Supremacy of God – SS2 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (Third Term)

The supremacy of God means that God is greater than every problem and every false god. He is all powerful (omnipotent), the Greatest, the Highest and the Ultimate. In the time of King Ahab, God showed His supremacy by withholding rain for three years, feeding Elijah and protecting one hundred prophets through Obadiah.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• explain what the supremacy of God means;
• describe the religious tension in Israel under Ahab and Jezebel;
• narrate how God provided for Elijah during the drought;
• state the part Obadiah played during the drought;
• state the lessons leaders can learn from the story.

What does the supremacy of God mean?

God is a spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. God is omnipotent, which means He is all powerful. He is greater than every problem we have.

In the most difficult times, God always proves Himself. He is the Greatest, the Highest and the Ultimate.

What caused religious tension in Israel? (1 Kings 16:29-34; 17:1-18; 19:1-8)

Ahab is described as the king who “did evil in the sight of God more than all before him”. This was mainly because of his marriage to the Sidonian princess, Jezebel. She filled Israel with the worship of Baal, to such an extent that the worship of the true God was almost wiped out. Ahab even erected an altar for Baal.

As a result, there was religious tension in Israel, as Baalism almost supplanted the worship of God. Jezebel grew stronger by the day, with no regard for the God of Israel. She killed the prophets of God with reckless abandon and chased the rest into hiding. She did this to enforce the worship of Baal.

How did Elijah predict the drought in Israel? (1 Kings 17:1-16)

This was the situation in Israel when God sent Elijah to Ahab to proclaim a three-year drought, as a punishment for Israel for abandoning their God. God directed Elijah to stay where He had provided for him, away from Ahab and Jezebel. God fed him regularly in several places.

How God provided for Elijah

• First was the Brook Cherith. Elijah drank from the brook while ravens fed him with bread and meat.
• When the brook dried up, Elijah was sent to the widow at Zarephath.

What happened to the king and the people

The king and his people, however, were thrown into chaos and tension as the drought took its toll on the nation. Obadiah, a man who feared God greatly, hid and fed a hundred prophets of God in a cave. He saved them from Jezebel’s sword throughout the drought.

Why did Elijah pronounce the drought, and how does it show the supremacy of God?

God sent Elijah to proclaim the three-year drought as a punishment for Ahab and the entire people of Israel for forsaking Him, the Almighty, and worshipping Baal.

The following episodes show the supremacy of God:

1. As the Supreme Being, He withheld rain for three consecutive years to teach the Israelites a bitter lesson for their unfaithfulness to God.
2. While the drought lasted, God made provisions for Elijah.
3. God used Obadiah to protect all His prophets throughout the drought.

What lessons can we learn from the story?

1. Good leaders should not allow their conduct to bring punishment and frustration to those they are leading.
2. Those in positions of authority should obey the rules and abide by the laws in order to command good followership.
3. Leaders should avoid being derailed by those close to them.
4. In times of crisis, God always protects His own people. This was the case with Elijah and the 100 prophets hidden by Obadiah.

Evaluation

1. Why is Ahab described as having done more evil than all the kings before him?
2. What did Jezebel do to the prophets of God?
3. Why did God send Elijah to proclaim a drought in Israel?
4. State three ways in which God showed His supremacy during the drought.

Assignment

1. Ahab sinned against God by building an altar for Baal at ___. A. Jerusalem B. Bethel C. Samaria D. Tabor
2. Baal was a mere title meaning ___. A. god B. lord C. wood D. log
3. Elijah was fed by a raven at ___. A. Brook Kishon B. Brook Cherith C. Zarephath D. Kidron
4. The servant of Ahab who saved one hundred prophets of God was ___. A. Gehazi B. Obadiah C. Amaziah D. Nimshi
5. Jezebel was a princess from the land of ___. A. Moab B. Sidon C. Israel D. Samaria