Burunche’s Blog

1 Kings 18:41 – 46 “And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”

So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees. “Go and look toward the sea,” he said to his servant.

So the servant went and looked, and he said, “There is nothing there.”

Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

On the seventh time the servant reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.”

And Elijah replied, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”

Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.

And the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.”

Ahab has just watched in horror and amazement as God has sent fire from heaven to consume Elijah’s sacrifice, the stones of the altar, the water, and even the dust. Elijah and the Israelites have killed the 450 prophets of Baal and possibly the 400 prophets of Asherah as well. At this point, Ahab is so distraught that he can barely wipe his own nose. No wonder Ahab is taking orders from Elijah! Elijah sends Ahab off to get something to eat, telling him that there is the sound of a heavy rain, something Elijah is hearing in his spirit. While Ahab goes off to eat, Elijah climbs to the very highest point on Mount Carmel and begins praying.

Six times, Elijah sends his servant to look towards the sea, and six times the servant comes back and reports that he sees nothing. Each time this happens, Elijah orders him to go back and look again. Finally, the servant reports that he sees a tiny cloud “no bigger than a man’s hand rising from the sea.” Elijah then orders Ahab to get in his chariot and take off for Jezreel before the rain stops him. As Elijah is saying this, the storm clouds are gathering and the rain that will break that three – year drought is beginning. As Ahab is speeding to Jezreel in his chariot, God moves on Elijah, who tucks his cloak in his belt and runs all the way to Jezreel, arriving before Ahab.

APPLICATION: Three years of drought! Three years of watching people and livestock suffering from thirst and possibly dying from hunger when the crops failed! What brought the drought in the first place? It was the sins of Ahab and Jezebel compounded by the mute acceptance of that evil by the Israelites that brought such terrible weather. And what broke this drought? The drought was broken when Baal was graphically demonstrated to be a worthless idol while the One True Living God of Israel showed His power and His might by consuming Elijah’s sacrifice. Was it necessary to kill all those prophets of Baal? Well, if those men had lived, they might have devised new means of deceiving the unwary. Certainly, Jezebel had done everything she could to eliminate the prophets of God so that they could not teach the people the right way.

It is a sad mistake when we assume that weather patterns cannot be influenced by spiritual conditions. In the “Transformations” series of videos, George Otis Junior and the Sentinel Organization have graphically demonstrated that all kinds of climate changes have occurred in Fiji, in Guatemala, and in other parts of the world when people in those areas have repented and have turned to worship the One True Living God. (https://www.sentinelgroup.org/documentaries) Today there is a lot of attention being paid to the concept of global warming; however, very few people seem to realize that we need to seek to please God, who controls all of our weather.

What about Elijah’s prayers and his servant’s obedience? What can we learn from the way Elijah prays?

1. Elijah isolates himself so that he can concentrate on his prayers. While everyone else is leaving the area, Elijah climbs to the highest point on Mount Carmel.
2. Elijah buries his face in his lap so that he will not become discouraged and so that he can focus totally on what God is saying to him. Sometimes we need to close ourselves off so that we will not be distracted and that we will listen fully to God. John Wesley’s mother, Susanna, had nineteen children; yet, her children knew that when she sat down and threw her apron up over her face, she was praying and they were to be quiet and leave her alone.
3. Elijah refuses to give up or to give in. Elijah sends his servant to look out toward the sea six times, and each time the servant returns to report that he sees nothing new. Many of us might have stopped long before six times, feeling that we have prayed long enough and that surely God should have answered by now. But Elijah is made of stronger stuff, and he refuses to give up. Finally, on the seventh time, the servant returns to report that he sees a small cloud rising out of the sea.  George Mueller, a famous prayer warrior of the nineteenth century, prayed for the salvation of one man for much of his life. It was only when that man learned of Mueller’s death that he came to know Christ. IF GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO PRAY FOR SOMETHING OR FOR SOMEONE, DON’T GIVE UP!!!
4. Elijah’s servant is obedient and continues to follow Elijah’s instructions, trusting that they are from God. At no point does it appear that the servant questions Elijah as some of us might have done. “Hey, boss! I’ve already looked six times and there was nothing. What’s the point of looking again?”
5. Elijah doesn’t even look at the sea himself but trusts his servant to have given him a true report. Not only is Elijah talking to God, but God is also talking to Elijah. God has probably told Elijah to keep praying until the servant brings him a certain answer. Now that answer has come. It’s time for Elijah to act.
6. After praying, Elijah allows God to touch him, tucks his cloak up into his belt and runs all the way to Jezreel. This distance is roughly fifteen miles and remember that the terrain is very rough and very hilly. Perhaps Elijah is able to take footpaths to Jezreel while Ahab has to take a road; however, this is still an impressive feat. All those weeks in the wilderness have helped prepare Elijah for this distance run. Many times, we fail to realize that our sufferings are preparing us for greater things.

Persistence in prayer and a willingness to continue until God moves – these are the lessons we can learn from Elijah’s sojourn on the top of Mount Carmel. But also, when God moves us, we must be ready even if it’s running fifteen miles through the wilderness!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to learn as much as possible from Your Word so that our lives will conform to Your perfect plan. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 18:16 – 40 So Obadiah went to inform Ahab, who went to meet Elijah. When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”

“I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals. Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people did not answer a word.

Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. And I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.”

And all the people answered, “What you say is good.”

Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.”

And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!”

But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.

At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!”

So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them.

Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention.

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down. And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.” And with the stones, Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. (15.6 liters)

Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots and pour the water on the offering and on the wood.”

“Do it a second time,” he said, and they did it a second time.

“Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time. (12 full waterpots total)

So the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.

At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.”

Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.

When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”

Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.”

When Elijah shows up, Ahab immediately begins insulting and accusing him, but Elijah makes it clear that Ahab has brought disaster on Israel because of his sins and the sins of his wife Jezebel. The time for hiding is over, and it’s time for a showdown. Elijah orders Ahab to bring all the prophets of Baal and the Israelites to Mount Carmel.

Elijah opens the confrontation on Mount Carmel by demanding to know whom the Israelites are going to worship, whether they will follow Baal or the God of Israel. The Israelites remain quiet, waiting to see how this whole thing is going to turn out. This passivity on the part of the Israelites has helped lead to the problems of Ahab and Jezebel. Kings of Israel are only supposed to marry Israelites; however, after the poor example set by King Solomon, that regulation has been ignored. Nobody has spoken out as Jezebel has massacred prophets of the God of Israel; only Obadiah has had the courage to hide 100 prophets. It’s decision time for the Israelites, but they are still hoping to evade committing themselves.

Elijah issues a challenge: bring two bulls and allow the prophets of Baal to sacrifice theirs first. If Baal is really God, then he should answer with fire that consumes the sacrifice. The prophets of Baal cry out for hours, even cutting themselves until they are covered with blood, but Baal remains silent. Elijah taunts the Baal worshipers, suggesting that Baal is occupied, on a journey, asleep, etc. Finally, it’s Elijah’s turn. Elijah builds a simple altar with 12 stones representing the tribes of Israel and then digs a large trench around the altar. After arranging the bull and the wood for the sacrifice, Elijah orders the entire offering be drenched with twelve large waterpots. Not only is Elijah demonstrating his faith that God is going to send fire, but he also believes that God will send enough rain to replace the water he is now pouring out on the sacrifice.

Everything is in place just in time for the traditional evening sacrifice. Unlike the prophets of Baal, Elijah simply prays, asking God to demonstrate His power and turn the hearts of the Israelites back to Him. ZAP!!! God answers with so much fire that everything is consumed – the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even the water in the trench. All that’s left is a huge scorch mark on the ground. The Israelites immediately turn back to God and slaughter the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah.   

APPLICATION: Why did the Israelites tolerate the reign of Ahab and Jezebel and allow themselves to be led into Baal and Asherah worship in the first place? Although King David loved God, he failed to disciple most of those around him, nor did he train Solomon in the ways of God. Solomon was so occupied with sex, wealth, and flaunting his wisdom that he did little to actually promote the worship of God. The kings that followed Solomon were even worse. None of the kings of Israel ever copied the Law of Moses for himself for personal study.

By the time Ahab and Jezebel arrived on the scene, many of the Israelites had only a vague idea of who God was or why He was worthy of worship. If those Israelites had lived today, they would have felt that they were good people because they shared inspirational memes on Facebook. These people had no understanding of the holy calling God had placed on the lives of all Israelites; they were far more interested in a religion that pandered to their lusts and didn’t make them feel uncomfortable. Given this attitude, it’s no wonder that the Israelites fell flat on their faces when God sent His fire to consume Elijah’s sacrifice, the altar, the water, and even the dust.

Although the Bible only mentions the killing of the prophets of Baal, it makes sense that Elijah would have wiped out the prophets of Asherah as well. Why leave prophets of a fertility cult?

The confrontation at Mount Carmel was nothing short of electrifying, but what were the long – term results? Did the Israelites truly repent and serve God, or did they slide back into their same idolatrous practices? God used this showdown between Elijah and the false prophets to demonstrate His power and His glory. But humans have an amazing ability to ignore large amounts of truth if they choose to believe lies. What did Jezebel have to say about all this? Jezebel wasn’t on Mount Carmel, nor did she see the fire of God fall.

Hundreds of years later, Jesus told his disciples that those who would not listen to Moses and the prophets wouldn’t even pay attention if someone rose from the dead. How much attention are we paying to what God is doing in our lives? Are we allowing God to speak to us, or are we trying to ignore Him in hopes that He will go away?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to listen for Your voice and to obey You when You speak to us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 18:1 – 15 “After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.” So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria, and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace.

(Now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD, for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)

Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to every spring and every valley. Perhaps we will find grass to keep the horses and mules alive so that we will not have to destroy any livestock.”

So they divided the land to explore. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.

Now as Obadiah went on his way, Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”  “It is I,” he answered. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here!’”

But Obadiah replied, “How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death? As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you. And now you say, ‘Go tell your master that Elijah is here!’

 I do not know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth. Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred prophets of the LORD, fifty men per cave, and I provided them with food and water. And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord that Elijah is here!’ He will kill me!”

Then Elijah said, “As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will present myself to Ahab today.”

Consider Obadiah! Even in the face of all the evil that Jezebel and Ahab are pouring into the northern kingdom, there are still true believers who fear the One True Living God and who will serve Him no matter what. Obadiah is in charge of Ahab’s palace and at risk constantly; yet, when Jezebel has begun whole – sale slaughter of the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah has successfully hidden 100 prophets of the Lord in two caves, 50 to a cave, and has managed to keep them supplied with food and water. Has Obadiah been diverting resources from the palace to sustain these men of God?

Now Obadiah and Ahab have split up and are traveling throughout the land searching for grazing and water to keep their livestock alive. It’s fascinating to think that Ahab is doing this himself; you would think that Ahab would dispatch herdsmen for this task. Evidently, Ahab has so abused his helpers that Obadiah is the only one he can count on apart from himself.  

When Elijah meets Obadiah and orders Obadiah to tell Ahab that he is coming, this news leaves Obadiah shaking in his sandals. Ahab has been searching throughout the region for Elijah and has demanded that surrounding nations swear that they were not harboring him. The supreme irony is that for much of the time Ahab has been searching, Elijah has been living quietly in Ahab’s father – in – law’s kingdom of Sidon in the town of Zarephath. But who would think that a poor widow and her son would be able to help anybody? It is the very obscurity of this widow that has helped protect Elijah.  

The obscure position of the widow of Zarephath foreshadows the birth of Jesus Christ to a young couple in a small Judean town during a Roman census. Later, that same couple move to another village where Jesus quietly grows up as the son of a local carpenter. In Jesus’ day, nobody is anticipating that the Messiah will come from such circumstances.

APPLICATION: Today, there is a flood – tide of evil engulfing much of the world. Nations that have previously stood for righteousness appear to be crumbling morally. But consider Obadiah’s position. Obadiah was the palace administrator and knew everything that was happening in the palace, including every detail of Jezebel’s demon worship. Obadiah could easily have shrugged his shoulders and could have chosen to “go along to get along.” But Obadiah feared the Lord and managed to save 100 men of God when Jezebel was trying to slaughter them. Then Obadiah kept these men supplied with food and water in the midst of a terrible drought. Surely, there must have been others who quietly assisted Obadiah so that his support for these men did not become obvious. Although Ahab might have valued Obadiah sufficiently to withhold punishment, Jezebel would have gleefully murdered him had she known.

The name “Obadiah” means “servant of God” in Hebrew, and here Obadiah is clearly living up to his name. For those of us facing evil in our time, the decision is clear: either we serve God or we have failed in the purpose for which God has intended us. Sometimes we might feel that the evil we are facing is so overwhelming that resistance is useless; however, if we refuse to face evil, who will do so? We must also continue to support all those in positions of authority who are serving in the tradition of Obadiah. Obadiah’s efforts remained unnoticed by anyone apart from God. Who knows how many righteous men and women are quietly laboring in the tradition of Obadiah? Let us never forget that God always has a remnant and let us persistently support that remnant with prayer and fasting.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, only You know those who are laboring on Your behalf. Protect, guide, comfort, and keep the righteous wherever they are working and help us to take courage and to stand for righteousness as well. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.    

1 Kings 17:17 – 24 “Later, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill, and his sickness grew worse and worse, until no breath remained in him. “O man of God,” said the woman to Elijah, “what have you done to me? Have you come to remind me of my iniquity and cause the death of my son?”

But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.”

So he took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.  Then he cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on this widow who has opened her home to me, by causing her son to die?” Then he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, please let this boy’s life return to him!” And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah, and the child’s life returned to him, and he lived. Then Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. “Look, your son is alive,” Elijah declared.

Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is truth.”

God has saved the widow of Zarephath, her son, and every member of her household by providing miraculously through Elijah the prophet. But somehow this lady has yet to believe that Elijah is really a man of God and that his God really is true. It takes another miracle for this lady to believe.

The son of the widow falls sick and becomes increasingly worse until he dies. These days, rainy season has arrived in northern Ghana, and we are treating lots of children with malaria and severe anemia each day. Those children who receive blood and medicines rapidly enough live, while others who arrive too late will die. The same thing can happen for children with typhoid fever. Given the drought that has gripped the land, typhoid from infected food or water might be a good possibility here. At any rate, the son dies.

In many parts of the world, sons of widows are critically important. It is those sons who give a woman hope that they will grow up and will support her in her old age. In Elijah’s day, such a widow with one son would still be regarded as a productive member of the community. But if that son were to die, the poor woman would be left with little hope for the future.

Elijah can scarcely believe that this tragedy has taken place. Why would a loving God allow such a thing to happen to the very woman who has sheltered God’s prophet at the cost of her own resources? But God has a much better plan. God knows that even though this woman has seen the miracles of the multiplication of her resources, she has yet to truly believe.

Elijah is distraught at the death of this lively young boy whom he has come to love as if he were his own son. Calling out to God, Elijah bears the boy’s body upstairs to the place where he is staying. Elijah stretches his body out over the boy’s as if he could pour his life into the boy. And Elijah does this not once, but three times. It is after the third time that God raises the boy from the dead. What if Elijah were to only stretch himself out twice? Would the boy remain dead? Elijah is desperate and is ready to continue to stretch himself out over the boy’s body until God either raises the boy from the dead or orders him to stop. Blessedly, after the third time, the boy begins breathing, opens his eyes, and is alive and fine. And it is then that the boy’s mother says, ““Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is truth.”

APPLICATION: We read this story and wonder. After all, God has already saved this lady and her entire household by multiplying their resources in a time of drought. Why hasn’t she believed already? But this woman lives in a culture in which magic abounds. Perhaps she has assumed that Elijah is really some kind of magician. At any rate, it takes the death and resurrection of the woman’s son for her to truly believe that Elijah is a man of God and that the word of the Lord is true.

What about us? What does it take for us to believe? The widow nearly lost her only son, but God has sent His only Son, Jesus, to live as a man and to die for the sins of the whole world. Jesus did not need a prophet to raise him from the dead. Jesus rose from the dead by the power of the Living God, defeating death, hell and the grave for all time. Elijah was only the means by which God raised one young boy from the dead. But Jesus has shed his blood so that all who will believe in Him and who will follow Him will have eternal life, even though their physical bodies will die and decay.

God has already given us His Word in the Bible and has given us many accounts by faithful witnesses as to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God gave the widow of Zarephath the opportunity to believe when He raised her son from the dead. God has given us many opportunities, but we must choose and choose wisely.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, let everyone who reads these words feel the gentle tug of Your Love on their hearts. Let them truly believe in You and in Your Son Jesus Christ. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 1 – 16 “Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”

Then a revelation from the LORD came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

So Elijah did what the LORD had told him, and he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook. Some time later, however, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Get up and go to Zarephath of Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, so that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread.”

 But she replied, “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die.”

 “Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to her. “Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have, and bring it out to me. Afterward, make some for yourself and your son, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain upon the face of the earth.’ ”

So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and there was food every day for Elijah and the woman and her household. The jar of flour was not exhausted and the jug of oil did not run dry, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Elijah.”

Ahab, son of Omri, has married Jezebel, the daughter of the King of the Sidonians and most likely a priestess of Baal, Asherah, and any other demonic cult active at that point. Spurred on by Jezebel, Ahab, is leading the northern kingdom rapidly down the road to destruction. But God has called the Israelites out of Egypt and has repeatedly delivered them from their enemies. God is not about to give the northern kingdom over to Satan without fighting back, and Elijah is God’s secret weapon.

How old is Elijah when he begins his ministry? However old Elijah is, he is one tough cookie! After delivering a daunting message to King Ahab, Elijah moves east into the wilderness near the Brook of Cherith. While Ahab is sitting in an ivory – studded palace, Elijah is sheltering in caves, depending on ravens to bring him food. Later on, Elijah will do other strenuous physical exploits. While Ahab is really a wimp, Elijah is made of far sterner stuff.

One of the most amazing things about Elijah is his unwavering faith and trust in God. “You want me to decree three years of drought and famine, Lord? No problem! You want me to hide in the wilderness? I’m on my way!” How many of us would be ready to accept food from scavenger birds such as ravens? Now, perhaps Elijah does make small fires to cook that food, but still, ravens are unclean birds according to the Law of Moses and yet it is ravens that God uses. Elijah is bright enough to realize that sooner or later, the brook is going to dry up, but he’s trusting that the same God who has sent ravens as messengers will also provide for him when that happens.

The day the brook evaporates completely, God sends Elijah to Zarephath of Sidon, Jezebel’s people. God tells Elijah that He has commanded a widow in Zarephath to provide for Elijah; however, when Elijah meets the widow, she doesn’t appear to have heard from the Lord. But God knows this lady’s kind and generous heart; He knows that this woman will do everything she can, even if it costs her the last bit of meal in the house. This widow is the second person of great faith in this story. Look at this lady’s response: ““As surely as the LORD your God lives…” God has led Elijah to a woman who believes in the God of Israel, even if she fears to claim that God as her own. It is this woman’s faith and obedience that saves Elijah, this woman, her son, and everyone belonging to her household.

APPLICATION: One of the first questions we might have while reading this passage is this: does God really do this stuff? Yes! Let me tell you about the KFC miracle. Many years ago, I had a Christian surgeon friend, call him “M.”, who had left a lucrative general surgery practice to get training as a pediatric surgeon. This family had sold their dream home and had moved half – way across America so M. could receive the training he felt God calling him to have. Many family members thought M. was crazy, and the night I came to stay with them, his father – in – law was arriving to check out the situation. I was with M. when he swung by KFC to pick up food for supper, and I was worried.  That night there would be four adults plus two ravenously hungry teen – agers; the amount of food we were buying would scarcely feed three people.

I had decided that I would eat very little that night so that my friends would not be embarrassed; however, the food just kept on coming and everyone had plenty. At the end of the meal, M.’s wife and I slowly realized that we had far more food left over than the modest amount originally purchased. Not only did God multiply the KFC food, but M.’s father – in – law was so impressed by the family’s faith that he became a supporter instead of a critic.

Now the interesting thing is that while my friends prayed over their food, they did not beg God to multiply it. But the same loving Heavenly Father who had already called M. into pediatric surgery provided bountifully, leaving a potential critic with no grounds for complaint.

I love the widow of Zarephath! Elijah has been called as a prophet and is obviously a man of faith. But that widow knows very little about the God of Israel, except that she KNOWS that He surely lives! That’s more faith than most of the citizens of Israel are exhibiting at this point. And it is this faith that leads this woman to fulfill Elijah’s request and to feed him before feeding her son and herself.

If God has cared so much for this nameless lady and her household, don’t you think God will also care for you? If God was willing to multiply food for my friends, He can multiply resources for you as well. The key is obedience. Both the widow of Zarephath and my friends were obedient to God’s instructions. If you want God’s provision, you must be careful to follow His orders.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help all those whose faith is failing to remember that You don’t play favorites and that You can supply our needs in an infinite number of ways. We pray in the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

 1 Kings 16:21 – 34 “Then the people of Israel were split into two factions; half supported Tibni son of Ginath for king, and the other half supported Omri. But Omri’s followers proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.

In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria, after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.

But Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. He followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols.

As for the other events of Omri’s reign, what he did and the things he achieved, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. And Ahab his son succeeded him as king.

 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him.He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.

In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.”

AHAB AND JEZEBEL! “Jezebel” means “Baal exalts.” Other sources claim it means “not exalted in Hebrew.” “Ahab” means “uncle,” or “father’s brother,” a fairly neutral meaning. But ever since Ahab ascended the throne in Israel and married Jezebel, Jezebel’s name has come to be used as a description of an evil scheming woman.

Had Ahab paid attention to the Law of Moses, he would never have married Jezebel in the first place. Kings of the Israelites were only supposed to marry other Israelites. Jezebel was a Sidonian and her father might even have been a priest of Baal in addition to being a king. But Ahab knew little or nothing of the Law of Moses and Jezebel was undoubtedly lovely and seductive. Little wonder then, that Ahab married her. Lacking any spiritual foundation, Ahab was easily led into ever increasing evil, doing “more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.”

There is no evidence to suggest that Ahab was ever a strong personality, and he rapidly came under the domination of Jezebel, who had the personality of a bull dozer. Were Ahab and Jezebel a Hollywood couple today, they might be described as “Ahabel” or perhaps “Jezehab.” The two personalities became so entwined that they were impossible to separate.

What’s the reason for mentioning the rebuilding of Jericho? Jericho was the first Canaanite city Joshua conquered, and it was to be an offering to the Lord. In Joshua 6:26 Joshua pronounces the curses, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gate.” While some sources simply believe that these sons would die of some illness, it might also be true that this curse refers to a man so bent on rebuilding Jericho that he would be willing to kill his firstborn son and bury him in the foundation and kill his youngest son and bury him under a gate post. Even though the Israelites have been caught up in evil, until now there has been no man so horrible that he has been willing to sacrifice two sons for his ambitions. Whether a man would deliberately kill his sons with his own hands or merely leave them open for sickness to attack them, this curse describes unspeakable evil.

APPLICATION: At this point, the spiritual covering of Israel is becoming very thin indeed. A succession of increasingly evil rulers has left Israel open to spiritual attack. Asherah poles, altars of all kinds, and groves on the high places now dot the landscape. The land that God intended to be holy has been perverted into a cesspool of idol worship, including offering live children as sacrifices to Molech. Burial jars containing children and infant bones have been found in foundations in several locations, most notably in Gezer. (How was the curse on Jericho Fulfilled? http://www.journals.uchicago.edu>doi>pdf )

For those living in the Northern Kingdom, morality is sliding downhill rapidly and things are about to get a great deal worse.

Why doesn’t God simply send in the Babylonians or the Assyrians or someone else to clean up the Northern Kingdom right away? Amazingly, God’s plan is to give Ahab and Jezebel the opportunity to repent. Eventually Ahab does repent half – way. Jezebel never repents and suffers a terrible fate. But God is so loving that He wants all those people under the sway of Ahab and Jezebel to have the chance to return to Him and to truly worship Him.  

2 Peter 3:9 – 10 tells us, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.”

God gives people lots of chances to turn and to worship Him; however, God does not wait forever. As we study the careers of Ahab and Jezebel, keep in mind that God loved both of these people from the day they were conceived, and that it was God’s perfect will for them to turn away from evil and degradation and worship Him.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we lift up world leaders, particularly those who appear to have no interest in You. Bring each one of them to repentance. We ask this in the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 16:1 – 34 “Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu son of Hanani concerning Baasha: “I lifted you up from the dust and appointed you ruler over my people Israel, but you followed the ways of Jeroboam and caused my people Israel to sin and to arouse my anger by their sins. So I am about to wipe out Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat.Dogs will eat those belonging to Baasha who die in the city, and birds will feed on those who die in the country.”

As for the other events of Baasha’s reign, what he did and his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? Baasha rested with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah. And Elah his son succeeded him as king.

Moreover, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani to Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger by the things he did, becoming like the house of Jeroboam—and also because he destroyed it.

In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years. Zimri, one of his officials, who had command of half his chariots, plotted against him. Elah was in Tirzah at the time, getting drunk in the home of Arza, the palace administrator at Tirzah.Zimri came in, struck him down and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Then he succeeded him as king.

As soon as he began to reign and was seated on the throne, he killed off Baasha’s whole family. He did not spare a single male, whether relative or friend. So Zimri destroyed the whole family of Baasha, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken against Baasha through the prophet Jehu— because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, so that they aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, by their worthless idols. As for the other events of Elah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel

 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah seven days. The army was encamped near Gibbethon, a Philistine town. When the Israelites in the camp heard that Zimri had plotted against the king and murdered him, they proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day there in the camp.Then Omri and all the Israelites with him withdrew from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah.When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and set the palace on fire around him. So he died, because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord and following the ways of Jeroboam and committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.As for the other events of Zimri’s reign, and the rebellion he carried out, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?”

If you are getting a little dizzy reading this part of 1 Kings, don’t feel alone. At this point, Israel is changing kings faster than performers in a music video change costumes. First, there was Jeroboam, to whom God made wonderful promises if Jeroboam would only serve Him. But Jeroboam fouled his own nest, creating a fake religion and condemning his family to destruction as a result. Then there was Jeroboam’s son Nadab, who only reigned for two years before being assassinated by Baasha. After Baasha came his son Elah, who was certainly no prize either. God had already pronounced judgement and annihilation against Baasha and his family, and Zimri, the commander of half of Elah’s chariots, murdered Elah and took over as king. But Zimri was so horrible that the army revolted after only seven days of Zimri’s rule. When Zimri realized that the army was coming for him, he went into the citadel of the royal palace at Tirzah and set the palace on fire, dying in the fire. Omri, the army commander, took the place of Zimri.   

Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, and Zimri – Each one of these men died because of their failure to follow God and their willingness to worship any idol that appeared. “Enough!” you might think. “Surely someone is going to come along who will reign in righteousness.” But just wait, because Ahab succeeds Omri and Ahab proves to be an even bigger disaster than all those who precede him.

APPLICATION: It all began with Jeroboam. Had Jeroboam been faithful to the One True Living God, God would have blessed his reign and his descendants might also have been God – worshipers. But Jeroboam settled for a made – up religion, something he thought he could use to control those around him. Little did Jeroboam realize that he was condemning his descendants to the most horrible deaths imaginable. The aging prophet Ahijah foretold the terrible fate of Jeroboam’s family members, a fate that over took every one of them.

Those rulers who succeeded Jeroboam failed to learn anything from his terrible fate. Rather than repent and worship the God of Israel, these men persistently worshiped every demon they could find. God sent the prophet Jehu to warn Baasha of the fate that would overtake his family and him; however, Baasha paid no attention.

Proverbs 14:34 tells us, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” Where were the rest of the Israelites when all these evil rulers were busy murdering one another? It’s quite possible that many of the common people were very unhappy about the situation but they were afraid to say anything for fear of reprisals. The saddest part of all is that there is no record of anyone in the ten tribes making up the Northern Kingdom who was interceding for revival.

The famous Bible teacher Oswald Chambers tells us that intercessory prayer is one of the few things we can do where we cannot make a mistake. In the March 30^th reading in My Utmost for His Highest, Chambers says, “Do you find yourself thinking that there is no one interceding properly? Then be that person yourself. Be a person who worships God and lives in a holy relationship with Him. Get involved in the real work of intercession, remembering that it truly is work – work that demands all your energy but work which has no hidden pitfalls. Preaching the Gospel has its share of pitfalls but intercessory prayer has none whatsoever.”

What can you do when all around you seems dark? Light the candle of faith! Who knows how many others will take courage from that flame and light their own candles as well?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be faithful and to continue to pray for revival throughout the world. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 15:25 – 34 “In the second year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel, and he reigned two years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.

Then Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel were besieging the city. In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha killed Nadab and reigned in his place.

As soon as Baasha became king, he struck down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he had provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.

As for the rest of the acts of Nadab, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their days.

In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years. And Baasha did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.”

Foolish Jeroboam! God gave Jeroboam the opportunity of a lifetime. If Jeroboam would just whole – heartedly worship God as David had done, God was prepared to establish a dynasty for Jeroboam and his descendants. This was a forever promise by the One True Living God…. And Jeroboam blew it! Rather than trusting in the God of Israel, Jeroboam settled for the expedient, fabricating his own religion, creating golden calves, building altars that God had never commanded, and ordaining men who were not Levites as priests. The results were truly disastrous; God warned Jeroboam that every one of his descendants would die horrible deaths, and their bodies would be eaten by dogs or by vultures, treated as carrion rather than as human beings worthy of honorable burial. Now God’s retribution was beginning to show itself.

The Israelites were fighting the Philistines at Gibbethon when Baasha, a man of the tribe of Issachar, killed Nadab, Jeroboam’s son in the midst of the battle. No doubt, Baasha probably hoped that the Israelites would blame the Philistines for Nadab’s death; however, everybody knew who was the actual murderer.  Once king, Baasha proceeded to wipe out Jeroboam’s entire family, fulfilling the prophecy spoken over Jeroboam. But Baasha failed to learn anything from the fate of Jeroboam. Rather than repenting and turning to the God of Israel, Baasha persisted in idolatry for the entire 24 years of his reign. Obviously, Baasha learned absolutely nothing from the horrific fate of Jeroboam’s family.

APPLICATION: Baasha was a product of Jeroboam’s fake religion and the results were obvious. Ruled by passion alone, Baasha was more than willing to eradicate every member of Jeroboam’s family, neglecting to realize that if he behaved like Jeroboam, he and his family might suffer the very same fate.

Albert Einstein is quoted as having said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Obviously, Baasha was crazy; after wiping out Jeroboam’s family, he expected that his family would be fine, even though he was doing the very same things that Jeroboam had done. Never once in that twenty – four years of reign did Baasha ever stop to consider that his family and he could be wiped out as well.

Reading the accounts of some of these kings, we might feel a bit smug. After all, we have never set up a fake religion as did Jeroboam. But the question is one of holiness. The God of Israel, the One True Living God, is completely holy, and we are human and fallible. Born with sinful natures, there is nothing that we can do that will make up for that sin. Rather than face the question of holiness, Jeroboam created his own religion with his own pretend gods and his own rules, and Nadab and Baasha followed suit. It was easy for Jeroboam to feel that he was OK because he had already drawn up the rules by which he would achieve righteousness. But those rules bore no relationship to the One True God.

Many times, we want to think that if we do good deeds or dedicate ourselves to helping humanity, this will be enough for us to earn our way into heaven. But the prophet Isaiah nailed it when he said that “all our righteousness is as filthy rags.”

Isaiah 64:4 – 6 says, “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
⁵ You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways.
You are indeed angry, for we have sinned— In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved.

⁶ But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (The filthy rags referred to here are the rags women used as menstrual pads.)

The reason that the Gospel is called good news is that Jesus Christ has done what we could never do for ourselves. Jesus was both God and man, and he died for our sins, shedding his blood on the cross at Calvary. Only the blood of a sinless man could possibly wipe out the sins of others. But we must truly believe that Jesus has done this for us. We cannot take this sacrifice lightly. When Paul and Silas were in jail at Philippi, God sent an earthquake that opened all the doors and removed all the chains from the prisoners. The jailer begged Paul and Silas to know what he had to do to be saved. The answer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31) Nothing has changed. Only belief in the Lord Jesus Christ will bring salvation.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to live as a man and to die for our sins. We confess that by ourselves, we have no purely righteous acts that could earn our way into heaven. We confess that we are sinners and that we fall short of Your holiness throughout our days. But we are trusting that the Blood of Jesus Christ is adequate to wipe out those sins, and that because of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, our sins have been cancelled. We thank You that we can be with You for eternity because of that sacrifice. We thank You, we praise You, and we bless You. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus, our Savior. Amen.

1 Kings 15:1 – 24 “In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. (Absalom)

And Abijam walked in all the sins that his father before him had committed, and his heart was not as fully devoted to the LORD his God as the heart of David his forefather had been. Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and to make Jerusalem strong. For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from anything the LORD commanded all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

And there was war between the houses of Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Abijam’s life.  

As for the rest of the acts of Abijam, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. And Abijam rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David, and his son Asa reigned in his place.

In the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Asa became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. (Other sources say his mother was Micaiah, daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.)

And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done. He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. He also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

The high places were not removed, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted to the LORD all his days. And he brought into the house of the LORD the silver and gold and other articles that he and his father had dedicated.

Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their days. Baasha king of Israel went to war against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace. He entrusted it to his servants and sent them with this message to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus: “Let there be a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”

And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and the whole land of Naphtali, including the region of Chinnereth.

When Baasha learned of this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah. Then King Asa summoned all the men of Judah, with no exceptions, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these materials King Asa built up Geba of Benjamin, as well as Mizpah.

Now the rest of the acts of Asa, along with all his might, all his accomplishments, and the cities he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? In his old age, however, he became diseased in his feet. And Asa rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his father David, and his son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.”

This passage says practically nothing about the character of Abijah. For a better look at Abijah, you have to go to 2 Chronicles 13. When Jeroboam attacked Jerusalem, Abijah counter – attacked in the Battle of Mount Zemaraim. Abijah testified against Jeroboam for driving out the priests of the Lord and making golden calves. When Jeroboam attempted to ambush the men of Judah, they cried out to the Lord, and “God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.” Abijah and Judah slaughtered a total of 500,000 of Jeroboam’s men. But rabbinic sources indicate that Abijah was actually quite corrupt, taking over the golden calves from Jeroboam rather than destroying them as he should have. When God defeated Jeroboam, Abijah evidently did not allow the corpses to be buried until they had begun to putrefy, a violation of Jewish law. Abijah also falsely accused all of Israel of turning away from God. The results of Abijah’s sins limited his reign as king to 3 short years.

This passage only gives a brief description of Asa, Abijah’s son. “The high places were not removed, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted to the LORD all his days.” Asa only followed the Lord up to a point. 2 Chronicles 14 tells of a time when an enormous army from Ethiopia attacked Asa at the Valley of Zephathath, and God gave him victory. Yet later on, Asa’s faith failed and he sent a huge sum of money to Ben Hadad to attack Israel. Unfortunately, God had selected Asa to defeat Ben Hadad, and Asa frustrated that plan with his faithlessness. When Asa was old and developed diseases in his feet, 2 Chronicles 16:12 says that “he did not seek the Lord, but relied upon the physicians.”

APPLICATION: What can we learn from the stories of Abijah and Asa? Abijah called on God when it was expedient, but he did not follow God faithfully, nor did he know God’s Law. Once more, we have a king who failed to copy the Law or to study it for himself. Asa did far better, removing his own grandmother from her position as Queen Mother and burning her Asherah pole in the Kidron Valley where refuse was burnt. But Asa’s faith failed him on several occasions, and he ended his reign unable to walk because he refused to ask God for help.

Abijah called on God when he wanted help, but did not really believe in God. For Abijah, the God of Israel was just one more deity, perhaps a little more powerful than the rest. Abijah was good at making stirring speeches, but his heart wasn’t in it. Asa trusted God, but only up to a point. Even though Asa had the power to wipe out every high place and to truly bring revival to Judah, he drew back and failed to accomplish everything God wanted him to do.

It’s easy for us to criticize these men, but how well do we do in our own lives? When confronted with evil on a massive scale, do we seek God’s help, or do we attempt to fix things somehow by political manipulations? Are we really following hard after God, or are we behaving like Asa – sometimes fervent and sometimes timorous? May God help us to follow Him steadily and faithfully all the days of our lives, and may we continue to seek God’s help even in our old age!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow you steadily and whole -heartedly for all of our lives, not drawing back when things become difficult. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 14:19 – 31 “As for the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he waged war and how he reigned, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. And the length of Jeroboam’s reign was twenty-two years, and he rested with his fathers, and his son Nadab reigned in his place.

Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon reigned in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel in which to put His Name. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.

And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and by the sins they committed they provoked Him to jealous anger more than all their fathers had done. They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak king of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He seized the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields that Solomon had made.

Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them to the care of the captains of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would bear the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom.

As for the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, along with all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days. And Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David; his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And his son Abijam reigned in his place.”

Twenty – two years! That was the length of Jeroboam’s reign. All during that time, Jeroboam could have repented, turned away from his fake religion, and could have served the Living God. Instead, Jeroboam just became worse and worse, finally dying. Meanwhile, the nation of Judah under Rehoboam experienced a very brief revival and then plunged into idolatry.

Solomon’s first wife was Pharaoh’s daughter, and she may have converted to worship the God of Israel. In the normal scheme of things, this woman’s son should have succeeded Solomon. But somehow it was Rehoboam, the son of an Ammonite woman, who became king after Solomon. (Perhaps Solomon’s first wife tried to gently correct him and he became offended – who knows?) Although God had permanently barred the Ammonites from entering the temple and had forbidden the kings of Israel to marry such people, Solomon married this woman anyway.  Lacking any teaching from his father, Rehoboam soon began following his mother’s religion, worshiping Molech. Left unrestrained the people of Judah went crazy, setting up Asherah poles for fertility rites all over the place and even establishing male temple prostitutes. No abomination was left untasted.

When a nation sins, its spiritual protection disappears. Now Pharaoh Shishak attacked Jerusalem, carrying off all the treasures of the temple and the palace, particularly the gold shields Solomon had made. Rehoboam instituted bronze shields in place of the gold ones. This gesture was not only practical but also symbolic. By this action, Rehoboam was demonstrating that his kingdom was far less glorious than his father’s kingdom had been. The substitution of bronze for gold also indicated the general spiritual deterioration of the populace.

Rehoboam reigned seventeen years, five years less than Jeroboam. Both men were morally and spiritually corrupt; both led their respective nations deep into idolatry. Both had the potential to turn to God and repent, but neither did so. The wheels were definitely coming off the bus in both Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and Judah, the southern kingdom.

APPLICATION: What do you do if you find yourself in a country that appears to be deteriorating morally and spiritually?

1. First and foremost, don’t give up and don’t give in! The One True Living God is still worthy of all honor, all praise, and all worship. Continue to worship God in the beauty of His Holiness.
2. Keep praying and keep being faithful! As the story unfolds, we will see that the northern kingdom goes into exile well before the southern kingdom does. Even though every pagan religion ever practiced appeared to be flourishing in Judah, there was still a remnant who were serving God faithfully. There were far fewer believers in the northern kingdom; that’s why they went into exile early on. Be part of that remnant, wherever you find yourself.
3. Continue to intercede for your nation and encourage others to do so as well.
4. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THE WAYS OF THE LORD!!! The whole mess in both Judah and Israel came about in the first place because David, although faithful, never studied the Law of Moses as he was supposed to. Lacking the knowledge that intensive study of the Law would have given, David did a poor job of discipling Solomon. Solomon in turn completely failed to teach his children anything. Solomon was obsessed with work, obsessed with power, obsessed with wealth, and obsessed with sex. Despite Solomon’s vaunted wisdom, he never made his own copy of the Law of Moses nor did he ever study it. There is no indication that Jeroboam was ever a believer in the first place, so he had no knowledge of the Law of Moses, nor did he worship God. Jeroboam probably went up to Jerusalem for the feasts and considered himself a believer as a result; meanwhile, he was just going along with the crowd.

The whole universe tilts on the axis of free will. God has given each of us the ability to choose to serve Him or to serve Satan. If we are not serving God, we are serving Satan, whether or not we realize it. Each of us has the same choices that these men faced. What choice will we make? Will we choose light or darkness? Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit or gloom and despair? Choose wisely, for your eternal destiny and that of your descendants depends on it!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow You and no other god. Help us to choose Your ways and no other. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.