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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Israel after Solomon (3): Ahab and Jezebel Bible Verse:1 Kings 14, 15, 16 "(To eliminate repetition and padding, this passage has been heavily redacted without ellipses or other marks of omission.) At that time Jeroboam’s son became very sick. So Jeroboam told his wife, “Go to the prophet Ahijah and ask him what will happen to the boy.” [She visits Ahijah, who gives her a message from God for her husband.] You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made other gods for yourself and have made me furious with your gold calves. And since you have turned your back on me, I will bring disaster on your dynasty and will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel. I will burn up your royal dynasty as one burns up trash until it is all gone. The members of Jeroboam’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures. I, the Lord, have spoken.” Then Ahijah said to Jeroboam’s wife, “Go on home, and when you enter the city, the child will die. In addition, the Lord will raise up a king over Israel who will destroy the family of Jeroboam. Then the Lord will shake Israel like a reed whipped about in a stream. He will uproot the people of Israel from this good land that he gave their ancestors and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, for they have angered the Lord with the Asherah poles they have set up for worship.” * * * Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel. Ahab did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam, but he also married Jezebel of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him. " Message:
God was angry with Solomon and divided the kingdom as punishment, giving the northern kingdom (Israel) to Jeroboam. But His anger towards Solomon cannot compare to His divine wrath against Jeroboam and the Hebrews who follow his example, worshipping the idol-gods of Canaan: El (the golden calf), Asherah, and the Ba’al gods.
Ahijah was clearly a great and true prophet of God. We do not hear much of him, perhaps because he lived so early, or perhaps because little of his prophecy was recorded. But he unloads both barrels on Jeroboam’s wife: 1) Jeroboam and all of his line will be obliterated, and 2) the entire bulk of the Hebrew nations, the ten northern tribes, will be removed forcibly from the Promised land and scattered beyond its borders.
Asherah
Asherah
We skipped over a number of kings. Nadab, Jeroboam’s evil son, succeeded him but was killed by a revolt led by the next king, Baasha (who killed Nadab’s entire family). Baasha’s son Elah reigned for two years and was murdered by one of his officials, Zimri. King Zimri committed suicide when another official, Omri, raised an army against him. Omri engaged in a civil war with another would-be king, defeated him, and won the crown. Ahab was Omri’s son. There were several intervening kings in Judah, as well, but they succeeded the throne peacefully and the line of David was kept intact.
We pick the story up again with King Ahab in Israel. First, Ahab and Jezebel are both famous names and it is good to know the source. Second, it was during Ahab’s reign that perhaps the second-greatest prophet of all Jewish history — Elijah — comes into prominence for his vehement prophecies against Ahab. Elijah does not have a book — this is where his story is told.
Note: We have decided that the best way to follow the events of the period is to, first, follow the story of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) from the division to the end. Then we will come back and pick up the history of the Southern Kingdom (Judah). There is little overlap between the two stories; there is constant warfare between them, and the history of the Kingdom of Israel is fairly quickly told. As one might expect from the prophecy of Ahijah, they are toast.
We have prepared a table showing the prophets (who have O.T. books) of both Israel and Judah, to try to help people through the long and disorganized mass of writings hereafter.
Meditation : Prayer : May it please you, my good Lord, that there may come a day when I can repay a little of my great debt to you. O Jesus, strengthen my soul, you who are good above all good; and since you have inclined my soul in this way, show me how I may act for you, whatever it may cost, O Lord. Here is my life, my honor and my will; I have given them all to you and they are yours: use me to do whatever you want......Amen |
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