b1-King Baasha of Israel

15:32

• Recap: King Baasha and King Asa of Judah were at war throughout their reigns (cf. 15:16-22)

15:33-34

• Baasha commits the same sin [of idolatry] as Jeroboam I (see 12:28-33)

16:1-7

• God tells Baasha (via Prophet Jehu^A), ‘Because I appointed you as king [to destroy the family of Jeroboam I, see 14:14] yet you behave like Jeroboam I, you will suffer the fate of Jeroboam I!’

b2-King Elah of Israel

16:8-14

• Zimri (an [army] officer) plots against King Elah and assassinates him, then Zimri kills all of Baasha’s family

[Zimri fulfils the prophecy that Prophet JehuA gave against King Baasha, see 16:1-4, v7]

c1-King Zimri

d1-King Tibni

e1-King Omri of Israel

King Zimri versus King Omri

16:15-20

• Zimri reigns for 7 days.
• When the people [in Israel’s army] hear that Zimri assassinated King Elah (see 16:10) they choose Omri (their army commander) to lead them as king;
• Omri lays siege to Tirzah & he captures the city;
• Zimri burns down the king’s palace and dies in the blaze

King Tibni versus King Omri

16:21-22

• Israel [the northern kingdom] becomes divided: half of Israel choose Tibni as king; half choose Omri as king; however, Omri’s followers are stronger and [after several years] Tibni is killed

King Omri

16:23-24

• Omri buys a hill, builds a city on it & names it ‘Samaria’ [which becomes the capital city of Israel]

16:25-28

• Omri is more evil than the previous kings [of Israel] in committing the sin of Jeroboam I

[the voluntary idolatry of 12:28-33 becomes enforced through statutes & laws passed by Omri, cf. Micah 6:16]

e2-King Ahab of Israel

Ahab’s wickedness

16:29-33

• Ahab (Omri’s son) is more evil than any of the previous kings; he goes beyond the [idolatrous] sin of Jeroboam I (cf. 12:28-33) by marrying [idolatrous] Jezebel [from Sidon in Phoenicia], and by worshipping Baal

[Baal was the the false god of the Phoenicians & Canaanites whom Jezebel worshipped]

16:34

• Ahab rebuilds Jericho but two of his sons die because of Joshua’s curse [see Joshua 6:26]

Prophet Elijah versus Ahab & the prophets of Baal

17:1

• Prophet Elijah tells Ahab, ‘From now on there will be no rain or dew, until I say otherwise!’

17:2-7

• God tells Elijah, ‘Hide by the Kerith Brook!’ God sends ravens to Elijah and they bring bread & meat for him, but eventually the water in the brook dries up because it hasn’t rained

17:8-16

• God tells Elijah, ‘Stay with a widow in Zarephath (in Sidon)!’ Elijah asks the widow for water and bread, and promises her that [miraculously] her flour and oil will not run out until God sends rain

17:17-24

• The widow’s son becomes sick & he dies;
• Elijah prays to God & the boy comes back to life

18:1-2a

• Year 3 (of the drought): God tells Elijah, ‘Go to meet Ahab & I will send rain!’

18:2b-16

• Obadiah (Ahab’s administrator) has been protecting God’s prophets from Ahab;
• while Obadiah is out searching for grass to feed the animals, he meets Elijah;
• Obadiah agrees to tell Ahab where Elijah is

18:17-40

• Elijah meets Ahab & says, ‘Summon the prophets of Baal to Mount Carmel. Whichever god answers prayer by sending fire from heaven must be the true God.’
• Baal does not send fire but Yahweh (the God of Elijah) sends fire;
• Elijah slaughters the false prophets of Baal

18:41-45

• Elijah tells Ahab to go [home] to eat and drink [at his palace in Jezreel, cf. 21:1] because it will rain;
• a small cloud appears, but it quickly grows larger and there is a rain storm

18:46

• Elijah is empowered by God and enabled to run to Jezreel faster than Ahab’s chariot

Prophet Elijah flees for his life

19:1-2

• Ahab tells Jezebel, ‘Elijah killed the prophets of Baal!’ so she threatens to kill Elijah

19:3-8

• Elijah runs to the desert where he asks God, ‘Please take away my life!’
• An angel arrives and gives him food & drink to strengthen him for a 40 day journey to Horeb [a.k.a. Mount Sinai]

At Horeb [Mount Sinai]: God instructs Prophet Elijah

19:9-14

• Elijah complains to God, ‘I am the only prophet left alive!’
• A strong wind, an earthquake & fire appears, but God is not in them [God had previously descended on Mount Sinai with trumpets, earthquake & fire, see Ex 19:16-19];
• Elijah hears the still small voice of God whispering to him

19:15-17

• God tells Elijah to anoint these 3 people who will use the sword [of judgement against Israel]:

#1. Hazael is to be anointed as king of Aram (Syria)

[It was Elisha who told Hazael that he would be king, see 2 Kgs 8:12-13; Hazael became an enemy of Israel, 2 Kgs 8:28-29, 10:32-33, 13:3-7, v22]

#2. Jehu^B is to be anointed as king of Israel

[It was Elisha who arranged for Jehu^B to be anointed, see 2 Kgs 9:1-10; Jehu^B killed Ahab’s family & Baal worshippers, 2 Kgs 9:21-26, v30-37, 10:1-11, v17-28]

#3. Elisha is to be anointed as the Prophet who will replace Elijah

[Prophet Elisha did not fight with a sword, but he did fight using the Word of God, e.g. see 2 Kgs 2:23-24; cf. Hos 6:5, Heb 4:12-13]

19:18

• God also says, ‘I still have 7,000 [of My people] in Israel who have not worshipped Baal’

19:19-21

• Elijah places his [prophet’s] cloak on Elisha; Elisha burns his [work] plough & follows Elijah

King Ahab [Israel] versus King Ben-Hadad [Aram] (#1)

20:1-12

• King Ben-Hadad besieges Samaria, then makes an outrageous demand; Ahab refuses him

20:13-21

• Prophet^A tells Ahab, ‘God will fight for Israel!’ Ahab sends out his men & they win the battle

20:22-28

• Prophet^A tells Ahab, ‘Aram will attack you next year [springtime]’; the Arameans believe God only has power near the mountainous area
• Prophet^B tells Ahab, ‘God will fight for you!’

20:29-34

• Aram loses the battle and King Ben-Hadad surrenders, so Ahab makes a treaty with him

20:35-43

• Prophet^C asks a man to wound him, but the man refuses [& disobeys God] & is killed by a lion
• Prophet^C tells Ahab, ‘God planned for Ben-Hadad to die; as you let him go, you will die!’

Ahab takes Naboth’s vineyard

21:1-16

• Naboth won’t sell his vineyard to Ahab [cf. Num 36:7], so Jezebel arranges for Naboth to be falsely accused [of the law in Ex 22:28] & he is killed [cf. Lev 24:15-16];
• Ahab claims the land

21:17-26

• Elijah tells Ahab:

i. Dogs will lick up your blood [fulfilled after Ahab’s death, see 22:37-38];

ii. Your family will be wiped out like that of King Jeroboam I (cf. 15:29-30) & like that of King Baasha (cf. 16:11-13) [Jehu was anointed as king for this task, see 2 Kgs 9:6-10, 10:17];

iii. The dogs will eat Jezebel [fulfilled after her death, see 2 Kgs 9:34-37]

21:27-29

• In response to Elijah’s words, Ahab acts with humility; God postpones the punishment

King Ahab [Israel] versus King Ben-Hadad [Aram] (#2)

22:1-28

• Ahab asks King Jehoshaphat (of Judah) to help him fight King Ben-Hadad (of Aram);
• the false prophets predict Ahab’s victory but Prophet Micaiah disagrees so Ahab puts him in prison

22:29-40

• Ahab & Jehoshaphat start the war; they disguise themselves (Ben-Hadad told his men only to fight King Ahab);
• Ahab is shot & dies; dogs lick his blood [cf. prophecies of 20:42 & 21:19]

B6-King Jehoshaphat of Judah

[cf. 2 Chron ch. 17 – 20]

22:41-47

• Jehoshaphat is good in God’s sight, except he makes peace with Israel’s King [Ahab, see 22:2]

22:48-50

• Jehoshaphat built ships [with help from evil Ahaziah^A, 2 Chr 20:35-36] but they were destroyed [after a prophetic warning, see 2 Chr 20:37] so he banned Ahaziah^A’s men from sailing with him

e3-i-King Ahaziah^A of Israel

[see also 2 Kings ch. 1]

22:51-53

• Ahaziah^A sins like Jeroboam I (in 12:28-33) & worships Baal like Ahab & Jezebel (cf. 16:31-32)

1-Sam / 2-Sam / 1-KGS / 2-Kgs / 1-Chr