1 Kings 12–13; 17–22: Lesson 82

1 Kings 18

Choosing to Follow the Lord

How committed are you to following God? To demonstrate that the God of Israel was the only true God, Elijah challenged the priests of Baal to a contest. The Lord answered Elijah’s prayers and prevailed in the contest. This lesson can help students feel a greater desire to follow the Lord.

Student preparation: Invite students to think of one or more times in their lives when they knew Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ was real, or when they felt Their power in their life. Or they could think of what they could do to find out whether Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are real and if they should completely follow Them.

Possible Learning Activities

Can we follow two influences at the same time?

Using tape or some other resource, make two lines on the floor in opposite directions as shown below. Ask a student to stand in the middle where the ends of the lines are close together and to place one foot on each line.

Ask the student to take a few steps, trying to walk both lines. Ask them how long they feel they could be successful. If necessary, point out that though it is possible that someone could walk both lines for a short distance, they would not be successful for long, nor would they walk either line well.

Invite the student to return to their seat.

For this lesson, one line could represent the ways of the Lord, and the other could represent other influences that that do not align with the ways of the Lord.

• What are some ways we may try to follow the Lord and other influences at the same time?

Elijah challenges the priests of Baal to a contest

Summarize the paragraph below, or if you feel it would be appropriate for your students, show “Elijah and the Priests of Baal” (2:16), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 0:07 to 0:33.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah wanted the kingdom of Israel to fully commit to the Lord. It had been about three years since Elijah used his sealing power to bring a drought upon the land (see 1 Kings 17:1). But Israel continued worshiping false gods, including Baal (see 1 Kings 18:18). Elijah challenged the hundreds of false prophets of Baal and prophets of the grove to a contest on Mount Carmel to prove whether Baal or Jehovah was the true God (see 1 Kings 18:19). Before the contest began, Elijah spoke to the people.

Read 1 Kings 18:21, looking for Elijah’s words to the people. The word halt in this case means to hesitate or waver.

• What did Elijah ask the people to do?

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles rephrased Elijah’s statement this way:

Today Elijah might say:

Either God, our Heavenly Father, exists, or He does not, but if He exists, worship Him.

Either Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the resurrected Redeemer of mankind, or He is not, but if He is, follow Him. (“Firm and Steadfast in the Faith of Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 30)

• What stands out to you from Elijah’s and Elder Christofferson’s statements?

Invite students to share their thoughts. Some truths we can learn are:

The Lord allows us to choose whether we will follow Him or the false gods and unrighteous ways of the world.

When we know that Heavenly Father exists and Jesus is the Christ, we should commit to follow Them.

Answer the following questions in your study journal:

• How strongly do I believe that I have a Father in Heaven and a Savior?

• How committed am I to following Them?

• What might keep me from committing to follow Them completely?

As you continue your study, seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost to help you know how you might overcome any obstacles that may prevent you from fully following Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

The contest between Baal and Jehovah

Read 1 Kings 18:23–24, looking for the conditions of the contest between Elijah and the false prophets of Baal.

The priests of Baal tried first, calling upon their false god for hours. Read 1 Kings 18:26–29, looking for what happened.

• What did you find?

If students struggle to understand these verses, consider showing “Elijah and the Priests of Baal” from time code 0:33 to 1:19.

For the following activity, consider giving students a time limit of around five minutes to read the verses and complete the following instructions. Emphasize that the drawing does not need to be elaborate.

To learn what happened when Elijah called upon God, read 1 Kings 18:30–39. Then, take a piece of paper and divide it in half. On one half of the paper, draw a picture of what happened when Elijah prepared his sacrifice and called upon God.

• What would you think and feel if you were there?

• How might it affect your testimony of the Lord and your willingness to follow Him?

For the following activity, consider giving students a time limit of about five minutes. If it would be useful to show an example of someone who came to know God was real or what they did to come to know, consider showing one of the following videos, available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

“His Grace: Choosing to Believe in God” (4:07)

“Faith Crisis: What Do We Do When We Feel Nothing?” (5:55)

On the other half of your paper, write about or draw a picture of one or more times in your life when you knew Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ was real, or when you felt Their power in your life. Or you could write about or draw a picture of what you could do to find out if They are real and if you should completely follow Them.

When the students have finished, consider giving multiple volunteers time to share what they drew or wrote if it is not too personal. Encouraging many students to share can give various perspectives and help other students realize how the truths they are learning can affect them. It might also be beneficial to ask questions such as the ones below.

• How does reflecting on your own experiences of seeing the power of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in your life help you in your commitment to worship and follow Them?

• Why do you think Heavenly Father and the Savior Jesus Christ are worth following completely?

Observe Christlike attributes in students and share what you’ve noticed. You can help motivate students to continue to strive to come closer to the Lord when you point out ways they have been improving or making good choices. For this lesson, consider pointing out ways you have noticed students choosing to follow Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. This might include complimenting them on the choice to attend seminary, study the Lord’s word, and seek to come closer to Him. This could also include Christlike attributes you have noticed in students. To learn more on this, see “Help learners intentionally strive to be more like Jesus Christ” in Teacher Development Skills.

To end this lesson, write in your study journal how you feel about following Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ completely. Seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost to help you remember and express your feelings. You could include what you would like to do or remember because of this lesson.

Share your testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and the blessings of completely following Them.

Additional Resources

What are some ways we “halt between two opinions” today?

Elder David P. Homer of the Seventy taught many ways we can become confused about whom to follow:

We live in a world with many voices seeking our attention. With all the breaking news, tweets, blogs, podcasts, and compelling advice from Alexa, Siri, and others, we can find it difficult to know which voices to trust. Sometimes we crowdsource guidance in our lives, thinking the majority will provide the best source of truth. Other times we “halt … between two opinions” (1 Kings 18:21), choosing to be “neither cold nor hot” (Revelation 3:15–16). Still other times we follow what is convenient, focus on a single voice or issue to guide us, or rely exclusively upon our own ability to think. …

What is popular is not always what is best. Halting between two opinions brings no direction. Convenience rarely leads to things that matter. Fixation on a single voice or issue can impair our ability to see. And relying solely upon our own thinking can lead us into a hyperintellectual stupor of thought. If we are not careful, the wrong voices can draw us away from the gospel center to places where faith is difficult to sustain, and we find little more than emptiness, bitterness, and dissatisfaction. …

And so, we need to decide which among all the different voices we will obey. Will we follow the unreliable voices advocated by the world, or will we do the work required to allow our Father’s voice to guide us in our decisions and protect us from danger? (“Hearing His Voice,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 41–43)

What does Mount Carmel look like?

The prophet Elijah and the false prophets of Baal gathered unto Mount Carmel. The following image of Mount Carmel in Israel can help students visualize the place where Elijah called down fire from heaven and the false prophets of Baal failed.

Supplemental Learning Activities

An alternative beginning

Invite students to try to do two activities at the same time, such as doing push-ups and jumping jacks, or reading and having a conversation with a friend. Discuss why trying to do two things at once is not effective. Invite them to read Elijah’s question in 1 Kings 18:21.

“Lord, I Would Follow Thee”

Consider beginning the lesson by singing “Lord, I Would Follow Thee” (Hymns, no. 220).

Alternatively, after asking the question near the end of the lesson, “Why do you think Heavenly Father and the Savior Jesus Christ are worth following completely?”, consider singing “Lord, I Would Follow Thee.” Invite students to share what words or phrases in this hymn inspire them to follow the Lord.

1 Kings 19:1–12. The Lord speaks with Elijah through the still, small voice

These verses in 1 Kings 19 will be the subject in Lesson 162: “Seeking Personal Revelation for My Questions,” but if you would also like to teach about them here, consider the following idea:

Play a variety of sounds for students and invite them to describe them. Some examples may be a shout, a strong wind, an earthquake, and a whisper. Invite students to share what is required to hear and recognize each sound.

After Elijah’s contest with the priests of Baal, the wicked priests were killed and Elijah used the power of God to bring forth rain, ending years of drought (see 1 Kings 18:40–45). Even after the miraculous fire from heaven and rain, Jezebel swore she would take Elijah’s life in revenge, causing Elijah to flee and hide in a cave (see 1 Kings 19:1–8).

Read 1 Kings 19:9–13, looking for how the Lord communicated with Elijah.

• What can we learn from this account about how the Lord often communicates with us?

If useful, invite students to be still and quiet for 30 seconds and listen for any sounds you did not notice before. Ask how this activity illustrates what we must do to receive the messages the Lord may give us through the still, small voice of the Spirit.

• What helps you recognize and hear the still, small voice speaking to you?

• What blessings have you recognized because of the influence of the Spirit in your life?

After students share, consider sharing personal experiences and testimony as well.