I Kings 16

Jehu the prophet brings message for Baasha      verse 1- 4 

Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani

against Baasha saying

Forasmuch as I exalted you out of the dust

and made you prince over MY people Israel

And you have WALKED in the way of Jeroboam

and have made MY people Israel to sin

      to provoke ME to anger with their sins

BEHOLD – I will take away the posterity of Baasha

and the posterity of his house

And will make your house like the house of Jeroboam

the son of  Nebat

Him that dies of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat

and him that dies of his in the fields shall the

      fowls of the air eat 

Baasha dies                                                          verse 5- 6 

Now the rest of the acts of Baasha

and what he did and his might

Are they not written in the

book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

So Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah

and Elah his son reigned in his stead 

Baasha did evil in the sight of the LORD            verse 7 

And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani

came the word of the LORD against Baasha

and against his house

even for all the EVIL that he did in the sight of the LORD

in provoking HIM to anger with the work of his hands

                                    in being like the house of Jeroboam

                                                and because he killed him  

Elah – son of Baasha reigns over Israel               verse 8 

In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah

began Elah the son of Baasha

to reign over Israel in Tirzah – two years                       

Zimri kills Elah                                                   verse 9- 10 

And his servant Zimri – captain of half his chariots

conspired against him – as he was in Tirzah

drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza

steward of his house in Tirzah

And Zimri went in and smote him – and killed him

in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah

and reigned in his stead 

Zimri kills all of Elah’s male relatives                 verse 11- 13 

And it came to pass – when he began to reign

as soon as he sat on his throne

that he slew all the house of Baasha

He left him not one that pisses against the wall

neither of his kinsfolks – nor of his friends

Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha

according to the word of the LORD

      which HE spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet

for all the sins of Baasha – and the sins of Elah his son

      by which they sinned

by which they made Israel to sin

in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger

with their vanities 

Recorded history of Elah                                     verse 14 

Now the rest of the acts of Elah

and all that he did

Are they not written in the

book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 

Omni chosen king by army                                 verse 15- 17 

In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah

did Zimri reign SEVEN DAYS in Tirzah

And the people were encamped against Gibbethon

which belonged to the Philistines

      and the people that were encamped heard

say

Zimri has conspired – and has also slain the king

wherefore all Israel made Omri

      the captain of the host

king over Israel that day in the camp

And Omri went up from Gibbethon – and all Israel with him

and they besieged Tirzah 

Zimri commits suicide                                         verse 18- 19 

And it came to pass – when Zimri saw that the city was taken

that he went into the palace of the king’s house

      and burnt the king’s house over him with fire

and died

      for his sins which he sinned in doing EVIL in the

sight of the LORD

      in WALKING in the way of Jeroboam

                  in his sin which he did

                              to make Israel to sin 

Recorded history of Zimri                                   verse 20 

Now the rest of the acts of Zimri

and his treason that he wrought

Are they not written in the

book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 

Divided Israel had Omni as king                         verse 21- 22 

Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts

            half of the people followed Tibni the son Ginath

to make him king half followed Omri

BUT the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people

that followed Tibni the son of Ginath

      so Tibni died – and Omri reigned 

Omni build city of Samaria                                 verse 23- 24 

In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah

began Omri to reign over Isreal

twelve years – six years reigned he in Tirzah

And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver

and built on the hill

and called the name of the city which he built

      after the name of Shemer

owner of the hill – Samaria 

Omni provoked LORD to anger                         verse 25- 26 

BUT Omri wrought EVIL in the eyes of the LORD

and did worse than all that were before him

For he WALKED in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat

and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin

to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger

with their vanities 

Recorded history of Omni                                   verse 27- 28 

Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did

and his might that he showed

Are they not written in the book of

the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

So Omri slept with his fathers – and was buried in Samaria

            and Ahab his son reigned in his stead 

Ahab reigns over Israel                                       verse 29- 33 

And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab

the son of Omri to reign over Israel

      and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria

twenty and two years

And Ahab the son of Omri did EVIL in the sight of the LORD above all

that were before him

And it came to pass – as if it had been a light thing for him to WALK

in the sins of Jeroboam – the son of Nebat

      that he took to wife JEZEBEL

the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians

      and went and served Baal

                  and worshiped him

      and he reared up an altar for Baal in the

house of Baal which he had built in Samaria

                              and Ahab made a grove

And Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger

than all the kings of Israel – that were before him 

Rebuilding of Jericho                                          verse 34 

In his day did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho

he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn

      and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub

                  according to the word of the LORD

                              which HE spoke by Joshua the son of Nun 

COMMENTARY:          

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers 

: 2        Forasmuch as I exalted you out of the dust, and made you prince over MY people Israel; and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam, and have made MY people Israel to sin, to provoke ME to anger with their sins (3707 “provoke to anger” [ka‘ac] means to call forth a feeling of anger, vexation, be irritated, provoke to irritation, provoke to distress, to vex, or offend)

DEVOTION:  God puts leaders up and puts them down. HE allows people to decide how they are going to act once they are given the responsibility of leadership. In the nation of Israel HE shows that the actions of the leadership is judged quickly and those who follow a bad leader know what is going to happen if they follow in the footsteps of the previous leader.

So often we find men in leadership who commit the same sins as the previous leader and think that the LORD will not give the same judgment. HE judges sin always the same if there is no repentance.

A new king Baasha, comes into office as king of the ten tribes. The previous king was judged because of leading the people into sin and now he was doing the same during his reign over them.

God wanted leaders who would consider what had happened in the past and change to be true followers of HIM. HE allows each one to make a choice. Does that sound like a good plan? HE knows ahead of time what the leader is going to do but HE allows him to lead anyways.

The one real problem is it isn’t just the king that is sinning. It is all of the people sinning against the LORD. The LORD is looking for either the people or the king to change directions once they see what was happening in the past. HE knows that humans have a desire to sin more than they desire righteousness.

So who receives the greater judgment? The king is going to receive the greater judgment because he knows what the LORD expected and has had contact with one of HIS prophets.

The king has access to a prophet to help him lead properly and he still chooses to go his own way. Doesn’t make any sense but it is what was happening in the nation of Israel.

Could it be happening today in our world? Do our leaders know the consequences to sin in the past? Do they care that they are leading the people in the wrong direction? Do they think that they will get away with telling the people that the LORD will not judge them as HE had judged people in the past?

It is crazy but it seems that we have people in leadership who don’t want to tell the people they are leading that there are consequences to their actions. Many leaders are still trying to tickle the ears of those they are leading rather than making the hard choice to tell them when they are doing wrong.

CHALLENGE:  Do you tell your friends when they are doing wrong in a biblical way? Do you care enough to not follow them into sin? Acting righteous can cause others to act righteous. 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 9        And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah. (7194 “conspired” [qashar] means to engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together, to be bound together, be allied together, plot, confine, or tie up)

DEVOTION:  Drunkenness can lead to all kinds of problems in the life of anyone. Here we have a king who decided to get drunk in his own house. The problem is that when he was drunk one of his servants came in and killed him. He was unable to defend himself because he was not in control of his defense. He thought others would protect him.

Wrong thoughts can cause us all kinds of problems in our life. God what us to not be drunk with wine where there is excess but we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

One of the things that seem to make every list of sins is drunkenness. We lose control when we are drunk. What the LORD wants us to do is lose control when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

When we let HIM control of life and actions, we are doing things that are pleasing to HIM and we are not open to others who want to harm us. They might falsely accuse us but the LORD is there to protect us and defend us during those times because HE knows our actions are for HIS glory.

Three signs that we are filled with the Holy Spirit are given in Ephesians 5: 19-21. The first sign, given is that we speak in words that are pleasing to the LORD. Our mouth is not used to curse people but to bless people. We have a song in our heart. We want to sing praises to the LORD when we are filled with HIS Holy Spirit. That means that we will not use words that are displeasing to HIM.

The second sign, of being filled with the Holy Spirit is we are giving thanks for what the LORD is doing in our life. This means whether it is good or bad from our perspective we are willing to thank the LORD. Job was one who lost everything and everyone he loved except his wife and she told him to curse God for what HE had done to his family and possession. He didn’t listen to his wife.

The third sign, was that we are willing to submit to those in authority over us especially the LORD. We manifest a deep reverence for the LORD and those HE has placed around us to help us grow in our knowledge of HIS Word.

Ephesians uses the example of a Spirit filled Christian who works with his family to bring glory to God. Our Christian testimony starts at home. Wives and husbands work better together when the Holy Spirit is in control of both of them. Children are raised better when the Holy Spirit is in control of the parents and the children. The church moves forward when families are honoring the LORD with their actions.

CHALLENGE:  The choice is ours today. We can be under the influence of drugs or we can be under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

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: 13      For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities. (1892 “vanities” [hebel] means a pagan and material effigy that is worshipped as a representative or in lieu of a deity, nothingness, idols, or perishableness)

DEVOTION: Today we live in an age like this one where it seems that those who claim to be believers get caught up in things that don’t matter but seem to take first place in their lives.

Our churches are more concerned with appearance rather than reaching people for the LORD. The music seems to be taking over the message of the Word of God. There doesn’t seem to be too many churches that have an altar call to ask people to become believers.

Pastors are spending more time in the office rather than going out and visiting people in their homes. Too many feel that if people need to see the pastor they can come to the office and see him.

Even hospital visits are not being done on a regular basis to those who are from the community or related to those who attend our churches to reach them for Christ.

Many members are not really concerned about reaching others for Christ rather thinking their houses and social life is more important than witnesses to them for the LORD. Even their social life is more important than inviting others to a special at church.

When we are doing these things, we are teaching others that unimportant things like those mentioned above are more important than witnessing for the LORD. We get caught up in nothingness and worshiping things instead of the LORD.

CHALLENGE: We need to evaluate what we consider important and make sure what we are doing is important to the LORD.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 33      And Ahab mad a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.  (3707 “provoke to anger” [ka‘ac] means to trouble, to grieve, rage, be indignant, vex, or be wroth)

DEVOTION:  The children of Israel were tired of listening to their prophets and priests who were receiving word from the LORD. They wanted to have a king like other nations instead of listening to the LORD. The LORD gave them a king. The first one was Saul. He didn’t do so well. The second king was David. He did well. He had a heart that loved the LORD. He was not sinless but the LORD gave other kings him for an example.

The third king was Solomon. He started well but ended poorly. This started a cycle of a divided kingdom caused problems. The ten nations followed Jeroboam. They made Samaria their capital. They set up false gods and idols. They didn’t love the LORD as David loved HIM.

There is a progression of evil that worked its way into the ten tribes. Each king seemed to find more ways to grieve the LORD. They were caught up in false worship once the two golden calves were set up by Jeroboam. They didn’t have a revival in the ten tribes. They kept following the wrong leader. They didn’t want to return to the worship of the one true God.

The LORD was angry with what the kings were doing to the people. The Bible states that the kings sinned and caused the people to sin. The leadership was to set the example.

We will learn more about Ahab in the coming chapters. Jezebel is listed in the New Testament. There is the church in Thyatira that follow the teachings of Jezebel. She caused God’s people to worship idols.

Have we ever caused God to be troubled by our actions? I know that I have at times. Here is a man who grieved the LORD more than all the kings before him. He was really giving God grief. God had to deal with him in HIS own time and in HIS own way.

HE does the same regarding our troubling HIM. Let’s keep short accounts with God. The Bible tells us what grieves HIM the most – not listening and worshipping HIM alone. We are to worship HIM in spirit and in truth!!!

Leadership has an awesome responsibility. Those who follow will follow their lead. Some will follow without asking questions. All of us are leaders whether in our home or church or work place.

CHALLENGE: Be a good leader. The LORD holds us responsible for those who are following us.

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: 34      In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which HE spoke by Joshua the son of Nun. (3245 “laid the foundation” [yacad] means establish, fix, appoint, or assign)

DEVOTION:  The LORD told Joshua that whoever rebuilt Jericho would cause the death of his family. In Joshua 6: 26 it states “Cursed be the man before the LORD that rises up and builds this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.” It was promise from the LORD regarding anyone who tried to rebuild the city to its original state.

In this chapter we find a man who didn’t care what the LORD stated. He either didn’t believe that after such a long time the LORD would remember HIS comment or that the LORD wasn’t strong enough to do what HE said HE would do. Either way he found out that the LORD always keeps HIS promises even when people don’t believe HIM.

So Hiel lost his firstborn son when he laid the footer and lost his youngest son when he set up the gates. God’s word proved true.

We sometimes think that God doesn’t remember what HE has to say to those who do things that HE has already given a judgment concerning. We think we can get away with something that might not be in our eyes too bad a sin and think that HE will overlook us and HIS judgment. That is always a mistake.

God is a holy God and HE will always do what HE says HE will do unless we change our actions toward HIM. On occasion HIS actions are determined by our repentance. HE might say what is going to happen if we don’t repent in time for HIM to reconsider HIS actions. HIS goal is always for our growth. HIS actions are always to see that we bring glory to HIM.

Hiel didn’t care what happened to his children. He wanted to do something the LORD commanded not to be done because HE told of the consequences of the action. He did it anyway and found out that God keeps HIS word no matter how much time as elapsed between HIS statement and the action of an individual.

God is never mocked without consequences. If we think we are going to get into heaven by our good works we are deceiving ourselves. It is only based on our genuine commitment to Jesus Christ.

CHALLENGE: Realize that what the LORD states in HIS Word are going to happen. HE never lies or forgets.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY 

Chastity (Purity in living) 

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking) 

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD) 

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD) 

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone) 

SOUL 

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God) 

Frugality (wise use of resources) 

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word) 

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God) 

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD) 

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis) 

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level) 

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group) 

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible) 

Word of the LORD                                       verse 1, 7, 12, 34

Book of the Chronicles                                 verse 5, 14, 20, 27 

God the Father (First person of the Godhead) 

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)   verse 1, 7,                                                                    12, 13, 19, 25, 26, 30, 33, 34

Word of the LORD                                       verse 1, 7, 12, 34

Anger of the LORD                                      verse 2, 7, 13, 26, 33

Sight of the LORD                                        verse 7, 19, 30

God – Elohim (Creator)                               verse 13, 26, 33

LORD God of Israel                                     verse 13, 26, 33

Eyes of the LORD                                         verse 25

Provoked to anger                                       verse 33 

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)    

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation) 

Ethbaal – king of Zidonians                         verse 31- 32

            Jezebel’s father

            Served Baal 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels) 

                        Sin                                                                     verse 2, 13, 19, 26

                        Walk in sin                                                     verse 2, 19, 26, 31

                        Cause others to sin                                      verse 2, 13, 19

                        Provoke the LORD to anger                      verse 2, 7, 13, 26, 33

                        Evil                                                                   verse 7, 19, 25, 30

                        Conspire                                                         verse 9, 16

                        Drunk                                                             verse 9

                        Murder                                                           verse 10, 11

                        Vanities                                                          verse 13, 26

                        Served Baal                                                   verse 31

                        Worshiped Baal                                           verse 31

                        Built altar to Baal                                       verse 32

                        Make a grove                                               verse 33

                        Rebuilding of Jericho                                verse 34 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins) 

Exalted                                                           verse 2

Prophet                                                          verse 7, 12 

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

Prophet Jehu                                                      verse 1, 7, 12

Baasha                                                                  verse 1- 12

            Walked in the way of Jeroboam

            LORD going to take away posterity

            Killed by servant: Zimri

Israel                                                                     verse 2

            Baasha caused Israel to sin

Elah – Baasha’s son reigns over Israel       verse 6- 14

            Reigned two years

Asa – king of Judah                                          verse 8-

            38^th year of Ahab reigned in Israel

Zimri – captain of Baasha’s army               verse 9- 20

            Killed Elah

Omri – captain of host made king               verse 16- 28

            Reigned 12 years

            Built city on hill called Samaria

            Walked in ways of Jeroboam

Building of Samaria                                        verse 24

Ahab and Jezebel                                            verse 29- 33

            Walk in the sins of Jeroboam

            Did evil in sight of LORD

            Provoked the LORD God of Israel

                        to anger

Bethelite  build Jericho                                 verse 33

Joshua the son of Nun                                    verse 34 

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

31–32 Ahab was a man of complex character. The remainder of this chapter makes it clear that he was unconcerned with true, vital faith (cf. 21:20). Not only did he participate personally in the sins of Jeroboam, but having willingly married Jezebel, he followed her in the worship of Baal-Melqart, officially instituting and propagating Baal worship throughout his kingdom. (Patterson, R. D., & Austel, H. J. (1988). 1, 2 Kings. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 136). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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16:29–31. Ahab ruled Israel from Samaria for 22 years (874–853 b.c.). He was the most wicked king Israel had experienced, even worse than his father Omri who was worse than all before him (v. 25). Ahab’s wickedness consisted of perpetuating all the sins of Jeroboam; he even considered them trivial. In addition Ahab married a pagan princess, Jezebel, who zealously tried to promote her depraved cult as the exclusive religion of Israel. Jezebel’s father, Ethbaal, was king of the Sidonians (Phoenicians), with his capital in Tyre. Baal (meaning “lord”) is a name used generally in the Old Testament for the male deity the native Canaanite tribes worshiped under various other titles. The Tyrians called him Baal Melqart, but their religion was only a cultic variation of the standard Baal worship common throughout Palestine. Evidently Ahab was not forced to marry Jezebel; his choice to marry her is something for which the writer held him responsible. (Constable, T. L. (1985). 1 Kings. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 522). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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16:34 On the surface this verse seems to have little reason for occupying its present position. It reads like a curious aside about Jericho, yet it reveals two important points. First, in the polytheistic climate in Ahab’s Israel, a man feels free to offer his children as sacrifices to build a city. DeVries believes: “The foundation sacrifice, revealed by modern archaeology, is probably what was involved. The children named were probably infants, dead or alive, placed in jars and inserted into the masonry, propitiating the gods and warding off evil.” Second, this wicked event reminds readers of God’s word through Joshua that rebuilding Jericho would bring death to the builder’s family (Josh 6:26). God’s word is still active in history according to the author. Despite all the sin in Israel, the Lord is still in charge. The events that follow in 1 Kings 17–22 highlight this truth. (House, P. R. (1995). 1, 2 Kings (Vol. 8, p. 204). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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Ver. 31. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, &c.] To worship the golden calves he set up: that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians; who is called Ithobalus and Itobalus king of the Tyrians, by Heathen historians; and, by Theophilus of Antiochⁱ, Juthobalus, priest of Astarte; for Tyre and Zidon were under one king. This woman was not only of another nation, and an idolater, but a very filthy woman, and is made the emblem of the whore of Rome, Rev. 2:20. and went and served Baal, and worshipped him; that is, went to Zidon and Tyre, and worshipped his wife’s gods, which were either Jupiter Thalassius, the god of the Zidonians, or Hercules, whom the Tyrians worshipped. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 744). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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16:30, 31 The first level of evaluation of Ahab is the same as that given to his father (compare v. 30 with v. 25). a trivial thing: By these words we realize that in Ahab we come to the very lowest point in the degeneration of the spiritual life of the kings of Israel. Each of the kings of the northern kingdom from Nadab (15:26), Jeroboam’s son, to Omri (16:26), Ahab’s father, had been guilty of walking in the perverse pathway of Jeroboam I. Ahab acted as though the sins of Jeroboam were a trivial thing. He did this in two ways: first, in his marriage to Jezebel; second, in his promotion of Baal worship as the state religion. Ahab’s marriage to the Phoenician princess Jezebel was politically important and demonstrated the rising prominence of Israel’s third dynasty. As in the case of the foreign wives of Solomon before him (11:1–13), Ahab’s marriage produced tragic results. Jezebel was an exceedingly competent, highly gifted, powerful person—and she was exceedingly evil. She could influence Ahab to be wicked (ch. 21). However, when she was absent from Ahab, he had moments of relatively good behavior (ch. 20). Her father was both king and priest of Baal in Sidon; similarly, Jezebel was princess and priestess of Baal. Her Phoenician name was Abizebel, meaning “My Father (Baal) Is Noble.” The Hebrew scribes deliberately dropped a letter from her name. Thus she would be known forever as Jezebel, a dishonorable name meaning “Lacking Honor.” he went and served Baal and worshiped him: The outrage is that Ahab had gone quite beyond a mere combining of beliefs. He became a full-fledged worshiper of Baal, the Canaanite deity, for whom his wife Jezebel was a priestess. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (pp. 451–452). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers)

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This rebuilding by (A)hiel, perhaps against a threat from Moab (2 Kgs 3:5), would have been subject to Ahab’s overriding permission. This violation of the divine curse against Jericho (Josh. 6:26) is to be taken as another example of Ahab’s sin. Hiel paid the penalty ‘at the cost of’ (Heb. ‘with’; av ‘in’) his sons. Their deaths as foretold do not necessarily imply foundation sacrifice of the children, a very rare phenomenon (cf. 2 Kgs 16:3). But, whatever the cause, they were interpreted as an example of the fulfilment of prophecy. (Wiseman, D. J. (1993). 1 and 2 Kings: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 9, p. 175). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)

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When God’s people sin, it is only the Word of God proclaimed by the servants of God that can call them back and save them.

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34, nkjv). When godly kings were ruling, God blessed His people; when ungodly men reigned, God sent judgment and defeat. How tragic it is to see this great nation, called by the Lord, now declining in spiritual things and turning away from the truth. Yes, they often had material prosperity, but this was no sign that God was pleased with their deeds. In fact, the lust for material things often led the people farther from God. The best way to build a godly nation is to have godly citizens in godly churches (1 Tim. 2:1–6). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (1 Ki 15:25–16:34). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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FROM MY READING: 

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

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“Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant coming and asking. The way to trouble God is not to come at all.” —D.L. Moody

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THE MANIFEST LOVE OF GOD

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:9-10
The apostle is anxious to remind us that God is actually manifesting that essential nature of His. He is love, but mercifully for us He has “manifested” that love, He has made it unmistakably plain and clear. So we can put John’s immediate argument like this: “If only you really understood this love, if only you knew something about it, then most of your problems and difficulties would immediately vanish.” So he proceeds to tell us something further about this great and wondrous and glorious love of God.
Surely we all must agree that this is something that is equally true of us. The more I study the New Testament and live the Christian life, the more convinced I am that our fundamental difficulty, our fundamental lack, is the lack of seeing the love of God. It is not so much our knowledge that is defective but our vision of the love of God. Thus, our greatest object and endeavor should be to know Him better, and thus we will love Him more truly. Now John’s object is to help these first Christians to whom he writes in just this way, because he is quite sure that once they love God, they will love one another.
This is something we find running right through the Bible; the second commandment follows the first. The first commandment is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. .And, the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:37, 39). But you will never do the second until you have done the first; so we must start with the love of God.
A Thought to Ponder: It is not so much our knowledge that is defective but our vision of the love of God. (From The Love of God, pp. 49-50 by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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John 7

Jesus becomes involved in controversy with religious leaders over His true identity.

INSIGHT

When iron and aluminum shavings are mixed together, they are indistinguishable. You cannot identify them by sight; you must sweep a magnet through them. The magnet will attract all of the iron filings, but the aluminum filings will remain undisturbed.

The Lord Jesus Christ has exactly the same effect on those to whom He ministers. Those whose understanding is anchored in faith are drawn to Him like iron to a magnet. Those who choose not to believe remain undisturbed, as though nothing special has happened. Some of the multitude were saying, “This is the Christ” while others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He?” Understanding, combined with faith, understands even more. Unbelief blinds people.  (Quiet Walk)

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THE CROSS SPEAKS TO US

…the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel. Hebrews 12:24
Has the cross of Christ ever spoken to you? Have you heard its message? The cross of Christ preaches. The cross of Christ speaks. The blood of the cross speaks. It has something to say. Have you heard it? The writer to the Hebrews thanks God that this blood speaks something better than the blood of Abel spoke. You remember the story of Cain and Abel, the first two sons of Adam and Eve, and the story of how Cain slew his brother Abel and shed his blood. He murdered him. And the blood of Abel, spilled there upon the ground, spoke as it cried out for vengeance, punishment, and retribution. The blood of Abel spoke.
And God tells us through the writer to the Hebrews that is not the blood that you and I have come to. We have come to a blood of sprinkling that “speaks better things than that of Abel.” This is why all these men in the New Testament rejoice in it. This is why the saints of the ages rejoiced in it. The blood speaks, and it speaks the best things that the world has ever heard.
Let me call your attention to some of the things that the cross of Christ, the blood of the cross, speaks and says to men and women today. In other words, let us listen to the cross speaking in the form of exposition. There is nothing that so expounds the truth of God to us as the cross of Christ. The Bible expounds the same truth. The cross of Christ lays it open before us and makes it speak to us. Have you ever regarded it as a sermon and sat and listened to it, and have you heard what it has to say to you? What an exposition of truth there is in that cross on Calvary’s hill!
A Thought to Ponder: There is nothing that so expounds the truth of God to us as the cross of Christ.   (From The Cross, pp. 154-155, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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A Broken and Contrite Heart
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)
God prescribed a system of animal sacrifices for sin in the Old Testament. These sacrifices pointed forward to Jesus, who offered Himself as the once-for-all sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:11-12). King David understood the importance of the prescribed animal sacrifices but knew that what God truly wanted is a person’s heart.
In Psalm 51, David, who was described as “a man after [the LORD’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14), demonstrated God’s heart in his attitude toward his own sin. The occasion of writing was David’s transgression with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). He asked God to forgive his sins, both specifically in the matter of Bathsheba (“this evil,” v. 4) and in general (“blot out all mine iniquities,” v. 9). He recognized that sin was in his heart long before he committed adultery and praised his Creator by repenting of his rebellion against God’s commands.
David had committed two death penalty crimes: adultery (Leviticus 20:10) and murder (Genesis 9:6). No animal sacrifice could atone for David’s sin (Psalm 51:16; cf. Hebrews 10:4), yet God forgave him (2 Samuel 12:13). David’s words show a deep awareness of and contrition for his sin. Only when a person acknowledges his or her sin with “a broken and a contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17) can that person truly appreciate God’s forgiveness.
Praise God that Jesus Christ, the Creator of the universe, became a man and died to pay the penalty for sin, offering salvation to all who turn from sin to Jesus and trust in Him alone for salvation (John 1:14; 3:16; Romans 3:25; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Thanks to Jesus’ atoning work, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

                          (WP, The Institute for Creation Research)

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