Elisha Bible Crafts for Sunday School Kids

Elisha was a prophet who served God after the prophet Elijah. God worked through Elisha to help people, perform miracles, and show that He was present with His people.

One day, the widow of a prophet came to Elisha because she was in serious trouble. Her husband had died, and she could not pay the money her family owed. A creditor was threatening to take her two sons away as servants.

Elisha asked the woman what she had in her house. She told him that she had nothing except a small jar of oil.

Elisha instructed her to borrow as many empty jars as possible from her neighbors. She was then to go inside her house with her sons, close the door, and begin pouring her small amount of oil into the empty jars.

The woman obeyed. The oil continued to flow until every jar was full. When there were no empty containers left, the oil stopped. Elisha told her to sell the oil, pay her debts, and use the remaining money to support her family.

Another story tells of Naaman, an important commander in the army of Aram. Naaman was respected and successful, but he suffered from leprosy.

A young Israelite servant girl told Naaman’s wife about Elisha. She believed that the prophet could help him.

Naaman traveled to Israel and went to Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger telling Naaman to wash himself seven times in the Jordan River.

At first, Naaman became angry. He had expected Elisha to come outside and perform a dramatic miracle. He also thought the rivers in his own country were better than the Jordan.

Naaman’s servants encouraged him to follow the simple instructions. He finally went down into the Jordan and dipped himself seven times. His skin was healed, and Naaman recognized that the God of Israel was the true God.

On another occasion, a group of prophets was building a larger meeting place near the Jordan River. While one of the men was cutting down a tree, the iron head of his borrowed axe flew from the handle and fell into the water.

The man cried out because the axe had been borrowed. Elisha asked where it had fallen. He cut a stick and threw it into the water, and the iron axe head floated to the surface. The man was then able to reach out and retrieve it.

Elisha also helped the king of Israel by warning him about the movements of the Aramean army. When the king of Aram discovered this, he sent soldiers, horses, and chariots to surround the city where Elisha was staying.

Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant went outside and saw the enemy army surrounding the city. He became frightened and asked Elisha what they should do.

Elisha told him not to be afraid because those who were with them were more than those who were with the enemy. Then Elisha prayed:

“Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.”

— 2 Kings 6:17

God opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw that the hills around Elisha were filled with horses and chariots of fire. God’s protection had been there all along, even though the servant could not see it at first.

The stories of Elisha remind children that God sees people’s needs, that His instructions may sometimes seem simple or unexpected, and that He may be working even when we cannot immediately see what He is doing.