Prepare your mind and heart to learn. Remember that studying the gospel prayerfully with a desire to learn will help you to be taught and edified by the Holy Ghost.
Begin your study with prayer.
What can you do when you are worried about being different from others because of your standards and beliefs?
President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) explained what will give us the courage we need in order to stand out as members of the Church.
Imagine being the person in this diagram. What would happen if you tried to walk in opposite directions at the same time?
It would not take long before you would have to choose which direction to follow. Now, what if one line represented the ways of the Lord and the other represented false gods and the ways of the world?
What are some ways we may be tempted to try to follow the Lord and the ways of the world at the same time?
As you study 1 Kings 18, look for principles that can guide you when situations arise in which you must choose whether to follow the Lord and His prophets or the world.
Remember that according to 1 Kings 16–17, Ahab, his wife Jezebel, and most of the people in the Northern Kingdom of Israel chose wickedness and worshipped false gods. Consequently, Elijah used the sealing power to bring a drought upon the land. Jezebel killed many of the Lord’s prophets, but Elijah survived. As recorded in 1 Kings 18:1–16, Elijah sent Obadiah to tell King Ahab that Elijah wanted to meet with him.
Read 1 Kings 18:17–18, looking for what Ahab claimed Elijah had done.
According to 1 Kings 18:17–20, Ahab accused Elijah of having caused Israel’s troubles, most likely because it had not rained in nearly three years. But Elijah told Ahab that the real cause of Israel’s troubles was that he and his household had disobeyed the Lord and worshipped false gods. Elijah then proposed a contest that would demonstrate that Jehovah was the true God. Elijah told Ahab to summon all the Israelites and 850 false prophets who worshipped false gods and to tell them to “gather … unto mount Carmel” (verse 19).
Read 1 Kings 18:21–22, looking for what Elijah told the people to do after they and the false prophets gathered at Mount Carmel. The word halt, as used in verse 21, means to hesitate or waver in choosing whom to follow.
What truth can Elijah’s words teach us about what the Lord allows us to do?
Our Freedom to Choose
A principle we can identify from Elijah’s words is that the Lord allows us to choose whether we will follow Him or the false gods and unrighteous ways of the world.
Read the following statement from For the Strength of Youth, looking for what we are not free to choose:
“You are responsible for the choices you make. …
“While you are free to choose your course of action, you are not free to choose the consequences. Whether for good or bad, consequences follow as a natural result of the choices you make. Some sinful behavior may bring temporary, worldly pleasure, but such choices delay your progress and lead to heartache and misery. Righteous choices lead to lasting happiness and eternal life” (For the Strength of Youth [booklet, 2011], 2–3).
From 1 Kings 18:23–25 we learn the conditions Elijah set for his contest with the false prophets of Baal. Each would take a bullock (a young bull) and prepare it for sacrifice. The prophets of Baal would pray to their gods, and Elijah would “call on the name of the Lord” (verse 24). The God who answered by sending fire to receive the sacrifice would be deemed the true God.
Read 1 Kings 18:26–29, looking for what happened when the false prophets called upon Baal.
From the account of Elijah contending with the prophets of Baal we can identify the following truths: The Lord’s power is greater than the power of men. The Lord can help us know that He is the true God.
1. Answer the following question:
Why would these truths be important for you and your peers to understand?
According to 1 Kings 18:41–45, it started raining after Elijah prophesied that it would soon rain.
From 1 Kings 19:1–8 we learn that after Ahab reported to Jezebel what he had witnessed, she swore an oath that she would have Elijah killed within 24 hours. Elijah fled from the land of Israel and traveled many days until he came to Mount Horeb.
Read 1 Kings 19:9–12, looking for what happened as Elijah came to the mount.
Quiz 2
According to verse 12, the Lord chose to communicate with Elijah on this occasion by using
One truth we can learn from Elijah’s experience on Mount Horeb is that the Lord often speaks to us through the still, small voice of the Spirit. Consider writing this truth in your scriptures.
Be still and quiet for 30 seconds while listening for any sounds you may not have noticed before.
How might this experience relate to what we must do to receive the messages the Lord may give us through the Spirit?
The Still, Small Voice
Read the following statement by President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency, looking for what we must do to hear the still, small voice of the Spirit.
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Henry B. Eyring
“I testify it is a small voice. It whispers, not shouts. And so you must be very quiet inside. That is why you may wisely fast when you want to listen. And that is why you will listen best when you feel, ‘Father, thy will, not mine, be done.’ You will have a feeling of ‘I want what you want.’ Then, the still small voice will seem as if it pierces you. … More often it will make your heart burn within you, again softly, but with a burning which will lift and reassure” (Henry B. Eyring, “To Draw Closer to God,” Ensign, May 1991, 67).
2. Answer two of the following questions:
When have you felt the still, small voice of the Spirit speak to you, and how were you blessed through this experience?
When can you create more times during your day for quiet meditation and communion with the Lord?
What will you do to better listen to and follow the still, small voice?
According to 1 Kings 19:16–21, the Lord told Elijah to call Elisha as a prophet. The Lord then comforted Elijah by telling him that there were 7,000 other Israelites who had remained faithful to the Lord. Elijah did as the Lord had commanded and called Elisha to be a prophet.
According to 1 Kings 20–22, the Israelites defended themselves in battle against the Syrians. Elijah prophesied that Ahab and Jezebel would die. His words were fulfilled, and eventually Ahab and Jezebel were both killed (see 2 Kings 9).
