Class Notes, 2 Kings 1:1-5:27

Note: 2 Kings begins with the story of Elijah's translation to Heaven (chapter 2) and ends with Israel's translation to Babylon (Constable, 2010).
2 Kings 1:1-8 (NIV) After Ahab's death, Moab rebelled against Israel. 2 Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, "Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury."
3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?' 4 Therefore this is what the Lord says: 'You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!'" So Elijah went.
5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, "Why have you come back?"
6 "A man came to meet us," they replied. "And he said to us, 'Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, "This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending men to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!" '" 
7 The king asked them, "What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?"
8 They replied, "He was a man with a garment of hair and with a leather belt around his waist."
The king said, "That was Elijah the Tishbite."
1. What does it appear that God is doing Ahaziah's life?
• God is trying to get his attention, he is creating crises
• Moab rebellion (although it is not complete, only the early stages) -- political crisis
• Fall through the lattice -- personal crisis
• Intervention by Elijah -- spiritual crisis
2. What is Ahaziah doing?
• Seeking anyone but God
• (in the passages that follow) trying to kill Elijah
2 Kings 1:13-17 (NIV) So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. "Man of God," he begged, "please have respect for my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! 14 See, fire has fallen from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have respect for my life!"
15 The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him." So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.
16 He told the king, "This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!" 17 So he died, according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken.
Because Ahaziah had no son, Joram succeeded him as king in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah.
3. Why does Ahaziah want Elijah to come before him?
• He thought he could force a reversal of the prophecy
• It shows complete contempt for God and his chosen prophet
• There is some word play on man ('ish) of God coming down and fire ('sh) coming down
4. What is the result of Ahaziah's refusal to humble himself before God?  His death, and removal of his lineage from the ruler ship
5. And why is this result, because God does not kill people for a lack of belief?
• Because Ahaziah is the King, he is the leader over the people.  Therefore his actions affect more than just himself
• Leaders are held to a higher standard, especially our response to crisis
• The King should be the spiritual leader of the nation (in Israel's covenant relationship with God) -- does not arguably apply to other countries
2 Kings 3:1-11 (NIV) Joram son of Ahab became king of Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned twelve years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not as his father and mother had done. He got rid of the sacred stone of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
4 Now Mesha king of Moab raised sheep, and he had to supply the king of Israel with a hundred thousand lambs and with the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5 But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So at that time King Joram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel. 7 He also sent this message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?"
"I will go with you," he replied. "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."
8 "By what route shall we attack?" he asked.
"Through the Desert of Edom," he answered.
9 So the king of Israel set out with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout march of seven days, the army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them.
10 "What!" exclaimed the king of Israel. "Has the Lord called us three kings together only to hand us over to Moab?"
11 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord through him?"
6. What does Joram do that might be in response to the lessons God was teaching Ahazaiah?
• He does a partial cleanup, but is not fully committed to seeking God
7. I'm not sure if this is a continuation of the rebellion that started with Ahaziah or not
8. Three kings head out to attack: King of Israel, King of Judah, and the King of Edom
9. It is not clear who came up with the brilliant idea of taking 100K plus men through a seven-day march through the desert (seems to be Joram's idea)
2 Kings 3:11-20 (NIV) But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord through him?"
An officer of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah."
12 Jehoshaphat said, "The word of the Lord is with him." So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What do we have to do with each other? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother."
"No," the king of Israel answered, "because it was the Lord who called us three kings together to hand us over to Moab."
14 Elisha said, "As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or even notice you. 15 But now bring me a harpist."
While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came upon Elisha 16 and he said, "This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches. 17 For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. 18 This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also hand Moab over to you. 19 You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones."
20 The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was — water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.
10. The result of the march is a crisis
11. The passage shows us one of the big differences between the kings, what do you see?
• Jehoshaphat takes the lead in inquiring of God during the crisis
• Not sure why Jehoshaphat did not inquire earlier, although he might have and it is not recorded.  Maybe God is trying to teach Joram how to handle crises
• Jehoshaphat's actions are in stark contrast to Ahaziah's and Joram
12. As a result of the water, Moab thinks they see blood (three kings fighting against each other) and rush out to get the booty
• Consequently, they are not in battle lines when they meet the three kings
• The result is a huge and easy victory for the three kings
• And the lesson for the King is that the leader of God's people must seek God
13. APPLICATION: All of us have some leadership responsibilities, either at work or in our families.  God calls us to those positions of responsibility.  The best thing we can do as a leader is to seek God in crisis, and even better seek God in the everyday happenings of life
2 Kings 4:8-21, 27-28 (NIV) One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat. 9 She said to her husband, "I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. 10 Let's make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us."
11 One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there. 12 He said to his servant Gehazi, "Call the Shunammite." So he called her, and she stood before him. 13 Elisha said to him, "Tell her, 'You have gone to all this trouble for us. Now what can be done for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?'"
She replied, "I have a home among my own people."
14 "What can be done for her?" Elisha asked.
Gehazi said, "Well, she has no son and her husband is old."
15 Then Elisha said, "Call her." So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. 16 "About this time next year," Elisha said, "you will hold a son in your arms."
"No, my lord," she objected. "Don't mislead your servant, O man of God!"
17 But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
18 The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. 19 "My head! My head!" he said to his father.
His father told a servant, "Carry him to his mother." 20 After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. 21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.
...
27 When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, "Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me why."
28 "Did I ask you for a son, my lord?" she said. "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?"
14. Two more crises follow.  In one case a poor women and her children, after the husband's death, are to be sold into slavery to pay off their debts
• She goes to God's prophet in her crisis, and God answers in a miraculous way
15. The other case is a rich women, who on her own initiative provides a place for Elisha to live when he is in town
• She is very quick to stress that she has no needs or desire
• She is childless but she is somewhat content with that situation
• Content may not be the correct word as she specifically does not want to get her hopes up
• Which means, that she really did want a child
• She did not want to pray for one, because she did not want to be disappointed
• I can relate, because when our son was sick, I was tired of the emotional swings and the easiest thing was to never get overjoyed because then I couldn't be disappointed
• But when you prevent yourself from experiencing joy, to a certain extent, you are not really living, you are just numbing the pain of life
• Life has joy and pain.  It can make sense with a proper view of God
• Elisha decides to petition God for a child and she has a child in her old age.  But then she is confronted by a crisis as her child dies (just what she was afraid would happen)
• The situation for saving the child's life is very difficult (even Elisha has crises)
16. APPLICATION: Crises, problems, difficulties are all natural times to turn to God.  We can't avoid them.  They are a product of a fallen world that has rejected God, independent of our own actions.  The world is in decay.  We can't stop living in order to avoid pain.  We can't try to avoid our need to turn to God -- subtly, the stoic Christian is really just a person to afraid to deal with God.  He doesn't necessarily have more faith because of his response to crisis, he may just be hiding his fear of pain

Class Notes, 1 Kings 16:29-22:53

1 Kings 16:29-33 (NIV) In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him. 
1. We just look at Jeroboam, and then Omri as the worst kings
2. Ahab one-ups them -- how?
• He introduces a foreign wife as queen in Israel
• Jezebel means dunghill
• Jeroboam refashioned worship of Yahweh, but Ahab replaces God with Baal (and Jezebel with Asherah)
1 Kings 17:1, 7-9, 13-14, 17-18, 22-23 (NIV) 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."
7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 "Go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food."
13 Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.'"
17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"
22 The Lord heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive!"
3. There are actually three different stories of trust
• The first, God takes away the rain and tells Elijah to live near a brook, and ravens feed him
• Then Elijah is to live off a widow and her son who have nothing
• Then God allows the widow's son to die, and Elijah, blaming himself, prays and God performs another miracle
4. What I find interesting is that if Elijah had not come, what would have happened to the woman and her boy? 
• They probably would have died
• So after providing a miracle to keep them both alive, how does the women respond to her son's death
• She blames the prophet (and to a certain extent God)
• She blames her sin
5. APPLICATION: Suffering cause us to respond in an emotional and illogical manner to events.  We are slow to remember God's blessings, but quick to blame God when life does not turn out the way we wished
6. APPLICATION: Note that Elijah learns a great lesson in prayer (that he will apply later).  Certain request require fervent prayer
1 Kings 18:1-14 (NIV)  After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land." 2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.
Now the famine was severe in Samaria, 3 and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of his palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord. 4 While Jezebel was killing off the Lord's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) 5 Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals." 6 So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.
7 As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?"
8 "Yes," he replied. "Go tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'"
9 "What have I done wrong," asked Obadiah, "that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? 10 As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. 11 But now you tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah is here.' 12 I don't know where the Spirit of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn't find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the Lord since my youth. 13 Haven't you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord? I hid a hundred of the Lord's prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. 14 And now you tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah is here.' He will kill me!"
7. First thing to notice is Obadiah -- what do we learn about him
• God calls him a devout believer
• He served a wicked King
• He disobeyed orders that were morally wrong
• And while he put his life on the line, his trust in God waivered when God calls him to a new task
8. APPLICATION : We forget God's protection when God calls us to a new task
1 Kings 18:16-21 (NIV) So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"
18 "I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned the Lord's commands and have followed the Baals. 19 Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him."
But the people said nothing.
9. There are only a few passages in scripture that are quite so blatant in their description of a contest between good and evil.  Job is an interesting story along this line, and Elijah and the prophets of Baal are the other.  In both, God intervenes in a very miraculous manner.  But what will be the ultimate result in the history of Israel?
• The great miracle will do little to change the course of Israelite history
• Not even the next king will be any different
1 Kings 18:30-39 (NIV) Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel." 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood."
34 "Do it again," he said, and they did it again.
"Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The Lord-he is God! The Lord-he is God!"
10. We skipped Elijah's taunting near the end of Baal's 6-hour turn.  Elijah actually does make fun of their God, suggesting that he was relieving himself, or a long journey (showing his limitations).  Clearly the pagan religion was harmful as evidenced by the cutting of the body by the prophets
• I don't believe that making fun or speaking bad of another religion is a good idea.  Again, the text only tells us what happened in history.  Not everything that Elijah did was biblical
11. We could compare the two cases.  Baal's prophets took all morning and did all kinds of things to make something happen.  Elijah does everything to make sure his sacrifice won't catch on fire, and then does one simple prayer
12. What is the result?
• An amazing miracle
• 450 prophets immediately killed
• No long-term change in anything
13. APPLICATION: Jesus relates a story of Abraham and a rich man who wanted to warn his brothers.  In essence, people don't believe in miracles.  Their effect is short term with little long-term value
1 Kings 19:1-4 (NIV) Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
14. Definitely, not seeing is not believing
15. How does Elijah respond to Jezebel's threats and why?
• He becomes discouraged
• Mountain top experiences are often followed by valley discouragements
• Real life has a way of making us forget the great things of God
16. Elijah, after such an incredible miracle, is ready to completely give up -- why?
• Fear of his life
• No impact on the people
• Relying on the miraculous over the daily (to be seen next).  You can not fuel your Christian life by experiences
1 Kings 19:9-14 (NIV) There he went into a cave and spent the night.
And the word of the Lord came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
11 The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
17. Why does God ask questions?
• God's questions are never his benefit, they are always for the recipient's benefit
18. How does Elijah respond?
• The covenant is rejected by the people
• The places of worship are broken down
• The other spiritual leaders are dead
• And I am also going to die
• SUMMARY: pity party
19. God tells him to go out and see the presence of God.  What does he see?
• A miraculous wind that can shatter mountains and rocks (Lord is not in the wind)
• A powerful and miraculous earthquake (Lord is not in the earthquake)
• A fire (Lord is not in the fire)
• A gentle whisper (What are you doing here, Elijah?)
20. APPLICATION: Our trust is often held together by the miraculous.  But a real relationship with God is not based on mountain top experiences, but on listening to the gentle whisper of God.  Elijah was living off of the miraculous, but God wanted him to live off the daily, routine relationship with him
21. APPLICATION: Also, the question -- what are you doing here, (tom)?  What is God wanting me to do, and what am I doing to fulfill the gentle whispers?  Elijah, ridiculously repeats his answer back to God, as if God had a hearing problem.  Elijah had a listening problem
1 Kings 19:15-18 (NIV) The Lord said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel — all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."
22. "Go back the way you came" is the reason God asks "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
23. And oh, by the way, there are seven thousand in ISRAEL who have not bowed the knee to Baal -- it is never as bad as you might think it is
24. One more note:  James says Elijah was a man of prayer just like us.  But in three cases of prayer, in only one case did God answer immediately

Class Notes, 1 Kings 12:1-16:28

Constable Chart, pg 42
1 Kings 12:1-11 (NIV) Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt. 3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: 4 "Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you."
5 Rehoboam answered, "Go away for three days and then come back to me." So the people went away.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. "How would you advise me to answer these people?" he asked.
7 They replied, "If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants."
8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. 9 He asked them, "What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, 'Lighten the yoke your father put on us'?"
10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, "Tell these people who have said to you, 'Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter'-tell them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist. 11 My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.'"
1. Why Shechem?
• Northern site, far from Jerusalem in the south
• Suggestive of a brewing storm.  Issues have been building steadily over the years, but no one wanted to challenge Solomon
• Solomon is to blame for his mismanagement of the people
• Also, for his greed (666 tons of gold a year, but did not slack off the gaining of gold), desire for power (chariots and gold shields), and lust (which brought foreign gods into Israel)
• 1 John 2:15-17 (NIV) Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
• It does have historical significance
2. The people's complaint?
• Taxation and forced labor (the hard labor was only for non-Israelites living in the land or conquered land, but there could have been light forced labor which impacts earning potential)
• Quite possible that Judah was exempt (another reason for the meeting in the north)
• The people promise to serve if Rehoboam would lighten the load
3. What do we learn about Solomon's elders?
• They are well-chosen -- possibly wiser than Solomon was during his later years
• Their advice?
• If you will be a servant (attitude)
• (if you will) serve them (action)
• (if you will) answer them favorably (tactfulness)
• Then (the result or consequences), they will serve you
4. What are the consequences to Rehoboam of lightening the load?
• It would reduce his riches (income) and his status (size of forces).  Would not seem to affect lust -- using the 1 Jn 2:16 relationship
5. Why does Rehoboam pursue a second opinion?
• Rehoboam has already rejected the advice of the elders
• Rehoboam pursues a second opinion to find one that agrees with what he has already decided to do
• APPLICATION:  We do the same thing.  We keep looking for counsel until we find the one that agrees with what we wanted to do all along
6. What do Rehoboam's friends suggest and why do they suggest it?
• What? Don't make it easier, make it harder -- put your foot down
• Why?
• Young, inexperienced, and stupid
• Because they are his friends, they know what he wants to hear.  So they tell him what he wants to hear.  Besides, he is the king, and they want to remains friends with the king.  Friendship with the king promises a full and rich life
• APPLICATION:  Sometimes, so-so friends will do exactly the same thing in order to curry favor.  True friends are willing to tell you what you do not want to hear
1 Kings 12:12-19 (NIV) Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, as the king had said, "Come back to me in three days." 13 The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, 14 he followed the advice of the young men and said, "My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions." 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the Lord, to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king:
"What share do we have in David,
what part in Jesse's son?
To your tents, O Israel!
Look after your own house, O David!"
So the Israelites went home. 17 But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them.
18 King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
7. Verse 12 shows us Jeroboam's standing with the people.
8. How does verse 13 (Rehoboam rejecting advice and answering harshly) with verse 15 (this turn of events was from the Lord)?
• I don't know how it all fits together.  I do know that God is sovereign and man has free will.  Additionally, God sees the future and intervenes where appropriate.  Actually, to allow bad things to happen is easy -- just let people be people and listen to Satan's lies.  Doing good is a little more difficult and probably requires more intervention
9. Verse 18 gives us some insight into Rehoboam's cluelessness
• He sends Adoniram out (Solomon used him) and he is stoned
• Rehoboam himself is almost killed as well
• Rehoboam did not hear the message from the people.  He thought everything was as it had been.  Not only was he unwise and stupid, he had no perception
1 Kings 12:20-25 (NIV) When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.
21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin — a hundred and eighty thousand fighting men — to make war against the house of Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam son of Solomon.
22 But this word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23 "Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to the whole house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24 'This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.'" So they obeyed the word of the Lord and went home again, as the Lord had ordered.
25 Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel.
10. In order to figure out these verses, we need to examine a lot of things
• How is the map arranged?  Benjamin is south of Judah -- all of the other tribes are north of Judah
• Why is only Judah loyal to the house of David?  Because he is of their tribe.  Why not Benjamin?  They would be the least loyal because of what happened to Saul, but they have no choice
• So, by default, even though it is not loyal, Benjamin is joined to the Southern kingdom
• Most of the 185K soldiers are probably from Judah
• Also, as we shall see, most of the Levites will relocate to Judah.  The Levites did not have a particular area of land
11. Shemaiah warns the soldiers, after they are gathered, to not fight against Israel.  Why does Rehoboam listened?
• To disobey a prophet's command would have hurt Rehoboam even more
• Also, Benjamin wasn't really into it anyway, as evidenced by verse 20
12. History on relations:
• 57 years of antagonism;
• 33 years as allies;
• 119 years of antagonism (Constable, 2010)
1 Kings 12:26-33 (NIV) Jeroboam thought to himself, "The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam."
28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt." 29 One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin; the people went even as far as Dan to worship the one there.
31 Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. 32 He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. 33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.
13. There is so much wrong with these verses.  What was the single biggest event of the Exodus?
• The rebellion of Israel by creating the golden calf
• God was ready to abandon the nation.  In the end, the presence of God, the tabernacle, wasn't within the nation, but was outside of the area because of this sin
14. So Jeroboam doubles down on the sin by creating two golden calves
• Note: he also goes for advice, but it is obvious the advice is not godly wisdom but world wisdom
• He places one in Bethel (house of God from Jacob/Israel's day) and Dan
15. What is Jeroboam's reasoning?
• He was afraid of his life -- i.e., he does not trust God
16. Where does he get the priests?
• He appointed priests from all sorts of people.  In other words, individuals who had no upbringing in the sanctity and holiness of the priestly system
• Also, the all sorts suggests a great diversity of worship, and of gods
• Another verse suggests that the priests were anyone who wanted to be a priest
17. What day did he pick for the festival?
• He chose his own day
• He also picked a day and month unrelated to any of Israel's religious  festivals
18. APPLICATION: Jeroboam essentially creates his own religious system.  And it is a free-for all system where anyone can worship whatever god they choose.  The problem is that they had a covenant with God, and that covenant did not allow diversity of worship
• Today's situation is different.  I do not believe that the US is in a covenant relationship with God.  I do believe there is only one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ.  But in the new covenant, no one is forced to believe the truth, although they forfeit eternity by disbelief.  But to enter God's kingdom and become a part of God's family, and God's body, the church, one must believe in Jesus Christ.  A church is not a Christian church who does not accept these truths

Class Notes, 1 Kings 9:10-11:43

The Reign of Solomon, Chapters 1-11: [[source: Constable, 1 Kings, 2010]]

• 3:1-8:66 is Favorable
  • Dream
  • Domestic Policy (Women and Wisdom; Administration and Wisdom)
  • Labor Relations (Hiram; Covee)
  • Attitude
• 9:1-11:13 is Critical of Solomon
  • Dream
  • Labor Relations (Hiram; Covee)
  • Foreign Policy (Women and Wisdom; Wealth and Wisdom)
  • Attitude

1 Kings 9:1-10 (NIV) When Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, 2 the Lord appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 The Lord said to him:

"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

4 "As for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, 5 I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'

6 "But if you or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 8 And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' 9 People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them — that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.'"

10 At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built these two buildings — the temple of the Lord and the royal palace

• Why does God appear a second time?
  • It could be a critical juncture in Solomon's reign (halfway point)
  • He has completed all of his main goals ("all he had desired to do")
  • Without major goals and work, one is susceptible to sin
    • Work precedes the fall. Work is good. The fall just added frustration (weeds) to work
  • God is warning Solomon ahead of time
• APPLICATION: What are my goals? Am I just going along with the flow?

  1 Kings 9:10-14 (NIV) At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built these two buildings — the temple of the Lord and the royal palace— 11 King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had supplied him with all the cedar and pine and gold he wanted. 12 But when Hiram went from Tyre to see the towns that Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. 13 "What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?" he asked. And he called them the Land of Cabul, a name they have to this day. 14 Now Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents of gold.

• What is different from the early interaction with King Hiram?
  • Solomon was tactful and in agreement with Hiram
  • Solomon almost appears conniving at this point
  • Before, Solomon used the resources for good, now he seems more interested in the acquiring of resources. Maybe this explain his words in Ecclesiastes
    • Eccl 5:10-11 (NIV) 10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. 11 As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?
• Major expenditures of resources
  • Solomon rebuilds/fortifies Hazor (North), Tamar (South), Gezer (West), Lower Beth-horon, Baalath, and Megiddo
  • Solomon builds a Navy
• APPLICATION: What is the negative or positive side to Solomon building a Navy and building fortresses around the country?
  • Positive: prudent way to protect the country
  • Negative: not trusting God to protect

  1 Kings 10:1-5, 10 (NIV) When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan — with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones — she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.

  ...

  10 And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

• Site of Sheba is 1200 miles southeast (present Yemen and/or Oman)
  • Known for their spice trade in that day
• How does Jesus use this story?
  • Emphasizes God's blessing on Solomon, and even more importantly, his incredible wisdom -- yet Jesus was even greater
• APPLICATION: Solomon's wisdom was incredible, but we have an even greater source of wisdom. The word of God, and the indwelling HS. If Sheba would travel that far to hear Solomon, why can't we put a minimal effort into opening our bible and having a daily bible reading program

  1 Kings 10:14-15 (NIV) The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, 15 not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land.

• Approximately 21 tons of gold a year. Why is that important in the story, especially following the Sheba story?
  • God had promised to make Solomon wealthy
  • God also answered Solomon's prayer for wisdom
• The problem is not wealth but how it is used. One would think that the wisest man in the world would use the wealth wisely, but the passages following draw that into question:
  • 1 Kings 10:16-21 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. // 18 Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's days.
  • Nothing wrong with gold shields except -- worthless, God is too soft to use an armor
  • 1 Kings 10:26-29 (NIV) Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore — fig trees in the foothills. 28 Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. 29 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.
  • Nothing wrong with building a mobile army in Israel except -- God had said not to accumulate chariots and horses
    • Deut 17:16-17 (NIV) The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, "You are not to go back that way again." 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

  1 Kings 11:1-8 (NIV) King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter — Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

  7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

• Interesting, two conclusions about great wisdom …
  • It does not mean one will always choose truth
  • It does not mean one cannot be deceived
  • 1 Cor 1:20-25 (NIV) Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
• Now Solomon actually had spiritual wisdom, but somewhere sin entered and clouded his spiritual wisdom and he was left with man's wisdom
  • 1 John 1:8-9 (NIV) If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
    • We deceive ourselves when we do not call sin, sin, and when we do not confess it
  • James 1:22 (NIV) Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
    • We deceive ourselves when we do not apply God's word
  • Col 2:2-4 (NIV) My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
    • We deceive ourselves when we accept the worldview of life versus the biblical view
  • Eph 5:5-7 (NIV) For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
    • We deceive ourselves when we choose the wrong friends

  1 Kings 11:9-11 (NIV) The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord's command. 11 So the Lord said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.

• Only one of David's wives was a foreigner. Taking sin to a new level
  • 1 Kings 11:14, 23 (NIV) Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. … 23 And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah.
    • Hadad affected the southern trade routes
    • Rezon affected the northern trade routes
    • The impact of the adversaries was to diminish his wealth
• Why? God was trying to get Solomon's attention

  1 Kings 11:26-28 (NIV) Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon's officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.

  27 Here is the account of how he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the supporting terraces and had filled in the gap in the wall of the city of David his father. 28 Now Jeroboam was a man of standing, and when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph.

• Jeroboam does a wonderful job for Solomon. He is change of the labor force in Mannaseh and Ephraim
  • Ephraim has grown to be one of the largest tribes in Israel

  1 Kings 11:29-40 (NIV) About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, 30 and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes. 32 But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. 33 I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molech the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in my ways, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my statutes and laws as David, Solomon's father, did.

  34 " 'But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who observed my commands and statutes. 35 I will take the kingdom from his son's hands and give you ten tribes. 36 I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. 37 However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. 38 If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. 39 I will humble David's descendants because of this, but not forever.'"

  40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt, to Shishak the king, and stayed there until Solomon's death.

• Jeroboam is given the same opportunity as Solomon. He and many others who would follow him all make the same mistake, and not one of those King's lines survive
• APPLICATION: Where was Solomon's downfall? I think it began when he lost a vision for what he could be and do, and became obsessed with obtaining