Unit 12: Elijah and Elisha OT12.15 Elisha and the Power of God...2 OT12.15 Elisha and the Power of...

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OT12.15 Elisha and the Power of God ©Beverly Wilson 2019

Unit 12: Elijah and Elisha OT12.15 Elisha and the Power of God

Scripture: 2 Kings 2-8; 13:20-21

Lesson Goal: Elisha was a prophet in the land of Israel during the reign of the kings. Elisha followed in Elijah’s footsteps and demonstrated the power of God to perform many miracles. Elisha followed in Elijah’s footsteps and demonstrated the power of God to perform many miracles. Sixteen miracles are recorded in scripture that Elisha performed. In this lesson we will see how these miracles showed that God is our great Provider and Protector.

Introduction: This lesson is found in the book of 2 Kings. This book tells the history of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. It is in the second group of Old Testament books called the historical books. These books begin with Joshua and go through Esther. Let's say these books--Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther

Attention Getter: “Miracles” What is a miracle? It is not a trick or some event that we can explain as happening on its own. For example a magician can perform tricks but those are not miracles! Instead miracles cause people to wonder in amazement at God’s great power! A miracle happens when God works in our lives in a very unexpected way. Throughout the Bible God has used miracles to show us important truths about Him. When Jesus was here on earth he performed many miracles to show us that He was God. For example he healed the sick. He walked on water and caused the storm to stop! No one but God can control nature. He multiplied two loaves of bread and five little fish to feed five thousand people. He even raised people from the dead. He brought Lazarus back to life after he had been dead for three days. Elisha was a prophet in Israel for over sixty-six years during the times of the kings. God used him in a powerful way to perform many miracles. These miracles helped the people of Israel know about God’s love for them, His provision, and protection. In this lesson we will review some of the amazing experiences in Elisha’s life.

Opening Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, Thank you for loving and caring for us and always being there then we go through difficult situations. Teach us to trust that you can turn the bad things in our lives into blessings. Thank you that you sent Jesus to come down from heaven to bring us new life through His death on the cross. Just like you used Elisha to resurrect people from the dead, you want to give us eternal life in heaven with you. We trust in you as our Savior. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Memory Verse: The memory verse is Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/23eZeTmBVeY Elisha was a prophet in the land of Israel during the reign of the kings. Elisha followed in Elijah’s footsteps and demonstrated the power of God to perform many miracles. He served God for over sixty-six years. Elisha’s name even meant “God is Salvation.”

https://youtu.be/23eZeTmBVeY

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Elisha’s ministry began when Elijah was told by God to choose him as his successor. Elijah came to Elisha who was a farmer plowing his field with twelve yoke of oxen. Elijah threw his mantle or coat around Elisha. The cloak was a symbol of God’s power and his selection by God to be a prophet.

For the next ten years Elisha was taught God’s Word by Elijah. At the close of Elijah’s ministry Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s power. Elijah said that if he were present when God took him home to heaven that Elisha would receive it.

God granted Elisha’s request and he saw the whirlwind catch Elijah up and take him to heaven in a chariot of fire! What an amazing experience! As Elijah ascended into heaven his mantle fell to the ground. Elisha picked up the coat and God’s great power came upon him. He received a double portion of the power that Elijah had—the power of the Holy Spirit. From that time on Elisha began to perform many miracles.

As Elisha was returning to Israel God confirmed his ministry as a prophet by parting the waters of the Jordan River just as He had done for Elijah. Elisha walked right through the river bed on dry ground. This was the first of many miracles that Elisha would perform through the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

As a prophet Elisha often showed great compassion for those who were around him. Whenever Elisha saw a need—whether it was big or small—he asked God to provide! Elisha believed that God loved His people and that God heard and answered prayer. Because of his great faith, God used Elisha to work many miracles of kindness and blessing. In this lesson we are going to learn about many of these miracles.

One of the first miracles that Elisha performed was in the city of Jericho. The men of the city came to Elisha and told him that their city was situated in a good place but their water was no good. This caused their crops not to grow and the people were often dry and thirsty.

Elisha prayed to God for help. Then he told them to bring him a new bowl filled with salt. He threw the salt into the spring and said, “This is what the Lord says, “I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.” And so it was. When the people tasted the water it was fresh and clean. Never again did it cause death or make the land not grow crops! God had used Elisha to provide for His people.

On another occasion a poor widow of one of the prophets was desperate. When her husband died, she was left with debts she could never pay. The men whom her husband owed the money were going to take her sons and sell them into slavery to pay the debts. The poor desperate woman came to Elisha asking for help. Elisha asked her what she had in her house. She told him that she had nothing except a little bottle of oil. Elisha told her to gather as many pots as she could find. She should even borrow all the jars she could from her neighbors! After all this was done she was to go inside her house with her sons and pour the oil from her little jar into all the others!

The result was amazing! As she poured from her little bottle the oil multiplied. Her boys helped by bringing her jar after jar. She kept pouring until all the jars were filled. God performed a miracle that day in supplying oil for all the jugs.

The woman rushed to Elisha and told him the news. He told her, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left!” Through this miracle God used Elisha to show the widow and her sons that He is our great Provider!

During Elisha’s ministry he traveled throughout Israel teaching people to obey God. As he traveled he often passed through the town of Shunem. In this city lived a woman and her husband who often provided Elisha a place to stay overnight and food to eat.

They loved God and his servant so much they even decided to build a special room just for him on the roof of their house. In appreciation for their hospitality, Elisha wanted to do something for the woman although she had not requested it. At Elisha’s servant’s suggestion Elisha prayed to God and then told her that by the same time next year she would have a son! Because she had never had any children

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before the woman found this hard to believe! But just as promised God allowed the woman to bare a new baby son!

The child grew. One day as he was in the fields with his father, his head began to hurt and his father sent him to his mother. In the house, the mother did her best to help the boy but by noon the boy was dead. She laid the body of her son on Elisha’s bed. Then, without telling her husband she asked for a donkey to ride to find Elisha. She rode the donkey along with a servant to find Elisha at Mount Carmel. When she arrived she fell at Elisha’s feet and told him the news. Elisha sent his servant back to lay his staff on the boy’s head but it did no good.

Elisha then arrived at the woman’s house and then he laid on the boy’s dead body—mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, and hands to hands. Elisha did this twice as he prayed to God to bring him back to life. God answered Elisha’s prayer and the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes! Both Elisha and the woman knew that God can do anything!

After Elisha had raised the Shunammite woman's young son to life, he returned to Gilgal, where one of the Bible schools was located. There was a terrible famine in the land, and the people had very little to eat. One day as Elisha was there teaching the young students, he said to his servant, "Make some stew for supper for these young men."

One of the young Bible students decided to help prepare the meal, so he went out into the field to gather some vegetables to cook in the stew, but by mistake he brought back poisonous wild gourds and put them with the other vegetables in the stew.

After the stew was finished cooking, the young men began to eat. Suddenly they cried out, "Oh, sir, there's death in the pot! There's poison in this stew!" Immediately they one by one began to spit out the stew, but was it too late? Would they all get sick and maybe die from the food poisoning? There was great concern, and they looked to Elisha for an answer to this serious problem.

The prophet Elisha said, "Bring me some meal." He took the meal and threw it into the stew and said, "Now it's all right! Go ahead and eat."

As they tasted the stew, they noticed that it no longer had the poisonous taste; so they began to eat heartily, and none of them got sick. If the students had eaten the poisonous stew, they may have died, but God, through Elisha, delivered them from food poisoning.

On another occasion a man came from Baal Shalishah to see Elisha. He was bringing Elisha an offering of thanksgiving. He had twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain along with some heads of new grain. When Elisha saw the offering, he told the man to give it the crowd. There were over a hundred men in that place.

The servant asked, “How can I feed a hundred men with this?” But Elisha answered him, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says, “They will eat and have some left over.”

So on that day a great miracle occurred. Just as He had promised God multiplied the food and everyone ate and there was even food left over!

While Elisha was serving as a great prophet in the land of Israel, there was a large group of men who served as prophets helping him teach the people about God. These men met and lived in a large school to learn how to teach the people.

Soon the building was not large enough for them so they decided to go and build a larger place down by the Jordan River. Because they knew that Elisha cared about them, they asked Elisha to come with them to the new construction site.

As they were cutting down the trees, one of the prophet’s axes fell apart and its iron axe head fell into the water. The prophet was devastated. He cried out to Elisha, “Oh, my lord, it was borrowed!” Elisha asked him where he lost it.

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The prophet showed Elisha and Elisha took a stick and threw it into the water. This stick made the iron axe head float! When it floated to the surface the prophet was able to retrieve it. This miracle helped the prophet know that God was present with them and ready to provide even in the insignificant events of everyday life!

During the time of Elisha’s ministry Israel often faced many problems from their enemy to the north the king of Aram in the land of Syria. One of the commanders of the army of the Syria was Naaman. Naaman had an important position in Syria but he had leprosy and there was no cure. Through his wife’s servant girl whom Naaman had captured from Israel, he learned about the prophet Elisha. The girl had told him that Elisha was God’s prophet and he could heal her master. Because he was so desperate Naaman asked permission from the king to find this prophet Elisha.

When Naaman finally found Elisha he was disappointed that Elisha did not command him to do a great deed to be healed. Instead Elisha told him to go down to the muddy Jordan River. Elisha said, “Go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan and you will be healed!” Naaman was insulted and furious! But Naaman’s servants reasoned with him and finally Naaman was persuaded to go. Naaman dipped himself seven times in the Jordan River. After the seventh time, he was miraculously healed. Naaman went back to Elisha and told him that he knew know that there was no God in the world except the God of Israel!

A few years after Naaman was healed another king arose to the throne of Aram in Syria. He became obsessed with destroying Israel. Fortunately for Israel, God told Elisha what the enemy king was planning so he could warn the king of Israel in advance so they were always ready.

When the king of Aram found out that it was Elisha who was telling his secrets, he became so angry that he sent his officers to capture him. He sent a great army with many horses and chariots to surround the city of Dothan where Elisha was staying. This caused Elisha’s servant to be very afraid. He asked, “Oh my lord, what shall we do?”

But the prophet Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then God revealed to the servant his heavenly army of angels who were sent to protect them. The hills around the city were filled with horses and chariots of fire! God used this army to strike all the members of the Syrian army with blindness. Elisha told these blind soldiers that they had the wrong city and he told them to follow him to the city of Samaria.

Once inside the city walls, Elisha asked God to restore their sight. When they could see, the enemy soldiers realized that they were prisoners of Israel! Elisha then advised the king to feed them and set them free to return to their land. God once again was using Elisha to perform a great miracle and show Israel that He was their Protector!

Sometime later Ben-hadad another king of Aram arose to the throne of Syria. He mobilized his army and surrounded the city of Samaria where the King of Israel lived. Because Israel had disobeyed God and had begun to worship many idols, God allowed the enemy to lay siege to the city for many days. Soon the food supplies in the city became very scarce. The people were starving.

The King of Israel was so distressed about the situation that he began to blame Elisha for the problems instead of recognizing his own sin and repenting and turning to God. King Joram of Israel decided that he want to kill Elisha and set off to arrest him! God warned Elisha about his coming to his house. Elisha told the elders of the city who were meeting with him in his house to bar the door and prevent the king from entering.

From inside his house, Elisha told the king and his servant, “The Lord says that by this time tomorrow the food will sell for cheap prices! Seven quarts of flour will sell for a penny and 13 quarts of barley will sell for 2 pennies!” All this seemed impossible! The king and his servant only laughed at Elisha and the Lord!

Outside the city gates of Samaria were four lepers. They were hopeless dying of starvation so they decided to go the camp of the Syrian army and beg for some food. But when they arrived at the camp the Lord had caused the enemy soldiers to hear a great army of chariots and horses arriving. They had become so frightened that they had run for their lives leaving their tents and all their supplies behind.

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At first the four lepers enjoyed eating all the food that was left behind. Then they began to take all the gold and silver and clothing that the frightened army had left behind. However, they soon realized that they should share the good news with the city of Samaria. When the people heard the news, they were so excited that they stampeded out of the city to get the supplies. In their mad rush to leave the city, the servant of the king who had made fun of Elisha and God’s promise to supply food was trampled to death! Once again God had provided protection and food for His people the Israelites.

For over sixty-six years Elisha served God faithfully and he saw God perform miracles of power and kindness in answer to his prayers. Finally, Elisha grew old and died naturally. His friends and students sadly wrapped his body in grave clothes and lay it in a burial cave.

Sometime after Elisha's death and burial, an amazing thing happened. Bands of Moabite ruffians were raiding the countryside of Israel and taking whatever they wanted from the Israelites. They roamed over the hillsides and valleys. In the midst of all this tumult, some Israelite men were on their way to bury a dead friend when they saw a band of Moabites coming toward them, and they looked around for a place to quickly put the dead body. They saw a cave nearby, the cave where Elisha was buried, so they quickly threw the dead body into that cave and immediately ran to escape from the Moabites.

But something miraculous happened; as soon as the dead body they were carrying touched Elisha's bones, the dead man came back to life and stood up on his feet inside the cave near Elisha's bones. So even after Elisha was dead, this great prophet of God worked a miracle of resurrection power.

This was a wonderful tribute to Elisha's faithfulness to God through all those sixty-six years, and it was a testimony to the people-of Israel that they could keep on trusting the God of Elisha even though Elisha was dead. Elisha’s ministry was notable because through his miracles he showed the people of Israel God’s great love for them, God’s great Provision for them, and God’s great Protection for them from their enemies.

God's greatest work on earth is His work of giving people who are dead in sins a wonderful, new, eternal life in Jesus Christ. He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is God and receives the Lord Jesus as the One Who died to take the full punishment for sin is spiritually raised from the dead and given everlasting life.

Remember God is our Protector and Provider!

Review Questions: “Paper Clip Draw” Preparation: You will need a box of colored vinyl paper clips and a draw string bag. Place about 20-25 colored paper clips in a bag, making sure that you have lots of two colors such as red and blue. Procedure: Divide the class into two teams and give them the color names of the paper clips such as red and blue. To determine which team goes first, ask the first question to the whole group. The child who raises his hand first and correctly answers the question gets to pull a paper clip out of the bag. If the red team member pulls out a red paper clip, then the red team gets 500 points. But if he pulls out a blue one, the blue team gets 500 points. No points are given for the other colors. Alternate turns to answer the review questions between the two teams. The team with the most points after all the questions have been asked is the winning team. Optional: You can place 1 or 2 green clips in the bag and they can become the “Zonk” clips. That is, if a team member draws a green clip then they lose all their points!

1. Who was Elisha? (Elisha was a prophet that God had chosen to take over the ministry of Elijah. Elisha demonstrated the power of God to perform many miracles. He often showed great

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compassion for those who were around him. People who trusted in God soon learned that if they had a problem they could go to the prophet Elisha for help.)

2. What did Elisha’s name mean? (Elisha’s name even meant “God is Salvation.”) 3. How was Elisha called as a prophet? (Elijah was told by God that he was to choose Elisha as his

successor. He found him plowing in his field with twelve oxen and placed his mantle over his shoulders.)

4. What request did Elisha have when Elijah was soon to be taken to heaven? (He asked God to give him a double portion of Elijah’s Spirit.)

5. What condition did Elisha have to meet in order to his request? (He had to be present when God took Elijah to heaven through a whirlwind that swept him up into a chariot of fire that took him to heaven. Elisha was present.)

6. What was Elisha’s first miracle? (He parted the rivers of the Jordan River just like Elijah had done and walked across on dry land. This was the way God was showing Elisha that he was truly a prophet and had been given the power of the Holy Spirit to perform miracles.)

7. How did Elisha help the people in the city of Jericho? (He turned their bitter water supply into sweet water by pouring a bowl of salt into the spring. The water was no longer bitter.)

8. How did Elisha help the widow of one of the prophets? (She owed money and her creditors were going to take her sons into slavery to pay the debt. Elisha told her to gather as many pots as she could find and then pour the little jug of oil into all the pots. God miraculously filled all the vessels with oil. The widow then sold the oil to pay the debt and have money to live on with her sons.)

9. How did the Shunnamite woman and her husband help Elisha? (They invited Elisha to come to their home and stay when he and his servant were in the town preaching. They even built a special room on the roof of the house to accommodate him on his visits.)

10. How did Elisha help the Shunnamite woman? (He prayed to God and asked that she be given a new baby son. This was unusual because the woman and her husband had no children.)

11. What problem did the son have that Elisha was able to perform a miracle for him? (The boy got sick and died. Elisha prayed to God and his life was restored.)

12. What way did Elisha help the sons of the prophets with their new school down along the Jordan River? (Elisha went with them to help in the building of the new school. One of the prophets had borrowed an axe and the axe head came off and was lost in the river. Elisha prayed to God and threw a stick into the river. The stick caused the axe head to float so the son of the prophet could retrieve the axe head. This miracle showed that God cares about the insignificant things in our life.)

13. How did Elisha help the sons of the prophets when they were hungry? (Elisha commanded that they make a kettle of stew but one of the sons of the prophets accidentally put some poisonous vegetables in it. God told Elisha to take some meal and throw it in the stew and miraculously the poisonous stew was no longer poisonous.)

14. Who was one of Israel’s enemies during the time of Elisha? (During the time of Elisha there was a kingdom to the northeast of Israel called Aram in the land of Syria. The Syrians were growing in power and the King of Aram would often have his army make raids in Israel.)

15. When the Syrian army attacked Israel, how did God protect Israel? (God told Elisha the Syrian’s secret plans and he relayed them to the King of Israel who could then direct the army away from the attack.)

16. How did God protect Elisha and his servant when King Ben-hadad I and the Syrian army came to arrest Elisha? (God sent his invisible army to protect Elisha and blind the Syrian army.)

17. After leading the blind army to Samaria, what did Elisha convince the King of Israel to do? (Elisha asked God to heal the blindness. Then Elisha told the King of Israel to treat the army of Syria like prisoners of war. They gave them food and water and let them return to their country unharmed.)

18. When they got to Samaria what did Elisha do? (He asked God to restore their sight. When they opened their eyes they were surrounded by the Israelite army.)

19. What did King Ben-hadad II do to Israel? (He raided the land and wanted to take control of the people so he surrounded the capital city of Samaria for many days.)

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20. What problem did the Israelites have in the city of Samaria during the siege by the Syrian army? (They ran out of food and supplies. They were starving and desperate for food.)

21. Why had God allowed the Israelites to be taken siege by the Syrian army? (King Jehoram was a wicked king. He had led the nation of Israel into more idolatry and sin. God allowed this difficult situation to occur because of the sin of Israel and to help them see the need to return to worshipping Him.)

22. How did King Ben-haddad II respond to the desperate situation in the city of Samaria? (He tore his clothes in grief. He blamed Elisha the prophet for not performing a miracle to save the city. Instead of repenting of his own sin, he went to Elisha’s house to arrest him and to kill him!)

23. What kept King Jehoram from arresting Elisha? (Elisha was in his house meeting with the elders of the city. Elisha told them to bar the door shut and not let the king and his servant to enter.)

24. What prediction did Elisha tell King Jehoram and his servant when they tried to arrest him? (Elisha told them, “The Lord says that by this time tomorrow the food will sell for cheap prices! Seven quarts of flour will sell for a penny and 13 quarts of barley will sell for 2 pennies!”)

25. What did King Jehoram’s servant say when he heard this prophecy? (He laughed and scoffed at Elisha and said, “Even if the Lord opened the floodgates of the heavens, this could not happen!”

26. What did Elisha say was going to happen to the King’s servant? (Elisha said that he would see the food but not eat of it!)

27. What miracle happened to the Syrian army to cause them to leave their post outside the city of Samaria? (God caused them to hear the roar of a great army approaching with chariots and horses that made them fear for their lives and run away.)

28. Why did the four Israelite lepers go toward the enemy camp? (They were starving and knew that they were going to die so they decided to see if the Syrians would capture them and give them food.)

29. What surprise did the four lepers find when they entered the Syrian army camp? (They were shocked to find that everyone was gone! They immediately began to eat the leftover food. Then they stole clothing and gold and silver from the vacant tents of the soldiers.)

30. Why did the four lepers decide to go back to Samaria and tell them the news about the Syrian army? (They felt guilty for having food to eat and clothes and gold and silver when their families were starving in the city.)

31. What happened to King Benhaddad II’s servant who had laughed at Elisha’s prophecy about God’s provision of food? (He was placed at the gate to guard the entrance. He was trampled by all the people of Samaria as they raced out of the city to get the leftover food and supplies that were left by the Syrian army.)

32. How did God use the miracles that Elisha performed to help the Israelites know more about Him? (Elisha’s ministry was notable because through his miracles he showed the people of Israel God’s great love for them, God’s great Provision for them, and God’s great Protection for them from their enemies.)

33. What is the memory verse? (Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”)

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Axe Handle”

Our memory verse is Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” Have students locate the verse in scripture and read together aloud several times.

Say: “This verse tells us that God protects those who trust in Him. The same is true for us today as it was for Elisha in the time of the kings.”

Procedure: Using gray and brown construction paper, make an ax. You will need construction paper, scissors, glue, and markers. See the example below. Have the children cut out the ax head in gray construction paper and the handle in brown construction paper. Glue the ax head to the handle. Write the memory verse reference and/or theme onto the ax head for the children to take home and remember.

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Group Learning Activity/Game: “Bean Bag Volley” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a long piece of yarn or string, masking tape, a small beanbag, and a whistle. A large play area or gym is the best place to play this game. Say: “In today’s lesson, we learned that Elisha trusted God to meet people’s needs. He believed that God wants to hear our prayers and answer them. He believed that the Lord is concerned about everything in our lives--even the little things. Today we are going to play a game to help us think of ways that the Lord has answered prayer in our own family’s lives.” Procedure: Form two teams. Have them go to opposite sides of the room. Use a string (or yarn) long enough to go across the room. Tape the ends of the string to the wall on either side of the room. Have the string be at least 1 foot above the children’s head. On the board write “Team 1” and “Team 2.” When you say, “Go,” toss the beanbag to one of the children. They need to give one example of how the Lord has answered a prayer for them. If they do, their team gets one point. If they have a hard time answering, allow another child from their team to give an example. Keep it timed though, (maybe 15 - 30 seconds per answer). If the team cannot answer then the other team receives the point. After they have answered, the child will toss the beanbag over the string for a child to catch on the other team. Keep repeating until everyone has had a turn to catch the beanbag and share how the Lord has answered a prayer. Declare a winning team, but have the children clap and cheer for one another.

Group Learning Activity: “How many jars?” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need as many different and unique glass containers that you can find. You will also need a pitcher of water to fill the containers at different levels. You will want to pick out about five or six (probably small ones) and use glass or metal containers to get a musical tone when tapped. Say: “In this lesson we learned that one of the miracles that Elisha performed was for the poor widow of a prophet. She was told to collect as many containers or jars as she could find. These jars are going to represent the jars that she found. Elisha prayed and God worked a miracle of providing oil to fill the containers. Today we are going to use a collection of jars to bring make a sound of praise to God.” Procedure: Display the collection of various sizes of glass jars. Next put different amounts of water in each “vessel.” Fill each glass container with a different amount of water, with the smallest amount to the right

and the largest amount to the left.

Then using a pencil or metal spoon tap each of the different vessels lightly. Note that as you go from right

to left, the tones get progressively lower. Each vessel will make a different sound. With the different tones, you will come up with a tune. If you would like, allow the children to take turns playing your vessel instruments. Say: “Elijah and Elisha were both powerfully anointed by God for His service; yet, their ministries were different in direction and purpose. We are vessels of the Lord. Each one of us is different in the body of Christ. But when we use the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given us we can make something wonderful (like music) that can honor the Lord.”

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Group Learning Activity: “Spiritual Gifts” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Each student will need a Bible. Print copies of the Spiritual Gifts template below for each student. Procedure: Distribute Bibles and Spiritual Gifts page to every student. Say: "In this lesson we learned that Elisha received a gift of the Holy Spirit in order to perform the miracles for the children of Israel. The miracles were for the purpose of helping Israel know about God’s love, God’s provision for them, and God’s protection of them. Elisha wanted to be bold and faithful in serving God. That is why he asked for a double portion of the Spirit. Just like Elisha and Elijah we all have special gifts from God that can help us serve His kingdom. Today we are going to learn about the special gifts and their purpose by reading about them from God’s Word.” Read Romans 12:6-8 “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[ faith;

7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching,

then teach; 8

if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” According to these verses what are the gifts of God? (Discuss each gift and examples of how a person might exercise it.)

1. Prophesying— This gift is pointing others to God and helping them see what is right or wrong in God’s sight.

2. Serving— This gift is helping meet the needs of others. 3. Teaching— This gift is helping others understand God’s Word the Bible. 4. Giving— This gift is giving gifts and money to support the church and to

help people. 5. Encouraging—This gift is coming alongside others to help them grow in

their faith. 6. Leading— This gift is leading others in reaching the goals of the

kingdom. 7. Mercy— This gift is showing kindness and seeking unity among

believers.

Say: “God has chosen a ministry for each of you. He has made us all special with different strengths and spiritual gifts. We can use our gifts to serve God in our home, school, or neighborhood. It doesn’t matter how old we are or where we live, God has a plan for everyone.” Optional: Write the names of the seven gifts on small slips of paper and place into a bag or basket. Print the list of gifts on a dry erase board. Divide the group into 2 or 3 teams. With eyes closed, the first team chooses a paper from the bag. Give the team a minute to discuss how they will act out that gift. The team then acts out an example of someone using that particular gift. The remaining children guess correctly to explain which gift it is and why they believe it is that gift. Continue to play until all teams have had a turn and then draw another slip to act the remaining gifts. Have students record what they have learned in their spiritual journals.

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Craft Learning Activity: “Driftwood” Craft (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You will need small round craft stones (or use buttons as an option), rubber cement glue, a piece of driftwood or any piece of wood or cardboard, a permanent black marker, and or printed copies of the template below. Say: “In this lesson we learned that one of the miracles that Elisha performed was to throw a stick into the river in order to make the broken axe head float. Today we are going to make a craft that will help us remember that God is the One who performs all miracles.” Procedure: Distribute all the materials to the students. Every student needs 30 stones or buttons. Using the permanent marker students are to write one letter of the following slogan on each stone: “You are the God who performs miracles.” Have students use the glue to attach the stone or button to the drift wood or to the piece of cardboard. If you are using the cardboard have the students draw a piece of driftwood on the cardboard using a design similar to the drawing at right.

Craft Learning Activity: “Elisha’s Mantle” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need one large white handkerchief or one piece of white fabric approximately 18” X 36” long for each student. You will also need colored permanent markers or fabric markers for each child to use. If desired, you can write out before class the verse Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” on each piece of fabric. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Elisha wore Elijah’s mantle as a sign that God had chosen him to be his successor as a prophet of God. Elisha knew that God had a plan and special work that he was to accomplish in his life. God is not looking for super-human people to do His work. He is looking for those who are willing to follow Him and allow Him to fulfill His purpose in our lives. God also has a plan for your life that is uniquely for you! God wants to give you His Spirit to help you accomplish His will. Today we are going to make mini-mantles for each of you.” Procedure: Distribute the fabric mantles one to each student. If your students are older, have them write the verse from Jeremiah 29:11 on their mantle with a permanent marker. Prepare mantles with the verse written on it in advance for younger students. Give one mantle to each child (just for fun you could go by each child and cast the “mini-mantle” onto each child). Next give the children markers and allow them to draw a picture of what they think God will use them to do. It could be a future career, a special ministry, or just serving in some special way. Make sure they write their names somewhere. Encourage the children to display the cloth somewhere so they can remember that God has a plan for their life just like He did for Elisha.

Craft Learning Activity: “Salvation Heart Bookmark” (Grades K-5) Preparation: Photocopy the heart bookmarks from the template below onto white cardstock. Each child will need a copy of a bookmark, some crayons or colored markers, and scissors. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Elisha told Naaman the leper to go to the Jordan River to be cleansed from his leprosy. Because Naaman believed and obeyed God He was healed. He knew that it was not the muddy Jordan River that cured him. The God of Elisha had healed him! When he returned to Elisha, Naaman proclaimed, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.” Just as Naaman

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was healed, we too can be healed of our disease of sin. Today we are going to make a craft to remind us of how the Lord wants to make us clean in His sight.”

Sa Procedure: Have children color each heart in succession from the top in the four colors of the Wordless book. The top heart should be yellow which means “God lives in heaven and loves everyone.” The second heart down should be black which means “God doesn’t like the wrong things we do.” The third heart down should be colored red which means “Jesus, God’s Son can forgive all the wrong things we have done by His death on the cross.” The bottom heart should be colored white which means “Jesus can make us clean in God’s eyes.” As children color the hearts the appropriate colors review the key verses in the gospel plan of salvation. (Show yellow heart) The Bible says that “For God so loved the world” (John 3:16). Did you know that God loves you very much and He wants you to believe in His Son Jesus Christ? Right now God is in heaven and He wants you to believe in His Son Jesus Christ so you can go to heaven when you die. This is very good news for you! (Show black heart) “Did you know that we have a problem worse than leprosy? Think of all the wrong things that you do. In the Bible this is called sin and the black color reminds us of this problem because sin has darkened our life. Each person born into this world has sin on the inside—except the Lord Jesus. You and I were born wanting to do things our own way instead of God’s way. The Bible says, “All have sinned.” (Romans 3:23). Sin is serious because it separates us from God, who is Holy and always does what is right. God cannot be near sin and sin cannot be in heaven. It is important to have your sin cleansed and taken away because it is a terrible problem. (Show red heart) God has only one way for you to be cleansed from your sin and it is through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is God’s perfect Son. Doing good things will not make your heart clean. God’s way was for Jesus to take the punishment for your sin and my sin when He died on the cross. As Jesus hung on the cross God placed all the wrong things you and I have done on the Lord Jesus. Jesus willingly suffered the punishment for sin so you and I would not have to. He gave His blood so your sins could be forgiven—so you could be clean. The Bible says, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) (Show white heart) After Jesus died He was buried, then three days later He came back to life. Today He is in Heaven with His Father. Now He wants to come and forgive you of your sin and live in you. You need to turn from your sin and ask Him to take away all the wrong things that you have done and make your heart cleaner than this white heart is! You can tell Jesus that you believe that He alone can clean you and forgive your sin. Ask Him to do that and to change you. Then you can live to serve Him. John 3: 16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have ever lasting life.” You must believe in Jesus, God’s Son. Will you tell Him that you are sorry for your sins and ask Him to make you clean and help you to live a new life for Him? Will you tell Him that you believe He is the Son of God? Remember, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

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Craft Learning Activity: “Helping Hands” (Grades K-2) Preparation: You will need a light colored piece of construction paper for each child plus a different colored sheet of construction paper for the background. Say: “In this lesson we learned that the prophet Elisha often showed great compassion for those who were around him. Whenever Elisha saw a need—whether it was big or small—he asked God to provide! Elisha believed that God loved His people and that God heard and answered prayer. Because of his great faith, God used Elisha to work many miracles of kindness and blessing. Today we are going to make a craft the will help us to remember his kindness and help to others in Israel.” Procedure: On a light colored piece of construction paper have the children trace their own hands. Next have them cut out the hands on the paper. Have them glue the hands to a different color of construction paper. On the left hand side of the poster, have the children write down the ways that Elisha reached out in kindness in our lesson today. On the right hand side, have the children write down ways that they can reach out to others in kindness. For younger children, you will have to help with the writing. Optional: If you would like, you can have the students decorate their picture with markers or by gluing on different things (ex. Colored rice, etc.).

Life Application Challenge: “Greater Prophet” Say: “In this lesson we learned about the power of the Holy Spirit that was on Elisha’s life. We learned that he performed many miracles. (Have students review the miracles as presented in the lesson.) “The miracles that Elisha performed illustrate God’s power and point to the day when God would send another prophet greater than Elisha. God would send His Son Jesus from heaven to be our Savior. When Jesus came, he also performed miracles. He turned water into wine, multiplied a few fishes and loaves of bread to feed a crowd of more than five thousand. Jesus healed the sick and even raised the dead. Jesus also died on the cross for our sins and is raised from the dead so that we can have a new life. The new life God gave the young boy through Elisha is a small hint of the new life God gives to all His children.’ “This lesson challenges us in many ways. We need to show love and mercy to others like Elisha did so they will come to believe in Jesus as their Savior. Another challenge is to understand that God gives to us His spiritual gifts so we can accomplish His will for our lives. How are we using the gifts that God has given us? Encourage students to make a commitment to love Jesus more and serve Him better. Have students share how they want to show God’s love to others this week. Close in prayer asking for God’s strength and wisdom to use the gifts He has given us to better serve Him.

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Elisha and the Power of God

Psalm 34:7

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”

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Elisha Puzzle

Cut out on solid lines and then assemble like a puzzle.

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Heart Bookmarks

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Unit 12: Elijah and Elisha OT12.15 Elisha and the Power of God...2 OT12.15 Elisha and the Power of...

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Transcript of Unit 12: Elijah and Elisha OT12.15 Elisha and the Power of God...2 OT12.15 Elisha and the Power of...