FAIR

FAIR Resources for Come, Follow Me – Restoration Scripture
Week 27: June 29 - July 5: "If the Lord Be God, Follow Him"

1 Kings 12-13; 17-22

Doctrinal Focus
Historical & Contextual
Apologetic Application
Practical Applications
Ideas for Teaching
Quick Reference

Doctrinal Focus

  • Key doctrines addressed in this week’s reading

In 1 Kings 18:21, Elijah asks the people how long they will “halt between two opinions,” showing that neutrality in faith is not true discipleship. This moment highlights agency and accountability, helping learners see that daily decisions shape spiritual identity and direction.

After witnessing the Lord’s power, the people declared their allegiance in 1 Kings 18:39, acting on truth revealed to them. This teaches that spiritual experiences invite response and commitment rather than passive observation.

In 1 Kings 17:13–16, the widow of Zarephath obeys Elijah’s counsel despite scarcity, and the Lord sustains her household with unfailing provisions. This illustrates how faith precedes miracles and encourages learners to trust God during sacrifice or uncertainty.

 Elijah’s prayer and the restoration of the widow’s son in 1 Kings 17:21–23 demonstrate divine compassion and authority in desperate circumstances. Exploring this account helps students see that reliance on God builds resilience and testimony through hardship.

Jeroboam’s establishment of false worship practices in 1 Kings 12:28–30 shows how leadership decisions can turn communities from covenant faithfulness. This encourages learners to evaluate their influence and responsibility toward others when exercising agency.

When Ahab humbles himself after prophetic warning in 1 Kings 21:27–29, the Lord acknowledges his repentance and delays judgment. This teaches accountability alongside hope, helping students understand that sincere humility opens the way for mercy.

Historical & Contextual Insights

  • Insights in this week’s study
  • The events occur in the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah during the 9th century BC, after the monarchy split following the reign of Solomon. Prophetic ministry—especially that of Elijah—takes place primarily in the northern kingdom of Israel.

Politically, rulers such as Jeroboam and Ahab established or promoted alternative religious practices to secure loyalty and national identity, often introducing idol worship. This created tension between covenant faithfulness and political expediency, prompting prophetic intervention to call the people back to worship of the Lord.

  • Understanding this setting highlights that many actions recorded in the scripture block were shaped by leadership struggles, national insecurity, and competing religious influences. The prophets’ messages were not abstract theology — they addressed real societal pressures and spiritual compromise.
  • Recognizing the historical pressures helps modern learners see that choosing God has always required commitment despite cultural or political influences. It reinforces that discipleship today also involves navigating competing values and making intentional covenant choices.
  • When Jeroboam introduced golden calves and rival places of worship, his actions were rooted in fear that continued temple worship in Jerusalem would weaken his authority. This demonstrates how spiritual deviations sometimes originate in practical concerns, showing the intersection between governance and religion in the ancient Near East.
  •  
  • This insight helps learners recognize that the people’s participation in false worship was influenced by national structure, not just personal rebellion. Understanding this context invites empathy while still acknowledging accountability. It also encourages examining how social environments shape religious choices today.
  •  
  • It underscores the prophetic role in challenging cultural norms that conflict with covenant loyalty. Teachers can use this to illustrate that truth may require questioning widely accepted practices. This fosters critical spiritual reflection rather than passive conformity.
  • Figures like Elijah did more than predict events — they delivered divine warnings, demonstrated God’s power, and called individuals and nations to repentance. Their ministry shows that prophecy in this period involved public confrontation and miraculous signs designed to reaffirm God’s authority.
  •  
  • Seeing prophecy in this light helps learners understand dramatic episodes such as miracles or confrontations as covenant enforcement rather than spectacle. It highlights God’s continued involvement with His people despite widespread apostasy. This strengthens appreciation for divine patience and outreach.
  •  
  • It also emphasizes the responsibility of listeners to respond to revealed truth. Prophetic messages required action, humility, and change, not just acknowledgment. This perspective helps modern readers apply the same responsiveness to spiritual guidance in their own lives.

If you have questions on this week’s reading, please email your questions to us here.

Apologetic Application

  1. Claim: “Stories about miracles were added later to glorify prophets.”
  2.  
  3. Response:
  4. Historical Evidence: Accounts of prophetic miracle traditions appear consistently across multiple biblical textual strands and are embedded in the narrative flow rather than isolated additions. The material reflects the theological worldview of ancient Israel, where divine intervention was a foundational interpretive lens for national events.
  5.  
  6. Eyewitness Support: The narrative presents events witnessed by communities and individuals interacting with Elijah, such as the widow and gathered Israelites, suggesting communal memory rather than private legend. These multi-party encounters imply transmission rooted in shared experience.
  7.  
  8. Spiritual Confirmation: Believers find confirmation through the consistency of these accounts with broader scriptural teachings about God’s power and compassion. Reflection and prayer can provide personal conviction that spiritual truths are conveyed through the record.
  9.  
  10. Logical Analysis: Dismissing miracle accounts solely on the basis of modern assumptions imposes present-day frameworks on ancient texts. A more balanced evaluation recognizes that historical writings should first be interpreted within their cultural and theological worldview.
  • Claim: “Stories criticizing rulers were written later to discredit past leadership.”
  •  
  • Response:
  • Historical Evidence: Ancient Near Eastern literature frequently recorded tensions between religious authorities and rulers, indicating this dynamic was historically plausible. The narratives include unflattering portrayals of multiple leaders, which suggests preservation rather than revisionist propaganda.
  •  
  • Eyewitness Support: Episodes involving rulers like Ahab include interactions among prophets, royal courts, and citizens, reflecting complex social engagement rather than one-sided editorial commentary. Such multi-voiced depictions are characteristic of remembered events.
  •  
  • Spiritual Confirmation: Faith-based readers interpret these passages as reminders that divine standards transcend political power. Spiritual reflection reinforces the principle that accountability before God applies universally.
  •  
  • Logical Analysis: Propaganda typically idealizes favored figures, yet these records portray both successes and failures across groups. This balanced portrayal weakens the argument that the material was shaped only for partisan persuasion.
  • Claim: “Labeling his actions sinful reflects later theological bias.”
  •  
  • Response:
  • Historical Evidence: Archaeological and textual evidence shows that religious centralization and diversification were major issues in Israelite history. The account reflects authentic tensions between political stability and covenant tradition within the culture.
  •  
  • Eyewitness Support: The narrative preserves reactions from prophets and people regarding the actions of Jeroboam, indicating that debate over legitimacy existed among contemporaries. This suggests the critique emerged from within the historical community itself.
  •  
  • Spiritual Confirmation: Readers seeking divine guidance may interpret the record as teaching the importance of prioritizing covenant loyalty over convenience. Spiritual engagement with the text can affirm principles about integrity and devotion.
  •  
  • Logical Analysis: Even if reforms had political motives, evaluating them solely on pragmatic grounds ignores the covenant framework central to Israelite identity. Judging actions within their own value system provides a more coherent interpretation.

Practical Applications

Practical solutions for someone in faith crisis:

Action Step: Identify one daily choice that reflects devotion to God and act on it intentionally.

Elijah’s challenge to the people to stop wavering shows that spiritual strength grows through consistent commitment, not occasional effort. Practicing deliberate choices builds habits of discipleship and clarifies priorities when competing influences arise.

  1. – Reflect each morning on one value or commandment you want to live more intentionally.
  2. – Write down a specific action that reflects that commitment.
  3. – Carry it out during the day.
  4. – Review in the evening what you learned or felt.

Encouraging Thought:

Decisive faith brings clarity — choosing God in small moments prepares us to stand firm in larger tests.

Action Step: Show faith by sharing or serving even when resources feel limited.

The widow who trusted prophetic counsel experienced provision beyond what she expected, demonstrating that faith often precedes blessings. Acting in trust builds confidence in God’s ability to sustain and strengthens resilience in difficulty.

  1. – Identify a situation where you feel hesitant due to lack or fear.
  2. – Pray for guidance and courage.
  3. – Take one generous or faithful action anyway.
  4. – Record the outcome and spiritual impressions.

Encouraging Thought:

Faith is not waiting until abundance appears — it is acting with trust that God sees and provides.

  • Action Step: Practice accepting feedback and seeking improvement rather than defensiveness.

Humility invites growth and softens consequences, as shown when repentance changed outcomes in the narrative. Learning to receive correction strengthens character and deepens spiritual maturity.

  1. – When corrected, pause before reacting.
  2. – Listen fully and acknowledge what you hear.
  3. – Consider what can be learned.
  4. – Act on one improvement step.

Encouraging Thought:

  • Humility transforms mistakes into turning points — growth begins the moment pride yields to learning.

Ideas for Teaching

Objective: Help learners recognize the importance of intentional spiritual commitment.

  • – Paper or whiteboard
  • – Markers/pens
  • – Scriptures (print or digital)

Activity Steps:

  1. Introduction (5 min): Ask learners to brainstorm everyday situations where people must choose between two options (loyalty, priorities, etc.). Write responses and discuss how indecision affects outcomes.
  2.  
  3. Scripture Discussion (5 min): Read and discuss the account involving Elijah challenging the people to choose whom they will follow. Explore what this teaches about commitment.
  4.  
  5. Application (5 min): Invite learners to privately write one area where they want to show clearer commitment to their values and share voluntary insights.

Follow-Up Question: How can making small daily choices strengthen your ability to choose wisely in bigger moments?

Objective: Show how trust and action often precede spiritual blessings.

  1. Small cups or containers
  2. Beans/rice (symbolic “resources”)
  3. Scriptures

Activity Steps:

Introduction (5 min): Give each learner a limited number of beans and ask how they would respond if asked to share them despite scarcity. Discuss reactions.

Scripture Discussion (5 min): Study the account of the widow helping Elijah and discuss what her actions teach about faith and provision.

Application (5 min): Invite learners to identify one way they can act in faith this week even if they feel limited.

Follow-Up Question: Why can acting in faith before seeing results be challenging — and rewarding?

Objective: Encourage humility and growth when receiving guidance or correction.

  1. Scenario cards (prepared situations involving feedback or mistakes)
  2. Scriptures

Activity Steps: 

Introduction (5 min): Present short scenarios where someone receives correction and ask learners to role-play responses.

Scripture Discussion (5 min): Examine how Ahab responded when confronted by prophetic warning and discuss the outcome.

Application (5 min): Have learners identify practical ways to respond constructively to feedback in school, family, or church settings.

Follow-Up Question: How can humility change the direction of our future decisions?

QUICK REFERENCE

  • Choosing wholehearted devotion matters — see Elijah’s call to decide whom to follow (1 Kings 18:21, 39)

     

  • Faithful action invites divine provision — illustrated through the widow’s trust (1 Kings 17:13–16)

     

  • God responds to sincere repentance — shown in a king’s humility after warning (1 Kings 21:27–29)

     

  • Leadership choices influence many people — demonstrated by alternative worship practices (1 Kings 12:28–30)

     

God’s power and compassion extend to life’s crises — revealed through prophetic ministry (1 Kings 17:21–23)

  • Why trust modern prophets?
  • Prophetic guidance follows the scriptural pattern that God calls messengers to teach, warn, and testify in every generation. Historical precedent in these readings shows God working through imperfect but chosen individuals to guide His people, reinforcing continuity with living prophetic leadership today. Trust grows through studying teachings, observing their fruits, and seeking spiritual confirmation personally.
  •  
  • Why does God allow mistakes?
  • Scripture consistently portrays human agency as essential to growth, meaning errors are part of learning and accountability. Even leaders in the narrative made flawed choices, yet correction, repentance, and humility remained possible. This reflects a doctrine of progression — God allows agency while providing guidance and mercy to redirect sincere efforts.

For the Strength of Youth — Applying gospel principles in daily decisions

Gospel Library — Access to scriptures, manuals, and study tools for personal and family study