The Great Story – Week 15: Elijah and Elisha

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The Kingdoms were split. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was on a path toward destruction. Each new king was more evil than the one before him. They had forgotten the Lord their God. When King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, came to power, they officially sanctioned the worship of Baal by building an altar to him in Samaria. The end would come soon, but not before God would show His mercy and give His people another chance.

Elijah was a great man of God. The Lord allowed Elijah to work great miracles in the land of Israel. Through his prayer, Elijah was responsible for keeping the rain from Israel for three years. Even though Elijah foretold the drought and the reason for it to King Ahab, the king would not turn from his wicked ways. An awesome display of God’s power was about to be arranged.

Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel to prove who was God once and for all. He mocked the prophets of Baal when after hours of dancing and chanting, there was no response from Baal. When it was his turn, Elijah carefully built his altar and prepared his sacrifice. To add further effect, he had everything doused with buckets of water. Then, with a simple but powerful prayer, the Lord demonstrated that He is the one and only God by sending fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, the altar, the dust, and the remaining water. As a result, the Israelites slew the prophets of Baal because they had proven to be false prophets.

Following Elijah was Elisha. Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and performed many miracles in the land of Israel. He continued on Elijah’s mission of witnessing to the people of Israel. Yet, despite their warnings, teachings, and working of miracles, the Northern Kingdom continued on its path to destruction.

The Lord has mercy and the Lord saves, but eventually the wicked are judged for their deeds and disbelief.

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The Great Story – Week 14: The Two Kingdoms (1 Kings 11-14)

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The Kingdom was to be torn apart. Because of the sin of Solomon, God had promised that the Kingdom would be ripped away from the son of Solomon. Only the tribe of Judah would remain to the house of David.

Jeroboam was selected by God to be the king of the northern ten tribes of Israel. The Lord promised him that if he would just follow the Commandments and Statutes of God then his house would be built just as David’s house was. When Rehoboam ignored the pleas of the people and swore to make their lives harder, the Kingdom split just as Ahijah the prophet had said. Jeroboam didn’t trust God to fulfill His promise of blessings, so he sought his own path.

Jeroboam feared that the people would return their loyalties to the house of David if they were allowed to go to the Temple and worship. Committing sins that were beyond any before him, Jeroboam had two golden calves created. He told the people that these were the gods that brought them out of Egypt. He appointed priests that were not from the tribe of Levi to oversee this new religious system. He led the people of Israel astray and the Kingdom was ripped from his hands.

God blesses those who honor Him. In the Old Testament, Israel is blessed when they acknowledge God and serve Him (Kingdom under David) and then are punished when they deny God and serve foreign gods (Kingdom under Jeroboam). Would it not just be easier to trust God, take the blessings, and skip the punishment for disobedience? The more you read the Bible, the more I’m certain you will agree.

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The Great Story – Week 13: Ruth (Ruth 01-04)

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Elimelech and Naomi traveled to Moab from Israel to avoid a famine in the land. They along with their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion would be in Moab for 10 years. During that time, their sons married, Mahlon to Ruth and Chilion to Orpah. Unfortunately, Elimelech, Mahlon, and Chilion all died, leaving their wives widowed.

Naomi implored Ruth and Orpah to return to their homeland and their gods as she would not be able to offer them new husbands. While Orpah went away, Ruth stayed saying, “…your people will be my people and your God my God”. Ruth was loyal to Naomi.

Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem, but they were poor. Ruth volunteered to go glean fields in order that they could have some food. Through the providence of God, she went to a field belonging to Boaz.

Boaz took notice of Ruth and showed her kindness. Despite being over 50, Boaz agreed to be the kinsman redeemer to Ruth. As such, Boaz purchased back the land that Naomi sold so she could live, and he took Ruth as his wife. From their union, Obed was born. Obed would be the father of Jesse, the father of David.

When Naomi had returned to Bethlehem, she wanted people to call her Mara (meaning “bitter”). She felt as though God’s hand was against her and that nothing good could come from her life. Little did she know that it was through her life and the life of her daughter-in-law that God would continue the Messianic line. Whenever you face trouble in your life, remember, God is always there and working for the good of His people. Trust in the Lord and He will renew your strength!

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The Great Story – Week 12: King Solomon (1 Kings 01-11)

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Solomon was greatly blessed by God. Living in David’s legacy, he began his rule by following the commandments and statues of God. For this reason, God gave him wisdom, honor, and riches.

Solomon ruled during the most prosperous time in the history of Israel. David had expanded the kingdom during his reign through warfare, and Solomon extended his influence further through treaties. Israel was a center for trade and they had peace along all their borders. The riches of Solomon outshone every other king. Yet for all of his blessings, he forgot to honor the one who had blessed him.

Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Every peace treaty brought with it another wife to seal the agreement. It was the wives of Solomon who turned his heart from God. His wives brought their foreign gods into the land of Israel and continued to worship them.  Solomon sinned and built altars on the high places in order that sacrifices could be made to these heathen gods. The God of Israel is a jealous God though, and His holy anger burned against Solomon. Solomon was told that his kingdom would be ripped away from his son for his disobedience.

God continually gave the people of Israel chances to serve Him. No matter the amount of blessings, the hearts of the Israelites still fell away from God. When the Israelites broke their covenant with God, He would give them over to destruction. It is a theme repeated throughout the Old Testament.

Intelligence, wisdom, money, and power do not bring happiness or a good relationship with our Heavenly Father. Honoring and submitting to our Holy Creator is the source of true happiness. Solomon learned that the hard way.

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The Great Story – Week 11: King David (2 Samuel 01-23)

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David was a good and righteous king. He was the anointed of God to lead Israel, and under his rule, Israel was successful both militarily and economically. David sought God when decisions needed to be made, and he was repaid for his faithfulness.

David was made king of all of Israel after the challenges from Saul’s sons were dealt with. He reigned as king for 40 years in total. In one of the greatest acts of humility in the Bible, David is described as dancing before the Ark of God in a linen ephod. When confronted about his behavior by his wife, Michal, David told her, “I will be even more undignified than this and will humble myself in my own sight.” Here was a man who loved the Lord and sought His glory.
David was a just and fair king. He even showed compassion on the last remnant of the house of Saul. When he found that Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, was still alive, he gave to him all the land that Saul once had. Further, he told Mephibosheth that he could eat at his table continually. David loved Jonathan, and he fulfilled their covenant with this act of kindness.

David was not a perfect man however, and his life and kingdom suffered the effects. David took the wife of Uriah, Bathsheba, and committed adultery with her. Bathsheba became pregnant and since Uriah would not go home to see her because of his service to the army, David had Uriah killed so he could have Bathsheba. As a result of this sin, the child born from this act died, and Nathan prophesied that the sword would never leave David’s house. For her part, Bathsheba would bear Solomon, the future king of Israel.

David’s own son, Absalom, rebelled against his father and proclaimed himself king. David fled from Jerusalem and a battle within the house of David began. Absalom was eventually killed, but David grieved greatly for lost son.

The Lord established David’s kingdom forever. This was first accomplished through Solomon, his heir, then through the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the savior of us all. Even when men fail, and we always do, God’s plan is never interrupted or detoured. We serve a mighty God!

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The Great Story – Week 10: The Rise of David (1 Samuel 16-31)

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David was the youngest among his brothers. He spent his youth as a lowly shepherd. He had no expectations of wealth and power, yet the Bible tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart.

Saul had defied the commands of God. The Spirit of the Lord had departed from him, and the kingdom would soon follow. Saul, the people’s choice for king, was beginning a downward spiral from which he would never recover.

Samuel was sent to find a man who would replace Saul. Unlike Saul, the new king would be chosen by God. This new king would lead Israel into a time of unprecedented prosperity and loyalty to the Most High God.

David entered Saul’s service as a harp player and armor bearer. When Saul was being afflicted by a tormenting spirit, he would call upon David to play his harp and he would be relieved. Because of this relationship, David had the ability to visit Saul at will. This is an example of God’s Providence as David was able to go into Saul and petition him to fight Goliath.

David’s success against Goliath and his numerous victories over the Philistines made him very popular among the people. At the same time, Saul became jealous David’s popularity and sought to kill him. He attempted to kill David by throwing his spear at him, twice. Later, Saul pursued David through the wilderness in two separate attempts to kill him, but failed. Saul never got the chance to harm David, but rather David spared Saul’s life in both of these attempts because he refused to harm the Lord’s anointed.

Saul’s dynasty was cut short by the Philistines. His sons were killed while retreating from battle. Saul, who was severely injured by an arrow, resorted to falling on his own sword to avoid being captured. With his death, Israel was left without a king.

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