Old Testament Bible Study Template
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Liberty University *
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105
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Religion
Date
Feb 20, 2024
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BIBL 105
O
LD
T
ESTAMENT
B
IBLE
S
TUDY
T
EMPLATE
I. Observation
A. I have read 1 Kings 17:1; 18:1–46 in both a formal translation (KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV, or CSB) and a functional translation (NIV, NLT, or NCV). Highlight the correct answer. You can find various Bible translations by searching for them online (
EBS
ch. 16).
o
Yes
o
No
B. Identify the basic elements of the story you are studying (
EBS
chs. 15 & 33).
1.
Main characters: Elijah, Ahab, Obadiah, Prophets of Baal, Prophets of Asherah, The Israelites
2.
Plot: Elijah is told by God to go to Ahad because of the drought. Elijah meets Obadiah and tells him to go and arrange a meeting with Ahab. Elijah challenges The Prophets of Baal to see whose God is real and should be trusted by sending fire down to the altar and burn it. The Prophets of Baal prayed to their God all day, shouted their desperate pleas, and even cut themselves, but their God did not respond. Elijah repairs God’s Alter, digs a trench around it, places the wood on, has water poured on it, and then prays. God sent fire down and consumed everything. Elijah prophesies the end of the drought.
3.
Story structure: Introduction: There was a drought in the land. The Israelites were worshiping other Gods.
God sent Elijah to show them who was God.
Inciting incident: The Israelites were worshiping other Gods through the Prophets of Baal
Rising action: Elijah, directed by God, Challenges the Prophets of Baal to a contest to see
who was worshiping the one and only true God. The prophets of Baal failed.
Climax: Elijah rebuilt and drenched with water Three times. Elijah prayed to God, and God answered Elijah by sending fire down to consume the altar.
Resolution: God shows he is the one and only God. God ends the drought.
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BIBL 105
C. List basic observations about this passage using the Key Questions from EBS
ch. 17.
1.
Who: Elijah
Ahab
Obadiah
Prophets of Baal
Prophets of Asherah
The Israelites
2.
What: There was a drought in the land. God sent Elijah to meet Ahab in order to challenge The Prophets of Baal due to The Israelites were worshiping other Gods. Elijah challenges the Prophets of Ball to have their God send fire down to burn up their offering. The Prophets of Ball prayed to their God all day. They yelled and pleaded with their God to send down fire. They even went as far as cutting themselves. The Prophets of Baal were unable to pray to their Gods for them and have them send fire down to burn their offering. They Failed!
Elijah repaired God’s altar and dug a trench around it. He then placed the wood
and offering on the altar. Elijah had them pour four jars of water on the altar, wood, and offering three times. Water filled the trench. Elijah prayed to God.
God sent down fire and consumed the offering wood and rock Altar as well as all the water. God proved that he is the one and only God, as well as ended the drought.
3.
Where: Samaria
Mount Carmel
The Brook of Kishon
4.
When: 863 BC
During the Rule of King Ahab
During the ministry of Elijah
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BIBL 105
5.
Why: Why did Elijah have four jars of water poured on his sacrifice prior to paying to God?
Why did the people there observing the challenge declare their belief in God immediately after witnessing the miracle?
6.
How: How did Elija’s prayer mean more than those of the Prophets of Baal?
He was praying to the one and only God.
How does God’s miracle of sending fire from heaven to consume Elijah’s offering to strengthen your faith in God’s power?
God shows that no matter what obstacle you place in his way (Drenching the wood and offering with water), he will always be able to do his will.
II. Interpretation
A. Determine the author’s main point. The challenge at Mount Carmel was significant to show the Israelites that there is only one God, and they should only worship him. The Israelites had not headed to the warning that God was giving them with the drought. King Ahab did not keep his people worshiping God, He allowed The Prophets of Baal to take over and lead everyone astray.
God, through Elijah, proved to all that there is only one God. God opened the eyes of the Israelites with the miracle of sending fire from heaven to consume Elijah’s sacrifice. When they saw the miracle of God, they believed at once that God was the true one and only God. God showed mercy to them by ending the drought.
B. Based on your answer above, write out one principle from this passage. God loves us and will forgive us of our sins even when we deliberately turn our back on him. As with myself, God may have to go to the extreme to wake you up as he did by sending fire from Heaven. God wants us to have a close walk with him.
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BIBL 105
III. Correlation
A.
How does this Old Testament narrative fit within the metanarrative of the Bible? Elijah’s challenge at Mount Carmel is a dual narrative of fall and redemption.
The Israelites had turned their backs on God and were living in sin and worshiping the Gods of The Prophets of Baal. This shows that they had fallen away from God and worshiped other Gods—a story of a fall. God had placed the area in a drought to try and make The Israelites understand that they were not following God. However, they were not able to understand why they were suffering. Through Elija giving an offering to God,
God sent down fire to prove that he was the one and only God. Everyone that saw this miracle immediately turned back to God. This would support a story of redemption.
B. How does your principle fit with the rest of the Scripture? Psalm 103:8-12 tells us that our Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. He does not deal with us according to our
sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are
above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him he also removes our sin/transgression from us as far as the East is From the West. God wants to reward us when we have a close walk/relationship with him. We are told in Deuteronomy 5:33 You shall walk in all the way that the
L
ORD
your God has commanded you, that you may live, and
that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.
C. How does this Old Testament narrative reflect the person and work of Jesus Christ? Jesus, while here on earth forgave many people of their sins. He did the same for The Israelites once they were shown the miracle of fire from the sky. Christ did not have to perform such a miracle to show his power. He chose to so that he still loved his people and wanted them to come back to him. He gave them mercy by stopping the drought so they would not suffer any longer. These actions show Christ's love for us as well as his desire for us to walk with him every second of every day. We are the ones who get in the
way of his love, grace, and mercy.
IV. Application
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BIBL 105
What points of application can be made using the Four Questions for Application (
EBS ch. 31)? State and explain 1 point of application for each of these four questions. Your explanation
for each of these points should be 1 paragraph (100–200 words) in length.
A. The question of duty
B. The question of character
C. The question of goals
D. The question of discernment
V. Teaching
Create an opportunity to teach this passage in a Bible-study setting of your choosing. Examples
could include a church setting, a family Bible study, or discussing the passage with a friend or roommate. Use the interpretive method learned above to study the passage (Observe), derive a principle (Interpretation), compare with other Scriptures (Correlation), and apply to everyday living (Application). Write a report below of at least 250 words. Comment on what went well, what was challenging, and what you learned overall through this experience. Page 5 of 5