Elijah Served as a Prophet (1 Kings 16–18)

Dear families,

Even a dim light is visible in the darkness. There’s no denying that the world today can be described as a dark place where sin is endorsed and idolized, mistreatment of others for any reason may be viewed as a necessary part of life, and some of the most egregious dismissals of God’s standards are championed in many pockets of culture and have taken root at younger and younger ages.

But darkness isn’t new. In fact, the Bible reminds us that darkness has been a reality since the fall of man. And though the darkness often seems the darkest in our current reality, history tends to repeat itself.

First Kings 16 is one of many places in the Bible where the depth of darkness in the world is painted vividly: leaders who sought their own satisfaction at the expense of others, people who sought power and were willing to kill to gain it, pleasure and fulfillment as justifiable reasons for any decision. These were only some of the markers of the culture of the day.

But, as God often does, He enabled and equipped a voice of light to pierce the darkness. Elijah, a prophet sent from God to speak truth, lived with boldness in the midst of a desperate and depraved generation.

In the past, God communicated through the prophets. He sent fire from heaven and multiplied flour and oil. Today, He commissions His people to proclaim His message in the midst of a dark world.

This is actually part of our purpose in the world: to make visible the power of God, to be a light in the darkness, to shine bright—breaking through the sickness of sin so prominently on display in our culture and offering the hope of a God who never sleeps or slumbers and always finds a way to make Himself known.

It’s easy to grow weary when looking at our world, but take heart, for Christ has overcome the world and given us the ministry of making Him known. In the midst of the darkness, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to God.

Check out The Gospel Project At Home for resources designed to help you lead a family worship experience as well as suggestions for morning and evening prayer times and family activities.

FAMILY TALKING POINTS

CHRIST CONNECTION

This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus.

  • Babies & Toddlers: God showed His love for us by sending His Son, Jesus.

  • Younger Preschool: We do not have to work hard to show God we love Him. Instead, God showed His love for us by sending His Son, Jesus, to be the Savior of the world.

  • Older Preschool: The one true God is not like false gods. We do not have to work hard to show God we love Him. Instead, God showed His love for us by sending His Son, Jesus, to be the Savior of the world.

  • Kids: The one true God is not like the false gods. We do not have to work hard to show God we love Him. Instead, He showed His love for us by sending His Son, Jesus. Jesus died to rescue us from sin, and He hears us when we cry out to Him.

BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER

This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit. 

  • Younger Preschool: What is idolatry? Idolatry is loving something else more than God.

  • Older Preschool: What is idolatry? Idolatry is loving something else more than God.

  • Kids: What is idolatry? Idolatry is a sin of the heart in which we love and value something else above God.

KEY PASSAGE

This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit. 

  • Babies & Toddlers: Love the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 6:5

  • Younger Preschool: Love the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 6:5

  • Older Preschool: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5

  • Kids: “Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5

** Next week: Elisha Served as a Prophet (2 Kings 2)

Solomon’s Sin Divided the Kingdom (1 Kings 10–12)

Dear families,

When you read the description of Solomon’s wealth in 1 Kings 10, it is hard not to have some sense of jealousy about the amount of money and power he had amassed. Solomon is described as having 25 tons of gold come into his possession every year as only a portion of his annual increase of wealth.

Solomon made everything imaginable out of gold and ivory. In fact, he had so much gold that silver lost its value in his kingdom because it was so accessible to the people. He was a man who had anything and everything that one could ever want.

Who wouldn’t want all that Solomon had? Solomon had anything a person could ever want in terms of both possessions and wisdom. But after his reign of 40 years came to an end, Solomon’s life ended too. He was buried alongside his ancestors and carried none of his riches with him. 

Psalm 50:10 says, “Every animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.” The currency of the days of Asaph, writer of Psalm 50, was animals. And for God to describe Himself as the owner of the livestock roaming on the earth was for God to say that He owns it all. In the same way that the cattle on a thousand hills represents unimaginable wealth, we could never calculate the wealth and richness of God.

When we consider the desirable wealth of Solomon, we ought to be reminded of the unimaginable wealth of God. He is a good God who doesn’t gather for Himself and leave the leftovers to His children; rather, God gives to His children out of His abundance that we too might enjoy His wealth of grace and mercy both now and in eternity.

If you’re looking for wealth, look no further than the cross. The cross is where we find the evidence of God’s gracious hand providing for His children and where we look to find access to His generous heart for eternity.

Check out The Gospel Project At Home for resources designed to help you lead a family worship experience as well as suggestions for morning and evening prayer times and family activities.

FAMILY TALKING POINTS

CHRIST CONNECTION

This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus.

  • Babies & Toddlers: Jesus is a perfect King who brings people together.

  • Younger Preschool: Solomon sinned, and Israel was divided into two kingdoms. God’s people needed a perfect king. God sent His Son, Jesus, to be King. Jesus is a perfect King who brings God’s people together.

  • Older Preschool: Solomon sinned, and Israel was divided into two kingdoms. God’s people needed a perfect king. God would send His own Son, Jesus, to be King. Jesus is better than Solomon. Jesus is a perfect King who brings God’s people together.

  • Kids: King Solomon’s sin led to the division of the kingdom. God’s people needed a better king. Through David’s family, God would send His own Son, Jesus, to be a perfect King over God’s people forever. Jesus is greater than Solomon. Jesus brings His people together and leads them back to God.

BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER

This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit. 

  • Younger Preschool: What is mercy? Mercy is when God does not give us the punishment that we deserve.

  • Older Preschool: What is mercy? Mercy is when God does not give us the punishment that we deserve.

  • Kids: What is mercy? Mercy is when God does not give us the punishment that we deserve.

KEY PASSAGE

This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit. 

  • Babies & Toddlers: The Lord is a kind and loving God. Exodus 34:6

  • Younger Preschool: The Lord is a kind and loving God. Exodus 34:6

  • Older Preschool: The LORD is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth. Exodus 34:6

  • Kids: The LORD—the LORD is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Exodus 34:6-7

** Next week: God Is Good to Give Mercy (Luke 18)

Solomon Built the Temple (1 Kings 6–9)

Dear families,

Moments of distress or pain and moments of rebellion or wandering often function as God’s classroom for His children to learn to trust Him. These experiences force us to either lean in to God or to leave—to turn from God or to trust in God. These moments are not obstacles to our faith but opportunities that God provides to grow our faith like no other.

In 1 Kings 8:22-53, King Solomon was praying at the dedication of the temple. God had fulfilled His promise to King David, and the people had a tangible reminder of God’s faithfulness and provision.

In Solomon’s prayer, we see several things that He believed about God. Among those, we learn that Solomon believed the only right response to feeling far from God is to turn the direction of our focus from ourselves to God as our only hope and to turn the direction of our lives from rebellion toward obedience to the Lord.

The temptation for believers when we feel far from God is not to move toward Him but rather to sit at a distance or move further away, in fear that what has caused our sense of distance prevents Him from wanting us near. But this is simply not true. 

Solomon’s prayer reveals that God wants His people near. Even amid rebellion or trial, the Lord is the only way to turn.

When you hit moments of distress, pain, rebellion, or wandering, is your tendency to move away from God or remain at a distance? Or do you find yourself turning your focus away from yourself and toward Him? If there is any rebellious way in you, turn toward God’s gracious hand of forgiveness. “LORD God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below, who keeps the gracious covenant with your servants who walk before you with all their heart” (1 Kings 8:23).

This is the God who wants you near when you wander and wants your heart when you are hurting. Do not doubt Him, for He longs for us to draw near to Him as He has drawn near to us through Christ. Because of the work of Jesus, who drew near to us by humbling Himself, taking on the form of a man and enduring death on a cross, we too can humbly draw near to God.

Check out The Gospel Project At Home for resources designed to help you lead a family worship experience as well as suggestions for morning and evening prayer times and family activities.

FAMILY TALKING POINTS

CHRIST CONNECTION

This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus.

  • Babies & Toddlers: When we trust in Jesus, He forgives us and is always with us.

  • Younger Preschool: The temple was a place where God was with His people and people could worship God. When we trust in Jesus, He forgives us and is always with us, ready to help us.

  • Older Preschool: The temple was a place where God met with His people. God wants to be with us. As part of His plan to save people from sin, God sent Jesus to earth to be with people.

  • Kids: The temple was a place where God met with His people. The people could go there to make sacrifices and worship God. Today, when we trust in Jesus, He is with us wherever we go. We can look to Him for forgiveness and help.

BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER

This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit. 

  • Younger Preschool: What is mercy? Mercy is when God does not give us the punishment that we deserve.

  • Older Preschool: What is mercy? Mercy is when God does not give us the punishment that we deserve.

  • Kids: What is mercy? Mercy is when God does not give us the punishment that we deserve.

KEY PASSAGE

This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit. 

  • Babies & Toddlers: The Lord is a kind and loving God. Exodus 34:6

  • Younger Preschool: The Lord is a kind and loving God. Exodus 34:6

  • Older Preschool: The LORD is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth. Exodus 34:6

  • Kids: The LORD—the LORD is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Exodus 34:6-7

** Next week: Solomon’s Sin Divided the Kingdom (1 Kings 10–12)