Week 6: Series of sinful kings

Series of sinful kings: 1 Kings 15-17

Objective: 

• Asa Reigns in Judah

• Ahab Reigns in Israel

• Elijah Proclaims a Drought

• Elijah and the Widow

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary
• Fr Dawoud Lamie Bible study (Arabic)

Reading:

• 1 Kings 15:9-24
• 1 Kings 16:29-34
• 1 Kings 17:1-24

Key verse(s):

• "For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ” 1 Kings 17:14

Comments:

• King Asa was a good thing despite his father being a sinful king (1 Kings 15:3).
• King Asa became better than his father and he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen.
  • Church fathers say she used to force idol worship in the kingdom
• He was good, except that he did not remove the idol places (1 Kings 15:14)
  • This teaches us that we need to be complete and perfect in applying the commandments. We have to present ourselves as perfect as we can to God and cannot leave any room for Satan in our lives.
• This also teaches us that spiritual life is a personal decision. Asa's parents were not good, be he chose to follow God and keep his commandments.
• Chapter 16 mentions multiple sinful kings. It's mentioned about all of them that their life summary is: " the sins which he had committed in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam."
• King Ahab was arguably the worst and most sinful king in the history of both kingdoms.
• Chapter 17 mentions Elijah for the first time. Elijah is a great strong prophet in the OT.
• Ahab was a very bad king. He drifted away from God's commandments and worshipped the idols.
• Ahab and his wife Jezebel were very ungodly people.
• As a punishment to Ahab, and as a way for him to repent, Elijah stopped the rain. When the rain stopped, a famine happened.
• Some may ask, why does this have to happen to the people also?
  • The people knew that this was because of Ahab's actions. They will starve and stop working, so they will force Ahab to repent and ask Elijah to bring the rain back. 
• Elijah went to stay with a widow. This widow was a gentile, but she showed great faith in Elijah.
• Her faith in Elijah's God is the main reason she and her son did not suffer from hunger as everyone else.
• Her faith again brought her son back from the dead. This was the first time that a dead person will come back.

Review/recap questions:
**Servant may add more questions

1. How did Asa follow the Lord? 2. What was the thing that Asa should have done and didn’t?
2. How do you see the work of God in Elijah?
3. Was the widow woman obedient to Elijah? What was the result?

Homework:
**Servant may add more questions

1. 1. Was Asa a good or bad king?
   2. Who did Ahab take for himself as wife? a) Jezebel b) Hanari c) Zimri d) Omri
   3. Who delivered food to Elijah? a) a pigeon b) raven c)squirrels
   4. What did Elijah ask the widow to do for him? a) wash his cloth b) let him stay at her house c) bake bread for him