Encounter the Bible

This final section of 1 Kings tells the sad and tragic story of King Ahab.  It's sad because of how Ahab led the Israelites into grievously sinning against God.  It's tragic because of the number of people who lost their lives because of the evil propagated by Ahab and Jezebel.  When God turns people over to their own desires, terrible things happen (see also Romans 1).  Yet, despite all the sadness and tragedy, God is still at work.  Through the prophet Elijah and his daring contest against Baal on Mount Carmel, those who worshiped Baal cried out, "The LORD, he is God!"  In the end, we see that God is faithful and his word is true.  How relevant the lessons from this chapter in Israel's history are for us today! Enjoy your reading! Our guiding questions are these:  What stood out to you in the reading? Was there anything confusing or troubling? Did  anything make you think differently about God? How might what you read change the way you liv...

After detailed accounts of David and Solomon, we now get much shorter accounts of the kings and they come to us in rapid-fire fashion.  As you read the stories of these kings, there really isn't much to write home about, so to speak.  For the most part, they are evil and lead God's people into worshiping other gods.  The kingdom is divided; God's people have fallen into idolatry; kings are assassinated; there is constant war.  But don't miss that in the midst of all these terrible things, God remains faithful to his promise to David.  The line of David is preserved, leading us to the Messiah!  How wonderful that God is faithful to his promises and faithful to us, even when we sin against him. Enjoy your reading! Our guiding questions are these:  What stood out to you in the reading? Was there anything confusing or troubling? Did anything make you think differently about God? How might what you read change the way you live? Please post a comment below w...