Day 101: 1 Kings 16-18

(The previous post covered the kings that immediately followed Rehoboam and Jeroboam.)

1 Kings 16
¹ And the word of Jehovah came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,

(Baasha was king of Israel.)

² Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel, and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins;
³ behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house; and I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

(Jehu the prophet confronted Baasha the king of Israel to say Baasha's heirs would be wiped out like a previous king of Israel: Jeroboam.)

⁴ Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the field shall the birds of the heavens eat.

(The same judgment was pronounced against the house of Jeroboam in 1 Kings 14:11.)

⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
⁶ And Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah; and Elah his son reigned in his stead.

(Elah reigned over Israel.)

⁷ And moreover by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of Jehovah against Baasha, and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he smote him.

(Verses 8-14: the two year reign of Elah.)

⁸ In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and reigned two years.
⁹ And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah:
¹⁰ and Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead.

(Zimri, one of Elah's own leaders, murdered him.)

¹¹ And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he smote all the house of Baasha: he left him not a single man-child, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.
¹² Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet,
¹³ for all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned, and wherewith they made Israel to sin, to provoke Jehovah, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.

(Jehu's prophecy was fulfilled when Zimri killed Elah. Asa was the king of Judah when this happened.)

¹⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

(Verses 15-20: the seven day reign of Zimri, king of Israel.)

¹⁵ In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.
¹⁶ And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also smitten the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp.

(Zimri had only reigned for seven days when Israel heard about Zimri's conspiracy so they made Omri King over Israel instead.)

¹⁷ And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.
¹⁸ And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the castle of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died,
¹⁹ for his sins which he sinned in doing that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.

(When Zimri heard about Omri, he went to the palace, burnt it, and died. The kings of Israel were getting worse while the only king since David with a good heart, Asa, continued to reign over Judah.)

²⁰ Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

(Verses 21-28: the twelve year reign of Omri, king of Israel.)

²¹ Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri.
²² But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned.

(Israel had civil war: half followed Tibni and half followed Omri. However, Omri prevailed and reigned alone. Tibni died.)

²³ In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, and reigned twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah.

(Asa still reigned over Judah at this time.)

²⁴ And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver; and he built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill, Samaria.
²⁵ And Omri did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and dealt wickedly above all that were before him.

(Omri did more evil than all before him. Could Israel have had a worse king than Omri?)

²⁶ For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke Jehovah, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities.
²⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
²⁸ So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

(Verses 29-34: Ahab began his twenty-two year reign over Israel.)

²⁹ And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years.

(Ahab followed Omri in the line of progressively worse kings over Israel.)

³⁰ And Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah above all that were before him.
³¹ And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.

(Ahab achieved a new low for kings of Israel. Ahab married Jezebel and openly worshipped Baal. Remember Ahab and Jezebel, they both wreaked havoc in Israel.)

³² And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.
³³ And Ahab made the Asherah; and Ahab did yet more to provoke Jehovah, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

(Did Israel still think it was a good idea to have a king like the other nations (1 Samuel 8) ?)

³⁴ In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof with the loss of Abiram his first-born, and set up the gates thereof with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

(The prophecy referenced in verse 34 was documented in Joshua 6:26. Joshua said cursed would be the man who attempted to rebuild Jericho. Ahab was the worst possible king for Israel. Would God do something or send someone to deal with Ahab for the benefit of Israel?)




1 Kings 17

(This chapter was referenced in James 5:17.)

¹ And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the sojourners of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

(Elijah: he was from an area near Galilee, the eventual location of the "Harvard of Israel" for training Rabbi's. Elijah stated to Ahab's face that there would be no dew or rain, according to his word. Elijah knew the power of words and how to use them. He stated his will over something that had no will: the weather. This lack of rain was the beginning of a famine. God told Elijah to say this in Ahab's presence. What was the next thing God told Elijah after he told Ahab?)

² And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying,
³ Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.
⁴ And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

(God told Elijah to run away from Ahab and hide. God led Elijah to a place by a brook, a source of water. Remember, it was not going to rain for awhile. God commanded the ravens to feed Elijah. Ravens do not have a will, therefore, God could control them. Also, ravens are scavengers. They only feed on animals that are already dead. Elijah was not going to be living on fresh meat.)

⁵ So he went and did according unto the word of Jehovah; for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.
⁶ And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
⁷ And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

(Elijah stayed there until the brook dried up. Now we know that water was scarce for everyone.)

⁸ And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying,
⁹ Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Sidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee.
¹⁰ So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

(In Luke 4:25-26, Jesus quoted the story from this chapter in support for His explanation that miracles happened to people that were unfamiliar with God's representative. God led Elijah to a widow woman. Elijah requested water.)

¹¹ And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.
¹² And she said, As Jehovah thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

(Elijah asked the widow for bread but she said all she had was a handful of meal (flour) and a little oil. She was preparing for her death and the death of her son because of the famine. Elijah asked a woman to bear his pain.)

¹³ And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son.
¹⁴ For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the earth.
¹⁵ And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
¹⁶ The jar of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by Elijah.

(Elijah stated that if she took care of him first, God would cause the flour and oil to be sufficient for eating for the remainder of the famine. She did, which was proof of her faith. There was plenty (quantity) and it did not spoil (quality). This was supernatural. If this event was purely natural, the meal and oil would have run out. An unnatural solution would have been for Elijah not to need food during the famine. This solution provided more natural (meal and oil) than was naturally predicted.)

¹⁷ And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.
¹⁸ And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? thou art come unto me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son!

(Now the woman asked Elijah to bear her pain.)

¹⁹ And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.
²⁰ And he cried unto Jehovah, and said, O Jehovah my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?
²¹ And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto Jehovah, and said, O Jehovah my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.
²² And Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

(The soul of the child had left. Elijah brought the soul back by stating a will to God for the widow and her son.)

²³ And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother; and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.
²⁴ And the woman said to Elijah, Now I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of Jehovah in thy mouth is truth.

(The woman attested to Elijah being a man of God. Notice, Elijah had not exalted himself as a prophet.)




1 Kings 18

(This chapter was referenced in James 5:18.)

¹ And it came to pass after many days, that the word of Jehovah came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
² And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria.

(The famine had been going on for three years! God sent Elijah to see Ahab, the king of Israel.)

³ And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared Jehovah greatly:
⁴ for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

(The man here named Obadiah was not the prophet who penned the Book of Obadiah. This Obadiah hid 100 prophets in two locations (fifty in each location). Obadiah knew who was a prophet of God and who was not.)

⁵ And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go through the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto all the brooks: peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
⁶ So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
⁷ And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Is it thou, my lord Elijah?

(Obadiah recognized Elijah and saw him as a man of God. Obadiah was a type of Daniel/Joseph, a godly #2 under a heathen king. This heathen king happened to be an Israelite.)

⁸ And he answered him, It is I: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
⁹ And he said, Wherein have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
¹⁰ As Jehovah thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not here, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.
¹¹ And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
¹² And it will come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of Jehovah will carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will slay me: but I thy servant fear Jehovah from my youth.

(Ahab had been searching everywhere for Elijah. Obadiah did not want to tell Ahab he found Elijah unless Obadiah was sure Elijah would appear. Otherwise, it would look like Obadiah lied and Ahab would kill Obadiah for lying.)

¹³ Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah, how I hid a hundred men of Jehovah's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
¹⁴ And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here; and he will slay me.

(Obadiah was also afraid of Ahab finding out Obadiah was a godly man. Daniel/Joseph were very open about being godly men.)

¹⁵ And Elijah said, As Jehovah of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him to-day.

(Elijah promised Obadiah that Elijah would appear to Ahab that same day.)

¹⁶ So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
¹⁷ And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Is it thou, thou troubler of Israel?
¹⁸ And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of Jehovah, and thou hast followed the Baalim.

(Ahab referred to Elijah as the "troubler of Israel" but Elijah confronted Ahab about his idolatry. Ahab was an abuser. He flipped causality. Elijah did not meet with Ahab to cause trouble. Elijah met with Ahab as an effect of the trouble Ahab had caused.)

¹⁹ Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, that eat at Jezebel's table.
²⁰ So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
²¹ And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said, How long go ye limping between the two sides? if Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

(Elijah asked the people "How long go ye limping between the two sides?" He may as well said, "How long will you live with this contradiction?" Prophets not only tell the future, they also point things out. Notice with the rest of this story, Elijah did not predict the future. His focus was to point out the contradiction: Israel said they worshipped God but they were actually following the prophets of Baal.)

²² Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, am left a prophet of Jehovah; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

(This was the only verse in the Bible that can be construed as a prophet of God claiming to be a prophet.

-First, Elijah did not say this for his own benefit. He was pointing out the difference between himself and the 450 prophets of Baal, not for his own benefit, but for the benefit of the people.
-Second, Elijah did not state this in order to get people to believe a prophecy. This story was not about prophecy. It was about a prophet pointing out a contradiction and resolving it.
-Third, Elijah's statement was not "I am a prophet (of God)." His statement was that he was left as the only prophet of God. Again, this was a statement of fact Elijah had to make because no one else was willing to make this statement, including Obadiah.

If anything, this statement ought to have resulted in Elijah getting killed, which would have been the opposite of a prophet speaking for his own benefit. So, if Elijah was not stating his office, what was it he wanted to state?)

²³ Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under.
²⁴ And call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Jehovah; and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

(Elijah set up a test with the prophets of Baal to see whose God/god would answer. Notice, Elijah did not state his God would answer. He stated the God that answered would be God to all the people. The people agreed. Again, Elijah had to state the difference between himself and the prophets of Baal in order to set up the test, which would resolve the contradiction among the people. Elijah was not in control of anything, he did not use his office to exert power over the people.)

²⁵ And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under.
²⁶ And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made.

(Elijah gave the prophets of Baal first pick of the sacrifice and first opportunity to prove Baal was God. Elijah was being contrastive. The prophets of Baal called for Baal all day long.)

²⁷ And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud; for he is a god: either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked.

(Elijah mocked them and told them to be louder, maybe Baal was talking, or pursuing, or on a journey, or sleeping and needed to be woken. Some commentaries interpret this passage as Elijah asking if Baal was in the bathroom. Elijah ramped up the prophets and the people. He was making everyone more aware that the prophets of Baal were unsuccessful.)

²⁸ And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them.

(The prophets of Baal practiced self mutilation.)

²⁹ And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening oblation; but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

(The prophets of Baal had failed. This did not mean Elijah was the prophet of God. It meant that Baal was not God.)

³⁰ And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me; and all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of Jehovah that was thrown down.
³¹ And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of Jehovah came, saying, Israel shall be thy name.
³² And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
³³ And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood.
³⁴ And he said, Do it the second time; and they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time; and they did it the third time.
³⁵ And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.

(Elijah first put things in order. He had the altar set back up, prepared the sacrifice, and dug a trench. Next, he had four barrels of water dumped over the offering. Remember, this was during a famine. Water itself was a sacrificial offering.)

³⁶ And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening oblation, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
³⁷ Hear me, O Jehovah, hear me, that this people may know that thou, Jehovah, art God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
³⁸ Then the fire of Jehovah 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.

(Elijah waited until the time of the evening offering. Then Elijah prayed that God would let the people know He was God and that Elijah was his servant. Elijah's objective was to facilitate the purpose and progress of the people. Elijah asked for confirmation that he was a servant of the true God. Elijah did not call himself a prophet of God. Elijah's prayer also undercut the interpretation that Elijah declared himself a prophet of God in verse 22 of this chapter. God consumed the offering and all the water.)

³⁹ And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, Jehovah, he is God; Jehovah, he is God.
⁴⁰ and Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

(The contradiction was resolved. Elijah killed all 450 of the prophets of Baal.)

⁴¹ And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.
⁴² So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees.

(Even Ahab had faith in Elijah.)

⁴³ And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
⁴⁴ And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a cloud out of the sea, as small as a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Make ready thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
⁴⁵ And it came to pass in a little while, that the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel:
⁴⁶ and the hand of Jehovah was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

(Elijah honored Ahab by running before his chariot. Absalom had fifty men run before his chariot in 2 Samuel 15:1.)

(This post covered the worsening of the kings of Israel to the establishment of Ahab, Elijah's confronting Ahab, and Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal.)

Day 102