1 Kings 17:8

1 Kings 17:8 says, And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, When the brook dried up, God's word came to Elijah once more.  God will never leave us without our being provided for if we continue to put our faith in Him.  If things begin to seem hopeless, we simply need to listen for God to tells us what to do next.  Verse nine adds, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.  God told Elijah to go to Zarephath in Zidon and stay there, because God had commanded a widow woman to provide for him.  Widow women usually didn't have a lot, so it might seem strange that God would use a widow woman to provide for Elijah, but it really wasn't her, but God Himself, that was going to provide not only for Elijah, but for the widow woman and her son as well.  Sometimes, we may believe that we aren't capable of helping others, but if God calls us to do so, He will also make a way for us to do it. Verse ten continues, So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.  Elijah obeyed God's command, went to Zarephath, and saw a widow woman gathering sticks and asked her to get him some water.  Since he had run out of water, this would have been an important thing to him, even before getting food.  We as Christians always have the Living Water available to us, and if we are feeling down and defeated, we need to return to the Living Water again to be refreshed and renewed.  Verse eleven states, And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.  While the widow woman was going to get Elijah some water, he asked her to bring him a morsel of bread as well.  He may have done this to see if she was the one God had sent him to, since as yet we see no indication that either had acknowledged that God had put them together.  We at times may not be totally certain that we are exactly where God wants us to be, but we must still continue in faith as we seek clarification that we are.  Verse twelve adds, And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.  The woman said that she didn't have enough meal to make a cake, but only a handful of meal and a small amount of oil to make a what she could so she and her son could eat it and die.  From what she said, we can assume that either God had not told her that He was going to use her to provide for Elijah, and therefore for herself and her son, or she hadn't believed Him.  She was ready to give up.  Even when we as followers of Christ are feeling that things are desperate in our own situation, if we are faithful to God, He will always meet our needs and may use us to help someone else at the same time as well.  Verse thirteen continues, And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.  Elijah told her not to fear, but to go and first make a little cake for him and then make one for her son and her.  We might see this as Elijah being selfish, but I believe that he was seeing if she was willing to put others first and trust that she and her son would still be provided for.  We always need to act in faith, even if it means putting the needs of others above our own needs when we ourselves seem to be without much reason to hope.  Verse fourteen declares, For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.  Elijah then shared some good news with her.  God had said that she would not run out of meal and oil until He sent rain upon the earth.  She still had to put her faith in Elijah telling her the truth.  We are told to go and share the gospel with everyone, and no matter how hopeless their life may be, if they accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, they should never again be without hope.  Verse fifteen adds, And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.  She did as Elijah had asked her to do, and she, her son, and Elijah ate for many days from the nearly empty barrel of meal and cruise of oil.  We are not told that the barrel of meal and cruise of oil were suddenly full.  Living by faith in God is a day by day calling.  We may not always see for sure that He is going to meet our needs in the future, but we must put our faith in the fact that He will and live our life accordingly.  Verse sixteen continues, And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.  Since she and Elijah were faithful in doing what God had told them to do, He was faithful in doing what He had told Elijah He would do.  They never ran out of meal and oil.  The key to living a successful life spiritually is always going to be putting our faith in God and doing what He calls us to do, no matter what may be happening in our life at the time.

1 Kings 17:1

1 Kings 17:1 says, And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.  Elijah the prophet of God told Ahab that there was about to be drought in the land.  Matthew Henry points out that we aren't told much about Elijah before his encounter with Ahab as we are about most prophets.  He told Ahab that there would be no dew or rain in the land as long as God determined there wouldn't be.  He said this would happen as surely as God lived.  Whatever God's word tells us will be true for as long as He lives, which is forever.  Verse two adds, And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,  God's word then came again to Elijah.  God does not just speak to us once and then ignore us when we have done what He wants us to do but gives us direction all of our life if we are followers of Christ and obedient to His will.  Verse three continues, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.  Elijah was told to go and hide at the brook of Cherith that was before Jordan.  Matthew Henry said he was to do this so that the people might not appeal to Elijah to invoke God to reduce the time of the drought and not for his safety.  Elijah went boldly to Ahab to proclaim God's punishment to him, but he also withdrew at God's command.  We must do whatever God tells us to do if we are to be successful in our Christian life.  Verse four states, And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.  God told Elijah that he was to drink from the brook and that the ravens would bring him food.  I don't know why God chose this method instead of just sending manna from Heaven as He had done in the wilderness, but it really isn't our responsibility to question the way God chooses to do His work.  We simply have to listen to Him and do whatever He calls us to do by faith.  Verse five adds, So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.  Elijah did what God told him to do, and so must we as Christians today.  Elijah did not question or argue with God, and neither should we when we know beyond a doubt what God has called us to do.  Verse six continues, And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.  The ravens brought Elijah bread and meat twice a day and he drank from the brook.  Had Elijah decided he was tired of being there or tired of the diet and left look for something better, he would have missed God's provisions.  If we decide we are tired of what God is providing for us and go seeking something more, we may lose His provisions as well.  Verse seven concludes, And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.  Eventually, the brook dried up because there had been no rain.  Even Elijah was not exempt from the eventual result of the drought.  Though I believe that God will always provide for us as long as we are obedient to Him, that doesn't mean that we will not suffer the effects of natural disasters along with those who either do not believe in God or do not put their faith in Him, so all we can do is remain faithful no matter what.  

1 Kings 16:29

1 Kings 16:29 says, And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years.  The next king of Israel, Ahab, was an exception to the rule of bad kings being short as Matthew Henry had stated.  We do know that some very bad people are in power for long periods of time today.  Verse thirty adds, And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.  We are told that Ahab was even more evil than all the kings before him.  I believe that we can say that no matter how bad a ruler may be in the sight of God, there is always a possibility of someone even worse coming to power.  As a matter of fact, just before the return of Jesus Christ we are told the worst ruler ever will come to power.  Verse thirty-one continues, And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.  Ahab considered it a thing of unimportance to follow the ways of Jeroboam and serve Baal.  He also married Jezebel, who was not an Israelite but the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Sidonia.  Matthew Henry says Ahab married her because she worshipped Baal more than in spite of the fact that she did.  I know that some Christians marry non-Christians but hope that they do so praying for them to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord as well, and not because they intend to turn away from God themselves.   Of course, I also believe that if a person is truly a Christian that that person can never completely reject Jesus Christ.  By our faith in Jesus Christ, God seals us to Himself.  Verse thirty-two states, And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.  Ahab built a temple, or house, to Baal and put an altar to Baal in Samaria, the capital of Israel at that time.  He was openly defying God, as do the rulers of many countries today.  Verse thirty-three adds, And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.  By his worshipping of false gods and creating altars to them, Ahab did more to provoke God's anger than all the kings of Israel before him.  That is not something anyone should ever want to be known for.  Though God is a God of love, we can provoke His anger when we reject His gift of salvation and follow other gods, but I believe His anger will always be at the sin and not the sinner.  He provided salvation for everyone if they will only accept it, but He will never accept sin in His kingdom.  Verse thirty-four continues, In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.  During the reign of Ahab, Jericho was built in spite of God's prophecy by Joshua to not do so.  Matthew Henry says Hiel's oldest son died when he began building, which should have warned him to stop, but he didn't, and his youngest son died when he finished building Jerico.  Matthew Henry also says that all of Hiel's sons died.  I do know that some people will continue to defy God's word, no matter how much it may cost them in their life. 

1 Kings 16:21

1 Kings 16:21 says, Then were the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri.  The people of Israel became even further divided, half following Omri and half following Tibni, but Israel and Judah were all a part of God's chosen people even if they had two different kings, and now Israel was divided under two kings, or rulers.  We cannot afford to be divided as Christians, God's people today, yet we are too often divided into different denominations who don't get along with each other that well.  Verse twenty-two adds, But the people that followed Omri prevailed against the people that followed Tibni the son of Ginath: so Tibni died, and Omri reigned.  After several years, those following Omri defeated those following Tibni, and Tibni died.  We as Christians should come together because we are following God's will, and we are not told that either Omri or Tibni were, and not because one group is more powerful and defeats the other.  Verse twenty-three continues, In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah.  Asa was in his thirty-first year of ruling in Judah by this time.  The people of Israel continued to change rulers, but none of them called on the people to return to following God.  People of the world will continue to have new leaders, but as followers of Christ, we need to pray that those who are our leaders are committed to following God and live under His leadership.  Verse twenty-four states, And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.  Omri bought a hill in Samaria and built a city there, which he called Samaria.  This would be the royal city of the kings of Israel.  Of course, Jerusalem was still God's chosen city for the king of Israel to rule from then and heaven is the chosen place for the eternal King, Jesus Christ, to rule from today.  Verse twenty-five adds, But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all that were before him.  Omri was even worse in God's sight than all those who came before him.  It would seem that the rulers of many nations today become even worse than those who were before them, though in some cases it would be hard for them to be.  Of course, if they are not committed to following God's law, then the rest really is of no importance from an everlasting perspective.  Verse twenty-six continues, For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities.  Like Jeroboam, Omri followed false gods and led the people to do so also.  This provoked the anger of God.  If we are not following Jesus Christ and especially if we are leading others away from Him, one day we will face God's judgment.  Verse twenty-seven says, Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he shewed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?  Like the other kings of Israel, we are told that the acts of Omri were written in the chronicles of the kings of Israel.  Verse twenty-eight adds, So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.  Omri died and was buried in Samaria and not where the other kings had been buried.  Ahab then began to rule in his place.  Rulers come and go today, and where they are buried really doesn't matter.  All that matters with them, and everyone is their relationship with God through their accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.  

1 Kings 16:15

1 Kings 16:15 says, In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines.  Asa had been ruling Judah for twenty-seven years when Zimri seized power in Israel.  Asa was more obedient to God, and he reigned much longer than many of the kings of Israel, but I don't believe that means that if we are obedient to God that we are always going to live longer or be in a position of power longer even than non-Christians.  We are going to live longer with God spiritually, however.  Verse sixteen adds, And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp.  When the people of Israel heard that Zimri had killed Elah the king and planned to take power, they made Omri the king.  Sometimes, those who are not following God's will cannot agree on who should be in power.  Verse seventeen continues, And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.  Omri besieged Tirzah, the royal city where Zimri had planned to set up his throne according to Matthew Henry.  The people of Israel were now even further divided and fighting amongst themselves.  If we stray away from God's will as Christians, we will soon be fighting amongst ourselves to prove who is right in what we are doing, but we will all be wrong.  Verse eighteen states, And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died.  When Zimri saw what was happening, he didn't stand up in opposition to Omri, but burned the palace down with him inside it and died.  Some people today would still rather die than admit that they have done something wrong and take responsibility for it and ask God's forgiveness.  We may not be able to change the outcome of rebellious acts against God in this lifetime, but if we ask for forgiveness and put our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we can change our everlasting state.  Of course, I don't believe that anyone should ever kill themself because things seem hopeless but should turn to God instead.  No matter the sin, as long as we are alive, there is generally hope.  We are warned though that we can ignore God's call to salvation too many times and He will quit calling us.  Verse nineteen adds, For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.  We are told he did this because of following the ways of Jeroboam and his own sin against Israel which also led them to sin.  We may be influenced by others to sin, and we may influence others to sin, but ultimately, we are responsible for our own sins.  Verse twenty continues, Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he wrought, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?  Though he wasn't in power long, we are told that the acts of Zimri were written in the chronicles of the kings.  We may not be in power in the world, but if we haven't accepted salvation through putting our faith in Jesus Christ, we will one day have to answer for the things that we did against God.

1 Kings 16:9

1 Kings 16:9 adds, And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah.  While Elah was getting drunk, Zimri the captain of half of his chariots conspired against him.  Elah was evidently not very concerned about the kingdom but was more interested in doing what brought him pleasure, though I'm not sure that getting drunk really brings real pleasure.  Often in countries around the world today, military people still conspire and take over governments.  Verse ten adds, And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead.  Zimri not only conspired against Elah.  He killed him and took over the kingdom to reign as king himself.  He was neither divinely appointed nor appointed by the people of Israel.  There are still rulers in the world today who put themselves above God and the will of the people.  This happened in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of Asa, who was still king of Judah.  Verse eleven continues, And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends.  The first thing Zimri did as king was to have all the men of Baasha's family killed.  This was a fulfillment of God's prophesy concerning Baasha, but I don't believe that Zimri was acting under God's guidance.  I don't believe that God caused him to do this, but that He simply knew what Zimri would do.  Though some would disagree. I don't believe that God causes everything that happens in the world, but He does allow people to act under their own free will, which He knows will lead to problems.  Verse twelve states, Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet.  As just stated, this was the fulfillment of God's prophesy through Jehu.  Once more, I don't believe that Zimri was acting under God's direction, but he was fulfilling a prophesy of God while exercising his own free will.  The lost people of the world today may cause God's prophecy to be fulfilled, but that doesn't mean that God caused them to take whatever action they took to cause this.  If everything is done according to God's will, then those who refuse to acknowledge Him and to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord would not be responsible for their actions, but God would.  To be condemned in this case would be the act of a capricious God.  Verse thirteen adds, For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities.  We are told that this happened because of the sins of Baasha and Elah, and we can be certain that one day we will be held accountable for our sins.  Still, we will only be responsible for our own sins and not for the sins of others.  Of course, God sees things from the eternal perspective, so no one will ever be separated from Him because of the sins of others.  Verse fourteen continues, Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?  Once more, we are told that the rest of the acts of Elah are written in the chronicles of the kings.  The only acts that we need to be concerned with being recorded are those recorded by God.  We may or may not be remembered in this world, but that is unimportant.  What God says about us and our relationship to Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord is all that will ever really matter.

1 Kings 16:1

1 Kings 16:1 says, Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying,  The word of the LORD came to Jehu concerning Baasha.  Baasha was not following God but was worshipping idols instead.  I believe this means that he would not have recognized God's voice even if God spoke to him personally.  We do not recognize the voice of God until we recognize it as He calls us to salvation, so all the warnings He gives us until then, we will likely ignore or even dispute.  Baasha had no personal relationship with God, so I don't believe he would have listened to a voice that was identified as coming from God, but he might listen to a man of God.  Verse two adds, Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins:  Jehu was to tell Baasha that God had exalted him out of dust and made him a prince over Israel.  He was not king by his own worth, since He was no more valuable than the dust of the earth by his own merit.  This is still true of everyone today.  No matter how powerful we may be seen as in the world, to God we are still God's creation, and are of no more valuable materially than the dust of the earth.  It is only spiritually that we have value, having been given an immortal soul by the breath of God in us.  Baasha was also reminded that he had chosen to follow the idolatry of Jeroboam instead of following God.  We will be judged by our actions and not those of others.  Verse three continues, Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.  Jehu was to tell Baasha that God was going to take away his posterity and make his family like the family of Jeroboam, which was cut off from God forever.  Of course, I don't believe that anyone family or group of people is forever cut off from becoming a part of God's family if they put their faith in Jesus Christ, but if we do not accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord and continue to worship the false gods of this world instead, then we are personally cut off from God forever.  Verse four concludes, Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat.  Jehu was to tell Baasha that things were not going to end well for his family.  Those dying in the city would be eaten by dogs and those dying in the fields would be eaten by the fowls.  This may seem harsh, but what happens to our physical body is really unimportant.  It is what happens to our immortal soul that matters, and I believe that the really bad news for Baasha was that he was forever cut off from an everlasting relationship with God and was doomed to spend eternity in hell.  Verse five states, Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?  As with the previous few kings, the question is asked if the rest of the acts of Baasha are not written in the chronicles of the kings of Israel.  This also is really unimportant from an everlasting perspective, since only those things written down by God will ultimately matter.  No matter what the world may write about a person, when Jesus Christ returns if not before, it will all be gone.  Verse six adds, So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his stead.  Baasha died and was buried with his ancestors.  His son Elah succeeded him as king, so God's prophesy had not yet come to pass.  God's prophecies may not always come to pass immediately, but they will always come to pass in God's time.  We have the promise of everlasting life with God if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord and everlasting separation from Him if we don't and even if this prophecy is not fulfilled in our lifetime, it is still a certainty that it will.  Verse seven continues, And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the Lord against Baasha, and against his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him.  Before Baasha died, Jehu delivered God's word to him telling him of the coming destruction of his house, or family, because of his idolatry and his leading others away from God.  We today have God's word telling us what will happen to us if we do not accept the truth of the gospel.  Verse eight concludes, In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years.  Asa was still reigning in Judah when Elah began to reign in Israel.  We have but one King, and that is Jesus Christ, and His rule will last throughout all the reign of all earthly kings and kingdoms.