Lesson 99

1 Kings 17

Prepare to Learn

Prepare your mind and heart to learn. Remember that the way you choose to participate in seminary influences how the Holy Ghost teaches you as you study. Determine now to actively participate in this lesson and to demonstrate your desire to be taught by the Spirit.

Begin your study with prayer.

Trials and tests are part of mortality. Often, times of trial can help us cultivate our faith in Jesus Christ and our trust in His promised blessings. Listen as Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, former Young Women General President, describes how a trial helped a woman named Michele exercise her faith. Think about how Michele’s experience can help you when your faith is tested.

The Prophet Elijah and a Widow

What are some choices the Lord and His prophets have asked you to make that require you to exercise faith?

We read in 1 Kings 17 that a prophet named Elijah and a non-Israelite widow had various opportunities to overcome challenges by exercising faith in the Lord. As you study this chapter, look for principles that can help you understand the blessings you can receive as you make righteous choices with faith.

Ahab and Jezebel

Ahab became the king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and married Jezebel, a Phoenician princess, outside of the covenant. This marriage was contrary to the commandments of the Lord. Jezebel was a devoted follower of Baal, a false god commonly worshipped among the Canaanites. Together Ahab and Jezebel promoted idol worship in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. (See 1 Kings 16:30–33; Bible Dictionary, “Jezebel.”)

The Lord sent Elijah to deliver a message to King Ahab. “Elijah held the sealing power of the Melchizedek Priesthood … by which things that are bound or loosed on earth are bound or loosed in heaven (D&C 128:8–18)” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Elijah,” scriptures.lds.org).

Read 1 Kings 17:1, looking for what Elijah said to Ahab.

No Dew or Rain

Ahab and others who worshipped Baal claimed that Baal—rather than the Lord—had power over the weather.

What do you think Elijah may have hoped his prophecy would teach Ahab and others?

How might a drought throughout the land also affect Elijah?

Ravens

From 1 Kings 17:2–7 we learn that the Lord commanded Elijah to flee from King Ahab to a brook where he could find water during the drought. The Lord commanded ravens to feed Elijah. Ravens are large black birds. According to verse 6, “the ravens brought [Elijah] bread and flesh in the morning [and] evening” each day.

Read 1 Kings 17:8–9, looking for what the Lord told Elijah to do after the brook dried up.

The Widow at Zarephath

Read 1 Kings 17:10–14, looking for how both Elijah and the woman acted in faith. You can also watch the video “Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath,” which is available on LDS.org.

Read 1 Kings 17:10–14, looking for how both Elijah and the woman acted in faith. You can also watch the video “Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath,” which is available on LDS.org.

Quiz 1

1. What did Elijah ask the woman to do?

   1. Get him some water so he could wash his hands

   2. Repent of her sins

   3. Bring him some bread and water

2. Why was the woman hesitant to fulfill Elijah’s request?

   1. She didn’t know him.

   2. She had only enough food for her son and herself.

   3. There wasn’t any water because of the drought.

3. How did Elijah respond when the woman told him of her poverty?

   1. He thought she was not the widow the Lord had prepared.

   2. He requested that she feed him before feeding her son and herself.

   3. He apologized for asking too much of her.

4. What blessing did the Lord promise to give the woman if she did as Elijah asked?

   1. Her food would not run out until the Lord sent rain.

   2. Elijah would buy her more food.

   3. She would marry someone who would take care of her family.

The Meal and the Oil

Read 1 Kings 17:15–16, looking for how exercising faith in the Lord blessed Elijah and the woman.

What is a principle you can identify from this account of Elijah and the woman?

Faith before Blessings

One principle we can identify from 1 Kings 17:8–16 is that before we can receive the Lord’s promised blessings, we must first act in faith.

Read the following statement by President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, looking for how he described faith.

“Faith, to be faith, must center around something that is not known. Faith, to be faith, must go beyond that for which there is confirming evidence. Faith, to be faith, must go into the unknown. Faith, to be faith, must walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness. If everything has to be known, if everything has to be explained, if everything has to be certified, then there is no need for faith. Indeed, there is no room for it” (Boyd K. Packer, “What Is Faith?” in Faith [1983], 42).

1. Answer the following questions:

• How did the actions of Elijah and the woman reflect President Packer’s description of faith?

• Think about some of the choices the Lord and His prophets have asked you to make that require you to exercise faith. Make a list of three choices and some of the blessings you may receive as you make these choices.

Your Experiences

2. Answer the following question:

• When have you, or someone you know, acted in faith and experienced the Lord’s blessings as a result?

Tragedy in the Widow’s Home

Have you ever felt like you were doing your best to exercise faith and obey the words of the Lord and His prophets, but you still experienced challenges in your life?

After the woman acted in faith on Elijah’s words and received the promised blessings, tragedy struck in her home. Read 1 Kings 17:17–18, looking for what happened.

How might this event have been a challenge to her faith?

What feelings do you think Elijah might have had when this happened?

A Miracle

According to 1 Kings 17:19–23, Elijah took the dead boy from his grieving mother and went into the room where Elijah had been staying. Elijah cried to the Lord and asked Him to “let this child’s soul come into him again” (1 Kings 17:21). The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer, and the boy revived. Elijah then brought the boy back to his mother.

The Widow’s Testimony

Read 1 Kings 17:24, looking for what the woman said she now knew after all that she had experienced.

Consider the woman’s actions and the testimony she gained as a result. What principle can you identify from the woman’s testimony?

A Testimony by Faith

You might have written a principle similar to the following: We can gain a testimony for ourselves of God’s prophets and know that the Lord speaks through them.

What experiences have you had that have helped you gain a testimony of God’s prophets on earth today?

When have you seen the words of a prophet fulfilled?

Truths from Today’s Study

The following truths were identified in this lesson:

• Before we can receive the Lord’s promised blessings, we must first act in faith.

• We can gain a testimony for ourselves of God’s prophets and know that the Lord speaks through them.

Take time to ponder and record in your study journal or your Notes on LDS.org what you can do to act in faith.

Answer Key

Quiz 1: (1) c; (2) b; (3) b; (4) a