Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maakah daughter of Abishalom.
He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.
There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam throughout Abijah’s lifetime. As for the other events of Abijah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. And Abijah rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Asa his son succeeded him as king.
In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maakah daughter of Abishalom.
Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done. He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made. He even deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down and burned it in the Kidron Valley. Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. He brought into the temple of the Lord the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.
There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns. Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.
Asa then took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of his own palace. He entrusted it to his officials and sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. “Let there be a treaty between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you a gift of silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”
Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. He conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maakah and all Kinnereth in addition to Naphtali. When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah. Then King Asa issued an order to all Judah—no one was exempt—and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using there. With them King Asa built up Geba in Benjamin, and also Mizpah.
As for all the other events of Asa’s reign, all his achievements, all he did and the cities he built, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? In his old age, however, his feet became diseased. Then Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his father David. And Jehoshaphat his son succeeded him as king.
Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of his father and committing the same sin his father had caused Israel to commit.
Baasha son of Ahijah from the tribe of Issachar plotted against him, and he struck him down at Gibbethon, a Philistine town, while Nadab and all Israel were besieging it. Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah and succeeded him as king.
As soon as he began to reign, he killed Jeroboam’s whole family. He did not leave Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all, according to the word of the Lord given through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. This happened because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel.
As for the other events of Nadab’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel? There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their reigns.
In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned twenty-four years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of Jeroboam and committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.

• 1 Kings 15:1-34

To read 1 Kings 16, click the link HERE.

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”
Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”
So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
“Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”
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 the truth.”

• 1 Kings 17:1-24

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

1 Kings 15:1-8 ‘Abijam’: ”He was at first called Abijah in 2 Chr. 13:1, 2. Since Abijam means ‘father of the sea,’ and Abijah, ‘my father is the LORD,’ he may have had his name changed because of his sin. See … 2 Chr. 13:1–22.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 15:2 ‘three years’: “913–911 B.C. Parts of years were considered as whole years in this reckoning (cf. v. 9).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 15:5 ‘what was right in the eyes of the Lord’: ”This commendation is frequently used in speaking of kings of Judah and means only that they did or did not do what was generally acceptable to God, e.g., v. 11.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 15:9-24 ‘Asa’: “He was the first of the religiously good kings of Judah (cf. v. 11). See … 2 Chr. 14:1–16:14.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 15:16 ‘Baasha’: “Asa, who ruled Judah (ca. 911–870 B.C.), enjoyed 10 years of peace after Jeroboam’s defeat by Abijam (2 Chr. 13:19, 20) until Baasha began attacking. See … 15:27–16:7; 2 Chr. 16:1–6.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 15:18 ‘Ben-Hadad’: “Ben-Hadad I, the grandson of Hezion (probably Rezon; see … 11:23–25, ca. 940–915 B.C.) and the son of Tabrimmon (ca. 912–890 B.C.). He was the powerful ruler of the Syrian kingdom (Aramea; see … 10:29), centered in Damascus. The majority of historians think that Ben-Hadad reigned ca. 900–860 B.C. and was succeeded by a son or grandson, Ben-Hadad II, who ruled ca. 860–841 B.C. (cf. 20:34). Asa sent a sizable gift to influence Ben-Hadad I to break his treaty with Israel, enter instead a treaty with Judah, and invade Israel from the N.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 15:29 ‘he killed all the house of Jeroboam’: “Baasha, the northern king, in a vicious practice too common in the ancient Near East, annihilated all of Jeroboam’s family. This act fulfilled Ahijah’s prophecy against Jeroboam (cf. 14:9–11). However, Baasha went beyond the words of the prophecy, since 14:10 specified judgment only on every male, while Baasha killed all men, women, and children.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 16:1-4 ‘Dynasty of Baasha to be Terminated’: “Here, Jehu the prophet prophesies the termination of Baasha’s dynasty. Although Baasha is the instrument God uses to cut off Jeroboam’s dynasty, Baasha is guilty of the same sins of idolatry for which Jeroboam was judged. The dynasty of Baasha is shattered by Zimri, fulfilling this prophecy (16:11-13).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

1 Kings 16:11 ‘relatives’: “i.e., ‘relatives able to redeem.’ Cf. Ruth 2:1. Zimri not only killed Elah and his immediate sons, but all of the extended relatives of Baasha who could help his family.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 16:16 ‘Omri’: “When the soldiers of Israel in the field heard of Elah’s death, they immediately acclaimed Omri, the commander of Israel’s army, as the new king.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 16:24 ‘Samaria’: ”The hill of Samaria, named after its owner, Shemer, was located 7 mi. NW of Shechem and stood 300 ft. high. Though ringed by other mountains, it stood by itself so that attackers had to charge uphill from every side. This new capital amounted to the northern equivalent of Jerusalem. Its central location gave Israelites easy access to it.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 16:31-32 ‘Baal’: “Meaning ‘lord, husband, owner,’ Baal was the predominant god in Canaanite religion. He was the storm god who provided the rain necessary for the fertility of the land. The worship of Baal was widespread among the Canaanites with many local manifestations under various other titles, the Tyrians calling him Baal Melqart. The worship of Baal had infiltrated Israel long before the time of Ahab (Judg. 2:11, 13; 3:7; 10:6, 10; 1 Sam. 12:10). However, Ahab gave it official sanction in Samaria through building a temple for Baal (see 2 Kin. 3:2). As David had captured Jerusalem and his son Solomon had built a temple for the Lord there, so Omri established Samaria and his son Ahab built a temple for Baal there.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 16 ‘Challenge’: “Elijah had gone far beyond philosophy and its uncertainties. He had found God! It was not a religious theory that Elijah had found. He had found the very key to life and eternity.
“God the Creator made us for Himself. Our hearts and beings will never be satisfied until we find our satisfaction in God Himself. Long before Elijah stood in Ahab’s presence, Elijah had met God. That was what made his salutation to Ahab so significant: ‘I stand before God. God is here with me. I stand really in His presence, not yours.’”

• A. W. Tozer, Men Who Met God

1 Kings 17:1 ‘Elijah’: “His name means ‘the LORD is God.’ The prophet Elijah’s ministry corresponded to his name: He was sent by God to confront Baalism and to declare to Israel that the Lord was God and there was no other. Tishbite. Elijah lived in a town called Tishbe, E of the Jordan River in the vicinity of the Jabbok River. not be dew nor rain. The autumn and spring rains and summer dew were necessities for the crops of Israel. The Lord had threatened to withhold these from the land if His people turned from Him to serve other gods (Lev. 26:18, 19; Deut. 11:16, 17; 28:23, 24). Elijah had prayed for the drought (cf. James 5:17) and God answered. It lasted 3 years and 6 months according to James (5:17). The drought proved that Baal, the god of the rains and fertility, was impotent before the Lord.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 17:1 ‘Drought to Come at Elijah’s Command’: “The prophet Elijah proclaims to King Ahab that Israel will experience a period of unrelenting drought, with rain to come solely at the discretion of Elijah himself (17:1). The narrative records the ensuing drought (17:7) and the rain that finally comes at Elijah’s request (18:41-45).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

1 Kings 17:4 ‘stubbornness is our nature’: “God has the power to make all creatures obedient to his will. These ravens never croaked out a single objection but did as they were commanded. Their instincts did not rebel, but they submitted absolutely to God’s will and, I daresay, were as diligent and as happy in carrying the bread and meat to Elijah as they would have been if they had been taking it to their own young or feasting on it themselves. The whole world is obedient to God. He spoke once to the great floods of water, and up they sprang from the vast caverns where they slept, and down they dashed. And when God just whispered to them and bid them go back to their resting places, back they went, and the waters were removed from the earth. Nor were the floods of earth merely obedient, for celestial bodies have confessed his power, for Joshua made the sun and the moon stand still while the Lord’s warriors struck their foes. Nor are inanimate things his only sway. The lions crouch at Daniel’s feet, and the monster fish swallows but does not destroy the wayward Jonah. Nor do only great things obey him. The worm at God’s command struck the root of Jonah’s gourd, the locusts came on Egypt, and he sent all manner of flies and lice in all their quarters. Is it not a sad, strange thing that humans are the only creatures that refuse to obey their Creator? I know that even Judas fulfills that to which he was appointed, but so far as his will is concerned, man remains a stout rebel against God. The raven, commanded to carry bread and meat, does it; but the unbeliever commanded to believe in Christ, to repent of his sins, and to produce the fruit of repentance, refuses to do it. Oh, the stubbornness of human nature! We are worse than ravens. ‘The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s feeding trough, but Israel does not know; my people do not understand’ (Is 1:3).“

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

1 Kings 17:4 ‘preach the truth’: “We can learn important lessons by considering God’s disciplines in dealing with Elijah. As Elijah fled to the wilderness following his first confrontation with King Ahab, God said to him, ‘Elijah, go to the-brook Cherith; arid I will feed you there.’ God sent big, black buzzards-ravens, scavenger birds-each morning and evening with Elijah’s meals. What humiliation! All his life Elijah had been self-sufficient. Now he waited on scavenger birds to deliver him his daily. bread. …
“Elijah was like so many faithful preachers of the Word who are too true and too uncompromising for their congregations.
“’We don’t have to take that,’ the people protest. And they stop contributing to the church. More than one pastor knows the meaning of economic strangulation. Preach the truth, and the brook dries up! But the Lord knows how to deal with each of us in our humiliations. .He takes us from truth to truth.”

• A. W. Tozer, Men Who Met God

1 Kings 17:6 ‘ravens brought’: “God’s supernatural provision, much like the manna and quail during Israel’s wilderness wanderings (Ex. 16:13–36).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 17:7-16 ‘Widow to be continuously resupplied’: “While staying at the home of the impoverished widow of Zarephath, Elijah predicts that her meager supply of flour and oil will be continuously resupplied so that their needs are met. The narrative recounts this miracle within the immediate text (17:15-16).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

1 Kings 17:7-16 ‘Challenge’: “Has this not been the testimony through the years of all the saints of God? They have come, to the Scriptures like bees to flowers, carrying away the sweet and precious nectar for their spiritual needs. But then they have returned again and found that there was still as much nectar as there had been before. Like the Zarephath widow’s barrel of meal that was not used up and the jug of oil that did not run dry (see 1 Kings 17:7-16), every text of Scripture, every word of our Sovereign LORD, yields precious treasures no matter how often we consult it, no matter how acute our need.”

• A. W. Tozer, Faith Beyond Reason

1 Kings 17:7 ‘even Elijah suffered’: “Although Elijah was mighty in prayer and could prevail with God, yet he did not therefore escape from suffering; his prayer brought him into suffering. If there should be a drought throughout all the land, he himself must feel the pinch as well as the rest of the people. If the brooks are dried up, they will be dried up for him; and if there is no food in the land, there will be no food for him unless God will be pleased to intervene on his behalf. The highest degree of grace cannot save us from affliction; it even includes it. We may grow in grace until our faith never staggers. But the impartial hand of trial will knock at our door as well as at the door of the chief of sinners. We must still walk the path of sorrow. The child of God cannot escape the rod even though he is an Elijah. He may call down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, but no fire from heaven can consume his trouble. He must pass through it as well as the weakest and most common of God’s people. Let us, therefore, settle it in our hearts to be resigned to this. If the Prince himself once went through the Valley of Humiliation, why should we murmur at following in his footsteps? God had one Son without sin but never a son without affliction. Let us not ask to be the first but be content to share the position of those whose inheritance is to be ours forever in the paradise of our God.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

1 Kings 17:9 ‘Zarephath’: “A town on the Mediterranean coast about 7 mi. S of Sidon. Elijah was sent to live there, in a territory controlled by Ahab’s father-in-law, Ethbaal. In this way, he showed the power of God in the very area where the impotent Baal was worshiped, as He provided miraculously for the widow in the famine (vv. 10–16).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 17:16 ‘God provided all Elijah needed’: “In the midst of wrath, God remembers mercy. Divine love is rendered conspicuous when it shines in the midst of judgments. God had sent an all-consuming famine on the lands of Israel and Sidon. The two peoples had provoked the Most High, the one by renouncing him and the other by sending their queen Jezebel to teach idolatry in Israel. God therefore determined to withhold both dew and rain from the polluted lands. But while he did this, he took care that his own chosen ones would be secure. If all the brooks are dry, yet there will be one reserved for Elijah. And if that should fail, God will still preserve for him a place of sustenance. And God had not simply one Elijah, but he had a remnant according to the election of grace, who were hidden by fifties in a cave. Though the whole land was subject to famine, these in the cave were fed even from Ahab’s table-by his faithful, God-fearing steward, Obadiah. Come what may, God’s people are safe. If the world is to be burned with fire, among the ashes there will not be found the relics of a saint. And if God cannot save his people under heaven, he will save them in heaven.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

1 Kings 17:23 ‘your son lives’: “Canaanite myths claimed that Baal could revive the dead, but here it was the Lord, not Baal, who gave back the boy’s life. This conclusively demonstrated that the Lord was the only true God and Elijah was His prophet (v. 24).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 17 ‘Summary’: “The concluding section of the book, beginning in chapter 17 with Elijah, introduces the prophetic ministry. While there were other prophets before Elijah, they did not perform miracles as Elijah did. The prophets who ministered to Judah, the southern kingdom, did no miracles because God’s testimony there was still central to the life of the nation. But Israel, the northern kingdom, rejected God’s presence and worshiped golden calves instead of Him. The ministry of miracles was a testimony to the people that God was still in their midst and He demanded their attention. God sought to shake them up so that they would see how far they had drifted from Him.”

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

My Thoughts

Three of the first four scholarly quotes are provided to establish definitions.  I have no idea where Rev. MacArthur comes up with the name Abijam.  The meaning of Abijah does not fit, but I see no English translations that use Abijam, which might be a more appropriate name.

As for the next three comments, the number of years means that the king served in those years.  Thus, someone becoming king just before the end of the calendar year and then dying a year and a month later, would be listed as serving as king in three years.  That is a legitimate statement in today’s reckoning, but the text simply says that he reigned three years as king.

To illustrate this, Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980, in November of that year.  He did not serve as president until his inauguration on 20 January 1981.  Thus Jimmy Carter served as president in 1981, for 19 days plus a fraction.  But Reagan prepared his proposed budget and sent it the congress, as all newly-elected presidents do, in those months between the election in early November and the inauguration in late January.  Why vote on a budget bill and then have the newly elected president veto the bill?  But the back alley negotiations on how far off could congress get and still avoid the veto is where dirty politics gets its well-deserved name.  So, Jimmy Carter was a lame duck.  Ronald Reagan was already pointing to the policies that he wanted, but if we went to war during those three months (according to the biblical reckoning – and it almost is that), Jimmy Carter would have been commander in chief.

I used an old presidential hand off as an illustration to avoid the animosity of today’s political division.  And it also illustrates how many people think that the president-elect is the president, but he is not.  Under the biblical reckoning, a four-year term as president would be listed as five years, since the president serves as president until inauguration day of the new president’s first term.

Now that the math is over, there is a phrase that will be used for every king for the rest of 1 Kings and 2 Kings, what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  The king either did what was right or he did not do what was right.  But I differ with Rev. MacArthur a little.  He states that in general, the king did or did not do what was generally acceptable to God.  But the key is worshipping God and not worshipping false gods.  In Rev. MacArthur’s next comment that is quoted, Asa was the first of the religiously good kings of Judah.  I think that comes closer to defining what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

And note, from this reckoning as to whether a king was a good king or a bad king, there were several good kings of Judah and absolutely no good kings of Israel.  But even then, some of the good kings made very little difference in the reformation of the religious practices in Judah.  You will see that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but…

But was Asa the first good king of Judah?  From the standpoint of the “nation” of Judah, yes, he was.  But let’s not forget the years that David was king of the “tribe” of Judah, using Hebron as his capital city, before the northern tribes came to Hebron to anoint David (his third anointing) as king of all Israel.

For ease of reading, and to make the Bible studies seem shorter, I remove the verse numbers and the NIV headers.  Each chapter reads like a paragraph in a book.  The NIV headers make finding things much easier, but they are not part of the divinely inspired Word of God.  And in this case, they would add to the scrolling.  But for the rest of the study in 1 Kings and all of 2 Kings, those headers pretty much define the discussion.

First Kings 15:1-8 speaks of the three-year reign of Abijah, regardless of whether he lived up to his name, and he did not.  God did not abandon him although he was totally devoid of anything religiously nice to say.  But God “brought up a lamp” in Judah (that being his son, Asa).  God allowed Judah’s strength to increase to help Asa when he became king, but Jeroboam and Abijah continued to battle with each other for Abijah’s entire reign.

First Kings 15:9-24 speaks of the forty-one year reign of Asa, a good king of Judah.  But here is one of those “good, but” moments.  He did not destroy the high places that his father Abijah, and grandfather Rehoboam, had built.  Probably we could include Solomon who tried to appease his 700 wives and 300 concubines.  But, Asa deposed his grandmother, Maacah who was still alive and acting as queen mother.  She had built an Asherah pole, which Asa cut down and burned in the Kidron Valley.  He also expelled the male prostitutes from those high places that he did not remove.  But here is the key, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life.

We have not gotten to Baasha becoming king of Israel yet, but then Asa reigned 41 years.  Baasha was at war with Asa for Baasha’s entire reign.  Baasha set up an agreement with Ben-Hadad.  Rezon was mentioned in 1 Kings 11 as a potential enemy to the unified nation of Israel.  Rev. MacArthur thinks that Hezion, grandfather of Ben-Hadad, might be the same person, but they were definitely what would now be Syrians, with Damascus as their capital city.  Asa sent silver and gold to Ben-Hadad and reminded him that their fathers had a treaty.  Ben-Hadad switched sides and took several of the northern cities in Israel.  Baasha had been building up Ramah, and his withdrawal to fight Ben-Hadad gave Asa the chance to remove the building materials from Ramah to fortify Geba and Mizpah in the territory of Benjamin.  Note the Rev. MacArthur comment, in last week’s study, about how Benjamin was a divided tribe during this period, with a few northern cities under the control of the northern tribes.

Next we switch back to Israel and Nadab, son of Jeroboam, succeeded Jeroboam as king.  He was evil.  He reigned for two years.  Nadab was besieging a Philistine town of Gibbethon when Baasha of the tribe of Issachar killed Nadab and became king.  Baasha then killed Jeroboam’s entire household.  I have mentioned before that this was a common practice, but usually it was the one son of the king who killed all his brothers.  In this case, Baasha wanted to have no conflict with the family of Jeroboam trying to retake the kingdom for themselves.  Odd how almost all the “reign of Nadab” is about Baasha solidifying his throne.

A prophet, Jehu, was brought up to prophesy against Baasha.  Baasha had been brought up to destroy the house of Jeroboam, and now Baasha was just as bad and the similar curse was made: dogs eating the family in the city and birds in the countryside.  This curse is mentioned four times in the Bible, once in general in Jeremiah, but the other three times are all curses against kings, and their families, of the northern tribes.  First Jeroboam, then here against Baasha, and then against possibly the worst of them all, Ahab, whose wife was Jezebel.  What makes this curse so horrible is that the Hebrew tradition of honoring the dead by a quick burial showed honor to that person.  The humans were supposed to be treated better than the animals where the dead body became food for scavengers.  Thus, with this curse, it is like the people are celebrating the death of such evil rulers.  Baasha’s achievements were not listed in the annals.

When Baasha died, his son Elah became king.  Similar to the recording of the reign of Nadab, Elah’s reign had no achievements, and the record focuses on a chariot commander named Zimri.

Zimri killed Elah, but when other soldiers heard what had happened, they plotted to kill Zimri.  Zimri reigned for seven days.  But the people of the northern tribes were split.  Half favored Timni and the others favored Omri.  Omri’s army was stronger.  Timni “died.” And Omri reigned twelve years.  One of the few accomplishments of Omri is that he moved the capital to Samaria, a city in Ephraim that was on top of a hill and could be more easily defended.  Any attackers had to climb up to the city.

Now, while Asa was still king in Judah, Ahab, son of Omri became king.  It is said near the end of 1 Kings 16 that Ahab committed more evil than all the kings before him.  And almost as an explanation, Ahab was married to Jezebel.

Almost as a footnote to end 1 Kings 16, Heil rebuilt the city of Jericho.  As he built the foundation, his firstborn son died.  As he set the gates of the city, his youngest son died.  The curse on Jericho, proclaimed by Joshua, had been fulfilled.

The rapid pace of kings coming to power and dying slows down at this point, although Asa is late in his reign in Judah.  The focus shifts to Elijah the Tishbite.  Elijah proclaims to Ahab that there will be such a drought that there will be no rain nor dew for the next few years, and to top it off, Elijah would proclaim when rain would return.

Elijah was then told by God to go to the Kerith Ravine.  While other places will have the streams dry up, Elijah will have a brook to provide water, and the ravens will be instructed to provide Elijah his food.  The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and in the evening.

The timeframe of this period is not mentioned, but some time later, God told Elijah to go to Zarephath.  God said he had ordered a widow to take care of him.

When Elijah arrives, the widow was not very welcoming.  She wordlessly goes to get water, but when Elijah asks for bread, she says that the little flour and oil she has left were going to make bread for her and her son and then they would die.  There was nothing left.

Elijah said to not be afraid.  First, she needed to make him a small cake, but then the flour would never run out nor would the oil until the drought was over.

Then the widow’s son becomes ill.  He steadily gets worse.  The widow suggested that Elijah had come to remind her of her sin and kill her son.  Elijah takes the boy, who has died.  He lays on top of the boy praying three times.  He then goes to the widow and proclaims “Look, your son is alive.”  The chapter ends with the widow in praises to God and His servant Elijah.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

1 Kings 15:1-8 Abijah King of Judah 1. Why will one child follow the parents’ ways, another will reject them? Did you follow or reject your parents’ beliefs?
“2. Does God bless people for the merit of their ancestors?
1 Kings 15:9-24 Asa King of Judah 1. Has your obedience to God ever alienated family or others around you? Was it really your faith or just your ‘holier-than­ thou’ attitude? What happened?
“2. ls the security of your country in ‘silver and gold’? Stones and timber? Undercover dealings? Where does real security lie?
“3. Do you fear becoming an invalid when you get old? Where will you live when you can no longer get around? How can you best prepare for possible disabling illness?
1 Kings 15:25-32 Nadab King of Israel 1. Why are so many countries today ruled by military leaders? What must generals believe for civilian rule to prevail?
“2. How does God deal with sinners today? Are fair warnings still given? How so?
1 Kings 15:33-16:7 Baasha King of Israel 1. In what ways has God ‘lifted you up from the dust’? What responsibilities came with the new life?
“2. Ever felt like Jehu, the bearer of bad news? How can good news shine through bad news?
“3. Ever been ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’? When?
1 Kings 16:8-14 Elah King of Israel 1. Ever been betrayed by a friend, or are you a good judge of character? How so?
“2. Can you succeed by being nice in a ‘dog-eat-dog’ world? Do you have to be violent to be safe? Explain.
1 Kings 16:15-28 Zimri and Omri Kings of Israel 1. Is popularity important to you? Why or why not? Were you ever shocked to find you weren’t as well-liked as you thought?
“2. Are you facing formidable opposition in any area of your life right now?
“3. What do you think of the Christians who tried to kill Hitler? How should Christians handle power struggles?
1 Kings 16:29-34 Ahab King of Israel 1. Is your competitive edge high, low or medium? How do you channel it?
“2. Would Jesus ask us to annihilate unbelievers today (see Mt 5:44-45)? Why the change?
1 Kings 17 1. How difficult is it for you to stand against the main­ stream? Is your Christian commitment a ‘Kerith Ravine experience’ for you? How so?
“2. What ‘jars and jugs’ are running dry for you? Will the Lord do something miraculous for you? Why or why not?
“3. When has a decision to trust God meant burning your bridges behind you?
“4. Do you have any ‘impossible’ requests to bring before the Lord?
“5. Do you believe God punishes you when you sin? Prospers you when you’re good? How fair has God been lately?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There are seven sets of questions for 1 Kings 15 and 16 as noted. First Kings 17 has one set of questions.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.