When we put God first....
Do you take time to listen to the promptings of the Spirit?
INTRODUCTION
Elder Thomas S. Monson shared a story: Born in poverty but nurtured in faith, [José García] prepared for a mission call. I was present the day his recommendation was received. There appeared the statement: ‘Brother García will serve at great sacrifice to his family, for he is the means of much of the family support. He has but one possession—a treasured stamp collection—which he is willing to sell, if necessary, to help finance his mission.’ “President [Spencer W.] Kimball listened attentively as this statement was read to him, and then he responded: ‘Have him sell his stamp collection. Such sacrifice will be to him a blessing.’”
How would you react if they were asked to give up all their possessions to serve the Lord?
"Then, with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face, this loving prophet said, ‘Each month at Church headquarters we receive thousands of letters from all parts of the world. See that we save these stamps and provide them to José at the conclusion of his mission. He will have, without cost, the finest stamp collection of any young man in Mexico."
When we put the things of God first in our lives, the rewards we receive are far greater than anything we may have to sacrifice along the way. This lesson demonstrates the great blessings we can receive when we are willing to follow God even when it is difficult to do so.
What
would you think about a man who had the power to raise the dead, call
down fire from heaven, cause the heavens to withhold rain, and render a
barrel of flour inexhaustible?
Elijah
was such a man, a man of power, a man of miracles, a prophet so worthy
that he was translated and taken from the earth in a chariot of fire.
Small
wonder that Elijah became one of the great heroes in Israel’s history.
Small wonder, too, that in Jewish households a place is set for him at
every Passover feast in anticipation of his return as predicted by the
prophet Malachi.1 Kings 17 - Elijah seals up the heavens, is miraculously sustained, and raises a widow’s son from the dead.
What Miralces did Elijah perform by the power of the priesthood in Chapter 17?
1. He brought famine by his word (v.1)
2. He was fed by ravens (v.6)
3. He caused the widow’s food supply to miraculously continue (v.13–16).
4. He raised the widow's son from the dead(v.17-24)
- Elijah Sealed the Heavens against Rain by Priesthood Power (v.1)
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith found a special significance in verse 1: “The first appearance of Elijah we read of is in the 17th chapter of 1st Kings, when he came before the king and said, ‘As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.’ “There is something very significant in that edict. I want you to get it. Follow me again closely: ‘As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.’ The reason I put emphasis upon this is to impress you with the sealing power by which Elijah was able to close the heavens, that there should be no rain or dew until he spoke.”
see Helaman 10:4-5 - other examples in the scripture of this same power
- After Elijah declared that no rain would fall in the kingdom, the Lord commanded him to flee.
How did Elijah respond to the Lord’s command? (v.2–5)
*** What can we learn from Elijah’s response?
Elder Gordon B. Hinckley said: "I draw strength from a simple statement made concerning the Prophet Elijah, who warned King Ahab of drought and famine to come upon the land. But Ahab scoffed. And the Lord told Elijah to go and hide himself by the brook Cherith, that there he should drink of the brook, and that he would be fed by the ravens. And the scripture records a simple and wonderful statement: ‘So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord.’ There was no arguing. There was no excusing. There was no equivocating. Elijah simply ‘went and did according unto the word of the Lord.’ And he was saved from the terrible calamities that befell those who scoffed and argued and questioned."
How did Elijah survive in the wilderness after the drought began? (v.4,6)
*** What experiences have you had when the Lord has sustained you physically or spiritually?
Where Is the Brook Cherith?
We do not know which of the Jordan tributaries the brook Cherith might have been, but apparently it was an obscure and isolated place where Elijah could hide safely without being accidentally discovered by soldiers, shepherds or passersby. It was also a desolate place where no animal life existed, therefore Elijah was completely dependent upon the Lord for his sustenance.
Whom had the Lord prepared to help Elijah after the brook in the wilderness dried up? (v.7–13.) What can this teach us about how the Lord helps those in need?
The Lord often helps those in need through the service of other people.
*** How have you seen the Lord help those in need through the service of other people?
*** What can we do to help others who are in need?
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said: “I know we can each do something, however small that act may seem to be. We can pay an honest tithe and give our fast and freewill offerings. … And we can watch for other ways to help. To worthy causes and needy people, we can give time if we don’t have money, and we can give love when our time runs out. We can share the loaves we have and trust God that the cruse of oil will not fail."
What can we learn from the widow’s response when Elijah asked her for food?
Elder Holland said that the widow’s response when Elijah asked her for food was an “expression of faith—as great, under these circumstances, as any I know in the scriptures. … Perhaps uncertain what the cost of her faith would be … , she first took her small loaf to Elijah, obviously trusting that if there were not enough bread left over, at least she and her son would have died in an act of pure charity”
Why do you think God commanded the widow to feed Elijah when she had so little?
What blessing did the widow receive for her obedience? (v.16)
*** What are some things that God asks of us that might be difficult?
*** In what ways are we blessed when we put God first, doing what he asks even when it is difficult?
President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities. May God bless us to put [him] first and, as a result, reap peace in this life and eternal life with a fulness of joy in the life to come”
What did Elijah do when the widow’s son became sick and died? (v.17-22)
CHAPTER 18 - Elijah challenges the priests of Baal and opens the heavens for rain.
In the third year of the famine, the Lord commanded Elijah, “Go [show] thyself to Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
Obadiah was the king’s chamberlain, or governor of his house. As such it was his responsibility to arrange the king’s appointments. That is why Elijah told Obadiah to set up an interview between the prophet and King Ahab. The fact that a king and his chief steward had to look for water and grass by themselves shows that the famine had become acute (see v. 5–6).
Ahab knew that Elijah had brought this distress, so he searched for him. Apparently Ahab had considerable power and authority among surrounding nations, for he was able to exact promises for them that they were not concealing Elijah or that they knew of his whereabouts (see v. 10). Sometimes, however, someone would see the prophet. But when he reported seeing Elijah, the prophet had disappeared by the time Ahab got there. Ahab then killed the person who said he had seen Elijah. Obadiah’s fear that Elijah would disappear again was caused by his awareness that Ahab would not hesitate to have him executed if he failed to deliver Elijah (v. 12–16). Elijah promised Obadiah that he would appear before Ahab (v. 15).
As Elijah had requested, Ahab gathered all of Israel and 850 false priests at Mount Carmel (v.19–20). When the people gathered to hear Elijah speak, he asked them, “How long halt ye between two opinions?” (v.21).
What do you think it means to halt between two opinions?
How do we sometimes halt between two opinions?
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “The stirring words of various prophets … urge us to choose, to decide, and not to halt. … Elijah’s message has tremendous relevancy today, for all must finally choose between the gods of this world and the God of eternity.
How did Elijah challenge the priests of Baal? (v.19-24)
What was Elijah’s purpose in challenging the priests of Baal? (v.36-37)
How did the people react to the Lord’s display of power? (v.38-39)
How were they blessed for acknowledging the Lord and his power? (v.45)
CHAPTER 19 - Elijah is comforted by the Holy Ghost and instructed to continue in God’s work.
Angry about Elijah’s victory over the priests of Baal, Jezebel sought to kill him. Elijah fled into the wilderness and cried to the Lord, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life” (v.4). The Lord blessed Elijah by sending an angel with food and water.
Even prophets can experience despair and need the comfort and guidance that only God can provide.
Why was Elijah discouraged? (v.10 or 14).
Despite the people’s response to God’s spectacular display of power, Elijah felt that he was the only Israelite left who worshiped the true God.
It must have been very lonely for Elijah during this period. Men were seeking his life, he felt himself to be the only faithful prophet left in Israel, and he was hiding in a cave.
President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: “When he was there, the Lord called upon him and asked him what he was doing there; and in his sorrow, because of the hardness of the hearts of the people, he told the Lord the condition, that he alone remained, that they sought his life to take it away. But the Lord showed him that there were others who had remained true unto him, even 7,000.
*** Why do you think God communicates more often through the “still small voice” of the Holy Ghost than through loud and spectacular displays of power?
*** How can we discern the whisperings of the Holy Ghost?
When a news reporter asked President Hinckley how he communicates with God, the prophet responded, “I think the best way I could describe the process is to liken it to the experience of Elijah as set forth in the book of First Kings. Elijah spoke to the Lord, and there was a wind, a great wind, and the Lord was not in the wind. And there was an earthquake, and the Lord was not in the earthquake. And there was a fire, and the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire a still, small voice, which I describe as the whisperings of the Spirit”
President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “Do you take time to listen to the promptings of the Spirit? Answers to prayer come most often by a still voice and are discerned by our deepest, innermost feelings. I tell you that you can know the will of God concerning yourselves if you will take the time to pray and to listen.
- When we put the things of God first in our lives, the rewards we receive are far greater than anything we may have to sacrifice along the way.
- The still small voice can comfort us in times of despair if we take the time to pray and to listen.
- It can be an experience more powerful to us throughout our lives than seeing some grand event.
