1 Kings 16

Baasha king of Israel,
Elah king of Israel,
Zimri king of Israel,
Omri king of Israel,
Ahab king of Israel

Asa king of Judah

Read chapter 16
Asa was king over Judah 41 years and during these 41 years there were five different kings of Israel.  It's sometimes hard keeping all the kings straight: Who was bad? Who was good?  Who was over Judah?  Who was over Israel?  What was the order of kingship?  I kind of think of it like when I was younger and learned a song of the presidents of the United States and we sung a song learning all the names and the order from the first to the most current.   Andrew Peterson did something similar and wrote a song of all the kings of Judah in the line of Christ by putting music and a beat to Matthew 1, it's now one of my favorite songs and one I'll sing when I'm trying to remember who was father of who. Another thing I like to do to remember which ones were the good ones and which were the evil ones in the Lord's eyes is put a smily or frowning face next to their name.  Some are a little tricky in that they start off good and turn evil or start evil and turn good (those just get a straight face).  It's a fun way to make studying and remembering scripture fun.  Why don't you start something like that as we go through the kings...

1 Kings 14

"Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die." v.12

Read chapter 14
Jeroboam's wife tries to disguise herself as she goes to the prophet Ahijah to find out about what will happen to their son who was ill.  Funny thing in that Ahijah was blind (v.4) so pointless to disguise herself; the Lord told him any way that she was coming.  Well Jeroboam and his wife got more than they asked for when just seeking about their son but the prophesy of Jeroboam and his kingship as well in that disaster would come on the house of Jeroboam killing all males in his family.  The only one that would not receive destruction would be this son who was ill.  Yet this son still dies but is "the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam."  The child was good yet still is pronounced to die by the Lord, does this then show hope for his future after death?! How hard would it be being that mom knowing that your child would die once you did a certain thing?  I can just see her taking her time walking back home, crying and contemplating.  

1 Kings 15

"Also he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it by the Brook Kidron." v.13

Read chapter 15
We have a good king finally!  Asa is described as doing right in the eyes of the Lord as David. It had been a couple generations now between David and Asa.  Asa had to fight against the norm I bet and make some big changes than what the people had been used to over the years of the last few kings.  It always seems hard when a new leader steps in and wants to change everything but sometimes it's for better than we realize.  I'm impressed by Asa removing his own grandmother.  I'm sure she wasn't this sweet old little lady as you would picture a typical grandma.  She was probably a very strong, evil woman as she was queen mother and set up an Asherah pole (a large sex image).  Most likely it was taking her power from her.  "Asa's times were times of reformation. He removed that which was evil; there reformation begins, and a great deal he found to do. When Asa found idolatry in the court, he rooted it out thence. Reformation must begin at home. Asa honours and respects his mother; he loves her well, but he loves God better. Those that have power are happy when thus they have hearts to use it well. We must not only cease to do evil, but learn to do well; not only cast away the idols of our iniquity, but dedicate ourselves and our all to God's honour and glory"  (Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary).

1 Kings 13

"He said to him, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (He was lying to him.)"  v.18

Read chapter 13
A prophet lied to a prophet.  The one prophet says the exact opposite words to the other prophet of what God said to him.  In scripture it's noted that he was lying so it's not to show that God contradicts Himself.  Yet how often we forget what God first said and think He changes His mind saying something complete different only days or hours later?  The prophet that falls for the lie is then mauled by a lion from God's wrath of judgment of not heeding the Lord's command.  It may seem harsh or hard to understand since he was deceived and we can't always understand the Lord's judgments other than that His is true and perfect.  God doesn't act this way today because it is His time of absolute grace, the dispensation of grace, but will one day speak and His judgments will be in the earth.  Today we even here and see Christians preaching opposite things.  So how can we not be deceived from differing Godly men?  KNOW GOD'S WORD.  God's word will always win and trump.

1 Kings 12

Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist!  v.10

Read chapter 12
This chapter records the split of Israel.  Rehoboam is the son of Solomon and Jeroboam is from the tribe of Ephraim (an Israelite tribe) who was one of Solomon's officials.  Because of Solomon's sin the Lord took full reign from his line starting with Rehoboam.  We read in the previous chapter of the prophesy of Jeroboam becoming king over 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel and now it has happened.  Notice Rehoboam seeking counsel from the elders and his peers yet they say opposite things.  The elders advise him to be a servant leader where his peers tell him to be a harsher leader than his father was.  I always joke with my workers when I think I might be being a "harsh" leader by asking them if "my little finger is thicker than [some other leader's] waist"?  Yet how often do we see no one learning from the generations before them and instead "getting with the times" of handling manners or listening to peers than to someone worthy of respect?  Not all our elders are wise and give Godly counsel so we must discern but also we cannot always just take what our friends say because we are closer to them in relationships.  Are you able to discern between counsel from friends and your "elders"?  How can one do this?

1 Kings 11

"And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart." v.3

Read chapter 11
700 wives and 300 concubines.  That's 1,000 women!  Did he even know all their names?  Did he have that many weddings?  Did he ever sleep with the same woman twice?  Solomon's love of women was his downfall.  Something he lusted after so much and got what he wanted ultimately turned on him and caused him to turn from the Lord.  These weren't just Israelite women (even though multiplying of any kind of wives was not what the Lord ever intended), but women of other nations that followed other gods.  The Lord even commanded, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” And this they did as we read in the next verse, "For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David."  How strong of power us women too can have with the power of sex over a man.  When have you realized your love or lust of the opposite sex cause you to turn from the Lord?  Have you ever used sex to control someone?

1 Kings 9

"(Hiram the king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress and gold, as much as he desired), that King Solomon then gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12 Then Hiram went from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, but they did not please him. 13 So he said, “What kind of cities are these which you have given me, my brother?” And he called them the land of Cabul, as they are to this day." vv.11-13

Read chapter 9

After twenty years of building the Lord's house and his own (Solomon's) house, Solomon decides to give a gift to Hiram the king of Tyre since he supplied him with a lot of means to make the building possible and intricate and perfect.  Yet his gift doesn't necessarily seem to show that he was that thankful.  I mean to be given a gift of twenty cities seems incredible.  Who just owns a city?  But these cities weren't so glorious as if we were to own some tropical island that we could go vacation on and enjoy.  These cities were in the land of Galilee and Galilee was always despised. The people of Tyre were maritime people and would have appreciated territory along the sea than these inland cities.  But not just that Hiram was going to be picky what his gift was but Solomon didn't give generously.  These cities really were "mere villages. 'It is a genuine Eastern trick to dignify a small present with a pompous name'" (Pulpit Commentary).  He then calls the cities Cabul or "good for nothing" and we see later Solomon rebuild and restore them later.  

How do you give good gifts to those that help you?  How have you not given so good a gift as you ought to have?