1-OT 18 1 Kings 11-22

Lesson #18 – 1 Kings 11 – 22 2019 Before starting this lesson, read at least 1 Kings 11:26-42 and chapters 12, 17, 18, 19, 21. If possible read the whole book. You may find it helpful to read just the minimum chapters, go thru the lesson and then read the whole book. You will discover what works best for you. It is important that we once again look at the Old Testament time chart to review the dates and names. We begin and end with the date 2000 – BC for the Old Testament days and AD for the day in which we live. Remember, we are dealing in round numbers to see the big picture. 2000 BC Abra ham 1400 s Mose 1000 d D a vi 400 0 chi Mala s Jesu 2000 AD us The date 2000 BC is connected with Abraham. The time in which he lived. The date 1400 BC is the time of Moses. 1000 BC for the time of David. 400 BC the time for the prophet, Malachi. Memorize these 4 names and 4 dates and as you study and learn, you will be able to fit the Old Testament together in chronological order. Lesson 15 covered 1 Kings 1-11. The purpose was to study the life of Solomon and then study the 3 books that he wrote, Song of Songs, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Now we complete the study of 1 Kings. OUTLINE Chapters 1-11 The reign of Solomon, Chapters 12-16 The division of the kingdom Chapters 17-22 The ministry of Elijah. Saul's Kingdom Eu ph ra Riv t e s er Up to this point, there have been only 3 kings over the nation of Israel: Saul, David and Solomon. Mediterranean Sea But after 7 years, all the nation accepted David. David's First Kingdom Ni When David became king, only his family tribe of Judah accepted him. The other 11 wanted to continue with Saul’s family. Eu ph ra t Riv e s er Mediterranean Sea David's Final Kingdom Eu ph ra Riv t e s er Ni le Riv er However 10 of those tribes still had reservations. They did not like the idea ERT D ES that all future kings would only come from David’s family and the tribe of Judah. So they demanded that David sign an agreement. Every time a new king came to power, he would have to go north and meet with these 10 tribes. They would then decide to accept or reject him. As we would say today, they wanted an opt-out clause from always being under a king from the line of David. David agrees to this condition. le Riv er Mediterranean Sea Ni After 40 years of being king, he died. ERT D ES le Riv er When Saul was appointed king, he was immediately accepted by all 12 tribes or family clans. ERT D ES After David’s death, his son Solomon was declared king in the south. Solomon's Kingdom Eu ph ra t Riv e s er er Mediterranean Sea ERT D ES Following the agreement, he then went north and got the approval of the 10 tribes. They immediatly accepted him. After 40 years as king over all the nation, Solomon died. Now his son, Rehoboam, is named king by the 2 tribes of the south. In chapter 14:21, we are told he is 41 years old. However this is one of those cases when a number was copied incorrectly. All scholars agree it should say Rehoboam is 21. Remembering the agreement made by his grandfather David, Rehoboam travels north to get the approval of the other 10 tribes. Ni le Riv According to 12:4, they say they will accept him on 2 conditions – that he lower the taxes and not force them into slave labor. Being young and inexperienced, Rehoboam is not sure if he should accept or refuse these conditions. He tells them he needs 3 days to think about it. At 21 years old, Rehoboam has to decide what kind of king he will be, harsh or compassionate. It is significant he does not ask God what he should do. Instead, he goes first to his father’s counselors. Then he turns to his boyhood friends who are now serving as his advisors. They are referred to as young men, which is evidence that Rehoboam is also young. This is one of the reasons we know his age is 21.1 As you might imagine, the advice of other 20 year-olds is not going to be very mature or wise. After listening to both his father’s and his own advisors, he follows the suggestions of his peers. In chapter 12:13, Rehoboam tells the 10 tribes, If you thought it was bad under my father, it is going to be even worse under me. Instead of less, there is now going to be more labor and more taxes. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions. A scorpion was a type of whip that caused more pain and physical suffering than the usual whip. In other words, Rehoboam plans to be more severe than his father not only in taxes and forced labor, but even in his punishment. Rehoboam thinks the 10 tribes will be impressed with his use of force and power. But instead, they only see his immaturity and arrogance. If you think back on the life of Solomon – when he became king at 20, he had humility and dependence on God. When God offered him anything he wanted, he said, God, I need wisdom, for who is able to govern this great people of Yours? Solomon’s humility and dependence on God came from the training of his godly parents, David and Bathsheba. Rehoboam now at 21 is exactly the opposite – arrogant and refusing to turn to God. The reason is he had no godly training. His mother was one of Solomon’s pagan wives. He grew up during the 10 to 15 years when Solomon was into idolatry. Solomon repented in the last year of his life. He was completely forgiven, meaning his relationship with God was restored. But there were lasting consequences on his son. I point this out, because God always forgives us when we admit our sin and ask His forgiveness. But God does not always remove the consequences. If we willfully disobey God, there will be lasting effects in our lives or the lives of others. The Divided Kingdom 2 Eu ph ra Riv t e s er le Riv er Mediterranean Sea Ni Because of Rehoboam’s arrogance, the 10 tribes in the north form their own nation. So from now on, instead of one nation of Israel with the capital in Jerusalem, there will be 2 nations - 2 kings - 2 capitals. There is civil war. Never again in Bible history will there be a united kingdom with the 12 complete tribes. Since the 10 tribes in the north are the majority, they use the original name - Israel. Sometimes they will be called Ephraim, the name of the largest tribe. They pick as their king a popular official who, many years earlier, had worked under Solomon. His name is Jeroboam. At first there is no permanent capital., But after 45 years it is set up in Samaria (At the time of king Omri). Israel Judah In the south are the 2 remaining tribes who stay with Solomon’s son Rehoboam. Because Benjamin is such a small tribe and Judah is so large, the southern nation will be called Judah. Its capital continues to be in Jerusalem. Jeroboam and Rehoboam. Because the names of the 2 kings are so similar, it can be confusing. However by using our alphabet, we can remember which one belongs where. The letter I in our alphabet is followed by J. I stands for Israel in the north J is for her first king - Jeroboam. Keep the letters I and J together to remember Israel - Jeroboam Jeroboam means the family/people will contend; Rehoboam means the family is extended Another problem is how to remember which of the 2 is Solomon’s son - Jeroboam or Rehoboam. Once again the alphabet is helpful. R stands for royal – the royal line of David and Solomon. Rehoboam continues the royal line which is also the family line of Jesus. So with the beginning of the civil war and a divided kingdom, Jeroboam is the first king of the northern nation of Israel and Rehoboam, the first king over the southern nation of Judah. To remember all of this, for the rest of the lessons, we will be using a chart to show this division Israel Saul Jeroboam 9 family lines/dynasties 208 yrs 722 BC not 1 of the 19 kings was godly David Solomon Judah Rehoboam 344 yrs David’s line/dynasty 586 BC only 8 out of 20 were godly, most only partially Notice, that first is the united kingdoms of Saul, David and Solomon. The divided kingdom begins with Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. He has the southern kingdom of Judah Jeroboam has the northern kingdom of Israel There are 2 major differences between these kingdoms The first is their rulership. In the northern nation of Israel the kings will come from 9 different family lines. The kings will be decided by coups and revolutions. In the southern nation of Judah, the kings will come from just one family line - the line of David. The 2nd difference between the 2 kingdoms is how long they lasted. Israel to the north continued for 208 years. Then a country conquered them and sent the 10 tribes into exile. Some people have called them the 10 lost tribes. I can assure you, they were never lost. They were resettled in a different area. Thruout history, everyone has always known who they were and where they were. As a unit they never came back to Israel. However thruout the years, families from the 10 tribes did move back to the land. Judah to the south continued for 344 years. Then she was sent into exile by her enemies. However, after a period of just 70 years, thousands returned to the land as a unit and re-established their identity and nation. Since they were the only nation, they took back the name of Israel, for their land. But as a people, they were called Jews because they were from the tribe of Judah. While none of the 10 tribes ever came back to their land as a complete tribe, by the time of the New 2 Testament, exteneded families from all 10 tribes had moved back. 3 Going back to the days of Moses, the 12 tribes had always been held together by their faith and worship of Yahweh God. Under David and Solomon all Jewish men went to Jerusalem 3 times a year to celebrate the Jewish holy days of Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles. When Jeroboam develops the 10 tribes into the separate nation of Israel in the north, he knows this worship in Jerusalem kept the people united. According to 1 Kings 12:27, he now says to himself, If these, my 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. His concern over losing the people means he has totally forgotten God’s promise some 15 years earlier (11:38). Thru one of the prophets, God had told him that because of Solomon’s idolatry, the nation would be divided and he, Jeroboam, would be king over the northern nation of Israel. If he followed God, he and his family would continue to rule. x Dan So now that he is king, all he needs to do is obey God and depend on God’s promises. But instead, Jeroboam makes his own plans. Israel However the plans he makes to keep the kingdom, are the very plans . Bethel which will cause him to lose the kingdom. Jerusalem . . Nile Riv He should know better than to use golden calves to represent Yahweh. In the days of Moses, Aaron had done it and God sent punishment. But Jeroboam is not thinking of Jewish history. For the past 10-15 years, he has been living in Egypt and is thinking of their religion. er . Chapter 12:28 describes these plans. To begin, Jeroboam puts a golden calf at both the northern and southern boundaries of his kingdom - in Dan to the north and Bethel in the south. Judah RT D ESE The golden calves are bad enough, but in 12:31 we read that he builds high places or shrines among the groves. This means he is creating places for religious prostitution as they worship idols. Then he chooses priests from other than the tribe of Levi, in direct disobedience to God’s command. Finally in 12:32, he makes up a new holy day for the people to celebrate during the eighth month. They will not need to go to Jerusalem in the 7th month for the feast of Tabernacles. In other words, Jeroboam creates a counterfeit religion. Golden calves in place of worship at the Temple; men chosen as priests in place of those from the tribe of Levi; a new holy day, in place of the ones created by God. Jeroboam sets the pattern for all 18 kings who follow him. Thruout the rest of this book and in 2 Kings, we read such and such king followed in the ways of Jeroboam. This means they continue this counterfeit religion. Thruout the entire 208 years, every king in the northern nation of Israel will be evil. The middle chapters of 1 Kings (12-16) are confusing. They first tell about 1-2 kings of Israel and what they do. Then it goes back in time to tell about 1-2 kings of Judah. Just as you are following the story, it shifts back to Israel and then again to Judah. Unless you are familiar with the kings, it is difficult to follow. These lessons will mention only the kings who are associated with the prophets. Jeroboam is the first king in the north. He rules 22 years and then dies. Over the next Sidon 24 years, 4 more kings come to power. x . . Israel . Nile Riv er . Judah RT D ESE Samaria This brings us to the 6th king of Israel (Omri).. He and the king of Sidon make a military agreement. They confirm it with an arranged marriage of their children. Sidon was a city-state on the Mediterranean seacoast in Phoenicia. We know it as Lebanon today. The king of Sidon’s daughter is named Jezebel. She is the priestess for their national god, Baal-Melqart. She is sent to marry the son of Israel’s king. The son’s name is Ahab. After ruling 12 years, Israel’s king, Omri, dies. As planned, Ahab his son becomes king. He is Jewish. Jezebel, his wife is a Gentile. As queen, she now teaches the Jewish people to worship her god Baal, the god of fire and fertility. 4 While previous kings were evil, Ahab is even more wicked. But when a nation’s sin becomes greater, God’s grace becomes more greatly evident. As Ahab and Jezebel lead Israel to greater sin, God sends a special man with special abilities - the prophet Elijah. This brings us to the 3rd part of the outline - the ministry of Elijah. Elijah is a prophet only to Israel in the north. His name means Yahweh is my God. He is convinced that Yahweh is the only God and there is no limit to what God can do. Elijah grieves as he sees the Jews worshipping Baal. Ahab and Jezebel have made it the national religion. So it is the leaders he wants to reach. If he can get Ahab and Jezebel to follow Yahweh God, the people would also follow God. This is why we first meet Elijah talking with king Ahab. Now Elijah 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. 17:1 Notice the phrase, except at my word, or until I say so. This sounds egotistical. We would expect Elijah to say, there will be no rain in the next few years until God says so. To understand Elijah’s words, we need to go to the New Testament, to the book of James. It is near the end of the New Testament James 5:17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for 3½ years Again he prayed and the heavens gave rain and the earth produced its crops. First of all, remember the little phrase. Elijah was a man just like us. I will refer to it later in the lesson. The verse goes on, Elijah prayed earnestly that it would not rain. For years, when I read the story in 1 Kings, I assumed God told Elijah it would not rain and Elijah goes to Ahab, merely repeating God’s message. But if he is just repeating a message from God, Elijah has nothing to do with it. There would be no need for him to earnestly pray about the rain. So let’s look at the story more closely. Elijah is a prophet of God; he knows what God has said in the book of Deuteronomy. God told the Jews if they went into idolatry, He would do a variety of things to get their attention. One of them was to withhold rain until they repented. Elijah believes Yahweh is the One who sends and withholds rain. He knows Ahab, Jezebel and the people think Baal sends rain to give fertility to the ground. Knowing how God works and how the people think, Elijah prays something like this, God, Your people have forgotten You. Ahab and Jezebel have rejected You. So now, based on Your words in Deuteronomy, I plead with You, withhold the rain to get their attention. Prove to Ahab and Jezebel that Baal is nothing and You alone are God. After earnestly praying, Elijah believes God will answer. So he goes to Ahab and in-between the lines says, I asked Yahweh to withhold the rain and I will not ask Yahweh to send it until you and Jezebel repent. There will not be any rain until I say so – until I ask God to send it. God honors Elijah’s prayer and the drought begins. As it takes effect, he is forced to hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan River, directly east of Samaria. According to 17:4, ravens bring him bread and meat twice a day. While at first this may sound like a life of ease, let’s take a realistic look. For almost one year, Elijah is out in the middle of nowhere, totally alone. He has been used to preaching, working with other prophets and having a ministry, but now there is nothing to do, no one to talk to. There is just Elijah and God for one whole year. So first of all, it is a very lonely, isolated life. Then as a Jewish man, he is going to find it difficult to accept food from ravens. The law of Moses says ravens are unclean birds and therefore anything they touch is ceremonially unclean. So from a Jewish point of view, his food is not kosher. But since it is coming from God, he accepts it. However, from a human point of view there is another issue. Ravens belong to the crow family. They have a powerful body about 2’ long with a 3” beak. They are a vulture bird. The bread and meat they bring to Elijah are perfectly clean and good. But before they bring it, because they are vultures, they have been sitting on the carcass of some dead animal. Not too pleasant a thought. In other words, this is not an easy time for Elijah. Then after a year, the brook dries up and God sends him 60 miles northwest thru the land of Israel to the country of Phoenicia. 5 He is to go to the little town of Zarephath, along the Mediterranean sea coast. This is a small village 10 miles south of Sidon, Jezebel’s home town. Her father is king not only of Sidon, but also these Sidon outlying villages. While Ahab and Jezebel are looking for Elijah to kill him, God x Zarephath hides him in the area controlled by Jezebel’s father. Elijah is told to stay in this town and a widow will supply his food. But Elijah is l Israe not given her name, address or description. As he comes into town, the first Kerith person he sees is a woman gathering kindling wood. He knows she is a widow by her clothing. So he does the most obvious - he starts a conversation with her. h Juda He asks the widow for water. Since it is a time of drought, she may not want to give him any. But when she agrees, Elijah also asks for some bread. She RT explains there is only enough flour and oil to make one final meal of bread for D ESE herself and her son. After that, they will die of starvation. . . . Nile Riv er . Elijah's Travels Elijah says, make a small amount of bread for me first and I promise you in the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, there will be sufficient flour and oil left for you and your son. But that sounds so selfish. How could a man of God make such a demand? He is doing this to find out if she is the widow whom God has provided. She is a Gentile. If she worships Baal, the god of that area, she will not even consider his request. He will then know she is not the right person. However, if she believes in Yahweh, the God of Israel, since the promise has been made in His name, she might respond. The godly inflluence of David and Solomon in the past, had caused many Gentiles in surrounding lands to become believers and worshippers of Yahweh God. From the story we discover she is a believer. She demonstrates her faith by giving bread to Elijah first. God honors her faith by providing sufficient flour and oil for the next 2½ years for her, her son and for Elijah. While he is with the widow, her son dies. We see Elijah’s faith in God’s power when we realize Elijah has never read or heard of anyone being raised from the dead. It has never been recorded that God can do it. Yet he takes the boy and prays for God to return his life. God answers Elijah’s prayer. This is the first resurrection in the Old Testament. After 2½ years, God tells Elijah the drought must end - not because Ahab and Jezebel have repented, but because the suffering is so great. So Elijah returns to Israel to talk with the king. He wants the leaders and people to have one more chance to see the difference between Baal and Yahweh God. He tells Ahab to take the prophets of Sidon Baal and the people to Mt. Carmel. This is the piece of land that juts out along the x Zarephath Mediterranean coast due west of the sea of Galilee. Because of natural springs in the area, Mt. Carmel is considered a holy place – a place of the gods. What a perfect Mt. Carmel location for a showdown between the gods. l Israe Kerith When everyone arrives on Mt. Carmel, Elijah challenges them. Why are you so undecided on whom to worship? You should give your complete loyalty either h Juda to Baal or to Yahweh. Let’s build 2 altars. The prophets can build an altar to . . . Baal. I will build an altar to Yahweh. The God who answers by fire, let him be God. Nile Riv er . RT D ESE The people agree. This should be easy; after all, Baal is the god of fertility and of fire. The 450 prophets of Baal go first. Although they plead all day, nothing happens. These prophets are totally sincere. But sincerity, by itself does not guarantee truth. A person can be totally sincere and be sincerely Elijah's Travels wrong. For example, I can want to go to the beach here in Oregon via Hwy. 26 west. But if I have gotten turned around and am heading east on highway 26, then even tho I sincerely believe with all my heart that I am headed for the beach, I will never get there. It is the wrong way. I am sincere, but I am sincerely wrong. It is not sincerity that gets me to the beach. It is making sure I am on the right road, going in the right direction. You could not find 450 Jewish men more sincere than these prophets of Baal. They plead and beg and slash themselves. However their sincerity makes no difference. A chunk of wood cannot respond so there are no results. It is now 3:00 in the afternoon – the time when Jews would begin preparing the evening sacrifice if they were worshipping God. 6 Elijah uses 12 stones to build the altar. He is reminding them that God’s original purpose was to have them a united people and nation. If they would follow God, they once again could be 12 tribes under one king. Elijah places the wood and sacrifice on the altar. He then takes 6 gallons of water and soaks everything. This is to prove there is no subterfuge or trick. From secular history we learn that asking a god to reveal himself by fire was a common way to prove one local deity was more powerful than another. But since idols cannot do anything, it was also a common practice for the ones representing their deity to hide fire under the altar. Then thru slight of hand or trickery they could give an appearance that fire came from heaven or from their deity. Elijah never wants anybody, at any time, to wonder whether Yahweh answered or whether it was slight of hand. But that raises a question. After a 3½ year drought, where does Elijah get gallons of water to pour over the altar and sacrifice? Earlier I mentioned that because of natural springs, this place is considered holy - a place of the gods. So the water is not available for public use; but it certainly could be used in a challenge between the gods - between Baal, the god of fire and Yahweh, the God of Israel. After pouring water over the altar, wood and sacrifice, Elijah prays. O Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, (the other name for Jacob), 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. Answer me, O Yahweh, answer me, so these people will know that You, O Yahweh, are God and that You are turning their hearts back again. 18:36. Notice how short this prayer is. When we are in right relationship with God, we do not need long prayers to get answers. And do you remember that phrase, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? The God of Abraham, the God who can do the impossible – In this context He can send fire. The God of Isaac, the God who provides - He can provide rain. The God of Jacob, the One who can change human nature – He can give the people and leaders the desire to worship Him. Elijah has led the nation to a choice about God. God answers and fire descends. It consumes the sacrifice, wood, stones, dust and even the water. There can be no doubt - it is supernatural fire. With this, the people make their choice; they repent and say, Yahweh is God. However the prophets of Baal do not respond. So Elijah says, These 450 prophets of Baal are guilty of idolatry. They have not repented. Put them to death according to God’s laws. The prophets are killed and Ahab offers no resistance. God told Elijah He was going to send rain, but He did not say when. This is why Elijah prays earnestly that God will send rain now. He wants everyone to see the connection. Their idolatry was the cause of the drought. Their repentance will bring rain. The people leave the mountain, Ahab and Elijah leave and the rain comes. That night Elijah is thrilled. The people have repented. Ahab and Jezebel have seen that Baal is just wood and totally helpless. Surely they also will change their minds. The last 3 ½ years have been worth it. The next morning there is a knock on his door. A messenger comes to say Jezebel plans to kill him in the next 24 hours. Jezebel has made her decision. She knows and understands who Yahweh is, but she does not want to change. Elijah makes an important discovery. Just because people have right knowledge and right facts, does not guarantee they will make right choices. With this, he becomes very discouraged and deeply depressed. Even tho Sidon he is a man of great faith, he has human responses. Remember that verse in the x Zarephath book of James? It said he was man just like us. . . During his time in the desert, God miraculously feeds Elijah and gives him a good rest. These are 2 practical answers for depression - good food and rest. It is important to notice - God never reproves Elijah. He does not ask, what is wrong with you; where is your faith? God just lovingly and tenderly cares for him. Mt. Carmel l Israe Kerith . er . Nile Riv Elijah heads for the desert 85 miles to the south, in the country of Judah. He goes, first of all, to protect his life, but he also needs to sort out his questions. What went wrong? God showed His power; the choice was so clear; why did Jezebel reject God ? What did I do wrong? Why did I fail? h Juda RT D ESE Elijah's Travels 7 With the food and rest, Elijah travels 40 days in the desert. The number 40 in the Bible is always connected with judgment or testing. In this case it is a test of Elijah’s faith. Elijah goes another 200 miles south to Mt. Sinai, also known as Mt. Horeb. He is going back to square one - to the place where God made the original agreement with the Jews. Elijah had taken God at His Word; he prayed earnestly about the rain; God had shown His power. But Ahab and Jezebel did not change. At this point Elijah is thinking, My only goal was to bring Ahab and Jezebel to faith in Yahweh God. They have refused. I am the only prophet left and Jezebel is going to kill me. There’s nothing more I can do. So God, take my life. God again shows His power to Elijah – this time in wind, earthquake and fire. But He speaks to him in a gentle whisper. He tells Elijah, I have 7000 prophets and people who never followed Baal. You will not be killed because your ministry has not ended. Stop trying to change Jezebel. Let her go. I will deal with her. Sidon Return to the nation of Israel. Focus on the new responsibilities I am x Zarephath giving you. . . Mt. Carmel The book of 1 Kings ends with Elijah’s return. God prevents Jezebel from any further action or even making threats. 1 Kings has a lot of Jewish history. God includes so many of the stories and details because there are lessons for us. l Kerith . . h er Juda Nile Riv Over the next 10 years Elijah condemns Ahab for murder he appoints the next king over Syria he appoints the next king of Israel. he calls and trains the prophet that will continue his work Elijah’s ministry had not ended. Israe RT D ESE Elijah's Travels From the story of Elijah and the widow, when he did not know who she was, he did the obvious. He talked with the first widow- woman he saw. When we are not sure of God’s exact direction, we should do the most obvious with the opportunity that is in front of us. From the prophets of Baal we learn, Sincerity does not guarantee truth. A person can be totally sincere and be sincerely wrong. From Elijah’s experience with Ahab and Jezebel we can learn several lessons. First of all, When a nation’s sin becomes greater, God’s grace becomes more greatly evident. I am sure we all grieve over the sinfulness of our nation, but it does not need to leave us depressed and discouraged. God will show His grace thru extraordinary ways and thru extraordinary people in our day. Guaranteed, leaders and citizens alike will have ample opportunity to become aware of God and the fact they need Him. Over the last few years we have had so many tragedies involving weather as well as other traumatic events. This is not God’s judgment on the nation. God is using these things to get people’s attention and show them how much they need Him. However we need to learn the 2nd lesson as well. Just because people have right knowledge and right facts, does not guarantee they will make right choices. God does not over-ride people’s free will. He will show them their choices and consequences. He will give them a desire for His way. Then He lets each person accept or reject that information. This leads to the 3rd lesson. Many believers, have put their energy and focus into changing our nation or changing the laws. But thru local elections it is evident the majority of people do not want to follow the ways of God. This means we need to change our energy and focus. There are still so many individuals who are open and searching for answers. God wants to use us to reach them and help them grow in their faith. Others of us have spent so much effort, concern and tears over a person or situation. From Elijah’s experience we learn that if we have done all we can and the person or situation still does not change, we must be willing to let go. God will now handle it. We need to separate ourselves and focus on the new responsibilities or ministry God gives us. When others refuse to respond to God, never let their choice keep us from being responsive to God. As long as we have life, there are ways He is still able to use us. 8 1 Page 2 In addition, it would mean that Solomon had a son at 19 years old by a pagan wife. From what we know of Solomon’s life, that is not possible in his early years. And David would not have allowed Solomon to marry a pagan woman. 2 Page 3, last line This means the name Israel, has different meanings, depending on the time in history. It can refer to all 12 tribes from the time of Moses to Solomon Or to just the 10 tribes in the north for a 200 yrs. period or to the returned 2 tribes from 536 BC to 70 AD. 9