Shipwreck and Rome

256 – Shipwreck & Rome

Acts 28:1-31

Continued from the previous story

After fourteen days in a fierce storm, Paul’s ship struck a sandbar just off the island of Malta. Everyone got to shore and the local people came out and started helping them. They built a fire because of the rain and cold.

Paul helped by gathering wood. As he was putting some on the fire, a poisonous snake bit him on the hand. Paul dropped the wood but the snake hung from his hand. The local people said, “Ah, he is a terrible murderer! He escaped dying at sea, but now the gods are bringing justice to him.”

Paul shook the snake into the fire, and everyone waited for him to swell up and drop over dead. After some time, they finally realized he wasn’t going to die. Then they said, “He’s a god!”

The governor of the island opened up his home and made provisions for those who were shipwrecked. Paul learned that the governor’s father was sick in bed. He went and placed his hand on the man’s head. Instantly he was healed. News of this spread throughout the island, and people started bringing others to Paul so he could heal them.

They stayed on Malta until the winter months were over. Julius then booked passage for them on a cargo ship that was going to Rome. As they prepared to leave, the people of the island brought them everything they needed for the trip.

When they arrived in Rome, Paul was taken to a house where he stayed until his trial before Caesar. There was always a soldier next to him, but he was free to have friends come and visit. The Christians in Rome graciously received him and encouraged him.

He sent a letter to the Jewish leaders in the city. He told them about what had happened in Jerusalem and why he was in Rome. He invited them to come and visit him. They met and talked about God’s Kingdom and Jesus. Their discussion lasted all day, until late in the afternoon. Some of them believed the message but others didn’t.

As they were about to leave, Paul said, “The prophet was right when he said that ‘you would listen but not hear, you would look but not see.’ Your stubbornness has closed your ears and covered your eyes. You can be sure of this—the Gentiles will see and hear, and God will forgive their sins.”

Paul stayed in the house for two years waiting for the trial. During that time he received many guests and preached Christ to them all. No one tried to stop him.

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Pool of Bethesda

196 – Pool of Bethesda

John 5:1-47

There was a pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda. It was near the Sheep Gate. Local people believed that occasionally an angel would stir the waters of the pool. They felt a sick person would be healed if he or she were the first to get into the water after it was stirred. Therefore, a large group stayed near the pool, waiting for the angel.

Jesus went to that pool when he was in Jerusalem for a Jewish festival. He saw a man who had been sick for 38 years. The Lord said, “Do you want to be healed?”

The man said, “Yes, but when I see the stirring of the waters, someone always gets into the pool before me.”

Jesus said, “Stand up! Pick up your bedroll and walk.” Immediately the man was healed and got up. Jesus slipped away into the crowd as the man was picking up his bedroll.

Some of the Jewish leaders saw the man carrying his bedroll. They said, “How dare you! This is the Sabbath. It’s not legal to carry bedrolls on the Sabbath.”

The man said, “But… but… a man healed me and then told me to pick up my bedroll and go home.”

“Who told you to do this work on a Sabbath?”

“I don’t know. He healed me and then disappeared into the crowd.”

Later, Jesus saw this man in the Temple. The Lord said, “You’ve been healed, but you must stop sinning. If you don’t, something worse will happen to you.” The man then knew who had healed him. So he rushed to the Jewish leaders and told them that it was Jesus.

Hearing this made them more determined to end the influence Jesus had with the people. They felt his actions on the Sabbath were totally unacceptable.

Jesus said to them, “My Father works on the Sabbath, so I will too.”

Hearing this, the leaders started talking about killing him. They said, “He breaks the rules about the Sabbath. Now he calls God his father. He thinks he’s equal with God!

Jesus said, “The Son only does what the Father tells him to do. The Father loves the Son, and gives him power so he can give life to anyone he wants. The Father has made the Son the judge of people. If you don’t honor the Son, you’re not honoring the Father who sent him.

“I’ll give eternal life to those who hear me and believe on Him who sent me. Those who believe will not be judged, but have passed from death into life.

“How do you know if I’m telling you the truth? I’ve told you but that’s not good enough because I’m talking about myself. You heard John the Baptist talk about me, but you didn’t believe him. The Father spoke about me, but you closed your ears to him. My miracles show that I’m telling the truth, but you don’t accept them as proof.

“You study the Scriptures constantly. They talk about me, but you turn your eyes away from those Scriptures. The truth is, you’re just not willing to come to me and have life.”

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Den of Lions

171 – Den of Lions

Daniel 6:1-28

When Darius became king, he appointed an official over each of his 120 provinces. He then selected three administrators to supervise the 120 officials.

Daniel was one of the three administrators, and he was the most capable. The king was about to give him authority over the entire kingdom.

The officials and the other two administrators didn’t want this to happen. They decided to make Daniel look bad to the king. They searched for a flaw in his life or some kind of corruption in what he did for the government. They couldn’t find anything. Finally they said, “There’s only one way we can do this. We must find something in the laws of his God.”

Finally they found it, so they created a plan. They went to the king and said, “Oh King Darius, live forever. The officials and administrators have agreed on a way we can honor you. With your permission, we want everyone to worship you for 30 days. We’ll craft a law that says no one can worship any other god during that time. We want you to sign it as a law of the Medes and Persians that can’t be changed. If anyone disobeys this law, they’ll be thrown into a den of lions.” Darius was pleased with this honor, so he signed the law.

Daniel heard about this after it was done. Still he followed his normal routine of worship. Three times a day, he went into his house and opened the upper windows that faced Jerusalem. There, he knelt down and prayed, giving thanks to God. It was exactly what the men knew he would do.

They went to the king and said, “Is it true that you signed a law that said for 30 days no one may worship any other god besides you? And didn’t it say that anyone who violated this would be thrown into a den of lions?”

He said, “Of course. I made it a law of the Medes and Persians, which can’t be changed.” “Oh king, we’re sad to tell you that Daniel, Jewish exile, is breaking that law. He bows down and worships his God three times a day.”

Darius was shocked! He knew he had to find a way to rescue Daniel. He worked on it all day. Finally the men came and said, “You know that the law of the Medes and Persians can’t be changed.”

So the king gave the order to go get Daniel. The king talked to him just before he was thrown into the den. “Oh, may the God you serve rescue you from these lions.”

Daniel was lowered into the den, and then a stone was placed over the opening. The king put his seal on it so that no one could interfere with this judgment. He went back to his palace and cancelled the evening entertainment. He refused to eat, and he couldn’t sleep all night.

When it was finally morning, he rushed back to the den of lions. Once the stone was removed, he yelled, “Oh Daniel, servant of the living God. Was your God able to rescue you from the lions?”

Daniel yelled back, “My king, God sent his angel, who shut the mouths of these lions. I haven’t been hurt in any way. God knows I’m innocent. Your Majesty, I haven’t wronged you in any way.”

The king gave the order to have Daniel pulled out of the den. Darius then told the guards. “Go get those men who plotted against Daniel. Get their wives and children. Throw them all into the den of lions.”

All the men and their families were brought and pushed down into the den of lions. The lions were waiting at the bottom and tore them apart before they reached the floor.

King Darius sent a decree throughout his kingdom. It said, “Everyone is to be afraid of Daniel’s God because he’s the living God. His kingdom will last forever. He’s able to rescue those who serve him.”

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Valley of Dry Bones

165 – Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-28

Ezekiel was taken into captivity, along with many other Jews. He became a prophet of God.

One day the Lord took his spirit to a valley. He saw that it was filled with bones. They were so dry, they would turn to powder if you touched them.

The Lord said, “Son of man, can these bones become alive again?”

“Oh Lord, only you can give the answer to that.”

God said, “Stand among them and say, ‘Dry bones, hear what God says to you. Yes, the Lord is talking to you. He’s telling you he’s going to put breath back into you, and you’ll once again be alive. You’ll have flesh, and muscle, and skin … and life. Then, you’ll know he’s the Lord.’ ”

So Ezekiel stood and told this to the bones. Suddenly he heard the sound of rattling all across the valley. The bones had become solid, and were reconnecting themselves. Soon there were complete skeletons lying all over the ground.

As the prophet watched, tendons and muscles formed on the skeletons. And then skin stretched over the flesh. They were like dead bodies lying on the ground, all across the valley. But even with all of this, they didn’t have life.

The Lord said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, preach to breath. Say, ‘Hear what God says to you. Yes, the Lord is talking to you. He’s telling you to ride on the four winds and come and enter into these dead bodies.’ ”

So Ezekiel said this to breath. Suddenly the wind blew and breath entered into all the dead bodies, and they became alive! They sat up … and then got up. It was then Ezekiel realized they were a vast army.

The Lord said, “Son of man, these bones represent all twelve tribes of Israel. Right now they’re saying, ‘We’re no longer a nation. There’s no hope for us. Our bones are dried up.’

“Preach to them! Say, ‘Hear what God says to you. Yes, the Lord is talking to you. He is telling you that he’s going to open your graves of exile and bring you back to the land of Israel. He’ll put his Spirit in you, and you’ll live again. Then you’ll know that he is the Lord.’ ”

The Lord spoke to Ezekiel again. “Son of man, find a small piece of wood. Carve the word ‘Judah’ on it. Find another piece of wood and carve the word ‘Israel’ on it.”

Ezekiel did this. Then the Lord said, “Hold them together as if they are one piece of wood. Carry them around until people ask you what it means.

“Tell them the Lord God is saying, ‘There’ll come a time when I’ll bring both nations together again. They’ll no longer be two nations, but one. I’ll give them their own land, the land I gave Jacob. They’ll have one king. David will rule over them. They’ll no longer corrupt themselves with idols. I’ll make them clean and they’ll be my people, and I’ll be their God.’ ”

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Jonah & the Vine

147 – Jonah & the Vine

Jonah 3:1-4:11

Once again, God said to Jonah, “Leave right now and go to Nineveh. You’re to tell them I’m going to judge them because of their wickedness.” This time, Jonah immediately got up and went to Nineveh.

The city of Nineveh was extremely large. It took three days to walk from one side to the other. So Jonah started his walk across the city. He shouted, “God is going to destroy this city in 40 days!”

The people of the city heard him preach and believed that what he said was true. They passed a law that said everyone was to fast—no exceptions. Everyone was to go without food, and they were to wear burlap sacks. They prayed and asked God to be merciful to them.

The king stepped down from his throne and laid aside his royal robes. He put on burlap sacks and sat on a pile of ashes. He sent out another law that said, “No one is to taste any food or water. That includes animals as well. Everyone is to wear burlap sacks, and stop any evil they are doing. Maybe God will change his mind and allow us to live.”

The Lord saw all they were doing. He knew they had turned away from their wickedness, so he stopped the judgment that was about to kill them and destroy their city.

Jonah was furious when he heard about this. He said, “I told you this would happen! I knew you were a merciful God. I knew you were quick to forgive. That’s exactly why I didn’t want to come here. That’s why I ran away. Kill me right now. I don’t want to live.”

The Lord said, “Do you think it’s right to be so angry about this?”

Jonah didn’t answer, but went to the east side of the city. He made a small shelter so he could sit and see exactly what God was going to do with the city.

While he was sitting there, God caused a vine to grow up next to him. The vine had large leaves, which provided shade from the hot sun. Jonah was pleased with the plant, and enjoyed the shade it provided.

The next morning, God caused a worm to attack the vine and kill it. As the sun got hot, the plant withered. Then God caused a hot east wind to blow on Jonah. As the day went by, the sun and the wind got hotter and hotter, and there was no vine to protect him. Jonah cried, “I don’t want to live anymore. I want to die!”

God said to him, “Is it right to be angry about the vine?”

“Yes, it’s right for me to be angry. I’m so mad I want to die.”

The Lord said, “You’re angry about a simple vine. You didn’t plant it. You didn’t water it. It came up one day and died the next.

“Shouldn’t I also care for the people of this city? If for no other reason, there are over 120,000 children living here, not to mention all the animals.”

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Athaliah

143 – Athaliah

2 Kings 8:16-29 9:14-29 11:1-21 2 Chronicles 21:1 – 23:21

Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, wanted to establish a good relationship with the kingdom of Israel. To do that, he had his oldest son marry Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, king of Israel. Unfortunately, Athaliah influenced her husband to follow the sinful ways of Israel.

As soon as Jehoshaphat died, his son became king and put idols all around Judah, and built a temple to Baal in Jerusalem. He killed his six brothers to make sure they wouldn’t take the kingdom away from him.

Elisha sent him a message. “You’ve caused the people to worship idols, and now you’ve killed your brothers. They were all better men than you. Therefore, all of your sons will be killed, and you’ll die a slow agonizing death.”

Immediately, Judah started losing battles. The king developed a severe stomach illness. All of his sons were killed except the youngest. The king’s illness caused him extreme pain for two years. When he finally died, no one mourned his death.

His youngest son became king, and he followed the direction of his mother Athaliah. He went to visit his uncle, the king of Israel. While he was there, Jehu killed both of them.

When she heard that her son was dead, Athaliah decided to become king, even though she was a woman. Still, she knew the people of Judah always selected their kings from the descendants of David. That meant the people could kill her and make one of her grandchildren king. Therefore, she decided to kill them. She called for the guard and told him to go to the palace and kill them all.

Athaliah’s daughter heard this and rushed to the palace. She worshiped the Lord and was married to Jehoiada, the high priest. At the palace, she took the baby Joash and his nurse and left—just before the guards got there. She hid the child in the Temple of the Lord. Meanwhile the guards killed all the other royal descendants of David.

Athaliah was confident she had killed them all. So, she became king of Judah and ruled the nation for six years.

Jehoiada hid Joash in the Temple until he was seven years old. Finally the priest knew it was time to act. He organized a meeting with trusted military leaders and the heads of various family groups. He asked them, “What would you do if you had a descendant of King David.”

“We would make him king!”

Jehoiada then brought Joash before them and said, “Here is your next king.”

Together, they set a date to bring him out before the people. They organized the military, Temple activities, and crowd control. On the big day, the people of Judah went to the Temple.

Joash was brought out and put in the place reserved for the king. Jehoiada anointed him with oil and placed a crown on his head. The trumpets blew, the choir sang, and the people shouted, “Long live the king!!”

Athaliah heard all the shouting, so she went out to see what was going on. People were running through the streets, celebrating, and talking about the king. She walked into the Temple and saw Joash in the place reserved for the king, and he had a crown on his head. She ripped her clothes and screamed, “Treason! Treason!”

Jehoiada pointed at her and said, “Take that woman out, because it is not right to kill someone in the Temple.”

So they dragged Athaliah out of the Temple, and killed her at the horse corral. The people went through the city and tore down everything that had to do with Baal. The high priest once again set up the worship of the Lord in the Temple. Everyone rejoiced because Athaliah’s reign of terror was over.

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Shunammite Woman

135 – Shunammite Woman

II Kings 4:8-37

Elisha traveled to a town called Shunem. A prominent woman provided a meal for him. She then gave him an invitation to eat at their home whenever he was in their town.

Sometime later, the woman said to her husband, “The man who comes here is a holy man. Let’s make a small room for him upstairs. We’ll provide a bed, table, chair, and a lamp. He can stay there whenever he comes to our city.” They prepared the room, and Elisha used it whenever he was in Shunem.

One day, the prophet stopped at the home and went up to his room. He said to Gehazi his servant, “The Shunammite woman has done all of this for us. Go ask her what I can do for her. Possibly she would like me to speak to the king for her, or a commander of the army.

Gehazi went and talked to her, but she said that her family provided for all her needs. Elisha then asked his servant, “Do you have any ideas of what we can do for her?”

“Well, she doesn’t have a son, and her husband is old.”

Elisha said, “Tell her to come and stand in the doorway.”

The woman went up the stairs and stood in the doorway of the prophet’s room. He said to her, “This time next year, you’ll have a son.”

She begged him. “Oh man of God, don’t tell me that unless it’s true.”

A year later, she gave birth to a baby boy, just as Elisha had promised. The child grew and in time was old enough to help his father with the harvest.

One day out in the field, he complained of a severe headache. His father told a servant to take the boy to his mother. The servant took him there and she held her son on her lap. Still, he died around noon. She took him up to Elisha’s room and laid him on the prophet’s bed.

She then sent a message to her husband. “Please send me a donkey and a servant. I need to hurry and go see the man of God. I’ll come back as fast as I can.”

The husband agreed and sent her a donkey and a servant. She said to the servant, “Take me to the man of God at Mount Carmel. Don’t slow down unless I tell you.”

Elisha saw her coming from a distance, but the Lord didn’t tell him why she was coming. He sent Gehazi to ask why, but she wouldn’t tell him.

When she got to the prophet, she ran up, fell down, and grabbed his feet. Gehazi started to pull her away, but the prophet said, “Don’t! She’s deeply troubled and God still hasn’t told me why.”

The woman looked up and yelled, “I told you not to tell me I’d have a son unless it was true!”

The prophet turned to Gehazi. “Run back to her house. Don’t talk to anyone along the way. Take this staff and place it on the boy’s face.”

Gehazi took the staff and left. Elisha then told the woman that she and her servant could go home. She said, “Listen to me carefully. As sure as God is alive, and as sure as you’re alive, I’m not leaving you until my son is alive.” So Elisha went with them to her house.

Gehazi got there first and placed the staff on the boy’s face. Nothing happened. When Elisha arrived, he went into the room alone and locked the door. He prayed to the Lord, and then went over and stretched out over the boy’s body with his eyes over the boy’s eyes, his mouth over the boy’s mouth, and his hands over the boy’s hands. Soon the boy’s flesh became warm once again, but he didn’t start breathing.

The prophet got up and paced back and forth. Then he once again stretched out over the boy’s body. Suddenly the boy sneezed … and then he sneezed again … and then he sneezed again. He sneezed a total of seven times. After that, the boy opened his eyes and looked at the prophet.

Elisha got up and called for Gehazi. “Go and get the Shunammite woman.”

When she came into the room, the prophet said, “Pick up your son.” Without saying a word, she knelt at the feet of the man of God. She then picked up her son and left.

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Aerial view of Shunem, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

Hill of Moreh from Tel Jezreel, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

Hill of Moreh and Nain, from the Northwest, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

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Jehoshaphat’s Victory

130 – Jehoshaphat’s Victory

II Chronicles 19:1 – 20:37

Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he became king of Judah. He ruled for 25 years. He set up an educational system, established justice in the land, and reformed the legal system.

Things were going well in Judah, until suddenly the nations of Moab, Ammon, and Edom decided to unite together and fight against Jehoshaphat. A massive army moved from the east side of the Dead Sea to En-gedi, on the west side.

Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he sought the Lord’s help. He sent out a proclamation saying that everyone was to fast and seek God’s favor. The people responded, and many went to Jerusalem to be with their king and pray with him. A huge crowd went to the Temple and stood before the Lord. Men brought their wives and children, so entire families prayed together and sought God’s help.

Jehoshaphat stood before all the people and prayed to God. He said, “Oh Lord, you’re the God of heaven. You’re the one who gave this land to your friend Abraham. You control all power and might. You said we’re to trust you when we’re in trouble. Look! The Moabites and Ammonites have gathered a massive army and have come to destroy us. We have no power to fight against them. We don’t know what else to do but look to you.”

Suddenly the Spirit of God came upon a prophet. He said, “Hear what God says to you. ‘Don’t be afraid of this vast multitude. This isn’t your battle, but mine. Tomorrow, go against them. You’ll see them coming, but you don’t have to fight them. Get in position, but stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Don’t be afraid, I am with you.’”

Jehoshaphat bowed down and put his face to the ground. All the people did the same and worshiped the Lord. Suddenly, the Levites stood up and started praising the Lord God with a loud voice.

In the morning, the men got up early and went out to face their enemies. Jehoshaphat told them, “Believe in the Lord and you’ll be successful.” He then appointed people to sing for the Lord. They went out in front of the army singing, “Give thanks to the Lord. His faithful love endures forever.”

As the people shouted and praised the Lord, suddenly their enemy became confused. The Ammonites and the Moabites turned on those from Edom and totally annihilated them. They then turned on one another and kept killing until every man was dead. When the army of Judah arrived on the battlefield, there was nothing but corpses lying on the ground. No one had escaped.

Jehoshaphat told his people to gather up anything of value from the dead bodies. They found that their enemies had carried a large amount of valuables onto the battlefield. There was so much that the people gathered for three days. Finally, they couldn’t carry any more.

They met on the fourth day, just to praise God. Then they returned to Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat at the lead. Everyone gathered at the Temple to once again praise the Lord with great rejoicing!

All the nations around Judah heard about the great victory God had given his people. They were all terrified of the Lord, and none of them attacked Jehoshaphat as long as he lived. So there was peace in the land, and all was quiet.

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Elijah on Mount Carmel

125 – Elijah on Mount Carmel

1 Kings 18:1-46

The famine in Israel was severe and lasted for three years. Finally, the Lord said to Elijah, “Go tell King Ahab that I am going to send rain to the land.”

The person in charge of Ahab’s courts was a man named Obadiah. He was faithful to God, and even hid 100 prophets of the LORD when Jezebel was trying to hunt them down.

He and the king went out to find grass for the palace livestock. They went different directions so they could search more land.

As Obadiah went along, Elijah suddenly walked up to him. Obadiah immediately fell to the ground and said, “Oh, my lord Elijah.”

The prophet said, “Go tell the king that I’m here.”

Obadiah was shocked. He said, “What have I done that you want me killed? The king has looked for you all across the nation, and even in other countries. As soon as I tell him that you’re here, the Lord will carry you off to some other place. Then Ahab will kill me when he comes and finds that you’re not here. Please don’t do this to me.”

The prophet said, “Don’t worry. As the Lord lives, I’ll meet with Ahab today.”

So Obadiah went and told Ahab. As soon as the king saw Elijah, he said, “So, there is the man who’s destroyed Israel.”

Elijah said, “No, it’s not me, but you who has destroyed Israel. You’ve turned your back on the Lord and are serving Baal. Tell Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. Bring the prophets of Baal and Asherah, the ones who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

So Ahab told the Israelites to gather at Mount Carmel, along with the prophets. Once everyone was there, Elijah said to the people, “How long will you go back and forth? If the Lord is God, follow Him. If Baal is God, follow him.” The people didn’t say anything, but just looked at the prophet.

He said. “I stand here as only one prophet of the Lord, but look, there are 450 prophets of Baal. Give us two bulls. They’ll take one, prepare it for sacrifice, and put it on top of the wood. But they won’t put fire on the wood. I’ll do the same. They will call on the name of their god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The God who lights the fire, He is God.”

The people said. “Yes. That sounds fair.”

Elijah said to the prophets of Baal. “You go first.”

So they prepared the bull, and called on the name of Baal. They prayed all morning until noon. They danced around the altar, but nothing happened.

Elijah started mocking them. “Maybe you should shout louder! Your god might be sleeping, and you need to wake him up! Maybe he’s gone to the toilet.” They shouted loudly, and cut themselves, until blood gushed out. They kept this up all afternoon, but nothing happened.

Finally, Elijah built an altar with twelve stones, one for each tribe of Israel. He dug a trench around the altar, and put the wood on it. He then placed the bull on top of the wood.

He said to the people, “Go get some water and pour it on the sacrifice.” Once they had done this, he told them to do it again. After they had done it a second time, he told them to do it a third time. Once they were done, the altar was totally wet, and the trench was full of water.

Elijah then walked up to the altar and prayed. “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Let everyone know that you are God, and I’m your servant. Answer me so these people will turn back to you!”

Suddenly, fire fell down from heaven and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the twelve stones. It even licked up the water that was in the trench. The people fell down and shouted, “The Lord, he is God! The Lord, he is God!”

Elijah ordered, “Grab the prophets of Baal! Don’t let any of them escape.” The people grabbed the prophets of Baal, and Elijah killed all of them.

He turned to Ahab and said, “Eat something. There’s a rainstorm coming.”

He then went up to the top of the mountain to pray. He said to his servant, “Look toward the sea. What do you see?”

The servant said, “I don’t see anything.”

Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. Finally, the seventh time, his servant told him, “I see a small cloud, about the size of a man’s hand, coming from the sea.”

Elijah said, “Quick, go tell Ahab, ‘Rush home as fast as you can so the rain doesn’t stop you.’” Ahab got in his chariot and rushed toward home.

In a short time, the sky grew dark and the wind started to blow. Suddenly there was a downpour of rain. The power of God came over Elijah, and he ran faster than Ahab’s chariot, and arrived in Jezreel before him.

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Kingdom Divided

119 – Kingdom Divided

I Kings 11:26 – 12:24 II Chronicles 10:1 – 11:1-4

When Solomon was alive, he promoted one of his servants, named Jeroboam. He had a unique ability of getting things done.

One day Jeroboam met a prophet, who was wearing a new coat. The prophet said, “Here is a message from God.”

He then took off the coat and ripped it into twelve pieces. He handed Jeroboam ten of them and gave him this message from the Lord: “Solomon left me and turned to worshipping idols. Therefore, I’m going to rip the kingdom out of his hands. You’ll rule over the northern ten tribes of Israel. I’m not taking all the tribes away because of David and Jerusalem. Therefore, Solomon’s son will rule over Judah

“Follow me and obey my commandments. If you do, I’ll be with you. I’ll establish your kingdom, and you’ll have a lasting dynasty just like I gave David.”

Solomon found out about this prophecy and tried to kill Jeroboam. But he ran away and hid in Egypt until Solomon died.

One of Solomon’s sons was Rehoboam, whose mother was an Ammonite woman. After his father died, he went to Shechem so the northern tribes of Israel could crown him king.

Before the elders of Israel met with him they sent for Jeroboam. Once he arrived, they said to Rehoboam, “Your father put a yoke on us that was harsh. Promise us that you’ll lighten our load and lower our taxes. If you do, we’ll gladly serve you.”

Rehoboam said, “Give me three days to think about this.”

After Jeroboam and the elders of Israel left, Rehoboam asked advice from the older counselors in his father’s court. They said, “Serve these people with all your heart. Be kind to them, and they’ll serve you for the rest of your life.”

Rehoboam then asked for advice from his younger counselors, the ones he grew up with. They said, “Tell those rebels, ‘My father was easy on you compared to me. My little finger will be heavier than my father’s leg. He hit you with whips. I’m going to hit you with scorpions.’”

Rehoboam listened to this advice and rejected the counsel of the older men. He said to the leaders of Israel, “My father was easy on you compared to me. He hit you with whips. I’m going to hit you with scorpions.” That was exactly what the Lord wanted him to say.

When Jeroboam and the people of Israel heard this, they said, “We want nothing to do with the house of David! We’re not from Judah.”

So the people of Israel went home and Rehoboam returned to Jerusalem. He sent one of his officials to restore order among the northern tribes. The people stoned him until he was dead.

The ten tribes broke away from Judah and called themselves Israel. They asked Jeroboam to be their king.

Rehoboam gathered an army from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. They prepared to invade Israel and force them back under Rehoboam’s control.

Just then a man of God came to them with a message from the Lord. “Don’t go fight your brothers. Go home. I’m the one that caused them to rebel against you.” Everyone listened to the Lord, and went home.