For Young People

Defend True Worship!

Instructions: Do this exercise in quiet surroundings. As you read the scriptures, imagine that you are part of the event. Visualize the scene. Hear the voices. Feel the emotions of the characters. Let the account come to life.

Main characters: Elijah, Ahab, and some 450 Baal prophets

Summary: Elijah proves that Jehovah is superior to Baal.

1 ANALYZE THE SCENE.​—READ 1 KINGS 18:17-40.

On a separate sheet of paper, draw a diagram showing where you imagine Elijah, the Baal prophets, and the altars to be in relation to one another.

What sounds do you “hear” during the chaotic scene described in verses 26 through 29?

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What emotions do you sense in Elijah’s voice as he addresses the Baal prophets?

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2 DIG DEEPER.

Why was courage needed on Elijah’s part to approach Ahab and then go on to conduct a test that would humiliate hundreds of Baal prophets? (Clue: Read 1 Kings 18:4, 13, 14.)

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Using research materials at your disposal, find out something about Baal worship. For example, what type of practices were associated with it? What effect did Baal worship have on Israel?

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 Why, do you think, did Elijah dig a trench around Jehovah’s altar and then have it filled with water?

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3 APPLY WHAT YOU LEARNED. WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU LEARNED ABOUT . . .

The courage that is required to defend true worship.

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The benefits that come to those who show such courage.

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FOR FURTHER APPLICATION.

In what area(s) of life could you show more courage in defending true worship?

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4 WHAT ASPECT OF THIS ACCOUNT IS MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU, AND WHY?

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If you don’t have a Bible, ask Jehovah’s Witnesses for one, or read it online at www.watchtower.org

[Box on page 31]

District Convention Information

Starting this year, the dates and locations of the annual district conventions will no longer appear in The Watchtower. The information can be accessed at the jw.org Web site.