1 Kings 15:25 – 1 Kings 16
There was a parade of evil kings in Israel. There are so many that it gets confusing, but I’ll try to get it right. I’ve decided to color code each of the kings. Kings of Judah (Southern Kingdom) will be in blue and kings of Israel (Northern Kingdom) will be in orange.
Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel, but reigned only 2 years. “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord” – 1 Kings 15:26. Baasha son of Ahijah killed Nadab and became king then killed all of Jeroboam’s family. Elah son of Baasha became king over Israel. Because Baasha was a wicked king, God didn’t bless him or his son. Elah only reigned 2 years. Zimri killed him and his whole family, then reigned in his place. He only reigned for 7 days. Then there was Omri who reigned for 12 years. Then Ahab begins his 22-year reign. “Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him.” – 1 Kings 16:30 He married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king Sidonians and began to serve and worship Baal. Jezebel was a woman famous for her idolatry and cruelty.
1 Kings 17 – The Prophet Elijah
Ahab set up a temple to Baal and led the people into idolatry which angered the Lord. God sent the prophet Elijah to pronounce His judgment on their sins. He sent the judgment not only to discipline but to correct them. Elijah seemed to have appeared mysteriously and also left mysteriously.
Elijah told Ahab that God stopped the rain for the next few years except at His word. He became a wanted man because Ahab’s kingdom endured suffering. God didn’t remove Elijah from the famine, but protected him from Ahab and provided for all his needs. God provided water from the brook to drink and ravens to bring him bread and meat to eat.
Elijah met a widow who had a handful of flour and a little oil, but no bread. He told her to not be afraid but to have faith. She was to go home and make something for him and then herself and her son. God continued delivering her provisions one meal at a time, because of her obedience and faith. Later her son became ill and died. She blamed Elijah. He took her son and laid him on his bed and cried out to the Lord and ask that his life would return. The Lord heard and the boy lived again. This built the widow’s faith in God.
Elijah and the woman’s experience revealed that God is Omnipotent. He has the complete power over life and death. Her faith was strengthened. She realized that Elijah was a man of God and that God can do the impossible.
Isaiah 25:8, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, and Philippians 3:20-21 should give us hope and take away any fears of death. If we believe in Jesus, we will spend eternity with Him in heaven. There we will have new bodies. There will be no more tears and no more death. Death will be swallowed up in victory.
Principle: God builds our faith by meeting our needs and allowing us to share our faith with others.
1 Kings 18 – Elijah and Obadiah
Obadiah was Ahab’s palace administrator and a devout believer in the Lord. Jezebel was killing prophets while Obadiah was hiding them. After 3 years of drought and famine, God sent Elijah to Ahab to announce He would send rain. When they met, Elijah challenged Ahab to gather the idol prophets of Baal and Asherah and all the people of Israel for a meeting at Mount Carmel. Elijah asked all the people how long would they falter between opinions. They didn’t answer. They lacked courage to either defend their position or to change it.
Elijah proposed a test between God and Baal. He instructed the priests to bring 2 bulls and prepare one for sacrifice; he would prepare the other. They would call on their gods and he would call on his God. “The god who answers by fire – he is God.”- 1 Kings 18:24b. They called to Baal from morning till noon without response. Elijah then prayed for the Lord to make Himself known as the God of Israel. In answer to his prayer, fire fell from heaven and consumed the sacrifice. The crowd fell down and declared, “The Lord – he is God!” – 1 Kings 18:39 Elijah ordered the prophets of Baal seized and slaughtered.
James 5:16-18 teaches us that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. The key is patient, persistent prayer. God’s timing is not our timing. He answers our prayers in His timing, not ours.
The judgment of the 450 false prophets of Baal was required according to Exodus 22:20 “Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the Lord must be destroyed.” The judgment was needed to turn the hearts of the people back to God. He used a time of drought to get their attention and then performed the dramatic miracle right before their eyes. No one who witnessed that event could doubt that the Lord was God, not Baal.
Principle: God’s responds to persistent prayer by providing what we need.
This week’s attribute of God is He is Omnipotent. He has completer power over life and death. He has unlimited power and authority over everything and everyone in the universe.
Next week we will continue our study of Kingdom Divided with 1 Kings 19. Hope to see you here. -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.
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