1 Kings 15-17
Good King
and a Great Prophet

David, having confessed his sin, now turns his attention to the causes and consequences of his sin. He wants a clean heart and righteous spirit that will not repeat the sin. He had been anointed by God (and empowered by the Holy Spirit) for the task of leading the nation, and asks God to reinstate him in that role, and for the joy of experiencing God's deliverance. God doesn't delight in ritual sacrifices, but a repentant heart, that takes steps to prevent the recurrence of sin (independence from God).

Developing honest and transparent (real) relationships has lots of advantages. Sorrows that are shared are halved, and joys shared are doubled. God designed us to live as social creatures who can communicate. We're created to know and be known, to understand and be understood. Fellowship means to have in common, and that includes how we think about ourselves. Sin makes that process difficult.

The stronghold of the wicked will come to ruins, while the flimsy tent of the upright will be prospered by God. A tree or organization that looks solid might be rotten on the inside and on the verge of collapse; on the other hand, a seedling or start-up might have all the right stuff to succeed. The difference is whether the inside is good or bad.

People can be convinced they're doing the right thing, but are really headed over a cliff to get dashed to pieces on jagged rocks. That's why Proverbs advocates counsel, particularly in significant and emotional issues (like love and war).

Laughing on the outside, but crying on the inside is a common modern proverb, and when the party ends the hangover begins. Relationships provide the framework for dealing with the causes of sorrow and grief.

Rehoboam's son, Abijam, reigns and wars for three years following in the sins of his father, rather than walking with God like David. That means he served other gods. 2Chronicles 14 records some of the good things he did, but the bottom line evaluation here (and in our lives) is whether the heart was perfect, completely set on pleasing Yahweh. God didn't cut off David's line because of His promise in the Davidic Covenant (2Sam 7). In spite of David's irresponsibility regarding his family and judging, God says that his heart was perfect except in the matter of Uriah (what about Bathsheba?). David did not turn aside to other gods, which seems to be the major problem of the majority of the kings.

Abijam's son, Asa, reigns for 41 years. He did what is right in God's sight, following in the footsteps of David, his ancestral/spiritual father, rather than his biological father. He turns back Judah to Yahweh, removing the idols, his idol-worshiping mother, and the sodomites from the land, and even restores the temple. How does one account for this revival?2 Chronicles 15 gives the secret of his motivation and success. We'll view it in more detail when we get there, but here's a peek at it: 

2 Chronicles 15:2 "Hear me, Asa...Yahweh is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. 7 But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!" 8 And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and removed the abominable idols...”

Baasha, bad king of Israel warred with Judah, and built a city, Ramah to prevent anyone from the Northern Kingdom of Israel from going south to worship in Jerusalem, which belonged to Judah. Asa sent gold to Ben Hadad asking him to break off his treaty with Israel and honor a previous treaty with Judah. This is a departure from depending upon Yahweh, condemned in 2 Chronicles 16:7. He also doesn't seek Yahweh for a disease and winds up dying. So another guy starts out well, and ends poorly. Sigh.

Meanwhile up north we have flashback to one bad king being assassinated by Baasha who becomes another bad king. Both nations suffer from war. The noteworthy comment is that Baasha extinguishes the line of Jeroboam as God has promised. You'd think people would realize that God really means what He says.

The chapter opens and ends with prophesy, showing God does indeed keep His promises. God sends a prophesy against Baasha, a guy He raised up who didn't walk in God's way, that He will completely destroy him and all his descendents for their disobedience. Guess what? It happens. No repentance, not even a relative or friend left alive.

Baasha dies, his son Elah reigns two years, is done in while on a drinking binge, along with his entire house by Zimri, who last seven days, and then burns himself up when beseiged by the people's choice Omri. Omri wins the civil war with Tibni, and builds a new capital on a very defensible hill, Samaria. He follows the sinful path of the losers before him, distinguishing himself by outdoing their wickedness and his son Ahab takes over when he dies.

Ahab does even more than all the bad kings before him, instituting Baal worship. We'll see more of him and his wife Jezebel in the next chapters. The last verse of the chapter is a reminder that God is still accomplishing His purposes, particularly to bring promised curses on disobedience. Hiel was raised in paganized Bethel and paid no attention to God's word as spoken through Joshua; but God fulfilled it. 

A good guy arrives on the bleak scene, in the person of Elijah, bearing bad news: “No rain for years.” That leads to famine and death, a definite loss of blessing and fertility. God's word guides Elijah to hide out at a brook, from Ahab's prophet hunt, where quick flying ravens deliver the first fast food in history. God supernaturally uses natural means to meet the needs of His faithful servant. Eventually God's provision dries up, and then God gives new direction, but not until then, a point worth pondering. Elijah didn't have to fret as the brook got smaller and smaller, because God's grace and power were still as big as ever.

God's next plan for meeting Elijah's needs is a penniless widow about to make the last meal for herself and son before they die of hunger. This doesn't look promising. If you give a prophet some water, he'll ask for bread; if you give him bread, you won't have enough; but if you're going to die anyway, does it make a difference? Elijah asks for water, and she goes to get it (maybe he had his “man of God” name tag on). He asks for bread, and she explains her condition. Elijah says to serve him first, and God will supply her needs next, and abundantly. She follows his word...and gets blessed.

Her son falls sick and isn't breathing. Feeling the guilt of her previous sin (she's living in pagan land rather than fleeing to Judah), she blames Elijah. He asks for her son. If you give a prophet your dead son...you'll get blessed. Elijah calls to God, and performs the first CPR and resurrection. God brings her son back to life, and validates his spokesman as a miracle working prophet. The miracles follow the message (no rain until I say so) to authenticate it in a time of total apostasy.