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Introduction
Israel leading up to Omri If we were to look at some children’s material for the period of the Divided Kingdom, we would likely find 2 lists of kings: one for the kings of Judah, another for the kings of Israel. Each king would be represented by either a smiling face for a king that…
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Lesson 2: Jehovah vs. Baal (1 Kings 17-18
Elijah’s “showdown” with the prophets of Baal and Asherah is perhaps the story of the prophet we know best. If we were to travel to Israel and scale Mount Carmel we would even find a statue commemorating the event. And while Elijah’s faithfulness to Jehovah remains an example for us to follow, this account is…
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Lesson 3: Jehovah vs. Baal (2 Kings 1)
You may be surprised to find that we have skipped ahead in our study. That’s because we are following a thematic outline rather than chronological. As we’ve stated from the outset, our aim in studying the period of time where Elijah (and Elisha) prophesied is to learn what we can about Jehovah. Our first lesson…
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Lesson 4: Jehovah Provides for His People (1Kings 19)
So far our studies have focused on Jehovah’s triumph over Baal. The episodes in 1Kings 18 and 2Kings 1 should have convinced Israel’s kings and her people to place their trust in the Lord. And if they had, they would have experienced the Lord’s care and provision (Deuteronomy 28.1-14). But even though Israel as a…
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Lesson 5: Jehovah Provides for His People (2Kings 2)
We can’t know for sure how long Elijah’s prophetic work lasted. Ahab reigned over Israel for 22 years (1Kings 16.29) and his son Ahaziah reigned for 2 (1Kings 22.51). Assuming that Elijah began his ministry near the beginning of Ahab’s reign and that his ministry concluded shortly after the death of Ahaziah, Elijah would have…
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Lesson 6: Jehovah Provides for His People (2Kings 4,8)
So far in our study we have noted God’s provision for His faithful servants Elijah and Elisha. The Lord not only provided necessities like food (1Kings 17.3-6), but also with purpose (1Kings 19.15-18) and the means to accomplish His work (2Kings 2.15ff.). And ultimately, the Lord provided a reward for their faithfulness (2Kings 2.11). However,…
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Lesson 7: Jehovah Judges His People (1Kings 20)
The days of Elijah and Elisha was a time when Israel forsook her Lord for other gods. They did this in spite of Jehovah revealing Himself to be the one, true God (1Kings 19) and in spite of the fact that the Lord had provided for her in the past, and continued to do so…
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Lesson 8: Jehovah Judges His People (1Kings 21)
In our study of 1Kings 20 we noted that even though Ahab was twice victorious in battle against Ben-hadad of Aram, the chapter sets up God’s judgment against the Israelite king. He could have learned the vital lesson that Jehovah is the Lord (1Kings 20.13,28) and that allegiance to Him would grant safety and security,…
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Lesson 9: Jehovah Judges His People (1Kings 22)
In foreseeing the day when His people would request a king to rule over them, the Lord gave a series of instructions to Israel’s future rulers. Those instructions culminated with the command for the king to write a copy of the law and to “read it all the days of his life, that he may…
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Lesson 10: Jehovah Judges His People (2Kings 4-8)
In our last few lessons we have been tracing the fall of Ahab and his house as foretold by Elijah: “Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; and I will make your house like the…
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Lesson 11: Jehovah & The Nations (2Kings 3,6-7)
Our last several lessons have examined the judgment God brought on Ahab, his house and ultimately on all of Israel. God had foretold even before Israel entered the promised land that disobedience to the covenant would result in them being “defeated before your enemies; you will go out one way against them, but you will…
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Lesson 12: Jehovah & The Nations (1Kings 17; 2Kings 5)
Luke records that after His baptism and subsequent temptation in the wilderness, Jesus went to Galilee and taught in the synagogues (Luke 4.14-15). Naturally, Jesus would make His way to Nazareth, but as we know the encounter did not go well. Jesus told those assembled that “no prophet is welcome in his hometown” and then…
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Lesson 13: Elijah & John
We titled this class “The Days of Elijah” and have focused on what Jehovah did during the days of His prophets Elijah and Elisha as recorded in 1&2 Kings. However, the days of Elijah were not limited to the time of the divided kingdom, because there was another Elijah to come. As Jesus stated, “if…