We began to explore the section where Elijah is introduced to us. He just suddenly appears on the scene. In the same way that Melchizedek foreshadows the priestly ministry of Jesus Elijah foreshadows the prophetic ministry of Jesus. He suddenly comes on the scene. He calls the people to repentance and does miraculous works. He ascends into heaven at the end of his ministry. We learn from the book of James that Elijah’s prayers were basis on which the rain was withheld from the land. Elijah prayed in accordance with God’s stated judgement on those who were part of Israel who turned their back on Him. We saw this in Deuteronomy 11. Elijah went to Ahab and informed him this judgement of drought was a supernatural event brought about by God. Then after giving the message he followed the word of the Lord and lived by the brook Cherith which is east of the Jordan. During his time there the Lord had ravens bring him food and he drank from the brook. This judgement by famine is happening after many years of Israel becoming essentially a pagan nation. Elijah is sent to the people to call them to return to the Lord. His message is confirmed by the miracles he performs.

We examined the passage dealing with the two kings of Israel in the northern kingdom which followed Jeroboam. Jeroboam’s son Nadab only reigned for 2 years and then Baasha assassinated him while he was attacking the Philistines. Baasha then went on to totally wipe out all the descendants of Jeroboam fulfilling the prophecy given by God. This prophecy had been because Jeroboam turned the people away from God leading them into idolatry. Baasha became king and continued to lead the people into idolatry. Jehu the prophet prophesied against the house of Baasha because he had continued to lead the people astray and also because he had destroyed the house of Jeroboam. What we explored in this passage is how God’s prophecy against Jeroboam had been fulfilled by Baasha but at the same time Baasha was judged for the wickedness of what he did to the house of Jeroboam. There is a tension here as God is actively  bringing judgement on sinful men even using sinful men to carry it out, but at the same time not giving sinful men a pass simply because they were the tool of His judgment. There are two things about God which really stand out in the passage. One, God is present even when it seems everything is evil or being done with evil intent. Second, God is just and will judge everyone for the evil they do, even if that evil brings about God’s decreed plan. To the people in exile this was a needed message. They were a people living among idol worshipping pagan nations. This was a reminder of the need to remain true to God and be faithful no matter what is happening around you.

We will be dealing with a variety of questions related to heaven as we take one last journey into what scripture says about it. Because of this there is no single key passage but a variety of passages which touch on issues related to God’s revealed view on things. We will begin by exploring the question, “Will animals be in eternity?” Then move on to other questions. Will Life Become Boring in heaven? Will there be Craftsmanship and Technology in heaven? All of these things should be a means of prompting us in the here and now to think about God in eternity.

We explored the opening section of 1 Kings 15. In the first 24 verses there is a remarkable comparison between the two kings which followed Rehoboam as rulers over Judah. Abijam Rehoboam’s son followed his father. He reigned for 3 years and continued to plunge the people into idolatry. Asa his son followed him as ruler and he reigned for 41 years and is recorded by the writer as having a heart which was wholly true to God. The reason this comparison is so important is how it points the readers to a need to be true to God from the heart. Here Asa is clearly one of the kings of Israel who drew people back to God and was blessed with a long reign. By contrast Abijam’s reign was remarkably short and he drew people away from God. When we look at these kings as recorded in Chronicles we see how Abijam appears to depend on God when going to battle against Jeroboam and Asa appears to stop depending on God as much as he became older. This does not negate the way they are laid out for us in 1 Kings. The writer of kings is focused on the heart of the kings and how the heart is what determined the direction of their reign. The writer really wants the people in exile living among a pagan people to not lose hope but to remain wholly true to God from the heart.

We worked our way through the summary of Rehoboam’s reign in Judah. The section begins and end with the mention of Rehoboam’s mother and the fact that she was an Ammonite. The Moabites and Ammonites were descended from Lot and they did not help Israel when they came up out of the land of Egypt. To the contrary Balak the king of the Ammonites paid Balaam to try to curse them. Because of these things Israel was to maintain a separation from them. But Solomon married a woman from this tribe. Not only that but this marriage happened before he became king so this was not a marriage alliance this was Solomon being disobedient. This disobedient marriage produced Rehoboam and gave Naamah an Ammonite undue influence on the king. Rehoboam led Judah into more sin then all their fathers had committed. Because of this God began to bring judgement on Judah. Shishak the king of Egypt came up and took away all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the kings house. There was also ongoing war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. In spite of Rehoboam’s unfaithfulness God remained faithful to His promises to David to establish his throne forever and Abijam Rehoboam’s son became king after Rehoboam died.

We looked at the final recorded event of Jeroboam’s reign. Abijah his son becomes sick. Jeroboam sends his wife in disguise to Ahijah the prophet who had declared he would become king of Israel. When Jeroboam faces a real trial he doesn’t turn to the false gods he had set up but to the true prophet of the true God. But the fact he sends his wife disguised with a common offering of bread, cakes and honey, tells us he was trying to hide from God. He felt guilt but he was not repentant. Ahijah even though he is blind sees right through the deception. He gives Jeroboam’s wife the kind of news she did not want to hear. All the descendants of Jeroboam’s family who could lay claim to the throne will die and be eaten by dogs or birds. Only the son who is sick will die and be buried and mourned because he alone was pleasing to God. The fact that he was pleasing to God indicates he had faith in God. Because to please God you must have faith in Him. Ahijah also prophecies that God is going to scatter Israel to lands beyond the Euphrates because of the worship of false gods which Jeroboam has caused them to follow. He also basically tells her she will never see her sick son alive again because he will die when she returns. Everything happens exactly as Ahijah said it would. Jeroboam does not repent and turn from his sinful ways. He died and Nadab his son reigned in his place. Ahijah is there to declare Jeroboam’s kingship and there to declare the demise of his kingdom because of his disobedience to the God who had made him king. It is a tragic story of rebellion against God. It is also a clear declaration of how impossible it is to hide from God. You cannot deceive Him.

The results of speaking boldly for Christ, even at the peril of ones' life, can bring about an abundant harvest if the Holy Spirit brings remarkable change to bear. Even before rulers and authorities it is important to look to Christ, not to man, for the way in which we should walk. We got to see some of the sweet fellowship of the early church here.

We will look at the strange story of the prophet who announced the judgement of God on the house of Jeroboam and the coming cleansing of Israel by Josiah a future king of Israel. This prophet was supposed to give the message of God and the sign of God and leave Israel returning to Judah by a different path then he came. He was also instructed not to eat or drink anything until he returned to Judah. There was however another prophet who lived in the area who had sons or apprentices attending the sacrifice Jeroboam made and this prophet crashed. Their attendance indicates they were probably complicit in Jeroboam’s defection from the true God of Israel. This prophet seeks out the prophet of Judah and declares that an angel appeared to him and told him to have the prophet from Judah come to his home for a meal. The prophet from Judah listened to this false prophecy and during the meal God spoke through the false prophet declaring the impending death of the prophet of Judah for his disobedience. As the prophet journeyed home he was killed by a lion who stood guard  over his body along with his donkey until the prophet came and took his body to have it buried. This book was written to people in exile. To them this message would have held a poignant meaning. They would have been reminded that being mostly obedient was not enough. God required complete obedience and perfect obedience. They would have been reminded that they needed God’s promise of a messiah. That promise was fulfilled in Jesus. He was the greater and better prophet. He was the one who was tempted to turn stones into bread and he did not. He was the one who offered his body as our source of nourishment and his blood as the seal of the new covenant. A better covenant. One which has been fulfilled for us and given to us as a free gift if we will just follow Jesus with all our hearts. The failure of the prophets just reminds us of how much we needed Jesus. Jeroboam sadly did not change but continued to lead the people away from God.

We examine more of the beginning of Jeroboam’s reign. It was a reign started and rooted in rebellion against God. He really set out to subvert the law which God had established for Israel. Jeroboam set up idols and commanded the people to worship them. He set up anyone who wanted to be priest except for the Levites. He established false feast days for the people to gather and worship the idols he had established. This of course angered God. The very God who had established the kingdom for Jeroboam. The total insanity of Jeroboam’s actions seems crazy when we consider how he came to be king. Yet this is the path he has headed for. We actually see him making an offering to a false god during a fake festival then a prophet from Judah shows up. This prophet declares the destruction of the worship of false gods in Bethel by a future king of Judah named Josiah. This is the very place the king is making offerings. So the prophet declares they will know this will surely happen because God will give a sign by the destruction of the altar which appears to split right after the prophet declares the prophecy and right after Jeroboam tells the people to seize him. When he points at the prophet his hand withers and he cannot draw it back. Jeroboam asks the man of God to pray to God to restore his hand and the prophet prays and Jeroboam’s hand is restored. Now Jeroboam asks the man of God to come to his house for dinner. This he refuses to do because God commanded him not to eat or drink and to return home another way. Jeroboam is left with a clear message that judgement from God is coming to his kingdom. This all came about because Jeroboam failed to embrace loving God and following God’s commands. He did what he wanted the way he wanted instead of doing what God wanted the way God wanted. The worship of God really matters to God.

We explored the beginning of Jeroboam’s reign in contrast to the beginning of Rehoboam’s. Rehoboam in Shechem witnessed the devastating breaking of the kingdom as 10 of the tribes rejected his rulership. He sent Adoram his task master to deal with them and they stoned him to death. Rehoboam fled to Jerusalem and began to call together and army to go fight against the rebellious tribes and restore the kingdom. God sent word through Shemaiah the prophet that this rebellion and split in Israel was from the Lord and they should not fight it. The king and all the people listened to Shemaiah and returned home. By contrast Jeroboam had been given the promise if he would follow God and trust Him like David did, God would establish his throne. Jeroboam immediately took unwise counsel and created 2 calves of gold placing one at the southern border and one at the northern boarder. He made temples on hight places and appointed priests from anyone except the Levites. Jeroboam in one quick series of events shows complete rebellion against God instead of following Him. He really becomes and anti-messiah or anti-christ. He is the opposite of Moses. He comes out of Egypt. He frees the people from the potential enslavement by Rehoboam. He breaks God’s laws about worship and establishes false gods before Him. He makes anyone a priest except the tribe God set aside to be priests. And finally he establishes feast designed to keep the people from going up to Jerusalem. Instead of following God he literally opposes God at every starting point of his reign.