This week’s Come, Follow Me study guide covers 1 Kings 12-13 and 17-22, including the story of the prophet Elijah.
Below are quotes from past and present leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints regarding these chapters of the Bible.
“Still a small voice”
“The Savior will not shout commands to you or me. The Savior taught Elijah,
“And he said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by. And a great and mighty wind rent the mountain, and broke in pieces the rock that was before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake.
“And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12).
“Hearing that voice comes from faith in God. With enough faith, we ask God for direction with the intention of going and doing whatever He asks. We develop the faith to know that whatever God asks is for the blessing of others and that we will be purified in the process because of God’s love for us.”
— President Henry B. Eyring, then Second Counselor in the First Presidency, October 2021 General Conference “Faith in Seeking and Acting”
“How long do you stand between two opinions?”
“The history of the Old Testament records successive periods in which the children of Israel respected their covenant with Jehovah and worshiped God, and periods in which they ignored that covenant and worshiped idols and Baalim.
“The reign of Ahab was one of the periods of apostasy in the northern kingdom of Israel. One day the prophet Elijah told King Ahab to gather the Israelites and the prophets and priests of Baal together on Mount Carmel. When the people were assembled, Elijah said to them, ‘How long will you stand still between two opinions?’ (In other words, ‘When will you decide once and for all?’) If the Lord does. “O God, follow him, but if it is Baal, follow him, and the people answered not a word.” (1 Kings 18:21) So Elijah instructed him and the prophets of Baal to place them on the wooden floor above their respective altars and “not to set them on fire.” He who answers by fire will be God. And all the people answered and said, “Well said!” (1 Kings 18:24).
“Remember how the priests of Baal cried out for hours to set fire to the non-existent God, but ‘there was no voice, no one who answered, no one who paid attention’ (1 Kings 18:29). When it was Elijah’s turn, he broke down. He repaired the altar of the Lord, placed wood and offerings on it, and then ordered water to be poured over everything, not once but three times. Neither he nor the other priests had any doubt that it could be lit with the power of another human being.
“‘And as they were offering the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah came up to them and said, ‘Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let them know this day that you are the God of Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things according to your word.’
“Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the ditch.
“When all the people saw it, they fell down and said, ‘Lord, he is God. Lord, he is God'” (1 Kings 18:36, 38-39).
“Today Elijah might say,
“Either God, our Heavenly Father, exists or he does not exist, but if he exists, worship him. “Either Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the resurrected Redeemer of mankind, or he is not, but if he is, then obey him. Either the Book of Mormon is the word of God, or it is not, but if it is, ‘draw near to God by (studying) and keeping his commandments.'” (Introduction to the Bible) “On that spring day in 1820, Joseph Smith either saw and spoke to the Father and the Son, or he did not, but if he did, follow the mantle of prophecy that I, Elijah, had given him, containing the keys of sealing.”
— President D. Todd Christofferson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2018 general conference, “Solid and Solid.”
Solomon and Jeroboam
“At the end of King Solomon’s reign, the Lord spoke to him through a prophet, saying, “I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant” (1 Kings 11:11).
“Shortly thereafter, the prophet Ahijah identified his servant as Jeroboam, an “industrious” man whom Solomon had made “prince over all the responsibilities of the house of Joseph” (1 Kings 11:28). Jeroboam’s mission required him to travel from Mount Ephraim, where he lived, to the capital of Jerusalem. On one of those trips, Ahijah met him along the road. Ahijah, the Lord said, “I will give you ten tribes” (1 Kings 11:31). He also instructed Jeroboam, “If you wish to walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and commandments, then I will give you Israel with you” (1 Kings 11:38).
“When Solomon heard Ahijah’s prophecy, he tried to kill Jeroboam, so Jeroboam fled to Egypt (see 1 Kings 11:40). After Solomon’s death, Jeroboam returned from exile to northern Israel and began leading the ten northern tribes (see 1 Kings 12:2-3, 20).
“However, Jeroboam’s plan to rule the kingdom was a mixture of good and evil. He established Shechem, a city of religious importance to his people, as the nation’s capital. But sadly he introduced satanic rituals into their worship (see 1 Kings 12:25-30).
“Jeroboam became convinced that some of God’s commandments did not apply to him. As a result of his actions, all of his descendants were killed, and the ten tribes of Israel were eventually expelled from their inheritance because of the pagan practices he introduced into their sacred rituals (see 1 Kings 14:10, 15-16).
“Just as the consequences of flying out of ground effect with more weight than the wings of an airplane can support are dire, so our partial or selective obedience to God’s law does not bring about the blessings of perfect obedience.”
— Elder Bruce A. Carlson, then General Authority Seventy, April 2010 general conference, “When the Lord Commands”
Widow of Zarephath
“In the story of a single mother struggling to survive a season of famine, we learn what it means to support a prophet.The Lord commanded the prophet Elijah to go to Zarephath. As Elijah approached the town, he saw her gathering sticks. He called to her, “Put some water in my bowl, so that I may drink.” (1 Kings 17:10)
“And when she was about to go and get it, he called to her (again) and said, ‘Please, bring me a morsel of bread into your hand.’
“And she said, As the LORD your God liveth, I have no cake, but I have a handful of food in a barrel, and a little oil in a crucible; and, behold, I am gathering two sticks to come in and clothe me and my son, that we may eat of it, and die.”
“Elijah answered, “Do not be afraid. Go and do as you have told me. But first make a small cake and bring it to me, and then I will make it for you and your son.” (1 Kings 17:11-13)
“Imagine for a moment the difficulty of what the prophet was asking of his starving mother. Surely God himself could have provided for his faithful servant, but Elijah, in the name of the Lord, did as he was instructed: to ask God’s beloved daughter to sacrifice what she had to support the prophet.”
“But Elijah also promised blessings for obedience: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, The barrel of food shall not be wasted, nor the anointing of oil shall be wasted.” (1 Kings 17:14) The Lord gave the widow the opportunity to choose to believe and obey the words of the prophet.
“In a world threatened by righteous hunger and spiritual hunger, we are commanded to sustain the prophets. When we heed, support, and affirm the words of prophecy, we testify that we have faith to humbly submit to the will, wisdom, and timing of the Lord.
“We listen to the words of a prophet, even when it seems irrational, inconvenient, or unpleasant. By the standards of the world, following a prophet may be unpopular, politically incorrect, or socially unacceptable. But following a prophet is always right…
“The Lord honors and gives favor to those who follow his prophetic instructions. For the widow of Zarephath, her obedience to Elijah saved her life and ultimately the life of her son. As the prophet had promised, ‘she and he and her house ate for many days, according to the word of the Lord that was spoken by Elijah'” (1 Kings 17:15-16).
— Sister Carol F. McConkie, then first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, October 2014 general conference, “Living the Words of the Prophets”
“When the prophet was preparing for his final confrontation with Ahab, he said, God commanded Elijah to go to the village of Zarephath, where he commanded a widow woman to support him.
“Entering the city, weary, he met his benefactor, who was no doubt as weak and debilitated as he was. Perhaps the thirsty traveler said almost apologetically: ‘Please bring me. Fill a vessel with some water, that I may drink.'” When she turned to answer his request, Elijah added more tension to the plea. “Please, bring me a morsel of bread in your hand (also).”
“Elijah’s pitiful situation was clear. Moreover, this widow had been prepared by the Lord for this request. But in her own weakened and dejected state, the prophet’s final entreaty was more than this faithful little woman could bear. In hunger and fatigue, and in the pains of motherhood, she cried out to the stranger, ‘Your God! , for the Lord lives, I have not a cake, but a handful of food in a barrel, and a little oil in a barrel.Cruze: And, behold, I am gathering two sticks (which tells you how little her fire had to be), to go in and clothe it for me and my son, and that we may eat it and die.
“But Elijah was on the Lord’s business. The future of Israel—including the very future of this widow and her son—was at stake. His prophetic duties made him bolder than he would normally have been willing to be.”
“’Don’t be afraid,’ he said to her, ‘but first make a little cake and bring it to me, and then make it for you and your son.
“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, The barrel of grain will not go to waste, nor the anointing of oil, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.”
“And this modest expression of faith, under the circumstances, was as great as anything I know of in the Bible. The record simply says, ‘And she went and did according to the word of Elijah.’ Perhaps unsure of what the price of her faith would be, not only for herself but also for her son, she first brought her little loaf to Elijah. Evidently, he believed that even if he did not have enough bread left, at least he and his son would have died in an act of pure charity. Of course, the story continues to a very happy ending for her and her son (see 1 Kings 17:1-24).
“This woman is like another widow whom Christ highly praised, who Jesus said threw her farthing and two mites into the synagogue treasury, thereby giving more than all the others who gave that day (see Mark 12:41-44).
“Unfortunately, the names of these two women are not recorded in the scriptures, but if I had the privilege of meeting them in eternity, I would fall at their feet and say, “Thank you.” Thank you for the beauty of your lives, the excellence of your example, and the godly spirit within you that inspired such “charity from a pure heart” (1 Timothy 1:5).”
—The late President Jeffrey R. Holland, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 1996 general conference, “A Handful of Food and a Little Oil.”
