have testified for God be fore the whole nation? Would you permit your wife to turn you away from God? Do you know God well enough to trust Him to answer your prayers in public? What was the secret of Elijah’s power? God Answers Elijah’s Prayer. 1 Kings 18:17-46. Memory Verse.—-“ The Lord, He is the God.” 1 Kings 18:39. Approach.— How many of you boys and girls were ever punished by father or mother for disobeying them, that is not doing as you were told? Now Jimmie, did mother BEGINNERS punish you because AND PRIMARY she did not love Mabel L. Merrill you, or did she punish you because she did love you? Because she loved you. Our parents do not want to pun ish us, for it hurts them very much to make us suffer, but if we will not listen, and go ahead and have our way which is wrong, they punish us to help us -to see how wrong our way is. That is just what God did to His people Israel in holding back the rain, to help them to see how wrong it was to worship idols, which could not help them or give them rain. Todav we are to hear how God heard and answered Elijah’s prayer. Frayer. Lesson Story.—What a wonderfully good time we had Iasi week hearing
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