1 Kings 19:11-14 – God loves to have quiet moments with us

On hearing Elijah’s response, God knew his prophet had placed his focus in the wrong direction. Certainly, God’s ways may not necessarily be exactly as we expect them to be. Just like a prayer, the answers God may send can be very different from what we expect Him to do in our prayers. So God ordered Elijah to stand on the mountain before Him as He passed by. When that happened, a series of violent and spectacular events took place, yet God was not found in any of them.

What Elijah saw before him was a strong and boisterous wind, forcefully rushing against the mountain, breaking the rocks into pieces, but the LORD was not found in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake, but God was not found in the earthquake. After the earthquake, fire came. Still, God was not in the fire. After the fire, a gentle wind began to blow. When Elijah heard the gentle blowing wind, he took his mantle and wrapped his face. Why? Perhaps it was for the same reason Moses was told, years ago in Exodus 33:20 saying, “You cannot see my face, for no man can see me and live.” Like Moses, perhaps Elijah also only managed to see the aftermath of God as he stood at the entrance of the cave.

God repeated the question he asked Elijah in verse 10. “What are you doing here Elijah?” Elijah had the same answer for the Lord as before. He maintained his position, insisting that he was the only one who was zealous for the LORD. He saw himself as the only one left, still zealous for the LORD. According to him, God’s altar had been torn down and His prophets killed. Everyone, according to him, had apostatized and deserted the Lord and the covenant. Furthermore, Jezebel was after his life.

The lesson for Elijah and for us is the same. God wants us to know that while outward events can point us to His works, what is more important is to hear His definitive word each day. He often speaks in the quieter moments of life. We may seek God in a multitude of activities, but nothing beats drawing away from the hustle and bustle of life to a quiet place to hear a definitive word from Him.

According to Mark 1:35, this is what Jesus did while he was on earth. “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.” According to Psalm 5:3, this was what the Psalmist did also. He said, “In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.” Would you schedule a time of quiet moment each day, to meet with Him?

1 Kings 19:9-10 – It’s all about perspective

Discouraged, Elijah went up to Mount Horeb and 1 Kings 19:9 said he went and lodged in a cave. Explicitly, Horeb in 1 Kings 19:8 was called the mountain of God. This was the same place where Moses had the burning bush experience and received the call of God to be Israel’s deliverer years ago. It was also here that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments for Israel and formally made them His covenant people.  Now on this same mountain, the word of Israel’s Covenant  Lord  came to Elijah, asking, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” When God asked that question, He was not necessarily seeking an answer. God was giving Elijah the moment to clarify his thoughts, unburden his soul and state his concern. It was meant for him to express what was troubling him.

So in 1 Kings 19:10, Elijah responded. He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” Elijah was not only expressing his disappointment but also his doubt that the ending of the drought and his victory at Mount Carmel would mean much to the rebellious people of God. It is true that the people had been rebellious from the day the covenant was given. They had repeatedly rebelled against the commands of God. In Elijah’s estimation, the drought, and the victory at Mount Carmel did not seem to change much. He felt as if he was the only one zealous for the LORD.  

In life, having the right focus and perspective is important to ensure a victorious journey with God. While it was good that Elijah had great zeal for God, he, unfortunately, set his eye too narrowly on the problem at hand. In the book of Exodus, Moses encountered the same problem years ago, he went before God and prayed. Now Elijah encountered the same problem, he complained and wished to die. It’s because he evaluated everything from his narrow experience. Instead of focusing on the victory God had brought through him so far, he concentrated on the threat of Jezebel. It is true that when our eyes are fixated on the problem, we tend to magnify and exaggerate it. But when we fix our eyes on God, our problems are usually not as big as they seem to be. Our victory in life is on keeping our focus on the bigness of our God and not the bigness of our problem or burden. Jesus said that if we have faith in God, even if it is just the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. What matters in our faith journey is not the size of our problem but the size of our God. It does not matter what we are going through in life, but it does matter if we have God with us. Remember, there is no problem too big that God cannot solve. Our victory in Him is sure!   

1 Kings 19:1-8 – Operate out of rest in the Lord

First Kings 19:1-8 describe for us a discouraged Elijah. Verse 1 said that Ahab returned home and narrated to Jezebel, his wife, what took place at Mount Carmel. In one fell swoop, Elijah destroyed all the prophets of Baal by the sword. Angered by what she heard, Jezebel sent a message to Elijah. Swearing by her gods, she threatened to do to Elijah the same way he had killed the prophets of Baal. She even stipulated that it would be done by the same time the next day. Elijah had no reason to doubt her threat. She was known for killing the prophets of God (1 Kings 18:4 & 13.) Besides, she had the guts that Ahab lacked. On hearing her threat, Elijah was petrified and ran and hide. He first went to Beersheba in Judah and left his servant there, while he himself went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. There he rested underneath a juniper tree and entertained a death wish. He asked God to take his life.  

What was the cause of his doldrum? Didn’t the Covenant God of Israel come through for him at Mount Carmel? How could he feel so intimidated by Jezebel despite experiencing such a mighty victory at Mount Carmel? As people called to serve God, we need to serve Him out of rest. Remember what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30. He invites us to rest in Him saying, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” If we are not operating out of rest, we will easily succumb to discouragement in our weariness.

This was attested to by what happened to him after he had rested. God renewed his faith and fed him supernaturally. If we want to be strengthened for effective ministry, we need to come away and rest in the Lord. As we set time to rest in Him, we will be fed supernaturally and spiritually in His presence. Like Elijah, we need to come to Horeb, the mountain of God. We need to know that God often works in ways we least expect. And just because God doesn’t do things our ways is no indication that He is not working. Remember His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. In ministry, we must operate out of rest and not restlessness. He promises to sustain us, and He certainly will!

 

 

   

1 Kings 18:41-46 – Praying effectively

First Kings 18:41-46 describe one final proof that Yahweh and not Baal is the true God, and that He alone controls nature. It was this true God who would soon end the three-year drought that Elijah had prophesied. Before the arrival of the rain, Elijah did something unusual. He told Ahab to get up, eat and drink because he could hear the roar of a heavy shower approaching.

Why did Elijah do what he did? Ahab was possibly discouraged by what had happened to the prophets of Baal. Though the text did not say, it would not be too far-fetched to believe that Ahab was aware all the prophets of Baal were slaughtered by Elijah at the brook Kishon. It is also not difficult to imagine that he sank into despair after the defeat of Baal’s prophets. Hence it is not hard to see why Elijah had to tell him to get up and have a meal.

So Ahab listened to Elijah and had his meal. While he was eating, Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel and apparently went into prayer. Although he knew God would send the rain, he would not presume on Him. Adopting a posture of humility, he crouched down to the earth and put his face in between his knees. As he travailed in prayer, he sent his servant to look towards the sea to check for impending rain. But his servant returned, saying that he saw no movement. The text tells us that the servant went to and fro the watching point seven times. It was not until the seventh time that he saw a cloud the size of a man’s hand coming up from the sea. When told of the gathering cloud, Elijah knew at once that God was sending the rain soon.

Still concerned for Ahab, Elijah sent his servant to tell the king to prepare his chariot and make haste so that his return home would not be impeded by the impending storm. Verse 45 said, “In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower.” While Ahab was on his way in his chariot, Elijah girded up his loin and outran his chariot, and reached Jezreel before him. Verse 46 said that Elijah was supernaturally enabled by the Lord. What a God!

These six verses leave us a lesson on what we should do to ensure prayer effectiveness. Firstly we need to know that just like the promise of rain to Elijah, God has many promises installed for us. While the promises are for our taking, God requires us to desire and ask for them. In Psalm 37:4, God promised us that if we delight in Him, He will grant us the desires of our hearts. The blessings we receive in life always come through our collaboration with God. That’s the reason while the promise of rain was made, Elijah still needed to pray. Secondly, like Elijah who went to the top of Mount Carmel, when we pray, we should seek a quiet place where we can focus on talking to God. Thirdly, like Elijah, faith must be exercised. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. We need to believe God hears and answers prayer. Even when there seems to be no movement we continue to persist in prayer. There will be times when God wants us to persevere and deepen our trust in Him. Fourthly, like Elijah, we need to come with the right posture. The most important posture we need to adopt in prayer is in the arena of our attitude. We must come in true humility and dependence upon God. Remember without God we cannot, but without us, God will not. How very gracious He is!

1 Kings 18:36-40 – To make Him known

In 1 Kings 18:36-40, it was Elijah’s turn to demonstrate and prove that he served the true God. He was none other than the Covenant God of Israel. The altar had been repaired and prepared in such a way that it would be impossible for fire to consume the sacrifice apart from the LORD whom Elijah served. He had deliberately planned it that way. His thrust was to let all of Israel know that without Yahweh, there would be no Israel. Trusting Yahweh absolutely, Elijah was confident that He would come through for him.

When the time for burning the evening sacrifice had arrived, he drew near to the altar and made a passionate plea to the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Earnestly he pled with God to respond to his cry so that the people would know that God had engineered their repentance. As Elijah had anticipated, verse 38 recorded, “Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” Everything on the altar was consumed by the fire that came from heaven. Elijah was right all along. On seeing what just took place, the people fell on their faces immediately and exclaimed, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.” Elijah then commanded the people to seize all the prophets of Baal and let no one escape. He led them to the brook Kishon and had them slaughtered there. It was a triumphant moment for Yahweh and Elijah.

In his prayer, Elijah made his deep desires known. His desire firstly was for everyone to know that the Covenant God of Israel alone was the true God. Secondly, he wanted the people to know he was the servant of this true God. And thirdly, everything he had done was according to Yahweh’s word and instructions. In summary, Elijah’s desire was for the reputation of Yahweh, the authenticity of his ministry, and the word of the Lord to be affirmed.

One thing we can take away from these verses is the manner and attitude of Elijah in his approach to prayer. His was a God-centered prayer. He wanted God to have all the glory and for all to know that He alone deserves the allegiance and worship. How about us? How should we approach prayer? In prayer, remember to seek the establishment of His Kingly rule, that His will be done, and His glory be shown. He alone deserves it! Praise His glorious Name!

1 Kings 18:30-35 – How’s the altar of our lives?

Despite the frenzy but hilarious display, nothing worked for the Baal’s prophets. They had cried from the time they started their jigs till the time of the evening sacrifice, nothing happened. Embarrassed by the silence of Baal, his throng of prophets had to step aside for the one true servant of the LORD to demonstrate what his God could do.

Elijah put his absolute trust in the LORD. When it came to his turn to call for fire, he up his game. Calling the people to attention, he urged them to draw closer. Elijah first called for the altar to be repaired. For the prophets of Baal had damaged it in their fruitless attempt to prove what their powerless god could do. Twelve stones representing the sons of Jacob were used for the repair. What Elijah did was to acknowledge that Israel had 12 tribes and the Northern Kingdom comprising only 1o tribes was not an adequate expression of the whole of Israel. In a sense, this was done to give the picture that God was the LORD of the whole of Israel and not just part of it. On top of repairing the altar,  he also had them build a trench around it to hold two measures of seeds. Elijah then arranged the wood on the altar, cut the ox into pieces, and laid them on the wood. Then he ordered four pitchers of water be brought and poured over the offering and the wood. He drenched everything, altar, wood, and sacrifice, four times. It was said that even the trench was filled with water.

Elijah’s logic was simple. When the fire of God came down and licked up the offering and dried up the water, no one could say that it happened because of coincidence. His purpose was to make the situation impossible for the people to deny that the fire came from God. What does the altar symbolize? The altar speaks of our fellowship with God. It speaks of surrender and yielding to God to serve Him alone. The altar of the people of Israel was in a shambolic state. It’s an indication of how far they had meandered away from God. What is the state of our personal altar with God?  Does the altar of our life need repair? Is it telling us the state of our relationship with God? Take time to evaluate and repair the altar of our life if it has been torn down. Be willing to put ourselves at the altar of sacrifice and allow God to ignite us with a redhot passion for Him alone!   

1 Kings 18:25-29 – Only what is worth dying for is worth living for

The challenge had been issued and the stage was set. First Kings 18:25-29 proceeds to describe the contest. In verse 25 Elijah reiterated to the prophets of Baal to do what had been agreed upon. He asked them to choose one of the two oxen for themselves, prepare it and then call on the name of their god. But they were not supposed to put a fire under it.  So they did. They took the chosen ox, prepared it, and called upon the name of Baal from morning to noon. From our sanctified imagination, we can vividly see them in a frenzy. We see them crying out loudly until they were hoarse, yet the air remained still and unstirred. We can even see them getting up to leap, dance, and chant. Still, nothing happened. The silence was deafening.  

In verse 27 Elijah mocked them. Notice how sarcastic he was. He told them to shout louder saying perhaps Baal was too preoccupied with other things and couldn't be bothered with them. He further derided them suggesting that perhaps Baal was on a journey or maybe he was too fast asleep and needed to be awakened. Despite all the commotion and boisterous mindless activities, Baal was unresponsive and unstirred. Then verse 28 said that those prophets of Baal cried louder and even mutilated themselves with swords and lances as their custom was. They did it until blood came gushing out of their bodies. In desperation, they continued in their crazy, delirious hysteria up till the time of the evening sacrifice, yet nothing was moving. The silence spoke so loudly, and fittingly verse 29 eloquently said that “…there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.” How could Baal answer when he was not the real god?  

The sarcasm of Elijah was intentional. He was mocking their absurdity. Baal was believed to be a fertility god. So the frenzy his devotees went into was intended to stir him into action. It was thought that during winter, he would be asleep and so there would be a season of fruitlessness. It was also believed that he would wake up during springtime to bring about fertility. Sometimes he could oversleep and forget to have intimacy with Asherah, his female counterpart. So the temple prostitutes were engaged by his devotees to have sexual orgies in his presence, hoping to arouse his passion to bring about fertility. How ridiculous and absurd was such a belief! Imagine the children of Israel being sucked into it. No wonder God had to deal so severely with them. 

Some churches and people major in programs and activities. But activities should not be mistaken for spirituality. Don’t major in the program. Baal’s devotees had plenty of activities but not an ounce of true spirituality. Concentrate on knowing God, discovering His truth, and then act on them. Faith would mean nothing if it is not resting on God and the foundation of His Word. Only faith in God truly matters. Our faith in God would only be as good as we are prepared to die for it. Remember what is not worth dying for is not worth living for. What is worth living for is worth dying for! 

 

 

1 Kings 18:20-24 – Going all the way with the Lord

Challenged by Elijah, Ahab obliged. In his heart, he was hoping to be able to get rid of this meddlesome prophet, the troubler of Israel. He had underestimated the God of Elijah. Without hesitation, he sent a message to all the sons of Israel and summoned all the prophets to Mount Carmel.  For reformation to take place, the hearts of the people had to be challenged and prepared. So the first thing Elijah did was to call on them to stop vacillating. He called on them to make up their minds. If they were certain that Yahweh was the true God, then they should stop being indecisive. They should make up their minds and not hop between two opinions. They should serve only Yahweh. The people did not answer him. Elijah knew he couldn’t count on the people. Hence, he was bent on proving who was the true God, Yahweh or Baal.  

Though alone in this contest, Elijah was unfazed. Realizing that he was serving the true God, even being alone would make no difference. He was totally convicted and confident that Yahweh would be proven true. So fearlessly, in verses 23-24 he threw down the gauntlet. He gave the advantage to the prophets and priests of Baal. They could make the first move and choose between the two oxen. They could take one for themselves, cut it up, place it on the wood, but put no fire under it. He would take the other ox and do the same, only after they had taken their turn. Like them, he would also prepare it, lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Elijah would allow them to make the first move by calling on their god. When they had done calling on their god, then would he call on the name of Yahweh. The God who would answer by fire would be the true God.

What do we take away from this passage? Firstly, as believers, we must not straddle the fence. Instead we should be fully convicted that the God who calls us to Himself deserves our absolute allegiance. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “Without faith it is impossible to please God, he that comes to God must believe that He is true and able and will reward those who seek Him diligently.” Secondly, we must put our trust in God alone and not pivot to trust our circumstances. Like Elijah, we set our hearts to follow the Lord unyieldingly. And like Caleb, we follow Him doggedly. Like Paul, we press on toward the mark of our high calling in God. We set our hands on the plow and refuse to look back. Let’s persevere! 

 

1 Kings 18:17-19 – Bold to the challenge

True to God and to his mission, Elijah boldly confronted Ahab. He did not flinch from his assignment. It was obvious that the wicked king did not have a good impression of the prophet. Hence, the first thing Ahab did when he saw Elijah was to label the prophet as the troubler of Israel. How ironical? People who are troublesome would often project their own image on others. This was obviously a typical example of that. Imagine Ahab the real troubler of Israel labeling Elijah with the title that he was more suitable to adopt. However, the prophet was not going to accept the wicked king’s assessment of him lying down. He shot back. He told Ahab that he himself was the true troubler of Israel. And what he said was not just a hollow accusation. He had the facts to back what he said.

So in 1 Kings  18:18, Elijah retorted saying, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of  the Lord and  you have followed the Baals.” Elijah was in fact saying to the king, “I did not bring about the drought.” He told Ahab that it was his father and family who had brought the calamity to Israel. It was they who had forsaken the commandments of God and pivoted to worship and serve everything representing Baal. Elijah boldly told Ahab that they had forced the hand of Yahweh, who was obliged to prove who truly had the power over nature. With that, Elijah then challenged Jezebel’s band of evil prophets serving Baal and Asherah to a contest. He wanted them to know who the true God was. The place set for the contest was Mount Carmel. What better place!   

Mount Carmel located at the shore of the Mediterranean Sea was a range of mountains. The Phoenicians reckoned it to be the sacred site of Baal. Having the contest on Mount Carmel was home ground to the prophets of Baal. Yet the fearless Elijah was not the least bit intimidated. He knew who was on his side. In life, it does not matter who is for us, but it matters a lot to have God with us. Elijah made one thing clear when God is on our side, we will always be the majority even if we must face a committee of a thousand. Hear what the last two stanzas of the hymn titled “Who is on the Lord’s side?” and be challenged. 

Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe,
But the King’s own army none can overthrow;
’Round His standard ranging, vict’ry is secure,
For His truth unchanging makes the triumph sure.
Joyfully enlisting, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine!

Chosen to be soldiers, in an alien land,
Chosen, called, and faithful, for our Captain’s band;
In the service royal, let us not grow cold,
Let us be right loyal, noble, true and bold.
Master, wilt Thou keep us, by Thy grace divine,
Always on the Lord’s side—Savior, always Thine!

Whether Ahab or us, sin is the real cause of man’s trouble. Sin not only blinds us, it also binds us. Trapped in sin, a person can be blind to the menace it can cause. May we come often to the Lord and pray like David, who said in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” Amen!

 

1 Kings 18:7-16 – Serving God unwaveringly

Sent by Ahab to look for pasture to maintain his horses, mules, and herd of cattle, Obadiah was on his way. Frist Kings 18:7-16 said that he ran into Elijah who was sent by the Lord to announce to Ahab the end of the drought. Obadiah immediately recognized Elijah who did not deny that it was indeed him. He then sent the latter to go and tell Ahab that he was in town. As far as Ahab was concerned,  Elijah was a menace and he had been searching for him unsuccessfully. We are told that Ahab did not only search for Elijah in Israel but also in all the surrounding countries. But all his attempts were fruitless. For when God protects a person, it is impossible to locate him. That’s the extent of God’s preserving power.

Deep in his heart, Obadiah knew the risk of having to face Ahab’s wrath should the wicked king not be able to locate Elijah when told of this presence in town. He was afraid that God would hide Elijah again after he had announced the news of the prophet’s arrival to Ahab. Obadiah had earlier jeopardized himself when he shielded one hundred prophets from Jezebel and fed them.  He was reluctant now to put his life in danger again. However, Elijah could see that Obadiah was as petrified as he was assured. He then promised him that he would not do the disappearing act. Having been assured, Obadiah then went to Ahab and broke the news to the wicked king that Elijah was in town.   

It is true that serving God always involves some risks. Though we may not have to face death like him, we all run the risk of being ridiculed, labored as fanatics, and even being ostracized. The reason is simple. It is because the value of God’s Kingdom is not the same as that of the rest of the world. People often do not treat the truth of God kindly. But we should not be deterred by such opposition. Let’s be confident that if God is for us who can be against us. Paul assured us that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. Let us serve Him unwaveringly! We will never lose!

 

 

1 Kings 18:1-6 – The challenge to serve God boldly

So far God had used Elijah to perform two miracles for the widow of Zarephath during the season of drought.  Now almost three years had elapsed, and not a drop of rain had fallen on Samaria in this duration. First Kings 18: 2 revealed that the famine was severe in Samaria and God was about to send rain upon the land. So He told Elijah to show himself to Ahab. Before Elijah could meet Ahab, 1 Kings 18:3 introduced us to Obadiah, a man who was said to greatly fear the Lord. We are told that he was in charge of Ahab’s household.

Here in this passage, Obadiah was caught in a dilemma. Though he was a God-fearing man, he was serving a wicked king. When Jezebel was putting the prophets of God to death, he bravely shielded a hundred prophets of God from her. Obadiah took them and hid them by fifties in a cave and provided water and bread for them. Verse 5 said that as the drought worsened, to keep his horses, mules, and herd of cattle alive, Ahab sent him out to search for places where water could be found. Between Ahab and him, they divided the area that each should go and survey. Obadiah is in a tough position. He desires to serve the Lord, yet must serve Ahab as well. Ahab sends him to find pasture during the worsening drought, but he also knew that it was on the account of Ahab’s sin that drought came upon Israel. Obadiah lived his life in two worlds and had a hard time balancing his roles. 

In reading these six verses, some would judge Obadiah critically wondering why a God-fearing man would want to serve a wicked king. But he should be applauded for daring to risk his life to preserve the prophets of God from Jezebel, the wicked queen. We all live in a secular society and many superiors we serve in our workplaces are unbelievers too. We may also be called to juggle between obeying God and doing something contradictory to Christian morals encouraged by our bosses. What would we do under such circumstances? Would we stand on our Christian principles and help other believers in their witness? To live uncompromisingly for the Lord, we need the wisdom of God. Each one of us must weigh the job we are called to do, factoring God in all our decisions. Be prepared to take some risks to ensure that we don’t act compromisingly. Like it or not, our faith in God is often put under severe testing. In such times, whose side would we be standing on? Will we be willing to stand with other believers and do all we can to preserve their witness at the risk of our own position?  Seek to honor God in all that we do!          

1 Kings 17:17-24 – Every trial should challenge us to trust God more

First King 17:17-24 describe the second miracle that God performed through the hand of Elijah. It happened in the life of the same woman whom he had earlier rescued from starvation. She and her son would have died of hunger had God not intervened through Elijah. So from a little bowl of flour and a dab of oil, Elijah was able to turn into an endless supply of flour and oil for her. But now in these verses, she was encountering another quandary, one that was more severe and consequential. Her only son was sick to a point that he stopped breathing. In other words, he died. 

With her only son in the throes of death, that woman entertained the thought that it was her sin that had brought such a predicament upon her son. So she confronted Elijah thinking that her son’s death was due to her sin. She concluded that Elijah was sent by God to execute the punishment. So she exclaimed, “What do I have to do with you, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death!” Silently, she could even be entertaining the flawed thought that had Elijah not come, her son would still be alive. Why save them from starvation only to take her son’s life by sickness?

Thankfully, Elijah’s faith in God was unfazed. This allowed God to use him to demonstrate His power over death. Taking the son from the widow, Elijah took him to the room where he was lodging and laid him on his bed. Stretching himself over the child, he cried out to God saying, “O Lord my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him.” The Lord heard the voice of the prophet and life returned to the lad. Elijah then brought the live child downstairs and gave him to his mother. In gratitude, the widow said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

Two lessons are evident. Firstly, we see that life comes with continual challenges. One victory in life does not mean that we will no longer have greater challenges. Every victory experienced serves to prepare us to trust God for tomorrow’s greater challenge. To experience continual breakthrough calls for consistent trust. Secondly, we learn that sufferings are not there to break us but to draw us to God. It is a timely reminder that apart from Him we can do nothing. When confronted with a tough time, hold fast knowing that God is not through with us yet. He is perfecting us! 

1 King 17:8-16 – God wants to meet the needs of our lives

God through Elijah would be doing a series of miracles to prove His power over Baal. Here in 1 Kings 17:8-16, we will see the first of the series of miracles that God would do through the hand of Elijah. He instructed the prophet to arise, leave the brook of Cherith and go to  Zarephath, located in Sidon. This Phoenician town was the very center of Baal worship. Due to the drought, the brook that once sustained Elijah had dried up. The drought was obviously followed by a famine, for without water, the crop was badly affected. All this only goes to prove that Baal had no answer to the power of God. He could do nothing to bring rain although he was touted to have control over nature. It showed that when God stopped the rain, Baal had no answer and could do absolutely nothing.

When Elijah came to Zarephath, he met a widow at the gate gathering sticks. Calling out to her, he requested that she gave him a cup of water from her jar to drink. As she was going to pour the water, Elijah requested a piece of bread at the same time. That request elicited a pathetic response from the widow. She was in a plight due to the drought. Her response to the prophet was she did not have any bread but only a bowl of flour and a dab of oil in a jar. Explaining further she told the prophet that she was out picking sticks so that she could go home, and bake her last loaf of bread from the little flour that she had. Then she and her son would eat their last meal and wait to starve to death. What she said stirred a heartening response from the prophet. 

In verse 13, Elijah assured her that his God has the answer to her problem. Telling her not to fear but to go home as she had intended. She was first to bake a bread cake, bring it to him, then afterward bake one more for herself and her son. He then prophesied to her saying, “For thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.’” The widow went and did as she was told and all that Elijah told her came true.  The bowl of flour and the dab of oil did not run out as the Lord had told her.   

 

What lesson can we learn from this incident with the widow of Zarephath? Firstly, we learn that no one is exempted from the plight of life. But as God’s children, He can see our plight and has a plan to help us deal with it. The way he will meet our needs in life can come in unpredictable ways. All we need is to trust and act obediently to His instruction. Secondly, we learn that in times of uncertainty, having faith and trusting in God is certainly more d fruitful than being overwhelmed by fear. Thirdly, we know that like how God met the needs of the widow of Zarephath, He will also meet our needs through the service we offer to His servants. Learn to trust and depend on Him, for He shall supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus!

1 Kings 17:1- 7 – Where are the Elijahs of God!

In the Bible, we see two classes of prophets. Firstly, we have the non-writing prophets and Elijah is a classic example of one. Then we have the writing prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the minor prophets like Hosea, Joel, Amos, etc who wrote the shorter prophetical books. But whichever class of prophets each one hailed from, he would be the instrument and messenger of God with the aim of bringing kings and people into alignment with His will.

Elijah was a non-writing who burst into the scene unannounced. His name means Yahweh is my God. And as his name suggests, he was all at once a preacher, a prophet, a political reformer as well as a miracle worker of Yahweh. He was certainly the most outstanding of God’s prophets, who arose at a time to challenge the wicked Ahab and Jezebel, his pagan wife. First Kings 17:1 identifies him as a Tishbite, a settler of Gilead.

In the opening verse of 1 Kings 17, Elijah with the authority of God came announcing a season of drought in Israel. He did it to challenge the power of Baal, the Canaanite’s fertility god which Ahab and his wife embraced and gave unflinching allegiance to. Baal was believed to be in control of nature and the rain. In declaring an impending drought, Elijah was calling Baal’s power into question. He boldly claimed that in fact, it was the God of Israel who has total control of nature and the rain. To authenticate what he said as God’s prophet, he announced that there would be a season of drought. He boldly asserted that there would be neither water from the dew nor the rain in the ensuing years, except by his words.

God then instructed him to move eastward to hide in the brook of Cherith, promising him supernatural sustenance. His meals in the morning and evening would be brought by a raven. Besides, he could also drink the water from the brook of Cherith. This reminds us that God does provide for his servant supernaturally in times of need. So the raven was God’s arrangement to bring Elijah his meals twice a day. Verse 7 tells us that after a while due to the drought, the brook of Cherith also dried up.

Lessons to glean from these seven verses. Firstly, with so many disobedient kings, an obedient prophet bursting into the scene is a breath of fresh air. All God needs is one obedient servant who dares to confront the status quo of his day. And He would use him to bring a message that would challenge the evil regime and circumstances. Can God see in us such a servant? Secondly, we see that God will protect those who dare to do his bidding in the face of mounting opposition. When He finds one, He will supernaturally undertake to protect His servant like he did Elijah in the season of drought. Thirdly, God is still raising servants whom He can use in the most challenging of times to do the most needed work. In testing time, the question people often ask is where is the God of Elijah? But the question God would rather that we ask is where are the Elijahs of God? Can God see in each one of us the spirit of Elijah that would be fearless to do His bidding? Be bold to stand and serve God!

1 Kings 16:29-34 – Hold fast and fervently serve God

Every king of Israel that came to the throne had proven to be worse than the one that preceded him. This was also true in the reign of Ahab who succeeded his father Omri.  First Kings 16: 29 said that he became king of Israel in the 28^th year of the reign of King Asa of Judah and ruled Israel for 22 years. He did even more wickedly than his father Omri.

Of all the rotten kings of Israel, Ahab was the worst of all. As if following in the footsteps of Jeroboam was not terrible enough, he even married Jezebel the Sidonian princess, the daughter of King Ethbaal and took idolatry to the next level. We are told in 1 Kings 16:31 that he not only worshiped Baal the pagan god, but also served him. Verse 32 said that he erected an altar in the house of Baal which he had built in Bethel. Baal as we know was a fertility god who was believed to control fertility. Ahab even made an Asherah, the female counter part of Baal. This rotten king did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him. He virtually institutionalized idolatry in Israel. Idolatry took root even more deeply than the past.

In Joshua 6 we read of the account of how Jericho was conquered. After conquering Jericho, to destroy the polytheistic and idolatrous culture of that city, Joshua proclaimed a curse over that city.  In Joshua 6:26, he said, “Cursed before the Lord is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates.” Apparently, the building of Jericho reveals the level of rebellion against the Lord during Ahab’s time. Hiel, the Bethelite’s willingness to sacrifice his first born Abiram to lay the foundation, and the establishment of the gate at the loss of Segub, his other son, just to go against the Lord to build the city of Jericho, shows us how deplorable the condition of Israel had become.  

Ahab had brought idolatry to its peak. If he could show such  fervency to Baal, a false and cursed god, why can’t we who serve the true and living God show even greater fervency to Him? If Ahab would stop at nothing to please his Baal, shouldn’t we who have the true and living God, serve Him with even greater enthusiasm? Let us never lose sight of who the true God is, and set our hearts willingly to go with Him all the way. Give Him our top priority! 

1 Kings 15:25-27 –Be a godly model

So far, the common expression of all the kings of Israel was they acted wickedly. Each had walked in the way of Jeroboam and his sin, causing all of Israel to sin. What was worse was that they all had provoked the Lord God of Israel with their idols. Omri was no different from the list of denigrates, so we read in 1 Kings 16:25 that he did evil in the sight of God. And like all the rest of the previous kings of Israel, all that he had done and the might he had shown were all written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. When he died, he was buried in Samaria and his son Ahab succeeded him.

However, one of Omri's most notable achievements was to shift the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel from Tirzah to Samaria. Remember, 1 Kings 16:24, said that “…he bought the hill Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and named the city which he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.” This decisive move showed him to be a man of courage and vision. Samaria as the new capital city was strategic. Being on a hill it was more defensible. In some sense, Omri had brought a relative measure of stability to the northern kingdom. Samaria remained the capital of the northern kingdom until 722 B.C. when the Assyrians conquered it and brought its downfall.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it had been said that he brought Israel back from their waywardness to God? Unfortunately, this was not what the text suggests. It says, he did evil in the sight of the  Lord and that he walked in the way of Jeroboam. In so doing, he led the people further away from God. The indicting statement about him in verse 25 said that “…he acted more wickedly than all who were before him.” This statement would make him more culpable than all previous kings before him. It is bad enough to be identified among the bad kings but to say that he was the worst of the lot was a terrible indictment.  

Influence is a clear part of leadership. Know it or not, everyone has influence. What we say and do will always have an impact on someone. We either affect them for better or for worse. It behooves us therefore to make sure that we are a good model for others to pattern their lives after. The truth is this: it is impossible to live rightly with God when we follow the wrong model. As parents or as friends, we can determine to be the godly models for people who are watching and following us. Let us be a positive and impactful model for the glory of God!

1 Kings 16:15-20 – Cultivate right ambition

Having assassinated Elah, Zimri then took the throne. This took place in the 27^th year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. However, in 1 Kings 16:15-20, we learned that his reign was very, very short, the shortest of all the kings. He only stayed in power for seven days. At this point, the army of Israel was camped at Ginnethon in Philistine. When news reached them that Zimri had murdered Elah, they all made Omri, their leader the king. They then came to Tirzah and laid siege on the city, forcing Zimri to hide in the citadel of the palace and commit suicide. He killed himself in the fire. Verse 19 reveals that he was no better than all the previous kings. Not only was his reign very brief, but his ways were exactly like that of Jeroboam, He did evil in the sight of the Lord by emulating Jeroboam in making Israel sin. The rest of his acts and conspiracy were all written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

However, we learn from verses 21-24, that not everyone wanted Omri as the king. Some prefer Tibni the son of Ginath to be king. So the Northern Kingdom was divided. But the followers of Omri had proven themselves to be stronger. They prevailed over the fraction that preferred Tibni. So when Tibni died, Omri became the sixth king of Israel. He became king in the 31^st year of Asa’s reign and reigned for 12 years. From verse 29 we learn that he died in the 38^th year of Asa’s reign. Based on the calculation that would only be eight years. How then could verse 23 said that he reigned for 12 years? It made sense if we supposed that for the first four years he was in conflict with Tibni.   

He reigned for six years at Tirzah before shifting the capital to Samaria. Verse 24 reveals that he “bought the hill Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver; he built on the hill, and named the city which he built Samaria.” The name was derived from Shemer, the owner of the hill. Both Zimri and Omri were ambitious. If only their ambition was to reform the nation and bring her back to God. They would have changed the course and destiny of the nation. But theirs were wicked ambitions. So peace eluded them and instead, they found only strife and more strife.  

Regarding ambition, God in Jeremiah 45:5 asked a rhetorical but very pertinent question. He asked: “But you, are you seeking great things for yourself ?” In this same verse, God also answered the question by saying, “Do not seek them….” There is one ambition the Lord would want us to have and it is recorded in Jeremiah 9:23-24. God said, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things.” Have ambition, but only the right of kind ambition that will deepen our knowledge of God and advance His kingdom. That will be a successful life!

1 Kings 16:8-14 – Be vigilant in serving God

Bear in mind that after Solomon, Israel was divided into two kingdoms – Israel in the north and Judah in the south. The reference to the reign of a particular king and in this case, Asa was to provide a timeline. During Asa’s reign, we have seen the rise of several kings in Israel. Apart from Nadab, 1 Kings 16:8-10, tell of the rise of two other kings of Israel. They were Elah, the son of Baasha, and Zimri one of Elah’s commanders.

The text first talked about Elah. Being the son of Baasha, he succeeded his father as the king of Israel. However, he had a very short reign. He was murdered in the 27^th year of Asa’s reign. Elah came to the throne and ruled Israel from Tirzah for only two years and had a shameful death. In contrast to Nadab who was killed in a military conflict, he was murdered by Zimri while he was having a drunken binge in the home of Arza, one of his officials.  Zimri as we learned was one of his officials in-charge of half Elah’s chariots.

With the death of Elah, Zimri became king in his place. Verse 11 said that as soon as he came to the throne, he had the whole household of Baasha wiped out, leaving no male or kin alive to threaten his throne.  However, the annihilation of Baasha was according to the word of Jehu the son of Hanani. Hence it was based on the word of God through His prophet. Both Baasha's and Elah's judgment was inevitable. They had continued in the sins of Jeroboam and had caused all of Israel to sin, provoking the Lord to anger. Both had proven to be disobedient to God. Verse 14 said that like the other kings of Israel, the deeds of Elah were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the king of Israel.

The condition of Elah when he was murdered by Zimri suggests that he was irresponsible in his assignment. While his men were fighting, he was carousing, and reveling in his drunken spree. Ephesians 5:18, admonishes us not to get “drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” Let us not be drunk with wine, but most certainly we must not be drunk with the cares of this world. Yes, if we are to do the work of God effectively, we must stay sober for the purpose of prayer. When one is not sober-minded, one become vulnerable to Satan’s trap. Let’s stay alert and be vigilant!

 

1 Kings 16:1-7 – Serve God responsibly

These verses in 1 Kings 16:1-7 describe how Baasha’s life ended. He should know better not to follow in the footsteps of  Jeroboam, yet he didn’t. He walked in the ways of Jeroboam. Like him, he made the people of Israel sin and provoked the Lord to anger with his sin. So God sent Jehu the son of Hanani with a message for him. He had squandered the opportunity to eradicate Jeroboam’s apostasy. Instead of dealing with the latter’s delinquency and bringing Israel back to the faith, he repeated Jeroboam's errors. He was deemed to be no better than him and so ended up sharing the same misfortune as he. His children would die horribly too, so said Jehu, the son of Hanani

Like the two kings of Israel before him, his works and exploits were written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. And like Jeroboam, Baasha had failed his God-given opportunity to obey God, to bring Israel back to their covenant faithfulness with Him. He was used to annihilate Jeroboam’s family, yet he would follow in his footsteps. Unlike Asa of Judah, he failed in his role as a reformer. Both Jeroboam and Baasha were given power by God, yet both failed to do His will as He desired. He died and was buried in Tirzah and was succeeded by his son Elah.

From Baasha,'s life, we learn that God’s instruments are expected to be faithful. One must not take a God-assigned task frivolously. It is an awesome privilege to be chosen by God to be His instrument. The privilege accorded always comes with accountability. With greater privilege, greater accountability should be expected. We must serve God responsibly and don’t expect immunity if we fail to do so!  

1 Kings 15:23-33 – Being God’s perceptive instrument

First Kings15:23-33 tell us what happened to Kings Asa of Judah and Nadab of Israel. Verse 23 began by reminding us that Asa’s exploits were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. In our previous discussion, we learned that he brought reform to Judah during his earlier reign, but he did not end strong. He faltered as he progressed in his reign. Instead of putting his trust in God, he chose to trust man. So God sent Hanani, the seer to alert him of this flaw but he reacted. Instead of making amend he had the seer imprisoned. In 1 Kings 15:24, we are told that he suffered from foot disease toward the end of his life. Second Chronicles 16:12 said that it happened in the 39th year of his reign. When he died, he was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. Here was a case of a king who started well but ended weakly. He was succeeded by his son, Jehoshaphat.

In this passage, we are also told of the short reign of Nadab who succeeded his father Jeroboam as king of Israel. He ascended the throne in the second year of King Asa of Judah and ruled Israel for only two years. Nadab was an incorrigible king. Emulating and walking in his father’s footsteps, he caused all of Israel to sin just like his father. Then he was killed by Baasha in the third year of Asa’s reign. Whatever Nadab had done was recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

As soon as Baasha became king of Israel, he destroyed Jeroboam’s whole family till no one from his family was left alive. Verse 30 said that the annihilation of his family was foretold by Ahijah the prophet. Every word he said happened exactly. In our previous discussion, we saw how Baasha and Asa were in constant conflict. The former only withdrew when Asa solicited the help of Ben-hadad. We are told that Baasha's reign in Tirzah was no better than Nadab's. He did exactly what Nadab and Jeroboam had done, by making the people of Israel sin.

Having been used by God to deal with the sin of Jeroboam, one would have thought that Baasha would learn not to commit the same error. He was used to purge the evil of Jeroboam, yet he committed the very evil he was used to deal with. How blind could he be? Be perceptive, and don’t commit the same error of others that God had used us to correct. For the moment we think we are better than them, we will fall like them. First Corinthians 10:12 warns us saying, “…let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” So wise up!

1 Kings 15:16-22 – Trust God to the very end

Asa’s reform was doing well but it did not prevent the war that he was having with Israel in the north. So we read in 1 Kings 15:16-22 about the conflict that Judah had with Baasha, the eventual successor of Jeroboam of Israel. They were locked in a hot battle. Baasha already had an existing treaty with Ben-hadad, the King of Aram. He proved to be a formidable opponent. And he built a fortress in Ramah to prevent the people from entering and leaving Judah.

To break Baasha’s threat, Asa took all the silver and gold from the treasuries of the temple and the palace and sent his servants with them to Ben-hadad to entice him to break his treaty with Israel. This Asa did to get the latter to withdraw from him. Accepting his offer, Ben-hadad then sent his commanders to attack Israel, taking many of her cities. Verse 20 had the cities of Israel that Ben-hadad’s force had taken. They included “…Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah and all Chinneroth, besides all the land of Naphtali.” When Baasha got wind of what Ben-hadad was doing to help Asa, Baasha had to cease building the fortress in Ramah and remained in Tirzah.

It was apparent that instead of trusting the Lord fully, Asa turned to Ben-hadad for help. This had somewhat incurred the displeasure of the Lord. Though the passage in 1 Kings 15 did not mention the Lord’s displeasure, 2 Chronicles 16:7-10 reveals that He sent the prophet Hanani to rebuke him for his reliance on Ben-hadad. In relying on Damascus, he had inevitably allowed it to slip out of his grasp. The prophet then told him that henceforth he would have to face a continuous war. Hanani even reminded him of how the Lord had given him victory over the Ethiopians and the Lubim who were better equipped and greater in power. The prophet also told him that he had acted foolishly. What Hanani said to him incurred his anger and he had the prophet sent to prison. Sadly, 2 Chronicles 16:10 said that at the same time as he did it to Hanani, Asa also oppressed some people.

For the great start he had when he ascended the throne, we read with disappointment how he ended. Second Chronicles 16: 12 said that “In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet.” What was disappointing was what the last part of that verse said about him. It says, “His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.” Again he chose to trust the physicians rather than the Lord. What happened to the trust he had in the Lord at the start of his reign? How did he lose his plot? He lost it the moment he put his trust in man rather than God.

The lesson we have is about the need to trust the Lord to the very end. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to seal 2 Chronicles 16:9 indelibly on our hearts. Know that “…the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. ” He is for us and not against us. Hold on to Him faithfully even in the most trying of circumstances. Trust Him regardless. He will never fail us!

 

 

 

 

1 Kings 15:9-15 – Radical commitment for effective change

First Kings 15:9-22 describe the reign of Asa. He succeeded his father Abijam and reigned over Judah in Jerusalem in the 20^th year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. Asa was one of the eight good kings out of a total of 19 kings of Judah. He reigned for 41 years. Deemed to be a good king, he did what was right in the eye of God, just like David his great, great grandfather.

What did he do that was right in the sight of God? He removed all the male cult prostitutes from the land. The other thing he did was he removed all the idols which his father had made. One brave thing he did was to remove his grandmother Maacah, the matriarch, who was a bad influence on the nation. We are told in verse 13 that she made Asherah into a dreadful image. Asa not only cut down the image but also burnt it at the brook of Kidron. He should have removed the high places, but unfortunately he did not.

One encouraging fact about Asa was that his heart was wholly devoted to the Lord all his days. And we are told that: “He brought into the house of the Lord the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold and utensils.” Asa began well. His reforms were effective. He pleased God. It would have been better had he finished his reign with the same consistency that he had started. But we shall discover that he did not in our later discussion. Fr0m Asa’s life there are lessons worth our emulation as well as lessons we must avoid. In these verses, we are looking at the positive contributions that he had made during his earlier reign.  

One impression we get of Asa’s earlier success was his thoroughness. He removed every idol and male cult prostitute in the land. He even destroyed the image his pagan grandma had made and even had the gut to banish her. Asa was not afraid to make drastic changes. He did not allow relationships to come in the way of his reform. His heart was wholly devoted to God, and he set his heart to please God. Hence, he was not afraid even to deal with his grandmother who was an affront to what he was doing. He did the right thing by not only destroying the horrid image she made but also banishing her. 

What about us? Are we afraid to deal with those dear to us when we know they are the obstacle to our progress with God? Hear the radical demands of Jesus in Luke 14:26. He said, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and b, rothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” Of course He is not calling us to hate those close kins of ours, but He is calling us to give Him top priority in our lives. We must prefer Him over all other relationships in life. We must not allow anyone, not even someone whom we respect and love, to be an obstacle to the effective changes God wants us to make in our life. Remember, if Jesus Christ is not Lord of all then He is not Lord at all!

1 Kings 15:1-8 – How do we want to be remembered?

Abijam, the son of Rehoboam succeeded him on the throne in the 18^th year of Jeroboam’s rule. His reign was marked by continuous conflict with Jeroboam all the days of his life. Second Chronicles 13:1-20 described how in one battle; he was able to defeat Jeroboam with only half the force that the latter had. The passage in Chronicles made it clear it was God who had given him the victory. So he managed to capture Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron and the villages surrounding the three cities. However, he had a short reign, 1 Kings 15:2 said that ruled in Jerusalem for three years.

In the short reign that Abijam had, he was no better than his father for he did not walk in the way of David his great grandfather, who was wholly devoted to the Lord. Instead, he emulated his father Rehoboam and indulged in the same sins that he had committed. God allowed him to rule on the account of the promise He had made to David. Again this was the grace of the Lord on display. David was faithful to the Lord except in the case of Bathsheba with whom he committed adultery, and Uriah whom he murdered. But as far as his commitment to honor God, David never turned to idols, unlike Solomon, Rehoboam, and now Abijam. Like Rehoboam, all that Abijam had done were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. When he died, he was buried in the city of David and his throne was succeeded by Asa, his son.

Abijam had the opportunity to make good what his father had failed. Obviously, he did not. In the battle he had with Jeroboam, 2 Chronicles 13:15-16 made it clear that it was God who had given his enemy into his hand. Despite the victory granted him by God, he did not reciprocate the goodness of God and return to serve Him alone. He continued in his father’s sinful steps. His was a lost opportunity. The lesson here for us is a call to seize opportunities to make our allegiance to God sure and certain. Every moment and experience in life is an opportunity to solidify our walk with God and make our salvation sure.  Don’t spurn His grace!

The second lesson we learn is from the life of David described here. From how the passage reminisces David’s devotion to God, we learn that God treasures faithfulness. We must emulate his faithful walk with God. What a priceless thought that God remembers when we live faithfully for Him. Conversely, David’s one misstep was also not forgotten. The stain of what he did to Bathsheba and Uriah though forgiven was never forgotten. How perfect would his record be had these episodes of his failures were not committed at all. But they did and were recorded for our learning. This serves to urge us to walk with God guardedly.       

1 Kings 14:25-31 – Be a genuine witness not a spurious one

First Kings 14:25 tells us that in the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign Shishak of Egypt invaded Jerusalem. He plundered both the temple as well as the King’s house and took away everything including all the golden shields that Solomon had made. And in place of these golden shields, Rehoboam made replica of those shields with bronze. When highly polished, bronze could glitter and shine like gold. Those bronze shields were then entrusted to the commanders of the guard who were on sentry duty at the king’s house. Whenever Rehoboam entered the house of the Lord, the guards would carry those shields and would return them to the guard’s room after the display.   

Verse 30 indicates that Rehoboam and Jeroboam were fighting continually. In other words, Rehoboam had no moment of rest. He only had rest when he died and slept with his fathers. Verse 31 said that he was buried with his fathers in the city of David. Verse 31 reiterates that his mother was Naamah.  He was succeeded by Abijam his son.

Why did Rehoboam have bronze shields made to replace those gold shields that Shishak had seized? Why did he even bother to do so? It appeared that he was trying to give the impression that everything was well. It was probably a face-saving exercise by Rehoboam. At its peak, Judah was not only strong but also wealthy. Sadly, under Rehoboam’s reign, Judah had lost their golden gloss. We are all called to glow for the Lord. Be sure to stay vibrant in the Lord. Let us not replace the genuine glow of a transformed life with some artificial gloss of a make-believe faith. Be a true witness of Christ.

 

1 Kings 14:21-24 –Don’t succumb to ungodly influence

First Kings 14:21-24 return to discuss the reign of Rehoboam who succeeded Solomon, his father. He became king at age 41 and reigned for 17 years in Jerusalem, the city that God had chosen to put His name. Jerusalem was specially mentioned as the city where God had placed His name. Perhaps this was to highlight that despite being the city of the great God, it was no better than Bethel and Dan where Jeroboam had placed the molten calves to replace God. In fact, the condition in Judah was worse.   

Why so? Firstly it was because of the impact Solomon’s spiritual deterioration had on the nation. He allowed his many foreign wives to influence him to turn his devotion from God to foreign gods. Secondly, as if to highlight the deteriorated state of affairs, verse 21 mentioned that Rehoboam’s mother was Naamah, the Ammonitess. As a princess from Ammon, she would be steeped in the idolatrous practices of the Canaanites. Being one of Solomon's wives, it is to be expected that she would have introduced the pagan practices of the Canaanites to him. And now being the mother of Rehoboam, we can expect her to be one of the greatest influences in her son’s life and reign, in a substantial way. No wonder verse 22, says that “Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked Him to jealousy more than all that their fathers had done, with the sins which they committed.” 

The horrendous spiritual condition of Judah was being described in Verses 23-24. “They built for themselves high places and sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and beneath every luxuriant tree. There were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel.”

Rehoboam’s mother must have had a great influence on his life. It is true that we are most influenced by the person we hold in high regard.  Hence it is important that we chose who we will listen to. Take care to evaluate every piece of advice given to us. Chose only to follow advises that will help us to be godly. Emulate people, whose life inspires us to connect with God and to love Him more deeply. Do you have such friends in life? Talking about influence, Paul tells us not to be conformed to this world, but instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Here’s a sound counsel from Charles Spurgeon. He said, “Choose the best friend you can, then follow them no farther than they follow Christ.” Be wise, even in the choice of your friends!