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The Book of 1 Kings Like You_ve Never Seen Before(M4A_128K) · truthunedited

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  Speaker 1: When man's prayer brought fire from heaven, another man's wisdom
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  made nations tremble. A single decision split God's people forever.
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  Welcome to Fern Kings, where the fate of Israel hangs
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  by a thread, and every choice echoes through eternity. This
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  book isn't just ancient history, it's the DNA of biblical prophecy. Here,
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  Solomon builds the temple that defines worship for a thousand years.
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  Elijah establishes the prophetic ministry that points to Christ. The
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  kingdom divides, creating the crisis that drives every Old Testament story. Afterward,
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  Miss one king's and you'll never understand why Jesus cleans
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  the temple, why he's called the son of David, or
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  why the prophets spoke of restoration. From golden calves to
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  burning altars, from Pallas coups to divine encounters. Rust Kings
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  contains the most explosive moments in Biblical history. These aren't
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  just stories, they're the found nation stones of redemption itself.
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  Ready to see how one book holds the key to
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  understanding God's entire plan, Let's dive into First Kings like
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  you've never seen it before King David was dying. The
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  great warrior who had killed Goliath and conquered Jerusalem, now
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  lay shivering in his bed, unable to get warm even
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  with thick blankets. His servants brought him a beautiful young
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  woman named Abishag from Shunem to keep him warm, but
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  as Chapter one, verse four tells us, the king did
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  not know her. While David grew weaker, his son, a
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  Donija saw his chance. Chapter one, verse five says Adnija,
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  the son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying I will be king.
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  He was handsome and had never been disciplined by his father,
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  like his dead brother Absalom before him. Adonija got chariots
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  and horses and fifty men to run ahead of him
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  through the streets of Jerusalem. Adonija wasn't acting alone. Two
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  powerful men joined his cause, Joab, the commander of David's army,
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  and Abiatha the priest. These weren't small allies. Joab had
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  led Israel's forces for decades, and Abiathar was one of
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  only two high priests. With their support, Adonija felt confident
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  enough to make his move. The rebel prince threw a
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  huge feast at Enrogel near Jerusalem. He invited all his
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  brothers except Solomon and all the men of Judah who
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  served the king. Chapter one, verse nine records that Adonijah
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  sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle by the stone
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  of Zohalith. Everyone knew this wasn't just a party, it
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  was a coronation feast, but some key people weren't invited.
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  Nathan the Prophet stayed away, along with Zadok the priest,
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  Beniah the Warrior, and Solomon himself. These men remained loyal
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  to David's original choice for the throne. Nathan the Prophet
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  realized the danger immediately. He rushed to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother,
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  with urgent news. Have you not heard that Adonija has
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  become king and David, our lord does not know it?
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  He asked in verse eleven. Nathan warned her that if
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  Adonija succeeded, both she and Solomon would be counted as
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  criminals and executed together. They devised a plan. Bathsheba would
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  go to David first and remind him of his promise
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  that Solomon would be king. Then Nathan would arrive and
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  confirm her words. The plan worked perfectly. Bathsheba entered David's
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  room and bowed low. She reminded the dying king of
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  his oath. You swore by the Lord your God to
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  your servant, saying Solomon, your son shall be king after me,
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  and he shall sit on my throne. While she was
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  still speaking, Nathan arrived and repeated the same message. David's
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  response was immediate and powerful. The old fire flashed in
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  his eyes as he called for Zadok the priest, Nathan
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  the prophet, and Beniah the commander. His voice rang with
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  authority as he declared in verse thirty, as I swore
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  to you by the Lord God of Israel, saying your
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  son Solomon shall be king after me, So I will
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  certainly do this day. Within hours, Solomon was riding David's
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  own royal mule down to Gihon's spring. Zadok took the
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  horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon
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  as king. When they blew the trumpet. Chapter one, verse
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  forty says all the people went up after him, and
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  the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy,
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  so that the earth seemed to split with their sound.
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  The noise reached Adonija's feast. Just as they finished eating,
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  when Jonathan arrived with news that David had made Solomon king,
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  and the whole city was celebrating, Adonija's guests scattered in terror,
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  the would be king himself ran to the altar and
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  grabbed its horns, begging for mercy. Solomon's first decision as
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  king showed remarkable wisdom. He told a Donisia in verse
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  fifty two, if he proves himself a worthy man, not
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  one hair of him shall fall to the earth, But
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  if wickedness is found in him, he shall die. It
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  was a warning rapped in mercy. After David's death, Solomon
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  established himself as king, but he faced enormous challenges. Chapter
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  two shows him systematically removing threats to his throne. When
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  Adonijah foolishly asked to marry Abishag, David's young caretaker, Solomon
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  saw through the request it was another grab for royal power.
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  He ordered a Donija's immediate execution. Solomon also dealt with Joab,
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  the old commander who had supported Adonija and murdered innocent
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  men in the past. Even though Joab fled to the
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  altar for sanctuary, Solomon ordered his death, telling Beniah in
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  chapter two, verse thirty one, do as he has said,
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  and strike him down and bury him, that you may
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  take away the innocent blood which Joab shed. With the
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  internal threats removed, Solomon could focus on governing. Chapter three,
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  verse three tells us Solomon loved the Lord walking in
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  the statutes of his father David, But there was one problem.
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  The temple hadn't been built yet, so people sacrificed at
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  high places scattered throughout the land. Solomon went to Gibeon
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  because it housed the most important high place. The great
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  bronze altar that Moses had made in the wilderness stood there.
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  Chapter three, verse four records that Solomon offered a thousand
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  burnt offerings on that altar. It was an incredible display
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  of devotion, a thousand sacrifices in one ceremony. That night,
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  God appeared to Solomon in a dream. The Almighty offered
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  him anything he wanted, saying in verse five, ask what
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  shall I give you? It was every person's fantasy, a
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  blank check from God himself. Most young kings would have
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  asked for long life, great wealth, or victory over their enemies,
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  but Solomon's response surprised everyone, including God. The young king
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  admitted his inexperience, saying in verse seven, I am but
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  a little child. I do not know how to go
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  out or come in. Then he made his request, give
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  to your servant an understanding heart to judge your people,
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  that I may discern between his generous respon wise and
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  Solomon's wisdom wasn't just a nice gift to keep on
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  a shelf. It had to work in the real world.
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  Soon after his divine encounter, two women came before him
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  with a case that would test his judgment. Both were prostitutes,
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  and both claimed the same living baby as their own.
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  The scene in chapter three, verse sixteen was heart breaking.
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  Then two women who Harlot's came to the king and
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  stood before him. One woman told a tragic story. She
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  and the other woman lived in the same house and
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  had given birth just three days apart. During the night,
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  the other woman's baby died because she had accidentally rolled
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  over on him. Then, according to the first woman, her
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  room mate switched the babies while she slept. The second
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  woman flatly denied the story. She insisted the living child
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  was hers and the dead one belonged to her accuser.
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  There were no witnesses, no evidence, no way to prove
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  who was telling the truth. It seemed impossible to solve.
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  Solomon listened carefully to both women, then called for a sword.
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  What happened next shocked every one in the throne room.
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  The king declared in verse twenty five, divide the living
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  child in two, and give half to one and half
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  to the other. It seemed like the wisdom of Solomon
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  had failed catastrophically, But then the true genius of his
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  plan revealed itself. One woman immediately agreed to the division,
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  saying coldly, let him be neither mine nor yours, but
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  divide him. But the real mother's heart broke at the
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  thought of her child being killed. She cried out desperately
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  in verse twenty six, O, my Lord, give her the
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  living child, and by no means kill him. Solomon smiled
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  and pointed to the woman, who would rather lose high
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  give the child's life. When word of this judgment spread
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  throughout Israel, chapter three, verse twenty eight says all Israel
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  heard of the judgment which the king had rendered, and
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  they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom
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  of God was in him to administer justice. Solomon didn't
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  just make wise individual decisions. He completely reorganized Israel's government
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  to run efficiently. Chapter four lists his cabinet members, starting
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  with as Zarah, the son of Zadok as priest. He
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  had secretaries, a recorder, commanders of the army, and governors
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  over different regions. But Solomon's master's stroke was dividing the
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  entire kingdom into twelve administrative districts, each with its own governor.
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  These weren't based on the old tribal boundaries. Solomon redrew
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  the map for maximum efficiency. Each district was responsible for
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  providing food and supplies for the royal household for one
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  month out of the year. The system was brilliant in
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  its simplicity. Chapter four, verse seven explains Solomon had twelve
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  governors over all Israel who provided food for the king
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  and his household. Each one made provision for one month
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  of the year. No single region was overburdened, and the
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  king's household never lacked anything. The daily requirements were staggering.
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  Verse twenty two lists Solomon's daily provision thirty cores of
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  fine flour, sixty cores of meal, ten fatted oxen, twenty
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  oxen from the pastures, one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks,
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  and fattid fowl. This wasn't just for Solomon's family. It
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  fed his entire court, guards, servants, and visitors. Solomon's administrative
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  system created unprecedented prosperity. Chapter four, verse twenty paints an
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  incredible picture. Judah and Israel were as numerous as the
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  sand by the sea, in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing.
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  The kingdom had never seen anything like it. Solomon's influence
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  stretched far beyond Israel's borders. His kingdom extended from the
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  Euphrates River in the north to the border of Egypt
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  in the south. All the nations in between brought tribute
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  and served Solomon throughout his reign. Verse twenty five gives
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  us the famous description of peace. Judah and Israel dwelt safely,
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  each man under his vine and his fig tree, from
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  Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
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  For years into his reign. Solomon was ready to tackle
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  the greatest building project in Israel's history. He reached out
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  to Hiram, King of Tire, who had been a friend
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  and ally of David. Solomon's message was straightforward and honest,
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  as recorded in chapter five, verse three, You know how
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  my father David could not build a house for the
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  name of the Lord his God, because of the wars
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  which were fought against him on every side, until the
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  Lord put his foes under the soles of his feet.
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  But now everything had changed, Solomon continued, But now the
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  Lord my God has given me rest on every side,
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  there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence. And behold, I
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  proposed to build a house for the name of the
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  Lord my God. He asked Hiram for cedar trees from Leber,
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  and promised to pay whatever wages Hiram demanded for his workers.
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  Hiram was delighted with Solomon's request. Chapter five, verse seven
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  records his response, blessed be the Lord this day, for
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  he has given David a wise son over this great people.
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  The two kings quickly worked out the details of their partnership.
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  The scale of the operation was massive. Hiram would provide
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  cedar and cypress logs from Lebanon's famous forests. In return,
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  Solomon would give him twenty thousand cores of wheat and
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  twenty cores of pure oil every year for his household.
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  It was an enormous trade agreement that would last throughout
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  the temple's construction. Solomon also organized a huge work force
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  within Israel. Chapter five, verse thirteen reveals the numbers. King
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  Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel,
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  and the labor force was thirty thousand men. These weren't slaves,
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  they were Israelite citizens serving their kingdom in rotating shifts.
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  The work schedule was carefully planned. Ten thousand men would
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  go to Lebanon for one month, then return home for
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  two months while the next group took their place. This way,
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  no one was away from home for too long, but
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  the work never stopped. Solomon had additional workers for local tasks.
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  He employed seventy thousand men to carry materials and eighty
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  thousand to cut stones in the mountains. Over thirty three
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  hundred supervisors managed the various work crews. Chapter five, verse
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  eighteen tells us that Solomon's builders, Hiram's builders, and the
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  Gabelites quarried them, and they prepared timber and stones to
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  build the temple. Solomon understood that Israel's Golden Age required
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  more than just internal organization. It needed smart diplomacy. With
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  neighboring nations. His most shocking political move was marrying Pharaoh's daughter.
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  Egypt had been Israel's ancient enemy, the land of slavery
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  and oppression. But Chapter three, verse one records that Solomon
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  made a treaty with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and married
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  Pharaoh's daughter. This wasn't a romantic decision, it was brilliant
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  international politics. The marriage alliance secured Israel's southern border and
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  opened up trade routes that had been closed for generations.
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  Pharaoh even gave Solomon the captured city of Gezer as
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  a wedding gift, after destroying it and killing its Canaanite inhabitants.
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  The alliance with Hiram of Tire went far beyond a
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  simple business arrangement. These two kings genuinely respected each other
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  and became close friends. Chapter five, verse twelve emphasizes this.
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  The Lord gave Solomon wisdom as he had promised him,
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  and then there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and
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  the two of them made a treaty. Solomon's diplomatic skills
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  created a network of peaceful relationships throughout the region. Trade
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  caravans could travel safely from Egypt to Mesopotamia through Israeli territory.
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  Merchant ships from distant lands brought exotic goods to Israel's ports.
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  The young king had transformed Israel from an isolated hill
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  country into the crossroads of the ancient world. These alliances
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  weren't just profitable, they were essential for the temple project.
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  The cedar of Lebanon was the finest building material available,
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  but Israel had no access to it without Hiram's cooperation.
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  The skilled craftsmen of Tire possessed techniques that Israelite workers
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  had never learned. Without these international partnerships, the temple could
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  never have been built. Finally, in the Solomon's fourth year
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  as king, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived.
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  Chapter six, verse one marks the historic date with precision,
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  and it came to pass in the four hundred and
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  eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out
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  of the land of Egypt. In the fourth year of
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  Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which
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  is the second month that he began to build the
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  House of the Lord, the timing was perfect. It had
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  been exactly four hundred and eighty years since the exodus
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  from Egypt, and now God's people were finally building a
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  permanent home for his presence among them. The location was
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  Mount Moriah, the same place where Abraham had nearly sacrificed
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  Isaac and where David had built an altar after the plague.
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  The temple's measurements were precisely specified. Chapter six, verse two
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  gives us the dimensions the house which King Solomon built
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  for the Lord. Its length was sixty cubits, its width
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  twenty and its height thirty cubits. Every detail mattered because
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  this wasn't just any building. It was God's earthly dwelling place.
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  The construction process was remarkable for its reverence. All the
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  stones were cut and shaped at the quarry, so that
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  verse seven tells us the house when it was being
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  built was built with stone finished at the quarry, so
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  that no hammer or chisel, or any iron tool was
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  heard in the house while it was being built. The
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  work site maintained perfect silence. Out of respect for the
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  sacred purpose, Solomon used only the finest materials. The walls
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  were lined with cedar boards from floor to ceiling, and
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  every surface was carved with intricate designs. Verse eighteen describes
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  the interior. The cedar of the house inside was carved
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  with ornamental buds and open flowers. All was cedar, there
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  was no stone to be seen. The most sacred space
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  was the inner sanctuary, called the most Holy Place. This
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  was a perfect cube twenty cubits in length, width and height,
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  where the ark of the Covenant would rest. Solomon overlaid
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  the entire room with pure gold, making it gleam like
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  the throne room of Heaven itself. As construction progressed, God
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  spoke directly to Solomon with both promise and warning. Chapter six,
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  verse twelve records his words concerning this temple which you
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  are building. If you walk in my statutes, execute my judgments,
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  keep all my commandments, and walk in them, then I
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  will perform my word with you which I spoke to
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  your father, David. The foundation was being laid not just
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  in stone and gold, but in divine covenant. After seven
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  years of careful work, the temple was nearly finished, but
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  so Uoman wasn't done yet. He wanted to add features
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  that would make everyone who saw them gasp in wonder.
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  Chapter seven, verse thirteen tells us that King Solomon sent
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  and brought Huram from Tire. This wasn't just any craftsman.
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  Horam was a master worker in bronze, the son of
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  a widow from the tribe of Naftali and a man
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  from Tire. Hoorram's first task was creating two massive bronze
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  pillars for the temple entrance. Each pillar stood eighteen cubits
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  high and twelve cubits around. Chapter seven, verse twenty one
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  records that he set up the pillars by the vestibule
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  of the temple. He set up the right pillar and
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  called its name Jakin, And he set up the left
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  pillar and called its name Boaz. These weren't just decorations.
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  Their names meant he establishes, and in him is strength,
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  declaring God's power to every one who entered. But Horam's
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  masterpiece was the molten Sea, an enormous bronze basin that
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  held water for the priests to who wash. In Chapter seven,
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  Verse twenty three describes its incredible size. He made the
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  sea of cast bronze ten cubits from one brim to
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  the other. It was completely round, Its height was five cubits,
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  and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. This
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  giant bowl could hold over eleven thousand gallons of water.
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  The sea didn't just sit on the ground. It rested
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  on twelve bronze oxen, three facing each direction. Chapter seven,
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  verse twenty five explains it stood on twelve oxen, three
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  looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three
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  looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east.
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  These oxen represented the twelve tribes of Israel supporting the
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  worship of God. Hurum also made ten bronze carts with wheels,
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  each carrying a bronze basin. These moveable wash stations allowed
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  priests to clean themselves and the sacrifices anywhere in the
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  temple courtyard. The craftsmanship was extraordinary. Chapter seven, verse twenty
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  nine describes how on the panels that were between the
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  frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. Every piece of bronze
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  work was perfectly crafted. Solomon had Hurum make pots, shovels,
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  and bowls, hundreds of items needed for temple worship. Chapter seven,
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  verse forty five lists them the pots, the shovels, and
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  the bowls. All these articles which Hurum made for King
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  Solomon for the House of the Lord were of burnished
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  bronze the temple gleamed like a jewel set in the
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  hills of Jerusalem. While the temple took seven years to build,
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  Solomon spent thirteen years constructing his own royal complex. This
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  wasn't just a house, It was an entire government center
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  that showed the world Israel's power and wealth. Chapter seven,
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  verse one simply states, but Solomon took thirteen years to
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  build his own house, so he finished all his house.
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  The most famous building in the complex was called the
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  House of the Forest of Lebanon. Chapter seven, verse two
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  gives us its impressive dimensions. He also built the House
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  of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was one hundred cubits,
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  its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with
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  four rows of cedar pillars and cedar beams on the pillars.
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  The building got its name because the cedar pillars looked
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  like a forest of trees. This wasn't just for show.
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  The House of the Forest of Lebanon served as an
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  armory and treasure house. Later we learned that Solomon stored
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  hundreds of golden shields there. The cedar beams and pillars
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  created a beautiful space that impressed visitors while keeping the
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  kingdom's weapons and wealth secure. Solomon also built the Hall
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  of Pillars, which was fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide.
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  Chapter seven, verse six tells us it had a portico
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  in front of them, and the other pillars and thick
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  beams were in front of them. This was likely where
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  government officials conducted daily business and where foreign ambassadors waited
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  to meet the king. The most important building was the
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  Hall of Judgment, where Solomon held court. Chapter seven, verse
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  seven explains then he made a hall for the throne,
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  the Hall of Judgment, where he might judge, and it
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  was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling. This was
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  where Solomon's famous wisdom was displayed as he settled disputes
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  and made royal decisions. Solomon's personal quarters were behind the
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  Hall of Judgment, built with the same expensive materials and
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  careful craftsmanship. He also built a separate house for Pharaoh's daughter,
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  his Egyptian wife. Chapter seve seven, verse eight mentions another
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  court inside the hall of like workmanship. Solomon also made
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  a house like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he
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  had taken as wife. All these buildings used the finest
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  materials available. The foundations were made of large, expensive stones,
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  some eight cubits long and some ten cubits long. Above
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  the foundation, Chapter seven, verse eleven tells us were costly
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  stones hewn to size, and cedar wood. Nothing was too
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  good for Solomon's palace complex. Finally, the temple was complete
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  and ready for its most important moment. Solomon called together
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  all the leaders of Israel, the tribal heads, the chiefs
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  of families, everyone who matted in the kingdom. Chapter eight,
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  verse one records Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel
• 25:54
  and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers
• 25:57
  of the children of Israel, to kick King Solomon in Jerusalem,
• 26:02
  that they might bring up the Ark of the Covenant
• 26:04
  of the Lord from the city of David, which is Zion.
• 26:08
  The ark had been waiting in a tent on Mount
• 26:10
  Zion ever since David brought it to Jerusalem. Now it
• 26:14
  would finally have a permanent home in the Temple's most
• 26:17
  sacred room. The ceremony took place during the Feast of
• 26:21
  Tabernacles in the seventh Month, when all Israel was already
• 26:25
  gathered in Jerusalem for worship. The priests carefully lifted the
• 26:30
  ark and began the procession to the temple. Chapter eight,
• 26:34
  verse three tells us so all the elders of Israel
• 26:38
  came and the priests took up the ark. This wasn't
• 26:42
  a rushed job. They moved slowly and reverently, understanding the
• 26:46
  incredible significance of what they were doing. As they carried
• 26:50
  the ark, Solomon and the people offered so many sacrifices
• 26:54
  that no one could count them. Chapter eight verse five
• 26:58
  describes the scene. Also, King Solomon and all the congregation
• 27:02
  of Israel who were assembled with him were with him
• 27:05
  before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not
• 27:09
  be told or numbered for multitude. The priests brought the
• 27:13
  ark into the most Holy Place and positioned it carefully
• 27:16
  beneath the wings of the golden Cherubim. Chapter eight verse
• 27:21
  six records, then the priests brought in the Ark of
• 27:24
  the Covenant of the Lord to its place into the
• 27:27
  inner sanctuary of the Temple, to the most holy place,
• 27:31
  under the wings of the Cherubim. Inside the ark were
• 27:34
  the two stone tablets that Moses had placed there at
• 27:37
  Mount Sinai, the original Ten Commandments written by God's own finger.
• 27:43
  Then something incredible happened as the priests came out of
• 27:47
  the most holy place. Chapter eight, verse ten tells us
• 27:51
  it came to pass when the priests came out of
• 27:54
  the Holy Place that the cloud filled the House of
• 27:57
  the Lord. God's presence filled the temple so powerfully that
• 28:01
  the priests couldn't continue their service. Verse eleven explains the
• 28:05
  priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud, for
• 28:09
  the glory of the Lord filled the House of the Lord.
• 28:13
  Solomon understood what was happening. He turned to the people
• 28:16
  and declared in verse twelve, the Lord said he would
• 28:20
  dwell in the dark cloud. I have surely built you
• 28:24
  an exalted house and a place for you to dwell
• 28:27
  in forever. The God of Israel had come to live
• 28:30
  among his people in a way that had never happened before.
• 28:34
  Standing before the altar with all Israel watching, Solomon lifted
• 28:38
  his hands toward Heaven and began to pray. His prayer,
• 28:42
  recorded in chapter eight, is one of the most beautiful
• 28:45
  and comprehensive prayers in the entire Bible. He started by
• 28:51
  acknowledging God's faithfulness, Lord, God of Israel, there is no
• 28:55
  God in heaven above or on earth below, like you,
• 28:59
  who keep your covenant and mercy with your servants who
• 29:04
  walked before you with all their hearts. Solomon reminded God
• 29:08
  of the promise made to his father David about building
• 29:11
  the temple. Chapter eight, verse twenty four records his words,
• 29:16
  you have kept what you promised your servant, David, my father.
• 29:19
  You have both spoken with your mouth and fulfilled it
• 29:23
  with your hand. As it is this day. The temple
• 29:27
  was proof that God keeps his promises. But then Solomon
• 29:31
  asked a profound question that showed his wisdom. Chapter eight,
• 29:35
  verse twenty seven records his wonder, but will God indeed
• 29:39
  dwell on the earth, behold heaven? And the heaven of
• 29:42
  heavens cannot contain you? How much less this temple which
• 29:46
  I have built. Solomon understood that no building could actually
• 29:50
  contain the infinite God. Instead, Solomon asked God to make
• 29:56
  the temple a place where prayers would be heard. He
• 29:59
  prayed for sin heaven different situations when people might need
• 30:02
  God's help, when they swear oaths, when there's no rain,
• 30:07
  when enemies attack, when foreigners come seeking God, when armies
• 30:12
  go to war, when people are taken captive and when
• 30:15
  they sin. For each situation, Solomon asked God to hear
• 30:20
  from heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.
• 30:25
  Solomon's prayer reached its climax as he asked God to
• 30:28
  be especially attentive to this place. Chapter eight, verse twenty
• 30:33
  nine contains his request that your eyes may be open
• 30:37
  toward this temple night and day, toward the place of
• 30:40
  which you said, my name shall be there, that you
• 30:43
  may hear the prayer which your servant makes toward this place.
• 30:47
  When Solomon finished praying, God answered immediately and dramatically. Chapter eight,
• 30:52
  verse fifty four tells us that when Solomon had finished
• 30:56
  praying all this prayer and supplication to the Lord, he
• 30:59
  arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling
• 31:02
  on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
• 31:05
  Then fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings,
• 31:10
  and God's glory filled the temple again. The people saw
• 31:13
  God's fire and fell on their faces, worshiping and praising
• 31:17
  the Lord. The dedication celebration lasted fourteen days, seven days
• 31:25
  for the temple dedication and seven days for the feast
• 31:28
  of Tabernacles. Chapter eight, verse sixty six describes how it ended.
• 31:34
  On the eighth day, he sent the people away, and
• 31:37
  they blessed the king and went to their tents, joyful
• 31:40
  and glad of heart for all the good that the
• 31:43
  Lord had done for his servant David and for Israel
• 31:46
  his people. Solomon's wisdom and wealth had become legendary throughout
• 31:51
  the known world. Stories of his incredible judgment and vast
• 31:56
  riches traveled along trade routes from Egypt to Mesopatre. But
• 32:01
  one ruler decided she had to see for herself if
• 32:04
  the reports were true. Chapter ten, verse one introduces her. Now,
• 32:10
  when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon,
• 32:13
  concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test
• 32:16
  him with hard questions. Sheba was likely in southern Arabia,
• 32:21
  over a thousand miles from Jerusalem. For a queen to
• 32:25
  make such a dangerous journey with a large caravan showed
• 32:29
  how much Solomon's reputation had spread. She brought gifts worthy
• 32:33
  of her royal status. Chapter ten verse two tells us
• 32:37
  she came with a very great retinue, with camels that
• 32:41
  bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones. The queen
• 32:45
  didn't come just to exchange pleasantries. She had prepared difficult
• 32:49
  questions to test whether Solomon's wisdom was real or just
• 32:54
  clever stories. Chapter ten verse three records the result. So
• 33:00
  Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing so difficult
• 33:04
  for the king that he could not explain it to her.
• 33:07
  Nothing she asked could stump him. But the Queen's amazement
• 33:11
  went beyond Solomon's answers. She toured his palace, saw his
• 33:16
  government in action, watched his officials at work, and observed
• 33:20
  the temple worship. Chapter ten, verse four describes her reaction.
• 33:25
  And when the Queen of Sheba had seen all the
• 33:27
  wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the
• 33:30
  food on his table, the seating of his servants, the
• 33:34
  service of his waiters and their apparel, his cup bearers,
• 33:38
  and his entry way by which he went up to
• 33:40
  the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit
• 33:43
  in her. The queen was literally breathless. Everything she saw
• 33:48
  exceeded the stories she had heard. Chapter ten verse six
• 33:53
  records her confession. It was a true report which I
• 33:57
  heard in my own land, about your words, words and
• 34:00
  your wisdom. However, I did not believe the words until
• 34:05
  I came and saw with my own eyes, And indeed
• 34:09
  the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity
• 34:12
  exceed the fame of which I heard. She praised Solomon's
• 34:17
  people and his God, saying in verse nine, blessed be
• 34:21
  the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you
• 34:25
  on the throne of Israel, because the Lord has loved
• 34:29
  Israel forever. Therefore he made you king to do justice
• 34:33
  and righteousness. Here was a pagan queen acknowledging that Israel's
• 34:38
  God was the source of Solomon's success. The gifts she
• 34:43
  gave Solomon were extraordinary. Chapter ten, Verse ten list them.
• 34:47
  Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents
• 34:50
  of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There
• 34:55
  never again came such abundance of spices as the Queen
• 34:59
  of she gave to King Solomon. In return, Solomon gave
• 35:03
  her everything she asked for, plus additional gifts from his
• 35:07
  royal bounty. Solomon's wealth had reached levels that seemed almost
• 35:11
  impossible to believe. Gold flowed into Jerusalem from every direction,
• 35:16
  making the precious metal so common that silver was considered worthless.
• 35:21
  Chapter ten, verse fourteen gives us the staggering annual total.
• 35:27
  The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was
• 35:30
  six hundred and sixty six talents of gold. That's roughly
• 35:35
  twenty five tons of gold every single year. The gold
• 35:38
  came from multiple sources. Trade caravans paid taxes as they
• 35:43
  passed through Israel's territory. Merchant ships brought tribute from distant lands.
• 35:48
  The famous gold of Ophir arrived regularly on Solomon's fleet
• 35:52
  of ships. Chapter ten, verse twenty two describes these trading expeditions.
• 35:57
  For the king had merchant ships at sea d with
• 36:00
  the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years, the merchant
• 36:04
  ships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys. Solomon
• 36:09
  used this wealth to create objects of incredible beauty and value.
• 36:13
  He made two hundred large shields of beaten gold, each
• 36:17
  containing six hundred shekels of gold. He also crafted three
• 36:21
  hundred smaller shields with three miners of gold each. Chapter ten,
• 36:25
  verse seventeen tells us that the king put them in
• 36:28
  the house of the Forest of Lebanon. These weren't for battle,
• 36:32
  They were symbols of wealth and power. The king's throne
• 36:36
  was a masterpiece that left visitors speechless. Chapter ten, verse
• 36:41
  eighteen describes it. Moreover, the king made a great throne
• 36:45
  of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. The throne
• 36:49
  had six steps leading up to it, with lions standing
• 36:52
  on each step. Verse twenty ads Twelve lions stood there,
• 36:57
  one on each side of the six steps. Nothing like
• 37:01
  this had been made for any other kingdom. Solomon's daily
• 37:04
  life reflected his incredible wealth. All his drinking cups were
• 37:09
  made of gold. Chapter ten, verse twenty one says all
• 37:13
  the drinking vessels of King Solomon were gold, and all
• 37:16
  the vessels of the house of the Forest of Lebanon
• 37:19
  were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was
• 37:23
  accounted as nothing. In the days of Solomon, silver was
• 37:27
  so common that it was practically worthless. The king's stables
• 37:31
  housed thousands of horses and chariots. Chapter ten, verse twenty
• 37:35
  six gives us the numbers, and Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen.
• 37:40
  He had one thousand, four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen,
• 37:44
  whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the
• 37:47
  king at Jerusalem. These weren't just for show. They represented
• 37:53
  military power that kept Israel's enemies at bay. Solomon also
• 37:58
  controlled the international horse and chariot trade. Kings from Egypt
• 38:03
  to the Hittites brought their military equipment through Solomon's dealers.
• 38:07
  Chapter ten, verse twenty nine explains now a chariot that
• 38:11
  was imported from Egypt cost six hundred shekels of silver
• 38:15
  and a horse one hundred and fifty, and thus, through
• 38:19
  their agents they exported them to all the kings of
• 38:23
  the Hittites and the kings of Syria. At the height
• 38:26
  of his power and wealth, Solomon made decisions that would
• 38:30
  destroy everything he had built. His love for foreign women
• 38:34
  became an obsession that led him away from the God
• 38:37
  who had given him everything. Chapter eleven, verse one reveals
• 38:42
  the scope of the problem. But King Solomon loved many
• 38:45
  foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh, women
• 38:49
  of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. These weren't
• 38:55
  just random relationships. They were political marriages desire min to
• 39:00
  cement alliances with surrounding nations. But God had specifically warned
• 39:07
  Israel about such marriages. Chapter eleven, verse two reminds us
• 39:11
  from the nations of whom the Lord had said to
• 39:13
  the children of Israel, you shall not inter marry with them,
• 39:17
  nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your
• 39:20
  hearts after their gods. Solomon knew the danger, but chose
• 39:25
  to ignore it. The numbers were staggering. Chapter eleven, verse
• 39:29
  three gives us the shocking total. And he had seven
• 39:32
  hundred wives princesses and three hundred concubines, and his wives
• 39:38
  turned away his heart a thousand women from pagan nations,
• 39:42
  each bringing her own gods and religious practices into Solomon's household.
• 39:48
  At first, Solomon probably thought he could handle it. He
• 39:51
  was the wisest man who ever lived. Surely he could
• 39:54
  marry foreign women without being influenced by their religions. But
• 39:59
  chapter eleven, verse four reveals the tragic truth. For it
• 40:04
  was so when Solomon was old that his wives turned
• 40:08
  away his heart after other gods, and his heart was
• 40:12
  not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the
• 40:14
  heart of his father David. The corruption was gradual, but devastating.
• 40:19
  Solomon began building high places for his wive's gods right
• 40:23
  outside Jerusalem. Chapter eleven, verse seven records his shocking betrayal.
• 40:29
  Then Solomon built a high place for Kemosh, the abomination
• 40:32
  of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem,
• 40:36
  and for Molik, the abomination of the people of Ammon.
• 40:40
  These weren't just shrines udluzin. They were active worship centers
• 40:45
  where terrible rituals took place. Keimosh demanded child sacrifice from
• 40:49
  the Moabites. Mullich was even worse. Children were burned alive
• 40:54
  in his bronze arms, while drums drowned out their screams.
• 40:58
  The same Solomon who had been God's temple was now
• 41:01
  providing places for his wives to sacrifice children to demon gods.
• 41:08
  Chapter eleven, verse eight shows how far Solomon had fallen,
• 41:12
  and he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who
• 41:15
  burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. The man whom
• 41:20
  God had appeared to twice, who had prayed the greatest
• 41:23
  dedication prayer in history, was now enabling pagan worship in
• 41:28
  the Holy Land. God's patience with Solomon finally reached its limit.
• 41:33
  The Lord appeared to Solomon for the third time, but
• 41:36
  this visit brought judgment instead of blessing. Chapter eleven, verse
• 41:41
  nine explains God's anger so the Lord became angry with
• 41:46
  Solomon because his heart had turned from the Lord God
• 41:50
  of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Despite all
• 41:54
  God's blessings and warnings, Solomon had chosen other gods. God's
• 41:59
  judgment was swift and terrible. Chapter eleven, verse eleven records
• 42:03
  his sentence. Therefore, the Lord said to Solomon, because you
• 42:07
  have done this and have not kept my covenant and
• 42:10
  my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely
• 42:14
  tear the kingdom away from you and give it to
• 42:17
  your servant. The united Kingdom that David had built and
• 42:21
  Solomon had glorified would be ripped apart, but God's mercy
• 42:25
  tempered his justice. Because of his love for David, the
• 42:29
  punishment would be delayed. Chapter eleven, verse twelve explains, Nevertheless,
• 42:34
  I will not do it in your days. For the
• 42:36
  sake of your father, David, I will tear it out
• 42:39
  of the hand of your son. Solomon would die as
• 42:43
  king of a united Israel, but his son would lose
• 42:47
  most of the kingdom. God also promised to preserve a
• 42:50
  remnant for David's sake. Verse thirteen records his commitment. However,
• 42:55
  I will not tear away the whole kingdom. I will
• 42:57
  give one tribe to your son, for the sake of
• 43:00
  my servant, David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, which
• 43:03
  I have chosen. The line of David would continue, but barely.
• 43:08
  The judgment began immediately through Solomon's enemies. God stirred up
• 43:12
  Hadad the Edomite, who had escaped to Egypt as a
• 43:16
  child when David conquered Edom. Chapter eleven, verse fourteen introduces him.
• 43:22
  Now the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad
• 43:26
  the Edomite. He was a descendant of the king in Edom.
• 43:30
  Haddad had grown up in Pharaoh's court, married into the
• 43:34
  royal family, and now returned to cause trouble for Solomon.
• 43:38
  Another enemy was Reason, who had fled from his master
• 43:42
  and became the leader of a band of raiders. Chapter eleven,
• 43:45
  verse twenty three tells us, and God raised up another
• 43:49
  adversary against him, Reson, the son of Eliada, who had
• 43:54
  fled from his master Hadad Azer, king of Zoba. Reson
• 43:59
  captured Damascus and became king of Syria, creating a constant
• 44:03
  threat on Israel's northern border. But the most dangerous enemy
• 44:08
  was internal Jeroboam was one of Solomon's own officials, a
• 44:12
  capable man from the tribe of Ephraim. Chapter eleven, verse
• 44:16
  twenty eight describes his rise. The man Jeroboam was a
• 44:21
  valiant warrior, and when Solomon saw that the young man
• 44:25
  was industrious, he made him the officer over all the
• 44:29
  labor force of the House of Joseph. One day, as
• 44:33
  Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, he met the prophet Ahija on
• 44:37
  the road. The prophet was wearing a new cloak, and
• 44:40
  in a dramatic gesture, he tore it into twelve pieces.
• 44:44
  Chapter eleven, verse thirty describes the scene. Then Ahija took
• 44:49
  hold of the new garment that was on him and
• 44:51
  tore it into twelve pieces. Ahijah gave ten pieces to
• 44:55
  Jeroboam and delivered a shocking prophecy. Chapter eleven versus thirty
• 45:00
  one records God's message, take for yourself ten pieces. For
• 45:04
  thus says the Lord, the God of Israel. Behold, I
• 45:07
  will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon
• 45:10
  and will give ten tribes to you. Jeroboam would become
• 45:15
  king of the northern tribes when Solomon died. When Solomon
• 45:20
  heard about Ahija's prophecy. He tried to kill Jeroboam, but
• 45:24
  Chapter eleven, verse forty tells us Solomon therefore sought to
• 45:28
  kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to Shishak,
• 45:33
  king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death
• 45:37
  of Solomon. The future king of Northern Israel waited in
• 45:40
  exile while Solomon's kingdom crumbled from within. When Solomon died,
• 45:46
  his son Rehoboam, should have inherited the most powerful kingdom
• 45:50
  in the ancient world. Instead, he was about to make
• 45:54
  the worst decision in Israel's history. All Israel gathered at
• 45:58
  Shechm to make him killing, but they had concerns about
• 46:02
  his father's harsh policies. Chapter twelve, verse three tells us
• 46:06
  that they sent and called him. The people wanted to
• 46:11
  talk before crowning their new king. Jeroboam returned from Egypt
• 46:16
  when he heard about Solomon's death. He joined the northern
• 46:19
  tribes as their spokesman. When they approached Riaboam, their request
• 46:24
  was simple and reasonable. Chapter twelve, verse four records their words,
• 46:31
  your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the
• 46:37
  burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which
• 46:41
  he put on us, and we will serve you. Solomon's
• 46:44
  building projects had required enormous amounts of forced labor. The temple,
• 46:49
  his palace complex, and all his other construction had taken
• 46:53
  decades and cost the people dearly in taxes and work crews.
• 46:58
  Now they were asking for relief, lower taxes, shorter work periods,
• 47:03
  less government control over their lives. Rioboam asked for three
• 47:08
  days to consider their request. He first went to the
• 47:11
  old advisers who had served his father. These experienced men
• 47:16
  gave him wise counsel in chapter twelve, verse seven. If
• 47:20
  you will be a servant to these people to day
• 47:23
  and serve them and answer them and speak good words
• 47:27
  to them, then they will be your servants forever. The
• 47:31
  formula was simple, serve the people and they will serve you.
• 47:35
  But Rihoboam didn't like this advice. He rejected the wisdom
• 47:39
  of the elders and instead asked his young friends what
• 47:43
  they thought. These men had grown up with Rehoboam in
• 47:47
  the palace, surrounded by luxury and power. They had never
• 47:51
  worked in the fields or carried stones for Solomon's buildings.
• 47:55
  The young advisers gave terrible counsel. Chapter twelve, verse ten
• 48:01
  records their arrogant response, Thus, you should speak to this
• 48:05
  people who have spoken to you, saying, your father made
• 48:09
  our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us.
• 48:13
  Thus you shall say to them, my little finger shall
• 48:16
  be thicker than my father's waist. They advised Rahboam to
• 48:20
  threaten even harsher treatment. When the three days ended, all
• 48:25
  Israel returned to hear re Hoboam's decision. The young king
• 48:29
  stood before his people and delivered words that would split
• 48:33
  the nation forever. Chapter twelve, verse fourteen records his foolish threat,
• 48:39
  my father made your yoke heavy, but I will add
• 48:42
  to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but
• 48:46
  I will chastise you with scourges. The people's reaction was
• 48:50
  immediate and explosive. Chapter twelve, verse sixteen captures their angry response. So,
• 48:57
  when all Israel saw that the king did not listen
• 48:59
  to them, the people answered the king, saying, what share
• 49:03
  have we in David? We have no inheritance in the
• 49:06
  son of Jesse to your tents, O Israel. Now see
• 49:10
  to your own house, oh David. The northern tribes rejected
• 49:15
  re Herboam as their king and went home. Re Heerboam
• 49:19
  tried to maintain control by sending Adoram, who was in
• 49:23
  charge of forced labor, to deal with the rebels, but
• 49:27
  the people's anger had reached the boiling point. Chapter twelve,
• 49:30
  verse eighteen tells us then king ri Herboam sent Adorum,
• 49:35
  who was in charge of the revenue, but all Israel
• 49:38
  stoned him with stones and he died. When Rieboam saw this,
• 49:44
  he quickly got in his chariot and fled to Jerusalem.
• 49:48
  With re Heoboam's authority rejected, the northern tribes needed a
• 49:52
  new king. They chose Jeroboam, the man who had fled
• 49:56
  to Egypt to escape Solomon's anger. Chapter twelve, verse twenty
• 49:59
  e records his coronation. So it came to pass when
• 50:03
  all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, they sent
• 50:07
  for him and called him to the congregation and made
• 50:10
  him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah
• 50:13
  remained loyal to David's house. Jeroboam now ruled ten tribes,
• 50:18
  but he had a serious problem. Jerusalem, with its magnificent temple,
• 50:22
  was in Rehoboam's territory. If his people continued going there
• 50:26
  for the required festivals, their hearts might turn back to
• 50:30
  the House of David. Chapter twelve, verse twenty six reveals
• 50:34
  his worry, and Jeroboam said in his heart, now the
• 50:39
  kingdom may return to the House of David. His thinking
• 50:43
  made political sense, but it led to spiritual disaster. Chapter twelve,
• 50:49
  verse twenty seven shows his reasoning. If these people go
• 50:54
  up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord
• 50:57
  at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn
• 51:01
  back to their lord, Rehoboam, King of Judah, and they
• 51:06
  will kill me and go back to Rihoboam, King of Judah.
• 51:09
  So Jeroboam made two golden calves and set them up
• 51:13
  as alternative worship centers. He placed one in Bethel in
• 51:17
  the south and another in Dan in the north. Chapter twelve,
• 51:21
  verse twenty eight records his announcement to the people, it
• 51:25
  is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem.
• 51:29
  Here are your gods o Israel, which brought you up
• 51:32
  from the land of Egypt. This was a catastrophic decision
• 51:35
  that violated the First and Second commandments. Jeroboam wasn't trying
• 51:40
  to replace God. He claimed these calves represented the Lord
• 51:44
  who had brought Israel out of Egypt, but God had
• 51:47
  specifically forbidden making images of himself, and these golden calves
• 51:52
  reminded everyone of Aaron's terrible mistake in the wilderness. Jeroboam
• 51:57
  didn't stop with the calves. He built shrine at the
• 52:00
  high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people,
• 52:04
  not just from the tribe of Levi as God had commanded.
• 52:08
  Chapter twelve, verse thirty one tells us he made shrines
• 52:13
  on the high places and made priests from every class
• 52:16
  of people who were not of the sons of Levi.
• 52:20
  The new king even changed the religious calendar to suit
• 52:23
  his political needs. Instead of celebrating the feast of Tabernacles
• 52:28
  in the seventh month as God commanded, Jeroboam moved it
• 52:32
  to the eighth month. Chapter twelve, verse thirty two explains
• 52:37
  Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the
• 52:41
  eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and
• 52:44
  offered sacrifices on the altar. He wanted to prevent his
• 52:48
  people from going to Jerusalem during the real festival. On
• 52:52
  the day of his new festival, Jeroboam personally went to
• 52:55
  Bethel to offer sacrifices on the altar he had made.
• 53:00
  Twelve Verse thirty three describes the scene. So he made
• 53:04
  offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel
• 53:07
  on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the
• 53:09
  month which he had devised in his own heart. Everything
• 53:14
  about this new religion was invented by Jeroboam to serve
• 53:18
  his political purposes. While Jeroboam was offering incense at his
• 53:23
  false altar in Bethel, God sent a prophet from Judah
• 53:27
  to confront him. This unnamed man of God didn't sneak
• 53:30
  into the city or wait for a private audience. He
• 53:33
  boldly interrupted the king's ceremony with a shocking prophecy. Chapter thirteen,
• 53:39
  verse one sets the dramatic scene. And behold, a man
• 53:44
  of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word
• 53:47
  of the Lord, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to
• 53:50
  burn incense. The prophet's message was specific and startling. He
• 53:55
  spoke directly to the altar, not to the king, declaring
• 53:58
  God's judgment. In chapter thirteen, verse two, o altar alter
• 54:04
  thus says the Lord, behold, a child Josiah by name,
• 54:09
  shall be born to the House of David, and on
• 54:12
  you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places
• 54:15
  who burn incense on you, and men's bones shall be
• 54:19
  burned on you. This prophecy wouldn't be fulfilled for over
• 54:23
  three hundred years, but it showed that God's judgment was certain.
• 54:28
  To prove his message was from God, the prophet gave
• 54:32
  an immediate sign. Chapter thirteen, verse three records his prediction,
• 54:37
  and he gave a sign the same day, saying, this
• 54:40
  is the sign which the Lord has spoken. Surely the
• 54:44
  altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall
• 54:47
  be poured out. God would demonstrate his power right then
• 54:52
  and there. Jeroboam was furious at this interruption of his ceremony.
• 54:56
  He pointed at the prophet and shouted for his gods
• 54:59
  to arrest him. But chapter thirteen, verse four tells us
• 55:03
  what happened next. So it came to pass when King
• 55:06
  Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God who
• 55:09
  cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched
• 55:13
  out his hand from the altar, saying arrest him. Then
• 55:16
  his hand which he stretched out toward him withered so
• 55:20
  that he could not pull it back to himself. At
• 55:22
  the same moment, the altar split apart, exactly as the
• 55:26
  prophet had predicted. Chapter thirteen, verse five describes the scene.
• 55:32
  The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured
• 55:36
  out from the altar according to the sign which the
• 55:39
  Man of God had given by the word of the Lord,
• 55:42
  Everyone watching knew they had witnessed divine power. Suddenly humble
• 55:46
  and terrified, Jeroboam begged the prophet to pray for him.
• 55:51
  Chapter thirteen, verse six records his desperate plea. Then the
• 55:55
  king answered and said, to the Man of God, please
• 55:59
  entreat the favor of the Lord, your God, and pray
• 56:02
  for me that my hand may be restored to me.
• 56:06
  The Man of God prayed, and immediately the King's hand
• 56:09
  was healed and became normal again. Grateful for his healing,
• 56:14
  Jeroboam invited the prophet to his house for food and
• 56:18
  a reward. But the Man of God had strict instructions
• 56:21
  from the Lord. Chapter thirteen, verse nine explains his orders.
• 56:25
  For so it was commanded me by the word of
• 56:27
  the Lord, saying you shall not eat bread, nor drink water,
• 56:31
  nor return by the same way you came. He was
• 56:35
  to deliver his message and leave immediately without accepting any hospitality.
• 56:40
  The prophet obeyed and left Bethel by a different road.
• 56:44
  But his story wasn't over. An old prophet who lived
• 56:47
  in Bethel heard about what had happened and decided to
• 56:50
  pursue the Man of God. He found him resting under
• 56:54
  an oak tree and invited him back for a meal.
• 56:58
  When the Man of God explained that he could eat
• 57:00
  or drink in this place, the old prophet lied to him.
• 57:03
  Chapter thirteen, verse eighteen records his deception. He said to him,
• 57:08
  I too, am a prophet as you are, and an
• 57:11
  angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying,
• 57:14
  bring him back with you to your house, that he
• 57:17
  may eat bread and drink water. He was lying to him. Tragically,
• 57:23
  the Man of God believed the lie and returned to
• 57:26
  eat with the old prophet. While they were sitting at
• 57:28
  the table, God spoke through the old prophet with a
• 57:32
  terrible judgment. Chapter thirteen, verse twenty one records the prophecy,
• 57:37
  and he cried out to the Man of God, who
• 57:39
  came from Judah, saying, thus says the Lord, because you
• 57:43
  have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not
• 57:47
  kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you,
• 57:50
  your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.
• 57:54
  After the meal, the man of God left to return home,
• 57:58
  but on the way a lie iron killed him. Chapter thirteen,
• 58:02
  verse twenty four describes his death. When he was gone,
• 58:06
  a lion met him on the road and killed him,
• 58:09
  and his corpse was thrown on the road, and the
• 58:12
  donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse. Strangely,
• 58:18
  the lion didn't eat the body or attack the donkey,
• 58:21
  It just stood guard over the dead prophet. Even after
• 58:25
  witnessing God's power at Bethel, Jeroboam didn't change his ways.
• 58:30
  Chapter thirteen, verse thirty three tells us after this event,
• 58:35
  Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but again
• 58:39
  he made priests from every class of people for the
• 58:42
  high places. Whoever wished he consecrated him, and he became
• 58:46
  one of the priests of the high places. The king
• 58:49
  continued his false religion despite clear warnings from God. But
• 58:55
  God wasn't finished with Jeroboam. The judgment came through a
• 58:59
  family that would test the king's faith. Jeroboam's son, Abija,
• 59:04
  became seriously ill, and the king was desperate to know
• 59:07
  if the boy would live. Chapter fourteen, verse one introduces
• 59:11
  the crisis. At that time, Abija, the son of Jeroboam,
• 59:15
  became sick. Jeroboam knew he needed to consult a true prophet,
• 59:20
  not one of his appointed priests. He thought of Ahija,
• 59:24
  the old prophet who had first told him he would
• 59:26
  become king. But there was a problem. Ahijah would recognize
• 59:30
  Jeroboam and might refuse to give him an answer because
• 59:34
  of his sins. So Jeroboam came up with a plan.
• 59:38
  He told his wife to disguise herself and go to Ahija,
• 59:42
  pretending to be someone else. Chapter fourteen, verse two records
• 59:46
  his instructions, and Jeroboam said to his wife, please arise
• 59:51
  and disguise yourself that they may not recognize you as
• 59:54
  the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah,
• 59:59
  the prophet is there who told me that I would
• 1:00:02
  be king over this people. Jeroboam's wife took gifts for
• 1:00:06
  the prophet, bread, cakes and honey, and traveled to Shiloh,
• 1:00:09
  where Ahija lived. But the old prophet was nearly blind
• 1:00:12
  by this time, and God had already told him she
• 1:00:15
  was coming. Chapter fourteen, verse five reveals God's preparation. Now,
• 1:00:21
  the Lord had said to Ahija, here is the wife
• 1:00:24
  of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son,
• 1:00:27
  for he is sick. Thus, and thus you shall say
• 1:00:30
  to her, for it will be when she comes in
• 1:00:33
  that she will pretend to be another woman. When Jeroboam's
• 1:00:37
  wife arrived at a Hyja's door, the prophet immediately called
• 1:00:41
  out her real identity. Chapter fourteen, verse six records his greeting,
• 1:00:47
  and so it was. When Ahijah heard the sound of
• 1:00:50
  her footsteps as she came through the door, he said,
• 1:00:54
  come in, wife of Jeroboam, Why do you pretend to
• 1:00:57
  be another person? For I have been sent to you
• 1:01:00
  with bad news. A hejous message was devastating. He reminded
• 1:01:05
  her of how God had taken the kingdom from Solomon's
• 1:01:07
  house and given it to Jeroboam, expecting him to follow
• 1:01:10
  God's commands like David did, but instead Jeroboam had done
• 1:01:16
  more evil than all the kings before him. Chapter fourteen,
• 1:01:20
  verse nine contains God's accusation, But you have done more
• 1:01:25
  evil than all who were before you, for you have
• 1:01:29
  gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images
• 1:01:34
  to provoke me to anger. And have cast me behind
• 1:01:37
  your back. The punishment would be complete destruction of Jeroboam's family.
• 1:01:42
  Chapter fourteen, verse ten records the terrible sentence. Therefore, behold,
• 1:01:48
  I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam and
• 1:01:51
  will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond
• 1:01:55
  and free. I will take away the remnant of the
• 1:01:58
  house of Jeroboam. As one takes away, refuse until it
• 1:02:02
  is all gone. The judgment would be especially shameful. Chapter fourteen,
• 1:02:07
  verse eleven describes the fate of Jeroboam's descendants. The dogs
• 1:02:12
  shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city,
• 1:02:16
  and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies
• 1:02:18
  in the field. For the Lord has spoken. This was
• 1:02:23
  the most disgraceful end possible, no proper burial, just bodies
• 1:02:28
  left for scavengers. But there was one exception. Ahijah told
• 1:02:32
  her that her sick son Abijah would die, but he
• 1:02:35
  alone would receive a proper burial. Chapter fourteen, verse thirteen
• 1:02:40
  explains why and all Israel shall mourn for him and
• 1:02:43
  bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam
• 1:02:47
  who shall come to the grave, because in him there
• 1:02:50
  is found something good. Toward the Lord God of Israel.
• 1:02:53
  In the house of Jeroboam, the prophecy began fulfilling immediately.
• 1:03:02
  Chapter fourteen, verse seventeen tells us Then Jeroboam's wife arose
• 1:03:06
  and departed and came to tersa. When she came to
• 1:03:09
  the threshold of the house, the child died. As soon
• 1:03:14
  as she reached home. Her son was dead, exactly as
• 1:03:17
  Ahijah had predicted. Meanwhile, in the southern kingdom of Judah,
• 1:03:22
  Rehoboam was also facing God's judgment for his failures. Chapter fourteen,
• 1:03:27
  verse twenty one tells us he was forty one years
• 1:03:30
  old when he became king and reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem.
• 1:03:35
  His mother was Nama, an Ammonite woman, another foreign marriage
• 1:03:40
  that would influence the kingdom's spiritual direction. Under Rehoboam's weak leadership,
• 1:03:46
  Judah abandoned the Lord just as completely as Israel had.
• 1:03:51
  Chapter fourteen, verse twenty two describes and their rebellion. Now,
• 1:03:56
  Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and
• 1:03:59
  they provoked him to jealousy with their sins, which they
• 1:04:02
  committed more than all that their fathers had done. The
• 1:04:05
  people built high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on
• 1:04:09
  every high hill and under every green tree. Even worse,
• 1:04:14
  Chapter fourteen, verse twenty four tells us, and there were
• 1:04:17
  also perverted persons in the land. They did according to
• 1:04:21
  all the abominations of the nations which the Lord had
• 1:04:25
  cast out before the children of Israel. The temple, prostitution
• 1:04:29
  and child sacrifice that had characterized the Canaanites before Israel's
• 1:04:34
  conquest were now happening in the Promised Land. Again. God's
• 1:04:39
  judgment came through Shishak, King of Egypt, in Rehoboam's fifth year.
• 1:04:45
  This powerful pharaoh invaded Judah with a massive army. Chapter fourteen,
• 1:04:50
  verse twenty five records the attack. It happened in the
• 1:04:53
  fifth year of King Rihoboam that Shishak, King of Egypt,
• 1:04:57
  came up against Jerusalem. The sa Egypt that had once
• 1:05:01
  enslaved Israel was now conquering the Promised Land. Shishak's army
• 1:05:06
  was enormous and included troops from multiple African nations. Chapter fourteen,
• 1:05:12
  verse twenty six describes the devastating loss. And he took
• 1:05:15
  away the treasures of the House of the Lord and
• 1:05:19
  the treasures of the King's house. He took away everything.
• 1:05:22
  He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon
• 1:05:26
  had made. All the wealth that Solomon had accumulated over
• 1:05:30
  decades was carried off to Egypt in a single campaign.
• 1:05:35
  The humiliation was complete. Instead of golden shields, Rehoboam had
• 1:05:40
  to make bronze ones for his guards. Chapter fourteen, verse
• 1:05:43
  twenty seven tells us then King Rehoboam made bronze shields
• 1:05:48
  in their place and committed them to the hands of
• 1:05:50
  the captains of the guard who guarded the doorway of
• 1:05:53
  the king's house. The glory of Solomon's reign was reduced
• 1:05:58
  to cheap imitation. When Rehoboam died, his son Abija became
• 1:06:03
  king of Judah. Abija ruled only three years, but he
• 1:06:07
  achieved one remarkable military victory against the Northern kingdom. Jeroboam
• 1:06:12
  came against Judah with eight hundred thousand warriors, while Abija
• 1:06:16
  had only four hundred thousand. Chapter thirteen, verse three gives
• 1:06:20
  us these staggering numbers, and Abija set the battle in
• 1:06:24
  array with an army of valiant warriors four hundred thousand
• 1:06:28
  choice men. Jeroboam also drew up in battle formation against
• 1:06:32
  him with eight hundred thousand choice men, mighty men of valor.
• 1:06:37
  Before the battle, Abija stood on Mount Zemarim and delivered
• 1:06:41
  a powerful speech to Jeroboam's army. He reminded them that
• 1:06:45
  God had given the kingdom to David's line forever, and
• 1:06:49
  that Jeroboam's rebellion was against God's plan. Chapter thirteen, verse
• 1:06:55
  eight contains his challenge. And now you think to withstand
• 1:06:59
  the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hand
• 1:07:02
  of the sons of David. And you are a great multitude,
• 1:07:06
  and with you are the gold calves which Jeroboam made
• 1:07:09
  for you as gods. While Abija was speaking, Jeroboam sent
• 1:07:13
  troops to attack from behind. When Judah realized they were surrounded,
• 1:07:17
  they cried out to the Lord for help. Chapter thirteen,
• 1:07:20
  verse fifteen records the turning point. Then the men of
• 1:07:24
  Judah gave a shout. And as the men of Judah shouted,
• 1:07:27
  it happened that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before
• 1:07:31
  Abija and Judah. God fought for Judah and gave them
• 1:07:34
  an incredible victory. The defeat was devastating for Israel. Chapter thirteen,
• 1:07:40
  verse seventeen tells us then Abijah and his people struck
• 1:07:44
  them with a great slaughter, so five hundred thousand choice
• 1:07:48
  men of Israel fell slain. Half of Jeroboam's army was
• 1:07:53
  destroyed in one battle. Jeroboam never recovered his strength after
• 1:07:58
  this defeat and died shortly afterward. When Abija died, his
• 1:08:03
  son Esa became King of Judah and began one of
• 1:08:06
  the most important reform movements in the kingdom's history. Chapter fifteen,
• 1:08:11
  verse eleven immediately establishes his character. Aesa did what was
• 1:08:17
  right in the eyes of the Lord, as did his
• 1:08:19
  father David. Unlike his father and grandfather, Esa was committed
• 1:08:24
  to following God's commands. Aesa's reforms were thorough and courageous.
• 1:08:30
  He removed all the pagan shrines and idols that had
• 1:08:34
  polluted Judah during previous reigns. Chapter fifteen, verse twelve describes
• 1:08:40
  his actions, and he banished the perverted persons from the
• 1:08:43
  land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
• 1:08:47
  The temple, prostitutes and fertility gods that had corrupted Israel's
• 1:08:52
  worship were eliminated. The king's reforms even extended to his
• 1:08:56
  own family. His grandmother Macha had been queen Mother, but
• 1:09:01
  she had made an obscene image for the goddess a Sharer.
• 1:09:05
  Chapter fifteen, verse thirteen tells us about Aesa's difficult decision. Also,
• 1:09:11
  he removed Macha, his grandmother, from being queen mother because
• 1:09:15
  she had made an obscene image of a sharer, and
• 1:09:18
  Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it by
• 1:09:21
  the brook Kidron. Aesa's heart was completely committed to the Lord,
• 1:09:25
  though he didn't remove all the high places. Chapter fifteen,
• 1:09:30
  verse fourteen gives us this evaluation, but the high places
• 1:09:34
  were not removed. Nevertheless, Aesa's heart was loyal to the
• 1:09:38
  Lord all his days. Some local worship sites remained, but
• 1:09:42
  the king's personal devotion never wavered. The spiritual renewal brought
• 1:09:47
  material blessings as well. Asa brought the silver and gold
• 1:09:51
  articles that he and his father had dedicated into the temple,
• 1:09:55
  restoring some of the wealth that Shishak had taken. Fifteen
• 1:10:00
  Dean Verse fifteen records his generosity. He also brought into
• 1:10:05
  the house of the Lord the things which his father
• 1:10:07
  had dedicated and the things which he himself had dedicated,
• 1:10:12
  silver and gold and utensils. ESA's reign was marked by
• 1:10:17
  peace for many years, but Eventually he faced a military crisis. Basha,
• 1:10:23
  King of Israel, came up against Judah and built the
• 1:10:26
  city of Ramah to control access to Jerusalem. Chapter fifteen,
• 1:10:31
  verse seventeen describes the threat. Now Basha, King of Israel,
• 1:10:36
  came up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might
• 1:10:39
  let none go out or come in to Asa, King
• 1:10:42
  of Judah. Instead of trusting God as he had in
• 1:10:45
  spiritual matters, Asa made a political alliance with Ben Hadad
• 1:10:50
  of Syria. He took silver and gold from the temple
• 1:10:54
  and his palace and sent it to Damascus with a message.
• 1:10:59
  Chapter fifteen, verse nineteen records his request, let there be
• 1:11:03
  a treaty between you and me, as there was between
• 1:11:06
  my father and your father. See, I have sent you
• 1:11:10
  a present of silver and gold. Come and break your
• 1:11:13
  treaty with Basha, King of Israel, so that he will
• 1:11:16
  withdraw from me. The strategy worked perfectly from a human perspective.
• 1:11:21
  Ben Hadad attacked Israel's northern cities, forcing Basha to abandon
• 1:11:27
  his fortification of Rama and return home to defend his
• 1:11:30
  own territory. Chapter fifteen, verse twenty tells us so ben
• 1:11:34
  Hadad heeded King Asa and sent the captains of his
• 1:11:38
  armies against the cities of Israel. He attacked Ijon, dan Abel,
• 1:11:43
  Beth Maacha, and all Chinnaroth with all the land of Naftali.
• 1:11:48
  When Basha withdrew, Esa mobilized all of Judah to dismantle
• 1:11:53
  the fortifications at Rama. Chapter fifteen, verse twenty two describes
• 1:11:58
  the massive project. Then King Aesa made a proclamation throughout
• 1:12:03
  all Judah, none was exempted, and they took away the
• 1:12:07
  stones and timber of Rama which Basha had built, and
• 1:12:11
  with them King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mispah.
• 1:12:16
  Arsa used Basha's own materials to strengthen Judah's defenses. Arsa
• 1:12:20
  reigned for forty one years, making him one of Judah's
• 1:12:24
  longest serving kings. Chapter fifteen, verse twenty three summarizes his accomplishments.
• 1:12:30
  The rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might,
• 1:12:33
  all that he did, and the cities which he built
• 1:12:37
  are they not written in the book of the Chronicles
• 1:12:39
  of the Kings of Judah. His reign brought stability and
• 1:12:44
  spiritual renewal that would influence Judah for generations. While Aesa
• 1:12:49
  was bringing reform to Judah, the Northern kingdom of Israel
• 1:12:53
  was experiencing violent political instability. When Jeroboam died, his son
• 1:12:59
  Nadab became king, but his reign lasted only two years.
• 1:13:03
  Chapter fifteen, verse twenty five tells us now Nadab, the
• 1:13:07
  son of Jeroboam, became king over Israel in the second
• 1:13:10
  year of Asa, King of Judah, and he reigned over
• 1:13:13
  Israel two years. Nadab followed his father's evil example, continuing
• 1:13:18
  the false religion that Jeroboam had established. Chapter fifteen, verse
• 1:13:24
  twenty six describes his character. And he did evil in
• 1:13:28
  the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way
• 1:13:30
  of his father, and in his sin by which he
• 1:13:34
  had made Israel's sin. The golden calves at Dan and
• 1:13:38
  Bethel remained, and the corrupt priesthood continued operating. Nadab's reign
• 1:13:44
  ended suddenly and violently. While he was besieging the Philistine
• 1:13:48
  city of Gibbethon with the Israeli Ermi, one of his
• 1:13:52
  own commanders struck him down. Chapter fifteen, verse twenty seven
• 1:13:56
  records the assassination. Then Basha, the son of Vahija of
• 1:14:00
  the House of Isaka, conspired against him, and Basha killed
• 1:14:05
  him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. While Nadab
• 1:14:08
  and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon. Basha didn't just
• 1:14:13
  kill Nadab. He completely destroyed Jeroboam's entire family line, exactly
• 1:14:19
  as the prophet Ahijah had predicted. Chapter fifteen, verse twenty
• 1:14:23
  nine tells us. And it was so when he became
• 1:14:26
  king that he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He
• 1:14:30
  did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed until he
• 1:14:33
  had destroyed him. According to the word of the Lord,
• 1:14:36
  which he had spoken by his servant Ahijah the Shilanite.
• 1:14:40
  The dogs and birds consumed the bodies, just as God
• 1:14:43
  had warned. Basha ruled Israel for twenty four years, but
• 1:14:47
  he learned nothing from Jeroboam's fate. Chapter fifteen, verse thirty
• 1:14:52
  four describes his character. He did evil in the sight
• 1:14:56
  of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboa
• 1:15:00
  and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.
• 1:15:04
  The new dynasty continued the same false religion that had
• 1:15:08
  destroyed the previous one. God sent the prophet Jihu to
• 1:15:12
  pronounce judgment on Basha's house. Chapter sixteen, verse two records
• 1:15:16
  the divine message, inasmuch as I lifted you out of
• 1:15:20
  the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel,
• 1:15:24
  and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and
• 1:15:26
  have made my people Israel sin to provoke me to
• 1:15:30
  anger with their sins, Basha would face the same judgment
• 1:15:34
  that had destroyed Jeroboam. The prophecy declared that Basha's dynasty
• 1:15:39
  would be completely eliminated. Chapter sixteen, verse three contains the
• 1:15:43
  terrible sentence, Surely I will take away the posterity of
• 1:15:47
  Basha and the posterity of his house, and I will
• 1:15:51
  make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son
• 1:15:54
  of Nebat. History was about to repeat itself with another
• 1:15:59
  violent dynasty change. When Basha died, his son Alah became
• 1:16:04
  king of Israel. But Eilah's reign lasted only two years
• 1:16:07
  before he was assassinated in a palace coups. Chapter sixteen,
• 1:16:12
  verse nine describes his death. Now, his servant Zimri, commander
• 1:16:17
  of half his chariots, conspired against him. As he was
• 1:16:21
  in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Aza,
• 1:16:24
  steward of his house in Tiza, Alah was murdered while
• 1:16:28
  getting drunk at a party. Zimri immediately fulfilled the prophecy
• 1:16:32
  against Basha's house by killing every male relative. Chapter sixteen,
• 1:16:38
  verse eleven records the massacre. Then it happened when he
• 1:16:43
  began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne,
• 1:16:46
  that he killed all the household of Basha. He did
• 1:16:50
  not leave him one male, neither of his relatives nor
• 1:16:53
  of his friends. Another royal family was completely destroyed for
• 1:16:58
  their sins against God. Zimri's reign as king of Israel
• 1:17:01
  lasted exactly seven days, the shortest reign in the Bible.
• 1:17:06
  When the Israeli army heard that he had murdered King
• 1:17:09
  Alah and seize the throne, they immediately proclaimed their own
• 1:17:13
  commander as king. Chapter sixteen, verse sixteen describes their reaction. Now,
• 1:17:19
  the people who were encamped heard it said Zimri has
• 1:17:22
  conspired and also has killed the king. So all Israel
• 1:17:26
  made Omri the commander of the army king over Israel.
• 1:17:30
  That day in the camp, Omri led the army from
• 1:17:35
  their siege of Gibbethon straight to Terza, the capital city
• 1:17:39
  where Zimri was trying to establish his rule. When Zimri
• 1:17:43
  saw that the city was taken and his cause was hopeless,
• 1:17:46
  he chose to die rather than be captured. Chapter sixteen,
• 1:17:52
  verse eighteen records his dramatic end. And it happened when
• 1:17:57
  Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went
• 1:18:00
  into the citadel of the King's house and burned the
• 1:18:04
  King's house down upon himself with fire and died. Zimri's
• 1:18:08
  death didn't immediately solve Israel's leadership crisis. The kingdom split
• 1:18:13
  between two rival claimants to the throne. Some of the
• 1:18:16
  people supported Tibney, the son of Ginnath, while others backed Omri.
• 1:18:22
  Chapter sixteen, verse twenty one describes the civil war. Then
• 1:18:27
  the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half
• 1:18:30
  of the people followed Tibney, the son of Ginnath to
• 1:18:34
  make him king, and half followed Omri. The civil war
• 1:18:38
  lasted for several years, with both sides fighting for control
• 1:18:42
  of the Northern Kingdom, but eventually Omri's supporters proved stronger
• 1:18:46
  than Tibney's faction. Chapter sixteen, verse twenty two tells us
• 1:18:50
  the outcome, But the people who followed Omri prevailed over
• 1:18:55
  the people who followed Tibney, the son of Genath Sony
• 1:19:00
  died and Omri became king. Once Omri secured his throne,
• 1:19:05
  he made a decision that would change Israel's history. He
• 1:19:08
  bought a hill from a man named Schemr and built
• 1:19:11
  a new capital city there. Chapter sixteen, verse twenty four
• 1:19:16
  records this important move. And he bought the hill of
• 1:19:19
  Samaria from Sheemer for two talents of silver. Then he
• 1:19:24
  built on the hill and called the name of the
• 1:19:26
  city which he built Samaria, after the name of Sheemer,
• 1:19:30
  owner of the hill. Samaria would remain Israel's capital for
• 1:19:35
  the rest of the Northern Kingdom's existence. Its location was perfect,
• 1:19:40
  situated on a hill that could be easily defended, with
• 1:19:43
  good access to trade routes, but isolated enough to resist
• 1:19:47
  siege warfare. Omri had chosen well from a military and
• 1:19:52
  political perspective, but spiritually, Omri was a disaster. Chapter sixteen v.
• 1:20:00
  Verse twenty five gives us God's evaluation of his reign.
• 1:20:03
  Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and
• 1:20:06
  did worse than all who were before him. Despite his
• 1:20:10
  political and military success, Omri continued and even expanded the
• 1:20:15
  false religion that had plagued Israel since Jeroboam's time. Omri
• 1:20:21
  ruled Israel for twelve years and established a dynasty that
• 1:20:25
  would include some of the most wicked kings in biblical history.
• 1:20:30
  When he died, his son Ahab became king and would
• 1:20:33
  prove to be even more evil than his father. Chapter sixteen,
• 1:20:37
  verse twenty eight records the transition. So Omri rested with
• 1:20:42
  his father's and was buried in Samaria. Then Ahab, his son,
• 1:20:47
  reigned in his place. The stage was now set for
• 1:20:50
  the next great confrontation in Israel's history. A new king
• 1:20:55
  would arise who would challenge God more boldly than any
• 1:20:59
  before him, and God would respond by raising up a
• 1:21:02
  prophet whose ministry would shake the very foundations of the kingdom.
• 1:21:06
  Ahab became king of Israel and immediately proved himself to
• 1:21:10
  be the most wicked ruler the Northern Kingdom had ever seen.
• 1:21:14
  Chapter sixteen, verse thirty gives us God's shocking evaluation. Now Ahab,
• 1:21:19
  the son of Omri, did evil in the sight of
• 1:21:22
  the Lord more than all who were before him. This
• 1:21:26
  wasn't just another bad king. Ahab surpassed every previous ruler.
• 1:21:30
  Records his additional offense, and Ahab made a wooden image.
• 1:21:35
  Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel
• 1:21:38
  to anger than all the kings of Israel who were
• 1:21:41
  before him. The wooden image was an asherer poll representing
• 1:21:46
  Bal's consort, a fertility goddess whose worship involved prostitution and
• 1:21:51
  child sacrifice. Into this spiritual darkness stepped a prophet unlike
• 1:21:57
  any Israel had seen before. Elijah the Tishbite appeared suddenly
• 1:22:02
  before King Ahab with a message that would shake the
• 1:22:05
  kingdom to its foundation. Chapter seventeen, verse one records his
• 1:22:10
  dramatic announcement, and Elijah the Tishbite of the inhabitants of
• 1:22:15
  Gilead said to Ahab, as the Lord God of Israel
• 1:22:20
  lives before whom I stand, there shall not be due
• 1:22:24
  nor reign these years except at my word. This wasn't
• 1:22:28
  just a prediction, it was a declaration of war. Baal
• 1:22:32
  was supposed to be the god of rain and fertility,
• 1:22:36
  the one who provided water for crops and prosperity for
• 1:22:39
  the land. By stopping the rain, God was proving that
• 1:22:43
  Bale was powerless and that only the Lord controlled the heavens.
• 1:22:47
  After delivering his message, Elijah disappeared as Suddenly, as he
• 1:22:51
  had come, God told him to hide by the brook
• 1:22:54
  Cherith east of the Jordan River. Chapter seventeen verse three
• 1:22:58
  records the divine instructions, get away from here and turn
• 1:23:02
  eastward and hide by the brook Cherith, which flows into
• 1:23:06
  the Jordan. Ahab would search everywhere for the prophet, but
• 1:23:11
  God had hidden him in the wilderness at the brook.
• 1:23:14
  God provided for Elijah in an extraordinary way. Chapter seventeen
• 1:23:19
  verse four describes the miraculous arrangement. And it will be
• 1:23:23
  that you shall drink from the brook, and I have
• 1:23:26
  commanded the ravens to feed you there. Ravens were unclean
• 1:23:31
  birds according to Jewish law, yet God used them to
• 1:23:34
  sustain his profit with bread and meat. Twice daily, every
• 1:23:39
  morning and evening, the ravens brought Elijah food while he
• 1:23:43
  drank from the brook. This continued for months as the
• 1:23:46
  drought tightened its grip on Israel, but eventually even the
• 1:23:50
  brook Cherith began to dry up. Chapter seventeen verse seven
• 1:23:54
  tells us And it happened after a while that the
• 1:23:57
  brook dried up because there had been no rain in
• 1:24:00
  the land. God's judgment was so complete that even Elijah's
• 1:24:04
  water source disappeared. When the brook dried up, God gave
• 1:24:08
  Elijah new instructions that must have surprised him. Instead of
• 1:24:13
  sending him to another hiding place in Israel, God directed
• 1:24:17
  him to go to Zarafath, a city in Sidon, the
• 1:24:20
  very homeland of Queen Jezebel. Chapter seventeen, verse nine records
• 1:24:26
  the command a rise, go to Zaraphath, which belongs to Sidon,
• 1:24:31
  and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there
• 1:24:35
  to provide for you. When Elijah reached the sitake him
• 1:24:37
  a small cake first, then prepare food for herself and
• 1:24:42
  her son. Elijah's promise must have sounded incredible to the
• 1:24:46
  starving widow. Chapter seventeen, verse fourteen records his guarantee, For
• 1:24:53
  thus says the Lord, God of Israel, the bin of
• 1:24:56
  flower shall not be used up, nor shall the jar
• 1:24:58
  of oil run dr until the day the Lord sends
• 1:25:02
  rain on the earth. Her meager supplies would last until
• 1:25:07
  the drought ended. The widow chose to believe God's prophet
• 1:25:11
  despite the impossibility of his promise. Chapter seventeen, verse fifteen
• 1:25:16
  tells us so she went away and did according to
• 1:25:19
  the word of Elijah, and she and he and her
• 1:25:22
  household eight. For many days, every day there was just
• 1:25:27
  enough flour and oil for their needs, never more, never less,
• 1:25:32
  but always sufficient. Chapter seventeen, verse sixteen confirms the miracle.
• 1:25:38
  The bin of flower was not used up, nor did
• 1:25:41
  the jar of oil run dry. According to the word
• 1:25:44
  of the Lord which he spoke by Elijah, for months,
• 1:25:48
  God multiplied the widow's small supply to sustain three people
• 1:25:52
  through the worst famine in memory. But then tragedy struck
• 1:25:56
  the widow's household. Her son became seriously ill and die.
• 1:26:01
  The woman, who had shown such faith now turned on
• 1:26:03
  Elijah with bitter questions. Chapter seventeen, verse eighteen records her
• 1:26:08
  anguish So she said to Elijah, what have I to
• 1:26:12
  do with you? O Man of God? Have you come
• 1:26:14
  to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to
• 1:26:17
  kill my son? Elijah took the dead boy from his
• 1:26:21
  mother's arms and carried him up to his room. There,
• 1:26:25
  alone with the child, he cried out to God in desperation.
• 1:26:29
  Chapter seventeen, verse twenty contains his anguished prayer. And he
• 1:26:33
  cried out to the Lord and said, O, Lord, my God,
• 1:26:37
  have you also brought tragedy on the widow with whom
• 1:26:39
  I lodge by killing her son. Then Elijah stretched himself
• 1:26:44
  out on the child three times and prayed again. Chapter seventeen,
• 1:26:48
  verse twenty one records his plea. And he stretched himself
• 1:26:52
  out on the child three times and cried out to
• 1:26:55
  the Lord and said, O, Lord, my God, I pray
• 1:26:58
  let this child soul come back to him. God heard
• 1:27:03
  his prophet's prayer and performed an incredible miracle. Chapter seventeen,
• 1:27:08
  verse twenty two tells us then the Lord heard the
• 1:27:11
  voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came
• 1:27:15
  back to him, and he revived. This was the first
• 1:27:18
  recorded resurrection in the Bible. God brought a dead child
• 1:27:23
  back to life through his prophet's prayer. When Elijah brought
• 1:27:27
  the living boy back to his mother, her response showed
• 1:27:31
  that the miracle had accomplished more than just saving her
• 1:27:34
  son's life. Chapter seventeen, verse twenty four records her declaration,
• 1:27:39
  Now by this, I know that you are a man
• 1:27:42
  of God, and that the word of the Lord in
• 1:27:44
  your mouth is the truth. Her faith was now unshakable.
• 1:27:49
  After three and a half years of drought, God was
• 1:27:52
  ready to demonstrate his power publicly. Chapter eighteen verse one
• 1:27:56
  records the divine command. And it came to pass after
• 1:27:59
  many days that the word of the Lord came to
• 1:28:02
  Elijah in the third year, saying, go present yourself to Ahab,
• 1:28:07
  and I will send rain on the earth. The time
• 1:28:12
  had come for a final confrontation with bale worship. The
• 1:28:16
  famine had become so severe that even King Ahab was
• 1:28:20
  personally searching for grass to keep his horses and mules alive.
• 1:28:24
  He and his palace administrator Obadiah split up to cover
• 1:28:28
  more ground in their desperate hunt for fodder. Chapter eighteen
• 1:28:33
  verse five describes their mission. And Ahab had said to Obadiah,
• 1:28:39
  go into the land, to all the springs of water
• 1:28:42
  and to all the brooks. Perhaps we may find grass
• 1:28:46
  to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we
• 1:28:49
  will not have to kill any live stock. While searching,
• 1:28:54
  Obadiah unexpectedly encountered Elijah on the road. The palace official
• 1:28:58
  immediately recognized the prophet and fell on his face in respect.
• 1:29:03
  But when Elijah told him to announce his presence to Ahab,
• 1:29:07
  Obadiah was terrified. Chapter eighteen verse nine reveals his fear,
• 1:29:13
  So he said, how have I sinned that you are
• 1:29:17
  delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab to kill me.
• 1:29:22
  Obadiah explained that Ahab had searched every nation and kingdom
• 1:29:27
  for Elijah, making rulers swear they hadn't seen him. If
• 1:29:32
  Obadiah told the king that Elijah was here and then
• 1:29:37
  the prophet disappeared again, Ahab would kill the messenger, but
• 1:29:41
  Elijah assured him that he would definitely appear before Ahab
• 1:29:45
  that day. When Ahab finally saw Elijah, he immediately blamed
• 1:29:49
  him for Israel's troubles. Chapter eighteen, verse seventeen records the
• 1:29:55
  king's accusation. Then it happened when Ahab saw Elijah that
• 1:30:00
  Ahab said to him, is that you o troubler of Israel. Aye.
• 1:30:04
  But Elijah turned the accusation back on the king, identifying
• 1:30:08
  the real source of the problem. Chapter eighteen, verse eighteen
• 1:30:14
  contains Elijah's bold response, and he answered, I have not
• 1:30:19
  troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have in
• 1:30:23
  that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and
• 1:30:27
  have followed the bales. The drought wasn't Elijah's fault, It
• 1:30:32
  was God's judgment on Israel's idolatry. Elijah then proposed a
• 1:30:37
  test that would settle the question once and for all.
• 1:30:40
  He told Ahab to gather all Israel to Mount Carmel,
• 1:30:43
  along with four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and
• 1:30:46
  four hundred prophets of Asherah who ate at Jezebel's table.
• 1:30:51
  Chapter eighteen, verse nineteen records his challenge. Now, therefore, send
• 1:30:57
  and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the
• 1:31:01
  four hundred and fifty prophets of Bail and the four
• 1:31:04
  hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table. When
• 1:31:09
  the people assembled on Mount Carmel, Elijah addressed them with
• 1:31:12
  a penetrating question. Chapter eighteen, verse twenty one records his challenge.
• 1:31:19
  And Elijah came to all the people and said, how
• 1:31:23
  long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord
• 1:31:28
  is God, follow him, but if Bail follow him. But
• 1:31:32
  the people answered him not a word. Israel had been
• 1:31:35
  trying to worship both God and Bail, but Elijah demanded
• 1:31:39
  they choose. Elijah proposed a simple test. Two bulls would
• 1:31:44
  be prepared for sacrifice, one for Bail's prophets and one
• 1:31:47
  for him. Each side would call on their god to
• 1:31:51
  send fire to consume the offering. Chapter eighteen verse twenty
• 1:31:56
  four explains the rules. Then you call on the name
• 1:32:00
  of your gods, and I will call on the name
• 1:32:03
  of the Lord. And the god who answers by fire,
• 1:32:06
  he is God. The people agreed this was a fair test.
• 1:32:10
  The prophets of Baal went first, preparing their bull and
• 1:32:13
  placing it on their altar. From morning until noon, they
• 1:32:17
  called on Bal to answer with fire, but nothing happened.
• 1:32:22
  Chapter eighteen verse twenty six describes their futile efforts. So
• 1:32:26
  they took the bull which was given them, and they
• 1:32:29
  prepared it and called on the name of Baal from
• 1:32:33
  morning even till noon, saying Obal, hear us, But there
• 1:32:38
  was no voice. No one answered. Then they leaped about
• 1:32:41
  the altar which they had made. At noon, Elijah began
• 1:32:45
  mocking their efforts. Chapter eighteen verse twenty seven records his sarcasm.
• 1:32:51
  And so it was at noon that Elijah mocked them
• 1:32:54
  and said, cry aloud, For he is a god. Either
• 1:32:58
  he is meditating or his busy, or he is on
• 1:33:01
  a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.
• 1:33:05
  His taunts drove the false prophets to even more desperate measures.
• 1:33:09
  The prophets of Bile cried louder and cut themselves with
• 1:33:13
  knives and lances until blood gushed out, But still nothing happened.
• 1:33:19
  Chapter eighteen, verse twenty nine tells us and when midday
• 1:33:23
  was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering
• 1:33:26
  of the evening sacrifice, but there was no voice, no
• 1:33:31
  one answered, no one paid attention. Finally, it was Elijah's turn.
• 1:33:37
  He called the people to come near and watch as
• 1:33:39
  he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been
• 1:33:41
  broken down. He took twelve stones representing the twelve tribes
• 1:33:46
  of Israel and built an altar. Then he dug a
• 1:33:50
  trench around it and arranged the wood and the sacrifice.
• 1:33:54
  To make the test even more dramatic, Elijah had them
• 1:33:57
  pour water on the sacrifice three times until everything was
• 1:34:01
  soaked and the trench was full. Chapter eighteen, verse thirty
• 1:34:06
  five describes the scene. So the water ran all around
• 1:34:10
  the altar, and he also filled the trench with water.
• 1:34:13
  There could be no question that human trickery wasn't involved.
• 1:34:17
  Then Elijah prayed a simple, powerful prayer. Chapter eighteen verse
• 1:34:22
  thirty six records his words. And it came to pass
• 1:34:26
  at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice,
• 1:34:29
  that Elijah the Prophet came near and said, Lord, God
• 1:34:33
  of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this
• 1:34:36
  day that you are God in Israel, and I am
• 1:34:39
  your servant, and that I have done all these things
• 1:34:42
  at your word. God's response was immediate and overwhelming. Chapter eighteen,
• 1:34:48
  verse thirty eight describes the miracle. Then the fire of
• 1:34:52
  the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the
• 1:34:57
  wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked
• 1:35:01
  up the water that was in the trench. The fire
• 1:35:04
  didn't just burn the sacrifice, it consumed everything, even the
• 1:35:08
  stones and the water. When the people saw this demonstration
• 1:35:12
  of divine power, they fell on their faces and declared
• 1:35:15
  their allegiance. Chapter eighteen, verse thirty nine records their response. Now,
• 1:35:20
  when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces,
• 1:35:23
  and they said, the Lord he is God, the Lord
• 1:35:28
  he is God. The contest was over, and Israel had
• 1:35:34
  their answer. Elijah immediately ordered the execution of Bial's prophets,
• 1:35:39
  and the people seized them. Chapter eighteen, verse forty tells
• 1:35:43
  us and Elijah said to them, seize the prophets of Baal,
• 1:35:47
  do not let one of them escape. So they seized them,
• 1:35:51
  and Elijah brought them down to the Brookkishon and executed
• 1:35:55
  them there. The false prophets who had led Israel astray,
• 1:35:58
  paid with their lives. After the spectacular victory on Mount Carmel,
• 1:36:03
  Elijah told Ahab to hurry home because rain was coming.
• 1:36:08
  The prophet climbed to the top of Carmel and prayed
• 1:36:10
  while his servant watched the sky. Seven times, the servant
• 1:36:15
  reported seeing nothing, but on the seventh time he saw
• 1:36:18
  a small cloud. Chapter eighteen, verse forty four records his observation.
• 1:36:24
  Then it came to pass the seventh time that he said,
• 1:36:26
  there is a cloud as small as a man's hand
• 1:36:30
  rising out of the sea. That tiny cloud brought a
• 1:36:34
  tremendous storm. Chapter eighteen, verse forty five describes what happened now.
• 1:36:40
  It happened in the meantime that the sky became black
• 1:36:44
  with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain.
• 1:36:47
  The three and a half year drought was finally over,
• 1:36:50
  exactly as Elijah had predicted. In an incredible display of
• 1:36:54
  supernatural strength, Elijah ran ahead of Ahab's chariot all the
• 1:36:59
  way to Jezreel. Chapter eighteen verse forty six tells us
• 1:37:04
  then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah, and
• 1:37:08
  he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab
• 1:37:10
  to the entrance of Jezreel. God had given his prophet
• 1:37:15
  the energy to outrun horses over a distance of about
• 1:37:18
  twenty miles. But when Ahab told Jezebel everything that had happened,
• 1:37:24
  including the execution of her prophets, the queen's reaction was
• 1:37:28
  swift and deadly. Chapter nineteen verse two records her threatening
• 1:37:33
  message to Elijah. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying,
• 1:37:38
  so let the gods do to me, and more also,
• 1:37:42
  if I do not make your life as the life
• 1:37:44
  of one of them by tomorrow. About this time, the
• 1:37:48
  threat that should have seemed ridiculous after God's demonstration of
• 1:37:52
  power on Mount Carmel, instead terrified Elijah completely. The prophet,
• 1:37:57
  who had just called down fire from heath and ended
• 1:38:01
  a three year draft, was suddenly afraid of one angry woman.
• 1:38:06
  Chapter nineteen verse three describes his reaction, and when he
• 1:38:10
  saw that, he arose and ran for his life. And
• 1:38:14
  went to be a Sheba, which belongs to Judah, and
• 1:38:17
  left his servant there. Elijah fled alone into the wilderness
• 1:38:21
  beyond Beersheba, completely overwhelmed by fear and depression. After walking
• 1:38:28
  a day's journey into the desert, he sat down under
• 1:38:31
  a broom tree and asked to die. Chapter nineteen verse
• 1:38:36
  four records his desperate prayer. But he himself went a
• 1:38:40
  day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down
• 1:38:43
  under a broom tree, and he prayed that he might die,
• 1:38:46
  and said, it is enough now, Lord, take my life,
• 1:38:51
  for I am no better than my father's. The great
• 1:38:54
  Prophet was experiencing complete burnout and emotional collapse. He had
• 1:38:59
  given every everything he had in the confrontation with baal worship,
• 1:39:03
  and now he felt totally alone and defeated. Instead of
• 1:39:07
  celebrating victory, Elijah wanted to die in the wilderness. God's
• 1:39:13
  response to his discouraged servant was gentle and practical. An
• 1:39:17
  angel appeared and provided food and water, then let Elijah sleep.
• 1:39:22
  Chapter nineteen verse five tells us then as he lay
• 1:39:27
  and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched
• 1:39:31
  him and said to him arise and eat. God didn't
• 1:39:37
  scold his profit for being afraid. He took care of
• 1:39:41
  his basic needs. When Elijah looked around, he found a
• 1:39:44
  cake baked on coals and a jar of water. After
• 1:39:48
  eating and drinking, he lay down again and slept. The
• 1:39:53
  angel returned a second time with the same message, but
• 1:39:56
  this time he explained why Elijah needed to eat Chapter
• 1:40:00
  nineteen verse seven. Before the Lord and behold, the Lord
• 1:40:04
  passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into
• 1:40:08
  the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord,
• 1:40:12
  but the Lord was not in the wind. After the
• 1:40:14
  wind came an earthquake that shook the entire mountain, but
• 1:40:18
  God wasn't in the earthquake either. Then came fire, but
• 1:40:22
  once again God wasn't in the dramatic display. Chapter nineteen
• 1:40:28
  verse twelve tells us what happened next, and after the earthquake,
• 1:40:34
  a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire,
• 1:40:37
  and after the fire, a still small voice. When Elijah
• 1:40:41
  heard that gentle whisper, he immediately wrapped his face in
• 1:40:44
  his mantle and stood at the entrance of the cave.
• 1:40:47
  He understood that God was speaking to him, not through
• 1:40:50
  dramatic displays of power, But through a quiet, gentle voice
• 1:40:55
  that required careful listening, God asked him the same question again,
• 1:41:01
  and Elijah gave the same answer about being the only
• 1:41:04
  faithful person left, But this time God gave him specific
• 1:41:09
  assignments that would address his sense of isolation and purposelessness.
• 1:41:15
  Chapter nineteen verse fifteen records the first commission. Then, the
• 1:41:19
  Lord said to him, go return on your way to
• 1:41:22
  the wilderness of Damascus, and when you arrive, anoint Hazael
• 1:41:27
  as king over Syria. The second assignment was to anoint
• 1:41:31
  Jihu as king over Israel, and the third was to
• 1:41:35
  anoint Elishah as his own successor as prophet. Chapter nineteen
• 1:41:39
  verse sixteen contains these instructions. Also, you shall anoint Jihu
• 1:41:44
  the son of Nimshi as king over Israel, and Elisha,
• 1:41:48
  the son of Shaffat of Abel Meholah, you shall anoint
• 1:41:52
  as prophet in your place. God also corrected Elijah's mistaken
• 1:41:57
  belief that he was alone in his faithfulness. Chapter nineteen
• 1:42:02
  verse eighteen reveals the encouraging truth. Yet, I have reserved
• 1:42:06
  seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed
• 1:42:11
  to bail, and every mouth that has not kissed him.
• 1:42:14
  Elijah wasn't the only faithful person left. There were thousands
• 1:42:19
  of others who had remained loyal to God. God explained
• 1:42:23
  how these three anointings would work together to accomplish his purposes.
• 1:42:28
  Those who escaped Hazael's sword would be killed by ji Who,
• 1:42:33
  and those who escaped ji who would be killed by Elisha.
• 1:42:37
  Each would play a role in removing Bayal worship from
• 1:42:41
  Israel and judging those who had led the nation astray.
• 1:42:44
  So Elijah left Mount Horeb with renewed purpose and clear direction.
• 1:42:50
  His first task was to find Elishah and call him
• 1:42:53
  to be his successor. Chapter nineteen verse nineteen describes the encounter.
• 1:42:58
  So he departed from there and found Elishah, the son
• 1:43:01
  of Shaffat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of Oxen
• 1:43:05
  before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah
• 1:43:09
  passed by him and threw his mantle on him. Elisha
• 1:43:12
  immediately understood what this meant. He asked permission to say
• 1:43:16
  good bye to his parents, then made a dramatic break
• 1:43:19
  with his old life. Chapter nineteen verse twenty one tells
• 1:43:22
  us and he returned from him and took a yoke
• 1:43:25
  of Oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh using
• 1:43:29
  the Oxen's equipment, and gave it to the people and
• 1:43:31
  they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah and became
• 1:43:35
  his servant. Elisha, burned his bridges and committed completely to
• 1:43:40
  his new calling as a prophet. Some time later, King
• 1:43:44
  Ahab wanted to expand his palace grounds and noticed a
• 1:43:47
  vineyard that belonged to a man named Naboth. The vineyard
• 1:43:51
  was right next to the royal palace in Jezreel, making
• 1:43:55
  it perfect for Ahab's plans. Chapter twenty one, verse two
• 1:44:00
  records the king's reasonable offer. So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying,
• 1:44:05
  give me your vineyard, that I may have it for
• 1:44:07
  a vegetable garden, because it is near next to my house,
• 1:44:11
  and for it I will give you a vineyard better
• 1:44:13
  than it, or if it seems good to you, I
• 1:44:16
  will give you its worth in money. But Naboth refused
• 1:44:20
  to sell, and his reason was deeply rooted in God's law.
• 1:44:24
  Chapter twenty one, verse three contains his response. But Naboth
• 1:44:29
  said to Ahab, the Lord forbid that I should give
• 1:44:32
  the inheritance of my father's to you. Under Jewish law,
• 1:44:36
  family land was supposed to stay within the family forever.
• 1:44:40
  Selling ancestral property was considered a betrayal of one's heritage
• 1:44:45
  and a violation of God's commands. Ahab's reaction to this
• 1:44:49
  refusal showed his immature and selfish character. Instead of accepting
• 1:44:54
  Naboth's legitimate reason, the king went home and sulked like
• 1:44:59
  a spoiled child. Chapter twenty one, verse four describes his behavior.
• 1:45:06
  So Ahab went into his house sullen and displeased because
• 1:45:11
  of the word which Naboth, the jezreelite, had spoken to him.
• 1:45:15
  For he had said, I will not give you the
• 1:45:17
  inheritance of my father's. And he lay down on his
• 1:45:20
  bed and turned away his face and would eat no food.
• 1:45:24
  When Queen Jezebel found her husband pouting and refusing to eat,
• 1:45:28
  she was amazed at his weakness. She couldn't understand why
• 1:45:32
  the king of Israel would let one citizen tell him no.
• 1:45:38
  Chapter twenty one, verse seven records her incredulous response. Then, Jezebel,
• 1:45:44
  his wife, said to him, you now exercise authority over Israel. Arise,
• 1:45:49
  eat food, and let your heart be cheerful. I will
• 1:45:52
  give you the vineyard of Naboth. The jezreelite. Jezebel immediately
• 1:45:58
  began plotting to get the vineyard through fraud and murder.
• 1:46:01
  She wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with his seal,
• 1:46:05
  and sent them to the leaders of Naboth's city. Chapter
• 1:46:09
  twenty one, verse eight tells us and she wrote letters
• 1:46:12
  in Ahab's name, sealed them with his seal, and sent
• 1:46:16
  the letters to the elders and the nobles who were
• 1:46:18
  in the city dwelling with Naboth. The letters contained instructions
• 1:46:23
  for a wicked scheme. Chapter twenty one, verse nine records
• 1:46:27
  her orders. She wrote in the letters, saying, proclaim a
• 1:46:31
  fast and seat Naboth with high honor among the people.
• 1:46:36
  A fast was usually called when some great sin needed
• 1:46:40
  to be addressed, so this would make people think something
• 1:46:43
  terrible had happened. Jezebel also arranged for false witnesses to
• 1:46:48
  accuse Naboth of crimes worthy of death. Chapter twenty one,
• 1:46:52
  verse ten contains the rest of her plan, and seat
• 1:46:55
  two men scoundrels before him to bear witness against him, saying,
• 1:47:00
  you have blasphemed God and the King. Then take him
• 1:47:04
  out and stone him that he may die. The city
• 1:47:08
  leaders were too afraid of Jezebel to refuse her orders.
• 1:47:12
  They proclaimed the fast, seated Naboth in a place of honor,
• 1:47:16
  and brought in the false witnesses, exactly as the queen
• 1:47:19
  had commanded. Chapter twenty one, verse thirteen describes the mock trial,
• 1:47:26
  and two men scoundrels came in and sat before him,
• 1:47:30
  and the scoundrels witnessed against him against Naboth in the
• 1:47:34
  presence of the people, saying Naboth has blasphemed God and
• 1:47:38
  the King. Then they took him outside the city and
• 1:47:42
  stoned him with stones, so that he died. The murder
• 1:47:46
  was carried out according to Jezebel's plan, and Naboth died
• 1:47:50
  for crimes he hadn't committed. When the leaders sent word
• 1:47:53
  to Jezebel that Naboth was dead, she immediately told Ahab
• 1:47:57
  the good news. Chapter twenty one, verse fifteen records her message.
• 1:48:03
  And it came to pass when Jezebel heard that Naboth
• 1:48:06
  had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to
• 1:48:10
  Ahab arise take possession of the vineyard of Naboth. The Jezreelite,
• 1:48:15
  which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth
• 1:48:18
  is not alive but dead. Ahab didn't ask any questions
• 1:48:22
  about how Naboth had died. He simply got up and
• 1:48:26
  went to take possession of the vineyard he had wanted.
• 1:48:29
  Chapter twenty one, verse sixteen tells us so it was
• 1:48:33
  when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead that Ahab got
• 1:48:37
  up and went down to take possession of the vineyard
• 1:48:40
  of Naboth the Jezreelite. The king was perfectly willing to
• 1:48:44
  benefit from his wife's murder plot. While Ahab was walking
• 1:48:48
  through his stolen vineyard, God sent Elijah to confront him.
• 1:48:52
  The prophet appeared suddenly with a message that would chill
• 1:48:56
  the king's heart. Chapter twenty one, verse seventeen introduces the
• 1:49:01
  divine confrontation. Then the word of the Lord came to
• 1:49:06
  Elijah the Tishbite, saying, arise, go down to meet Ahab,
• 1:49:12
  king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. There he is
• 1:49:15
  in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down
• 1:49:18
  to take possession of it. When Ahab saw Elijah approaching,
• 1:49:22
  he greeted him with words that revealed his guilty conscience.
• 1:49:25
  Chapter twenty one, verse twenty records his nervous response. So
• 1:49:30
  Ahab said to Elijah, have you found me o my enemy?
• 1:49:34
  And he answered, I have found you because you have
• 1:49:37
  sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord.
• 1:49:41
  Elijah's sudden appearance proved that God had seen everything. The
• 1:49:45
  prophet's message was devastating. God would bring complete disaster on
• 1:49:50
  Ahab's house and destroy every male in his family line.
• 1:49:55
  Chapter twenty one, verse twenty one contains the terrible judgment, Behold,
• 1:49:59
  I I will bring calamity on you. I will take
• 1:50:02
  away your posterity and will cut off from Ahab every
• 1:50:06
  male in Israel, both bond and free. Elijah compared Ahab's
• 1:50:11
  fate to the previous dynasties that had been completely destroyed
• 1:50:15
  for their sins. Chapter twenty one, verse twenty two makes
• 1:50:19
  the connection, I will make your house like the house
• 1:50:22
  of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house
• 1:50:25
  of Basha, the son of a Hyja, because of the
• 1:50:28
  provocation with which you have provoked me to anger and
• 1:50:32
  made Israel sin. The judgment would extend to Queen Jezebel
• 1:50:36
  as well. Chapter twenty one, verse twenty three records her
• 1:50:40
  horrible fate, and concerning Jezebel, the Lord also spoke, saying
• 1:50:46
  the dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
• 1:50:51
  The powerful queen, who had orchestrated Neboth's murder, would herself
• 1:50:55
  become food for wild dogs. The prophecy included the shameful
• 1:50:59
  end of Ahab's entire family. Chapter twenty one, verse twenty
• 1:51:04
  four describes their fate. The dogs shall eat whoever belongs
• 1:51:07
  to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds
• 1:51:10
  of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field.
• 1:51:14
  None of Ahab's descendants would receive proper burial. They would
• 1:51:18
  all be left for scavengers. Elijah explained why this judgment
• 1:51:23
  was so severe. Chapter twenty one, verse twenty five gives
• 1:51:26
  the reason. But there was no one like Ahab who
• 1:51:29
  sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord,
• 1:51:32
  because Jezebel, his wife, stirred him up. Ahab had outdone
• 1:51:35
  every previous king in his rebellion against God, influenced by
• 1:51:40
  his evil wife. But when Ahab heard this prophecy, something
• 1:51:44
  unexpected happened. The king, who had shown no remorse for
• 1:51:48
  Naboth's murder, suddenly realized the magnitude of his sins. Chapter
• 1:51:53
  twenty one, verse twenty seven describes his dramatic change. So
• 1:51:56
  it was when Ahab heard those words that he tore
• 1:52:00
  his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted,
• 1:52:03
  and lay in sackcloth and went about mourning. God saw
• 1:52:07
  Ahab's repentance and was moved by it. Even though the
• 1:52:11
  king had committed terrible crimes, his genuine sorrow touched God's heart.
• 1:52:17
  Chapter twenty one, verse twenty eight tells us and the
• 1:52:20
  word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
• 1:52:23
  see how Ahab has humbled himself before me. Because he
• 1:52:27
  has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the
• 1:52:30
  calamity in his days. In the days of his son,
• 1:52:33
  I will bring the calamity on his house. God's mercy
• 1:52:38
  delayed the judgment, but didn't cancel it. Ahab would die
• 1:52:42
  in peace, but his son would see the complete destruction
• 1:52:45
  of the dynasty. The justice of God would be satisfied,
• 1:52:49
  but his compassion was also displayed in response to genuine repentance.
• 1:52:55
  Three years passed peacefully between Syria and Israel, but then Jehoshaphat,
• 1:52:59
  King of Judah, came to visit Ahab in Samaria. During
• 1:53:03
  this visit, Ahab suggested a joint military campaign to recapture
• 1:53:08
  Ramoth Gilead from the Syrians. Chapter twenty two, verse three
• 1:53:13
  records his proposal, and the King of Israel said to
• 1:53:17
  his servants, do you know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours?
• 1:53:21
  But we hesitate to take it out of the hand
• 1:53:24
  of the King of Syria. Ahab asked Jehoshaphat to join
• 1:53:27
  him in the campaign, and the godly King of Judah
• 1:53:30
  agreed to help. Chapter twenty two, verse four contains his response.
• 1:53:36
  So he said to Jehoshaphat, will you go with me
• 1:53:39
  to fight at Ramoth Gilead. Jehoshaphat said to the King
• 1:53:44
  of Israel, I am as you are, my people, as
• 1:53:47
  your people, my horses as your horses. But Jehoshaphat wanted
• 1:53:51
  to consult God before going to war. He asked Ahab
• 1:53:55
  to inquire of the Lord. So the King of Israel
• 1:53:58
  gathered four hundred prophets and asked them about the campaign.
• 1:54:03
  Chapter twenty two, verse six records their unanimous response. So
• 1:54:07
  the King of Israel gathered the prophets together about four
• 1:54:11
  hundred men, and said to them, shall I go against
• 1:54:14
  Ramath Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain? So they said,
• 1:54:19
  go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the
• 1:54:22
  hand of the king. But Jehoshaphat wasn't satisfied with these
• 1:54:26
  court prophets. He says they were telling Ahab what he
• 1:54:29
  wanted to hear, rather than speaking God's true word. Chapter
• 1:54:33
  twenty two, verse seven contains his request, and Jehoshaphat said,
• 1:54:37
  is there not still a prophet of the Lord here
• 1:54:40
  that we may inquire of him? He wanted to hear
• 1:54:43
  from a true prophet who would speak honestly. Ahab reluctantly
• 1:54:47
  admitted there was one more prophet, my Caiah, but he
• 1:54:51
  hated the man because he never prophesied good things about him.
• 1:54:56
  Chapter twenty two, verse eight reveals his feelings. So the
• 1:55:00
  King of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, there is still one man, Michaiah,
• 1:55:05
  the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of
• 1:55:07
  the Lord. But I hate him because he does not
• 1:55:10
  prophesy good concerning me, but evil Ahab preferred false encouragement
• 1:55:15
  to true warnings. When Machea was brought before the two kings.
• 1:55:19
  He initially gave the same answer as the other prophets,
• 1:55:22
  but he spoke with obvious sarcasm. Ahab recognized the mockery
• 1:55:27
  and demanded the truth. Chapter twenty two, verse sixteen records
• 1:55:31
  his command. So the King said to him, how many
• 1:55:34
  times shall I make you swear that you tell me
• 1:55:37
  nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord.
• 1:55:41
  Machaiah then revealed what he had really seen in his vision.
• 1:55:44
  Chapter twenty two, verse seventeen contains his true prophecy. Then
• 1:55:49
  he said, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains
• 1:55:52
  as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said,
• 1:55:56
  these have no master. Let each return to his house
• 1:55:59
  in peace. Israel would be defeated and Ahab would die
• 1:56:04
  in the battle. The prophet went on to explain the
• 1:56:07
  spiritual reality behind the false prophecies the kings had heard.
• 1:56:11
  He described a vision of God's throne room, where the
• 1:56:14
  Almighty asked how to entice Ahab to go to his
• 1:56:18
  death at Raimuth Gilead. Chapter twenty two, verse twenty records
• 1:56:24
  the heavenly discussion. And the Lord said, who will persuade
• 1:56:28
  Ahab to go up? That he may fall at Ramoth Gilead.
• 1:56:33
  So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in
• 1:56:35
  that manner. A spirit volunteered to be a lying spirit
• 1:56:39
  in the mouths of all Ahab's prophets. Chapter twenty two,
• 1:56:43
  verse twenty two describes God's permission. The Lord said to him,
• 1:56:48
  in what way? So he said, I will go out
• 1:56:52
  and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all
• 1:56:54
  his prophets. And the Lord said, you shall persuade him
• 1:56:58
  and also prevail. Go out and do so. The four
• 1:57:03
  hundred prophets had been deceived by a lying spirit sent
• 1:57:07
  by God himself. Despite this clear warning, Ahab decided to
• 1:57:13
  go to battle anyway. He disguised himself as an ordinary soldier,
• 1:57:18
  while Jehoshaphat wore his royal robes. Chapter twenty two, verse
• 1:57:22
  thirty describes their strategy, and the King of Israel said
• 1:57:27
  to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and go into battle,
• 1:57:32
  but you put on your robes. So the King of
• 1:57:35
  Israel disguised himself and went into battle. The Syrian king
• 1:57:39
  had given his captain specific orders to focus on killing
• 1:57:43
  only the King of Israel. When they saw Jehoshafat in
• 1:57:46
  royal robes. They thought he was their target and surrounded him,
• 1:57:50
  but when Jehoshaphat cried out, they realized their mistake and
• 1:57:54
  turned away. Meanwhile, a Syrian soldier drew his bow and
• 1:57:58
  shot randomly into the battle. His arrow found its mark
• 1:58:02
  in the most unlikely way. Chapter twenty two, verse thirty
• 1:58:06
  four describes the fatal shot. Now, a certain man drew
• 1:58:10
  a bow at random and struck the King of Israel
• 1:58:13
  between the joints of his armor. So he said to
• 1:58:16
  the driver of his chariot, turn around and take me
• 1:58:18
  out of the battle, for I am wounded. Ahab tried
• 1:58:22
  to stay in the battle to encourage his troops, but
• 1:58:25
  he was bleeding to death. Chapter twenty two, verse thirty
• 1:58:28
  five tells us the battle increased that day, and the
• 1:58:32
  king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians,
• 1:58:35
  and died at evening. The blood ran out from the
• 1:58:38
  wound on to the floor of the chariot. The random
• 1:58:42
  arrow had found the bungap in his armor and proved fatal.
• 1:58:46
  When Ahab died, his army scattered exactly as Mykiah had predicted.
• 1:58:51
  They brought the king's body back to Samaria for burial,
• 1:58:54
  And when they washed his chariot at the pool, something
• 1:58:57
  remarkable happened. Chapter twenty two two, verse thirty eight records
• 1:59:02
  the fulfillment of prophecy. Then some one washed the chariot
• 1:59:05
  at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up
• 1:59:09
  his blood while the harlots bathed. According to the word
• 1:59:12
  of the Lord which he had spoken. Even the manner
• 1:59:16
  of cleaning his chariot fulfilled Elijah's earlier prophecy about dogs
• 1:59:21
  licking Ahab's blood.