Today's Reading:

1 Kings 13
1 Kings 14
2 Chronicles 11
2 Chronicles 12

God is sovereign over history, and He does not tolerate idolatry. The first prophet (man of God) showed faithfulness and obedience at first but was later tricked. He died because he listened to the older prophet instead of sticking only to God’s direct command. Lies matter, it led the man of God to disobey and ultimately to his death. For discernment, we must listen to God’s commands first and only. Even when God judges the north, the prophecy points to His faithfulness: He kept His promise to continue David’s line, ultimately giving us the Messiah. He is absolutely precise in what He does.

Where have you been tempted to listen to another voice instead of God’s clear command?

These chapters are the start of the kings that ruled after the reign of Solomon when the kingdom split (10 northern tribes, and two southern tribes). A man of God (prophet) came from the southern kingdom of Judah to the northern kingdom of Bethel. Jeroboam had feared the people would turn back to Rehoboam in the capital, Jerusalem, which is why he set up alternate high places of worship with the golden calves, and he appointed his own priests.

The prophet told Jeroboam a prophecy of the future king: “By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.” (1 Kings 13:2).

• “O altar, O altar” shows the prophet speaking God’s Words against the false worship center.
• “Son by name Josiah” was a prophecy fulfilled about 300 years later, to show the continued line of Judah (David).
• “Human bones”, this was a desecration of the altar by King Josiah. He slaughtered the illegitimate priest and burned their bones on the altar, in order to defile it, making it unclean and not useable.

This was an immediate sign to show that you cannot trick God. This story was deliberately placed here to show God’s response to the new, horrible worship system in the north. The story shows the corruption and idolatry there, along with God’s sovereignty of miracles and His control over even the lion.

The man of God was told not to eat or drink in the north or return the same way. An older prophet lied to him, claiming an angel had changed the instructions. Scripture does not note why the prophet lied, maybe jealousy or wanting to be a part of a miracle. But the story warns that even another prophet’s word never overrides God’s Word. The man of God believed the lie, disobeyed, and died by a lion on the way home. The lion that killed the man of God and the donkey that he rode on both stayed next to his body as a warning to Jeroboam. The donkey was not scared of the lion, and the lion did not eat the man of God or the donkey, which all points to divine judgment. Yet, even with these signs, Jeroboam did not repent. This was his downfall. The old prophet had remorse for the man of God, and he went to retrieve the body and then buried it in his own tomb.

Here is a way to help remember Abijah and Ahijah:

Abijah- son of Jeroboam.

Ahijah- a prophet.

Ahijah, the prophet, publicly condemned Jeroboam’s altars. This showed that God had not abandoned northern Israel; it was a long-term judgment because Jeroboam refused to repent.

Jeroboam’s son, Abijah, became ill, so he sent his wife in disguise to Ahijah the prophet to see what would happen to him. He wanted to trick the man of God. In 1 Kings 14:6, Ahijah called her by name, a sign of a divine revelation. This showed God’s omniscience as a warning to Jeroboam that you cannot trick or hide anything from Him.

Jeroboam had come from nothing and was given kingdoms in the north, yet he did not follow God wholeheartedly. God said He would judge his whole house, and every male would be cut off. “Dogs will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country.” The part about dogs eating people was because the body left for scavengers was a sign of a divine curse and great shame. This was a graphic illustration of how seriously God takes idolatry and the corruption of His people. Abijah would die, not in punishment, but because God spared him the disgrace of his family. If he died prior to the judgment, then Abijah would have a proper burial, showing God’s grace. Abijah never became a king of Israel. (There is a different Abijah, the second King of Judah (S).

After Abijah’s death, God raised up Baasha, who assassinated Jeroboam’s son Nadab (1 Kings 15:27-30), and wiped out Jeroboam’s entire line. God said that Jeroboam, “has done more evil than all who lived before you.” Wow, what a horrible truth to hear about yourself by the One and only Lord of All. Jeroboam was even worse than Saul.

In summary, Ahijah had given Jeroboam’s wife the bad news. As soon as Jeroboam’s wife stepped foot into their house, Abijah died. Abijah received the only proper burial. Israel (north) would be uprooted and scattered because they made God angry following the pagan Asherah poles.

This is going to be the beginning of the whole list of kings. Some reigns were short, others long. The key takeaway was that ALL the kings from Israel (north) were evil. Most of the kings of Judah (south) were also evil. This is where the context makes a difference “Israel”, can refer to the northern kingdom in specific, or the whole nation of people of God.

Today's Discussion question:

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