The kingdom is divided!  It didn't take long for things to unravel after Solomon's reign.  In the case of the northern kingdom, first led by Jeroboam whom God spoke with and made a promise like he made to David and Solomon, this phrase is repeated again and again: "following the ways of Jeroboam and committing the same sin Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit." Note the number of households that were wiped out and the number of kings in a relatively short period of time.  For Israel, it didn't take long to get from Jeroboam to Ahab.  For the southern kingdom, Judah, it wasn't much better.  Yet God did not allow the throne to be taken from the line of David.  When God's people stop worshiping him and start worshiping other gods, it doesn't take long for things to fall apart, which is exactly what we see in these chapters of 1 Kings.  Is it any wonder that God allowed them to go into captivity?  Yet, in his grace, God was faithful to his promise and preserved a remnant.  That's how God works: full of mercy and faithful to his promises.  Be sure to check out the blog for the guiding questions as you read and for the opportunity to interact with each other.  We enter our rhythm of LEARN-READ-INTERACT.

From How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens, Michael Williams makes these points about 1 & 2 Kings:

Phrase: Turning Away

Theme: God expels Israel and Judah from his presence in the Promised Land when their kings turn away from Torah.

Christ-Focus: God turns away from Jesus on the cross as judgment against those who have turned away from him (Romans 3:10-12; Matthew 27:45-46).

Implications: We need to rely on God's strength and the encouragement of each other to keep from turning away from the path of life (Hebrews 3:12-13).

Questions: What is your "rule of life"?  What are you more likely to do: what you know is right or what you want to do at the time?  What are you doing to guard against turning away from God?

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