This last section of 1 Kings is mostly devoted to the life and reign of Ahab. We knew where this was going by the words at the end of chapter 16: "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 son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him." Intertwined in the story of Ahab is the story of Elijah the prophet. Imagine having to prophesy to the evil King Ahab! Yet even in the midst of the greatest of evil, God showed himself to be more powerful than the gods and idols the Israelites worshiped and in the end, God's justice prevailed and his word proved to be true! There's a lesson in there for us as we navigate the challenges of an ever-increasing secular culture and its values. 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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