1 and 2 Kings comprise a single book (only divided because of the size limits of a scroll). Elijah deals with king Ahab and his son, Ahaziah.

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1 Severity and Mercy to a Sinfully Divided Nation, Pt. 1 (1 Kgs 12-2 Kgs 1.18) From Rehoboam to Elijah, Ahab, and Ahaziah [Pt. 2: From Elisha to Both Exiles] WestminsterReformedChurch.org Pastor Ostella April 10, 2016 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king (1 Kgs 12.1) So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. 20 And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of Judah only (1 Kgs ). Introduction In a selective summary of three hundred years of Israel s history, the books of Kings reveal God s working in the fallen human family. These books cover the time from the division of Solomon s kingdom into northern and southern factions (Israel in the north and Judah in the south), to the end of each kingdom. Chapters 1-11 of 1Kings discuss the united kingdom of Solomon. The rest of 1 and 2 Kings 1 can be given the title: severity and mercy to a sinfully divided nation. In 12.1 through 2 Kings 1.18, we have part one: from the division between Rehoboam (son of Solomon) and Jeroboam (Solomon s servant) to the prophet Elijah. Part two (next time) will take us from the prophet Elisha to both exiles. The outline for this morning has two sections: the severity and mercy of God in the dividing of the nation up to Elijah, and severity and mercy in the conflict between Elijah and two northern kings. 2 I. Severity and mercy in the dividing of the nation Let s consider how severity and mercy come to expression in the lives of Jeroboam, Rehoboam, other kings in Judah, and other kings in Israel down to the time of the famous prophet Elijah. The key in each is God s effective word. A. First, God s effective word in the life of Jeroboam Upon the death of Solomon, his son Rehoboam became king: And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place (1 Kgs 11:43). Thus, chapter 12 opens with his ascension to become king over all Israel Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king (12.1), but when the people seek relief from the heavy yoke imposed on them by Solomon, and he refuses but intensifies the yoke (following the advice of foolish young men rather than that of wise old men, ), the Israelites from north Canaan turn away from Rehoboam (12.19). They turn, instead, to Jeroboam who recently returned from Egypt where he had fled from the death threats of Solomon. God s word to Jeroboam is twofold. 1. On one hand, we have God word to Jeroboam by the prophet Ahijah Let s back up historically. Jeroboam had been a skillful servant of Solomon and he is the servant referred to by the Lord in His pronouncement of judgment on Solomon (1 Kgs 11.11): Since this [idolatry] has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you [Solomon] and will give it to your servant [namely, Jeroboam]. Nevertheless, the Lord speaks of mercy to him in two ways: the kingdom will not be taken from you in your lifetime; and when it is taken, it will not be taken away completely for your son (Rehoboam) will still rule Judah and Benjamin in southern Canaan ( ). This mercy is because of the Lord s covenant with David. Accordingly, Jeroboam was directed to take rule of the ten tribes of northern Canaan by God s prophet Ahijah who tore a new garment into twelve pieces and told Jeroboam to take ten for himself because the Lord has said, I am about to 1 1 and 2 Kings comprise a single book (only divided because of the size limits of a scroll). 2 Elijah deals with king Ahab and his son, Ahaziah.

2 !2 tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes (11.31). Of particular note is the fact that Rehoboam s folly, for which he is fully responsible, fulfills God s word to Jeroboam (12.15): So the king [Rehoboam] did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that he might fulfill his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam 3 2. On the other hand, we have God s word by a man of God, a prophet from Judah Once established as king, Jeroboam built an altar at Bethel to compete with the temple at Jerusalem lest the people go there for worship and the kingdom turn back to the house of David (12.26). Instead of trusting the Lord, he took matters into his own hands and promoted false worship. Thus, a man of God was sent from Judah to cry against the altar of Jeroboam at Bethel (13.1-2). When Jeroboam raised his hand against the man of God, it withered then was restored, and the altar was destroyed as a sign (13.4-5). Then the man of God left the king refusing to eat with him because the Lord had commanded that he neither eat nor drink while in Bethel. Interestingly, an old prophet heard what happened, found him traveling, lied to him about eating with him at his home in Bethel. He followed the old prophet, ate with him in Bethel against the Lord s command, and was killed by a lion when he left for Judah ( ). As the old (lying) prophet put it, the man of God disobeyed the word of the LORD; therefore the LORD has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD spoke to him (13.26). 4 This was an additional sign to Jeroboam, an a fortiori (to him and all readers): if disobedience in a simple matter of bread brought death to a prophet, how much more, will the serious matter of idolatry bring death to a king. 5 Therefore, when Jeroboam s wife went to the prophet, Ahijah, due to the illness of her son, he told her that because Jeroboam disobeyed God s commandments (14.8) and made Israel to sin (14.16), in the future Israel will be judged, and in the present, your son Abijah (who pleased the Lord, 14.13) will be taken away in death. This son died as soon as his mother left the prophet and crossed the threshold of her house ( ). Shortly thereafter Jeroboam died and another son Nadab reigned in his place (14.20). B. First Jeroboam, now, second, God s effective word in the life of Rehoboam When Jeroboam was made king over all Israel (12.20), Rehoboam decided to go to war to restore the kingdom, the house of David with 180,000 warriors against the house of Israel (12.21). However, God intervened by His prophet Shemaiah (22-24): But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: 23 "Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24 'Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives the people of Israel. Every man return to his home, for this thing is from me.'" So they listened to the word of the LORD and went home again, according to the word of the LORD. By His prophetic word, the covenant Lord demonstrated both severity and mercy in the lives of Rehoboam and Jeroboam by using even the sins of these kings to accomplish His will in the very division of the kingdom. Thus, Rehoboam rules in the south, and by this word from Shemaiah, Jeroboam is allowed to rule in the north without civil war and sure defeat. C. Third, God s effective word regarding Rehoboam s son and grandson 3 His folly is on the record as the catalyst of division, but the split of north and south fulfilled God s word (12.15; So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that he might fulfill his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat). It was the covenant Lord who decided to use the foolish sin of Rehoboam to bring about His word to Jeroboam regarding the judgment on Solomon for his sins. 4 Preachers must be careful not to overly elevate the words of other preachers or teachers in the church; we must all exercise open-minded humility without letting our brains fall out. 5 the prophet himself compromises his mission returning to eat and drink, contrary to God s word (vv ). The prophet of Judah is condemned by a word of Yahweh given by the prophet from Bethel and falls prey to a lion (vv a). The donkey stands helplessly beside his body, just as Jeroboam stood beside the shattered altar. In subtle terms this scene shows Jeroboam to be a dumb animal (Konkel).

3 !3 Abijam continued the folly of his father Rehoboam, but God showed mercy to Abijam s son, Asa: And he [Abijam] walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. 4 Nevertheless, for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem (15.3-4). And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord (15.11). Although the high places were not taken away, nevertheless, his heart was wholly true to the Lord all his days (15.14). Asa was God s merciful gift of a lamp in Jerusalem. D. Fourth, God s effective word regarding the kings in Israel from Jeroboam to Omri Nadab, son of Jeroboam, did evil in the sight of the Lord (15.26) was killed in his third year by Baasha who took his place as king (15.28). After Baasha brutally destroyed the house of Jeroboam, we read that he did not leave one that breathed for his actions were according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite (15.29) for the sins of Jeroboam who provoked the Lord, the God of Israel (15.30). In turn, Baasha was opposed by God s prophet, Jehu, who prophesied that his house would be swept away (16.3). At his death, his son Elah became king but was betrayed by one of his chariot commanders Zimri who destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord by Jehu (16.12) for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son (16.13). Zimri s reign only lasted seven days when the people turned against him for conspiring against the king. They appointed Omri to be king (16.16) and Zimri killed himself (16.18) because of his sins that caught up with him (16.19). Then Israel was divided between two kings, Tibni and Omri (16.21), but the followers of Omri prevailed, Tibni died, and Omri became sole king (16.22). As king, he was really bad, doing more evil in the sight of the Lord than all who were before him (16.25). All of these kings of northern Canaan prepare the way for Ahab, the son of Omri who reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years (16.29). He is the worst king so far: And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. 31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. 32 He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him ( ). This overview of Ahab leads to our second major point. II. Severity and mercy in the conflict between Elijah, Ahab, and Ahaziah 1 Kgs Kgs 1.18 The prophets in this conflict include Elijah and two others: an unnamed prophet, a man of God ( ), and Micaiah ( ). Two major events give us our remaining subdivisions. A. First, drought, famine, and the election of a Gentile widow (1 Kgs ) God s prophet Elijah appears on the scene of history in direct relationship to evil king Ahab (17.1): Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." After announcing the drought, he was sent to a brook named Cherith on the east side of the Jordan (17.3). There Elijah is fed by ravens and has water to drink until the brook dries up because of the drought. Then the Lord sent him outside of the land to a widow in need. He supplied her and her son with food to survive the famine. Then her child died and Elijah raised him from the dead. B. Second, the gathering of 850 false prophets at Mount Carmel Then God sent Elijah back to Ahab as the famine became severe in Samaria of north Canaan (18.1-2). His wife Jezebel has been on a rampage killing the prophets of the Lord (18.13). Because of his announcement of this famine, Ahab views Elijah to be nothing but trouble and has sought him, no doubt to kill him too, but he eluded the king by God s direction

4 !4 and protection. Now the time has come for them to meet. When they do, Elijah calls for an assembly of the people and a gathering of the 850 false prophets of Baal and Asherah; these prophets ate at the table of Jezebel (1 Kgs ). At this gathering and because Baal is the storm god of thunder and fire, Elijah puts these prophets to a test of fire in which they are to call all day long if necessary to their gods to ignite the sacrificed bull placed on an altar before them. At the failure of their prayers, Elijah mocks them and their gods and calls on the covenant Lord to set the altar on fire that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God (18.37). When the Lord answers by consuming the sacrifice, the altar itself, and even the water in the trench surrounding it, the people praise the Lord (18.39) and Elijah has them kill the 850 false prophets. Of course, Jezebel is not at all happy with the outcome, as she states in a message to Elijah (1 Kgs 19.2): So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow." Her curse on herself causes a lapse in Elijah s faith. The prophet of strength in the face of a child s dead body and before a crowd of evil prophets loses his grip and runs away in fear seeking his own death in prayer to the Lord, saying, for I am no better than my fathers (19.4). But the Lord sustains him by an angel. When asked What are you doing here Elijah? he says (19.10): I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away. In a process of self-disclosure, the Lord announced judgment on sinful Israel ( ) along with a word (a gentle whisper, 19.12) of sovereign mercy: Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him" (19.18). When Elijah and Ahab meet again, the Lord pronounces a severe judgment upon him and on his wife: the kings blood will be licked up by dogs and Jezebel will be eaten by dogs ( ). In summary (21.24): Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat. Ahab then humbled himself before the Lord and was shown mercy in his days; the judgment will fall in the days of his son, Ahaziah (21.29). Then, in a time of war with Syria, and in an alliance with Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, Ahab s death is announced by the prophet Micaiah. Although Ahab went into battle in disguise to deceive his enemies, a stray arrow pieced his armor, his blood flowed to the bottom of the chariot; and later that day he died ( ). After his death, dogs licked up his blood according to the word of the Lord through Micaiah (22.38). Ahaziah his son then reigned in his place (22.40). In turn, for his evil actions that included seeking divine wisdom from Baal-zebub, Ahaziah died according to the word of Elijah (2 Kgs 1.17). Application From a historical perspective, the story is quite simple. The glorious united kingdom of Israel under Solomon was lost by the folly of his son Rehoboam. However, he did continue to rule in Judah in the south while a servant of Solomon, Jeroboam, became king in the north over ten of the twelve tribes of Israel. The book of 1 Kings shows us what happened on each side of the split giving a history of the kings in snippets from Jeroboam and Rehoboam to the time of the prophet Elijah. Quickly, however, we recognize that more is happening than what first meets the eye in the dividing of the kingdom and its continuance as two kingdoms. Without question, the division of the nation came about because of the sins of Solomon and the folly of his son Rehoboam. But the narrator informs us that God is working out His will in history despite, and even through, the sins of these kings. It was the effective word of God that was fulfilled when Rehoboam made his

5 !5 choice to follow the counsel of his young friends: (1 Kgs 12.15): So the king [Rehoboam] did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that he might fulfill his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam. His folly, for which he is fully responsible, fulfills the word of God and brings His purpose to realization. Our sins provoke God s anger; that message is clear throughout as the Lord said to Jeroboam: you have cast me behind your back, provoking me to anger (14.9), as have the people repeatedly under Jeroboam (14.15) and Baasha (16.2). So, when Zimri destroyed the family of Baasha and his son Elah, it was because their sins provoked the Lord to anger ( ). Judgment falls upon Ahab and Jezebel because, the Lord says, they provoked me to anger and have led Israel down the paths of sin (21.22). Likewise, Ahab s son, Ahaziah served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done (22.53). Thus, the reality of our sins, divine control of the unfolding events of history, the anger of the Lord, and the severity of judgment are unmistakably clear teachings of 1 Kings. Granted, how these things fit together is beyond our grasp, but it is the holy God of Israel who controls evil actions that displease Him, and who through them works His sovereign will. As the Heidelberg Catechism states: all creatures are so completely in His hand that without His will they cannot so much as move (Q 28). But there is more to this story because 1 Kings not only reveals divine severity but it also reveals sovereign mercy. This truth is confirmed by our Lord: But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow (Lk ). The widow in the land of Sidon was chosen by the Lord of the covenant while many other widows were passed over. This reveals the sovereign mercy of God that is carried out effectively, irresistibly by the power of His word. By pointing us to the context of the widow whose son Elijah raised from the dead, our Lord is reminding us that His electing grace will see us through to the very resurrection of our bodies. Nothing can thwart His purpose. He is always keeping His covenant word, even in the very midst of judgment; and through the sins of His people and their kings. His plan comes to pass despite the efforts of men to thwart it as Ahab tried in disguise on the battlefield. The Almighty covenant Lord guides Israel s history, even her sins to the accomplishment of His holy will. What the kings do is what they desire and choose, but which choices and desires they are able to implement are decided upon by the Lord in His overruling sovereignty. Wonderfully, we are not bound in an endless cycle of failures. He keeps His word by preserving a remnant who do not bow the knee to Baal; as He saves a remnant from Israel by sovereign election; likewise He will save a remnant from the entire human race to be the new redeemed world in His kingdom of glory. God by His word through His prophets shapes human history by sending famine to some and giving food and drink to others according to His own sovereign will. Thus, He provides for His prophet by ravens and then by a widow in need in the homeland of Jezebel outside Canaan. She is rewarded an unending supply of food for giving her last meal to God s prophet. Then, after her son dies and is miraculously raised from the dead by Elijah, she says, now I know that you are a man of God and the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth (17.24). Thus, we are given this remarkable testimony to the power of the covenant Lord that is a promise of His provision for His people according to His sovereign working in His electing mercy to the widow from outside the nation. What He will provide is food for the soul to those who remember their sins as did this widow and He will provide life for the body in the conquest of death through His prophet of prophets, Jesus Christ. By His death and resurrection, death is deprived of its sting which is sin: O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? 56 The

6 !6 sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor ). To the praise of the triune God now in His church and forevermore, amen.