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Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Bible tale: Contest between Prophet Elijah & 450 idol-worshipping prophets

 

Contest between Prophet Elijah & 450 idol-worshipping prophets

Psalm 46 v 1 God is our refuge Part 3

re-told by Debbie Dunn










Story highlights:

* Contest between Elijah & Queen Jezebel's 450 idol-worshipping prophets

* Elijah won contest vs Jezebel’s idol-worshiping prophets

* Elijah told King Ahab to hurry home before rainstorm broke the drought


Bible tale begins:









As we continue this series about how we can always call on God to help us in times of trouble, let's have a volunteer read Psalm 46:1.

 

Psalm 46:1 (NLT) God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

 

Question: What does refuge mean?

Answer: A safe hiding place.
To help you remember this word better, imagine yourself playing Hide-and-Seek. Just like you try to find a safe hiding place for yourself, God guides us to find safe hiding places, as well.


 

Here is an exciting Bible story of good versus evil.

 

RINGLEADER: Who are the evil ones?      

[Group repeats]

 

The evil ones include King Ahab, the beautiful but cruel Queen Jezebel, and 450 idol-worshipping priests.

 

uestion: What is an idol?

Answer: A false god often taking the form of a sculpture or statue.



RINGLEADER: Who is the good guy in this story?  

[Group repeats]

 

The good guy in this story is the prophet named Elijah.

 

As you may recall, before Elijah hid out for over three years, God told him to say this to the evil king and queen.

 





GOD: Elijah, tell King Ahab that until I, the Lord your God, gives the word, for the next few years, there will be no rainfall.”

 

Near the end of those 3-plus years of no rainfall, God told Elijah this.

 

GOD: Elijah, it is time for you to leave your safe hideout with the widow and her son. Travel back to your homeland and say this to King Ahab, “After your long wait, God will soon send rain to the land.”

 

King Ahab went out to meet Elijah at the bottom of a mountain. Before telling King Ahab the good news that rain would soon fall, Elijah challenged the king to a contest.

 

RINGLEADER: What would the contest prove?

[Group repeats]

 

The contest would prove that God is the real and only God, and the idols the king worshipped were nothing but false gods with no power.

 

ELIJAH: King Ahab, I challenge you to a contest. Gather your people and all 450 prophets who worship the Baal idol. Prepare two altars and bring firewood and two bulls.

 

When the king, those evil priests, and the people of Israel had gathered, Elijah turned to the people and said:

 

ELIJAH: How long will you waver between the opinion of either worshipping the real God or worshipping those false gods?

 

But the people of Israel appeared too afraid to speak.

 

Then, Elijah told those 450 idol-worshipping prophets to choose one of the two altars.

 

RINGLEADER: What is an altar?    

[Group repeats]

 

This stone altar was like an outdoor fireplace where the people would worship either the real God or those false gods by killing an animal and burning it up with the fire. Elijah said:

 

ELIJAH: Choose one of those 2 bulls. I will take the other bull. We both will cut up our bull. We will each lay those animal pieces on the wood of our particular altar. Instead of us lighting the wood on fire, we will each pray to the one we worship to do it for us. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God. You 450 prophets can have the first turn.

 

Those 450 idol-worshipping prophets called on their false god from early morning until noon.

 

The 450 prophets shouted, “O Baal, whom we worship, answer us.”

 

Of course, no fire came raining down from the sky. Elijah mocked those silly idol-worshipping priests. He called out:

 

ELIJAH: Perhaps you need to shout louder. Perhaps your Baal idol is daydreaming, going to the bathroom, away on a trip, or asleep.

 

All afternoon, those 450 silly prophets danced and shouted as loud as they could. They even cut themselves with knives and swords until blood gushed out. But no matter what they did, no fire came down from the sky.

 

Then, it was Elijah’s turn. Before he prayed to God to send down fire on his altar, he dug a trench around it. Then, Elijah had the people fill 4 large jars with water to pour over the stone altar, the wood, the cut-up bull pieces, and the trench. After doing this 3 times, Elijah then prayed out loud. He said:

 

 

ELIJAH: O, Lord God, prove to these people that you are the one and only true God by lighting this altar on fire.

 











Sure enough, God sent fire from Heaven. That fire not only burnt up the cut-up pieces of bull, the wet wood, and the altar stones, but it even burnt every drop of water in the trenches.

 

When the people saw this, they fell on the ground and cried out to the real God: They declared:

 

RINGLEADER: Yes, the Lord is the only true God!   

[Group repeats]

 

After that, Elijah ordered the people to seize all those false prophets and kill them.

 

Then, Elijah told this to King Ahab:

 

ELIJAH: King Ahab, get something to eat and drink, for God says that a mighty rainstorm is on its way.


Question: Any questions or comments?


Are you a Bible enthusiast or do you lead a Youth Group or Family Bible Study? To get a FREE PDF download of this story, click on this link below:


Free PDF download of About Elijah part 3.


Do you want more stories about prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, & Nathan? If so, visit the More Prophets of Israel chapter from my EXPLORE BIBLE STORY dot org website.


Click here to get more stories about prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, & Nathan.



My ever-expanding Explore Bible Story dot org website includes Bible stories and Biblical Family Trees about



Explore Bible story dot org Business Card designed by Debbie Dunn using PowerPoint
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Location: Athens, AL, USA

Bible tale: Prophet Elijah, Double agent Obadiah, King Ahab, & Queen Jezebel

Prophet Elijah, Double agent Obadiah, King Ahab, & Queen Jezebel

Psalm 46 v 1 God is our refuge Part 2

re-told by Debbie Dunn










Story highlights:

* Queen Jezebel ordered mass murder of God's prophets

* Obadiah managed to secretly hide & feed 100 of God's prophets in caves

* Prophet Elijah prayed to God to revive widow’s son from death to life



Bible story begins:















As we continue this series of how God helps people in times of trouble, let's have a volunteer read Psalm 46:1.

 

Psalm 46:1 (NLT) God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

 What does refuge mean?

Question: What does refuge mean?

Answer: A safe hiding place.
To help you remember this word better, imagine yourself playing Hide-and-Seek. Just like you try to find a safe hiding place for yourself, God guides us to find safe hiding places, as well.


Last week, we heard how God protected Elijah and Disciple Peter. Just as they did, we, too, can turn to God whenever we are stressed, sick, scared, or in danger. In big and little ways, God is ALWAYS there for us.

 

Imagine this. The most evil king of all the kings of Israel was named King Ahab.

 

RINGLEADER: What were his evil deeds?       

[Group repeats]

 

King Ahab encouraged the Israelites to ignore God and worship idols.

hip idols?

Question: Which 2 of the 10 commandments did King Ahab break that order us only to worship God and never to worship idols?

Answer: 1st and 2nd commandments



Question: Who can quote the first two lines of the Lord's Prayer?

Answer: Our Father, who is in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,



Question: What does Hallowed mean?

Answer: Holy be your name. In other words, we should show extreme respect when talking to and about God.


Part of that extreme respect is worshipping only the real God, not false gods.

 

Question: What is an idol?

Answer: A false god often taking the form of a sculpture or statue.


Another part of the Lord's Prayer states: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

 

Question: Who led the Israelites into the temptation of worshipping idols?

Answer: King Ahab


RINGLEADER: What else did King Ahab do wrong?  

[Group repeats]

 

King Ahab married a beautiful pagan princess who loved to worship her idols more than anything else in the world.

 

Question: What does pagan mean?

Answer: Someone who worships idols.

 

RINGLEADER: What was her name?       

[Group repeats]

 

Queen Jezebel. She brought in 450 idol-worshipping priests who would lead the Israelites in prayer to these false idols within the walls of the temples King Ahab had built. The evil king and queen then ordered the Israelites to forget all about God and only worship idols.

 

Naturally, God ordered His prophets, including Elijah, to tell the Israelites and the evil king and queen that worshiping false gods was wrong, evil, and sinful.

 

RINGLEADER: Did that make the queen mad?    

[Group repeats]


Absolutely! Queen Jezebel was so mad that she ordered her soldiers to murder all of God's prophets.

 

Before God told Elijah to escape to that brook, God told him to say this to the evil king and queen.

 





GOD: Elijah, tell King Ahab this. "As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!"

 

Elijah escaped, thinking he was the only prophet who survived the mass murder.

 

RINGLEADER: Did some other prophets survive? 

[Group repeats]

 

Yes, thanks to a double agent named Obadiah, 100 other prophets survived, as well.

 

RINGLEADER: How was he a double agent?   

[Group repeats]

 

King Ahab appointed Obadiah as his chief of staff. Unknown to the evil king and queen, Obadiah was a devoted follower of Father God.

 

When Obadiah learned that Queen Jezebel had ordered the mass murder of God’s prophets, he did his best to save as many of the prophets as he could.

 

RINGLEADER: Where did he hide those prophets?  

[Group repeats]

 

Obadiah hid 50 of God’s prophets in one cave and another 50 in another cave.

 

RINGLEADER: What did they eat?        

[Group Repeats]

 

Obadiah found a secret way to provide them with bread and water until the drought ended and rainfall started up again.


RINGLEADER: Hooray for clever Obadiah!        

[Group Repeats]

 

uestion: When Elijah hid by the brook, what kind of birds brought him meat and bread twice a day?

Answer: Ravens



Question: When Elijah hid in the home of that widow and her son, what did God provide them with so they would not starve?

Answer: Her container of flour and olive oil refilled itself every morning. They made bread out of these ingredients.



RINGLEADER: What bad thing happened to her son?

[Group repeats]

 

One day, the widow's son died. The widow cried to Elijah.

 

Elijah took her son upstairs, laid him on his bed, and then, he cried out to God for help. Three times, Elijah pleaded:

 




ELIJAH: O Lord my God, please let this child's life return to him.

 

God in heaven heard Elijah’s prayer. The widow's son returned to life.

 

Grateful Elijah scooped him up, took him downstairs, and laid the boy in his mother's arms. Then, he announced:

 

ELIJAH: Look! Your son is alive!

 

RINGLEADER: What did the mother say?      

[Group repeats]

 

The woman told Elijah: "Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord truly speaks through you."

 

Next week, we will hear about some more ways that people in the Bible were saved from danger by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.


Question: Any questions or comments?



Are you a Bible enthusiast or do you lead a Youth Group or Family Bible Study? To get a FREE PDF download of this story, click on this link below:


Free PDF download of About Elijah part2.


Do you want more stories about prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, & Nathan? If so, visit the More Prophets of Israel chapter from my EXPLORE BIBLE STORY dot org website.


Click here to get more stories about prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, & Nathan.



My ever-expanding Explore Bible Story dot org website includes Bible stories and Biblical Family Trees about



Explore Bible story dot org Business Card designed by Debbie Dunn using PowerPoint
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,
Location: Athens, AL, USA

Bible tale: Prophet Elijah and Disciple Peter

Prophet Elijah Part 1 and Disciple Peter

Psalm 46 v 1 God is our refuge

re-told by Debbie Dunn










Story highlights:

* God helps His beloved children in times of stress-sickness-trouble

* God fed Prophet Elijah through ravens & a widow during drought

* Peter was able to walk on water until he took his eyes off Jesus


Bible tale:











By a show of hands, how many of you have ever experienced some help in times of trouble that you believe was due to how much God truly loves us?

 

I know that is true for me. How about you?

 

Just like in the Bible, we can turn to God, in big and little ways, to help keep us safe.

 

There is a wonderful Bible verse that states:

 

Psalm 46:1 (NLT) God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

 

Question: What does refuge mean?

ourself playing Hide-and-Seek. Just like you try to find a safe hiding place for yourself, God guides us to find safe hiding places, as well.


RINGLEADER: What Bible story shows ...    

Group repeats]


... God hiding someone from danger?   

[Group repeats

 

There was a prophet named Elijah. An evil king and queen, King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, wished to kill Elijah.

 

RINGLEADER: How did God keep him safe?    

[Group repeats]

 

Our Heavenly Father God told this to Elijah:

 





GOD: Elijah, go to the east and hide by a brook of water that flows into the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.

 

Elijah obeyed God. He walked until he reached that safe hiding place by that brook of water.

 

RINGLEADER: How did he find food?    

[Group repeats]

 

We learn in 1 Kings 17 that God sent Raven birds to bring Elijah bread and meat every morning and every evening.

 

Question: What color are Raven birds?

Answer: Black



Question: What kind of American birds look like Ravens?

Answer: Crows



RINGLEADER: How long did this go on?     

[Group repeats]

 

Elijah might have hid there for a few weeks or a few months. In any case, those Raven birds brought Elijah food until the brook completely dried up during a period without rain.

 

Question: What "D" word describes when there is no rain for a long period of time?

Answer: Drought. Also accept dehydration.



RINGLEADER: Where did he hide out next?     

[Group repeats]

 

GOD: Elijah, go and live in this far-away city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.

 


RINGLEADER: Was that widow rich?     

[Group repeats]

 

No, she was so poor that she only had enough oil and flour to make one last tiny meal of bread for her son and herself. After that, she was sure that the two of them would starve to death.

 


RINGLEADER: How did she find food?     

[Group repeats]

 

God made this promise to Elijah and the poor widow and her son.


GOD: Elijah, tell the widow this. Don't be afraid! There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!

 


RINGLEADER: How long did this go on?     

[Group repeats]

 

For about 3 years, there was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

 


RINGLEADER: Who else did God save from danger?

[Group repeats]

 

One evening, Jesus told His disciples to take a boat out onto the water while He went off to pray to His Father in Heaven.

 

After a while, a storm began tossing the boat back and forth in the waves.

 

RINGLEADER: How did they stay safe?      

[Group repeats]

 

Jesus headed toward them by walking on the water.

 

RINGLEADER: Were the disciples scared?     

[Group repeats]

 

Yes, they actually thought they were seeing a ghost instead of Jesus. But Jesus replied:

 








JESUS: Don't be afraid. Take courage. I am here.

 


RINGLEADER: What happened next?     

[Group repeats]

 


In Matthew 14, the disciple named Peter said to Jesus:

 


DISCIPLE PETER: Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.

 

JESUS: Yes, walk to me.


RINGLEADER: Was Peter brave enough to obey?   

[Group repeats]

 

At first, he sure was. He climbed out of the boat. Keeping his eyes on Jesus, Peter actually took a few steps on the water.

 


RINGLEADER: Did something bad happen?     

[Group repeats]

 

Yes. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus to look at the strong wind and waves, he gave in to his fear. As a result, Peter began to sink.

 

RINGLEADER: What did Peter do next?     

[Group repeats]

 

Peter wisely called out to Jesus. He shouted:

 









DISCIPLE PETER: Save me, Lord!

 

RINGLEADER: Did Jesus save Peter from drowning?

[Group repeats]

 












Of course. Jesus reached out his hand, grabbed Peter, and pulled him safely into the boat. Then, Jesus said:

 

JESUS: Peter, you have so little faith. Why did you doubt me?

 

Then, the wind stopped. The water was still. The disciples worshipped Jesus and declared to each other:

 

DISCIPLES: Jesus really is the Son of God!

 

By a show of hands, who also believes that Jesus truly is the Son of God?

 










Next week, we will hear about some more ways that people in the Bible were saved from danger by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

 

Question: Any questions or comments?




Are you a Bible enthusiast or do you lead a Youth Group or Family Bible Study? To get a FREE PDF download of this story, click on this link below:


Free PDF download of About Elijah part 1 & Disciple Peter.


Do you want more stories about prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, & Nathan? If so, visit the More Prophets of Israel chapter from my EXPLORE BIBLE STORY dot org website.


Click here to get more stories about prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, & Nathan.



My ever-expanding Explore Bible Story dot org website includes Bible stories and Biblical Family Trees about



Explore Bible story dot org Business Card designed by Debbie Dunn using PowerPoint
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,
Location: Athens, AL, USA
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