1ST KINGS October 23, 2005



Country Bible Church

1st Kings Series

Pastor Mike Smith

3150 W.B. Travis Lane, Brenham, Texas 77833



1st Kings Series

Chapter 13: Lesson 048-050

Chapter 14: Lesson 051-054

1st Kings 13:1-12:33

Lesson #48 (01/07/07) // 1st Kings Chapter 13

How could this prophet tell if what the older prophet said was truly from God?

1. He should have known that God would not have left him in a state where he could not tell if God had changed his mind and reversed His orders or not. If God spoke to him before, He would certainly speak new orders to him again.

2. God expected the prophet to know the Word, and it cost him his life because he believed a lie.

a. Deut. 13:1-4, miracles and wonders: Just because a miracle or something supernatural occurs does not mean that it is from God. It is authenticated by the Word. Example: A statue of Jesus in a Catholic church may start to bleed from its hands and feet, but this does not authenticate Catholicism. Demons can do such things.

b. Nor do epiphanies carry messages from God.

c. The anti-Christ and the false prophet will do many tremendous miracles in the Tribulation.

d. The Bible is consistent. The message from prophets could not contradict what had already been established. The Torah was the foundation that prophets built on.

3. No doubt, the fact that the one who lied was a prophet was instrumental in him believing the authenticity of what was said.

a. Even those who truly have the spiritual gift of PT and evangelism can get confused or fall into reversionism then say that which is contrary to God.

b. Millions are deceived into buying into false doctrine because of teachers who have PhD.s or are on TV; they are articulate, have millions of people following them, and they sell millions of books and tapes. Why are so many deceived?

c. They can be very convincing by speaking in tongues or by appearing to heal the sick, and they convince people to give more than they can afford in order to be blessed financially. 1 Timothy 5:8 - 8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. II Cor 9:7 - We are not to give grudgingly or from compulsion. . .

d. Paul instructs us in Galatians 1:8-9 about applying this test. What does he say? “If we, or an angel from heaven, teach another gospel to you, let him be accursed..”

e. The Catholic Church has always argued that since Mother Church gave the book, Mother Church has the authority to interpret that book. The Protestant answer is yes, the Bible was written by the church, but once it was completed, it became the law of the church; just as the law in the Old Testament came through Jews, but once written, they could not change it.

f. In other words, the church gave the Bible, but the Bible now rules the church, the church does not rule the Bible.

Lesson #48 (01/07/07) - Continued

g. Doctrine outweighs miracles. The teaching of the Word of God supercedes miracles in authority in Scripture. A miracle is not a true sign unless it is accompanied by orthodox teaching.

4. Deut. 18:20-22, prophecies that don’t come true: This passage would prove that a prophet could be false.

a. What about psychics? Why shouldn’t believers solicit them?

b. We are to put our trust in God, not man, Psa. 118:9.

c. How can you tell that psychics are false prophets? Because they are not 100% correct.

Lesson #49 (01/14/07)

THE ALL SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE

Some believe that special, verbal revelation did not cease with the closing of the New Testament canon but it continues today. What is the will of God? Fundamentally, for Bible-believing Christians, it is what God has revealed in His Word. For example, 2 Timothy 3:13-17 suggests not only the necessity of Scripture in order to discern God’s will, but its adequacy to “make me wise” and “thoroughly equip me for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:13-17 - But evil men and seducers [imposters] shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 14) But continue thou in the things which thou [Timothy] hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15) And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God [God-breathed], and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17) That the man of God may be perfect [complete, mature], thoroughly furnished unto all good works [Divine Good].

The full sufficiency of Scripture in knowing God’s will is enunciated here. Nothing needs to be taught which it does not teach. Nothing needs to be censured which it does not censure. Nothing needs correction that it does not correct. And no training need be given that it does not give.

As was true for Paul and Timothy, so it is true for us. The Will of God in Scripture is our sufficient resource spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally. We should be deeply grateful for the Scripture, and most importantly, for its Author. In the day proliferated with false doctrine, deception, and wandering from the truth, the Scripture is sufficient!

Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge [EPIGNOSIS] of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3) seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness [not some, not many, not most, but the Lord gave all things to us], through the knowledge [EPIGNOSIS] of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; [i]

Psalm 19:7 - The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

Lesson #49 (01/14/07) - Continued

God has powerfully and graciously given to us sufficient knowledge to prepare us for a full participation in life and godliness, as well as multiplied grace and peace. One contemporary writer tells the story of two brothers who inherited a vast fortune in Chicago. It was enough to sustain them for the rest of their lives in affluence. They, however, died in squalor, not using what was theirs and, instead, lived like packrats who collected virtually tons of rubbish. This writer then said:

“Too many Christians live their spiritual lives that way. Disregarding the bountiful riches of an inheritance that cannot be defiled, I Peter 1:4, they scour the wreckage of worldly wisdom, collecting litter. As if the riches of God’s grace, Eph.1:7, were not enough, as if “everything pertaining to life and godliness”, 2 Peter 1:3, were not sufficient, they try to supplement the resources that are theirs in Christ. They spend their lives pointlessly accumulating sensational experiences, novel teachings, clever gurus, or whatever else they can find to add to their hoard of spiritual experiences. Practically all of it is utterly worthless. Yet some people pack themselves so full of these diversions, they can’t find the door to the truth that would set them free. They forfeit treasure for trash. We concur, believing that God’s Word, with its precious and exceedingly great promises, is sufficient for life and godliness. The Bible is our treasure.” George Misinger

SPIRITISM FORBIDDEN

The Bible strictly condemns attempts to contact the spirit world and rejects all extra-biblical revelation.

Deuteronomy 18:9-22 - “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. 14 For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you.

Lesson #50 (01/21/07)

Dreams, visions, psychic communication, The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, the Koran, writings, dreams, and visions of Ellen G. White, the Hindu Vedas, channeling, use of crystals, cosmic consciousness, reincarnation, gurus, shamans, or astrology: none of these are valid today. It is SOLA SCRIPTURA, only Scripture, SOLA GRATIA only grace and SOLA FIDE only faith. It is the Bible alone through which God communicates to us

DON’T ADD AND DON’T SUBTRACT

Revelation 22:18-19 - For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Lesson #50 (01/21/07) - Continued

Deut. 4:2 - You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

Deut. 12:32 - Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

Prov. 30:5-6 - Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. 6  Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

5. So the umbilical cord that connected God and the believer in the Word of God was the prophets. Even the New Testament was written by those with the gift of prophecy. However, the gift of prophecy would come to an end as per 1 Cor. 13 when the canon of Scripture was completed. That gift no longer exists.

6. We don’t have prophets today because we don’t need prophets since the Word of God is complete. But when the Word of God was still being written, the prophets were speaking. If there was a prophet today, he would be writing Scripture. Revelation 22, the last book of the Bible, clearly says that nothing more was going be written down by

God from that point on.

a. “The Bible is the inspired, plenary, inerrant Word of God.” Plenary means complete, finished, nothing lacking.

b. God’s Word is His complete revelation. He isn’t talking to people any longer or giving special revelation to anyone.

13: 31-32

Why did the old prophet want to be buried in the same grave with the younger prophet?

1. He didn’t want his remains to be disturbed when the predicted events took place, 2 Kings 23:16-18.

2. He thought that he was buying a little insurance for the resurrection. He probably thought he had a better chance of being resurrected if he was in the same grave with the younger prophet.

13: 31-34

Even God ‘s grave warning did not change Jeroboam’s ways in the slightest. Unlike David’s dynasty that the Lord promised would be ruled by David’s greater Son forever, Jeroboam’s dynasty would come to an abrupt end.

Lesson #51 (01/28/07) // Chapter 14

14: 1-6

1. Abijah, Jeroboam’s son, should not be confused with Rehoobam’s son by the same name, 1 Kings 15:1.

2. Why did Jeroboam command his wife to dress in a disguise and seek out Ahijah the prophet?

a. He didn’t want anyone to know that he was seeking the true God rather than the idols that he had created.

b. He was a con artist who deceived the people in order to stay in power as king.

c. He knew that Ahijah would be angry with him and not help if he knew that it was his wife who sought help.

d. He was so deluded that he thought he could fool not only Ahijah but God as well with his wife’s disguise. The fact that Ahijah was blind not only demonstrated that the disguise was a waste of time and effort but also that God could use a blind man to see through Jeroboam’s deceitful plan.

Lesson #51 (01/28/07) - Continued

3. In chapter 13, the older prophet deceived the younger prophet, and now we find more deception. Jeroboam was trying to deceive the people of his kingdom, Ahijah the prophet, and God. We must be careful that we aren’t deceived.

Ephesians 5:6-7 - Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7) Therefore do not be partakers with them;

2 Timothy 3:13-15 - But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14) You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; 15) and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom . . .

1 Timothy 4:1 - But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

Colossians 2:8 - See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

Revelation 12:9 - And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world;

Revelation 13:14 - And he [the false prophet] deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform. . .

4 There are many today, especially in politics, who are no better than Jeroboam. They lie to the people, making promises they know they cannot keep, promising money they don’t have for projects that aren’t needed.

And why do they do this? For the same reason Jeroboam it -- to keep his position of power.

5. The following is what Jeroboam should have done and what we should do:

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. 6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Psalm 37:4-5 - Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of your heart 5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

Psalm 125:1 - They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abides for ever.

Isaiah 12:2 - Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Isaiah 26:3-4 - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee. 4) Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Jeremiah 17:7 - "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD. . .

6. The loaves, cakes, and honey may have been a nice gesture to show appreciation, or it may have been a bribe meant to entice Ahijah to help Jeroboam’s son.

7. Jeroboam was worse than all of his predecessors. He became the standard of evil for the kings of Israel, while David became the standard for good for the kings of Israel.

8. Jeroboam’s sick son, Abijah, would die and be the only male of Jeroboam’s family to be buried. All of the other male descendents would die and be left for the predators and birds to eat rather than receiving burials. No one cared about them enough to bury their bodies when they died.

9. We can look back on Jeroboam’s foolish idiotic decisions ignoring God’s promises doing things his own way, but when was the last time you were guilty of doing the same thing?

Lesson #51 (01/28/07) - Continued

14: 7-16

1. God had shown such favor to Jeroboam and given him tremendous opportunity, and Jeroboam repaid this kindness with arrogance, defying God, and creating idol worship, a psuedo-priesthood, and false feasts days. Verse 9 said, “you have cast Me behind your back,” so now God lowers the boom on him.

Galatians 6:7 - Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.

Jeroboam thought that he could deceive God but he was only deceiving himself.

2. Verse 10 prophecy about the death of the male descendents of Jeroboam came to pass, 1 Kings 15:25-31.

3. Abijah, the child that Jeroboam must have loved a great deal, was to die. There was another similar situation recorded where another king committed grievous sins and lost a son that he loved.

4. Verse 13 says, in him, Abijah, something good was found toward the Lord. According to some Jewish writers, the good is the fact that he was opposed to the erection of the golden calves and for giving the people the freedom to go worship in Jerusalem.

5. Verse 16 says that God would “give up Israel,” but this is not to be taken that God would utterly forsake His people. While they were given up to judgment and captivity as a punishment, God certainly was not finished with Israel.

14: 17-20

1. The fact that Abijah died just as Ahijah the prophet had said he would was a guarantee that the rest of his prophecies would come to pass also.

2. Verse 19 makes mention of the record of Jeroboam’s war effort as recorded in 1 Kings 14:30 and 2 Chron. 13:13-20. Israel lost its military strength and much of its territorial holdings during Jeroboam’s reign. He set the nation on a course that would eventually end in destruction .The fifth cycle of discipline was administered by Assyria in 722 B.C.

3. None of the prophecies made against Jeroboam’s family produced any change in his policy or government. He remained arrogant, defiant, and determined to do things his way until the end of his life.

Lesson #52 (02/04/07)

14: 21-24

1. It is important to obey the Lord! because there is always consequences when we don’t. Hidden in Verse 21, we find the seed for discord planted by Solomon that would insure a bitter harvest for his son, Rehoboam. Do you see it? Rehoboam’s mother, Solomon’s wife, was an Ammonite, a pagan. This is so significant that it is mentioned twice, once in verse 21 and once in verse 31.

2. Marrying foreign women was forbidden by the Mosaic Law, Ex. 34:12-16, Deut. 7:3, Ezra 10:1-10, Nehemiah 13:26, 1 Kings 11:1-3. We have a similar mandate in 2 Cor. 6:14.

3. There is little doubt that Rehoboam was exposed to the hideous practices of the pagan religion of the Ammonites by his mother. And no doubt, that exposure influenced him to engage in those same activities when he grew up.

4. Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go; Even when he is old he will not depart from it. This verse is usually quoted in the context of teaching children good manners, authority-orientation, and the Word of God, however it also holds true for teaching them how to worship idols and indulge in sexual perversions.

Lesson #52 (02/04/07) - Contined

5. Children are lumps of clay that are sculptured by what their parents say and by what they do. We don’t have a lot of parents teaching their children idolatry these days, but we have a multitude of parents that are ignoring their responsibility to teach their children the Word of God! And this job should not be left solely to the moms.

Ephesians 6:4 - Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

6. There are people who have left this church and others who will not even try this church out because we don’t have a lot of programs for children. Listen very carefully. Children do not need programs. They need God’s Word! They need to be taught Bible doctrine!

7. Believers who marry unbelievers or negative believers will not get by with it any more than Solomon got by with marrying pagans. Consistent contact with negative volition devastates families, especially the children.

8. It is true that every person is responsible for his own decisions, and no one can blame the bad decisions they make on the poor parenting of their parents. However, a child that receives good training at home has a huge head start towards making good decisions as an adult.

9. Rehoboam was exposed to so much wickedness that he could not recognize good advice. He turned it down and embraced bad advice, 1 Kings 12:5-8. His resultant bad decision divided the country into the Northern and the Southern Kingdom.

10. 2 Chronicles 12:1 - It took place when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong that he and all Israel with him forsook the law of the LORD.

Naaman influenced Solomon, both of them influenced Rehoboam, and Rehoboam influenced the people. It appears that few, if any, were thinking for themselves. And it’s no different today. Nearly everyone follows the crowd.

11. Many people feel that there is security in being part of the majority. If you were part of the “all Israel” who forsook the Lord, you would have been in the majority, but you certainly would not have been secure.

Lesson #53 (02/11/07)

12. We all need to know why we think what we think and why do we do what we do. If a person doesn’t know this, there is no way he can have confidence or security. 1 Peter 3:15 - . . . always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you. . . How can we do that if we don’t know why we believe the things that we do?

We talked about the tremendous influence parents have on their children and the importance of teaching them the precepts of the Bible, by word and deed. But, this wasn’t being done in Rehomoam’s day. They did what they thought was right, but when a person goes by what he thinks or feels, independently of and in opposition to God’s Word, the consequences for him are disastrous.

.

Prov. 14:12 There is a way which seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Prov. 16:25

2 Chronicles 12:1 . . . all Israel forsook the law of the LORD with him, King Rehoboam. These people were easily influenced because they were either ignorant of Bible doctrine or they were ignoring it. They were not thinking for themselves.

Lesson #53 (02/11/07) - Continued

1 Peter 3:15 - . . . always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.

Hope, Elpis, confident expectation, certainty, assurance as in I Pet. 1:3 - “living hope”

TIQWA (tiqwâ)

We must be ready to make a defense for the hope that is in us, based on what WE believe, not on what someone else thinks or believes.

a. Most people adopt the religious beliefs of their parents. This may be good in a few cases, but most of the time, it’s not good at all.

b. Example: “If the Catholicism is good enough for my parents, then it’s good enough for me.”

It may be good enough for your parents, but it certainly isn’t good enough for God!

d. It is what you believe, not what someone else believes, that will determine your eternal destiny! You can’t afford to depend on someone else’s opinion. You better know what to believe and why you believe it!

e. If you don’t know this, then you are confused, mixed up, insecure, and a loser with a capital L.

13. Anyone can change the disastrous path their life has taken by acknowledging their sins to God and seeking Him, 2 Chronicles 7:14 and 2 Chronicles 12:1-14.

What about those who have taken a wrong course or those who have lost their way? Is it too late for them? 2 Chronicles 12:1-14

2 Chronicles 13:14 & 18 - When Judah turned around, behold, they were attacked both front and rear; so they cried to the LORD, and the priests blew the trumpets. 18) Thus the sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah conquered because they trusted in the LORD, the God of their fathers.

Jonah 3:5-10 - Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. 6) When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes. 7) And he issued a proclamation and it said, "In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. 8) "But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly [confess his sins] that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. 9) "Who knows, God may turn and relent, and withdraw His burning anger so that we shall not perish?" 10) When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.

2 Chronicles 7:14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

14. Now we turn our attention to verses 22 – 24 about the abominable behavior of the Southern Kingdom. The sins of the people were of the grossest sort. They worshipped on the high places where one would find sacred pillars, Asherim, and male cult prostitutes. The many assorted pagan religions had something in common. They were all heavy into sexual eccentricities.

Lesson #53 (02/11/07) - Continued

15. The reason behind this was that pagans believed in male and female gods who cohabited with one another to bring the creation into being. This broke down the Creator / creation distinction that is so critical. The idea that there is one God and that He created all things out of nothing was astonishingly different.

Lesson #54 (02/18/07)

14: 25-31

1. This military campaign into Judah, Israel, Edom, and Philistia netted Shishack control of 156 cities. The record of his campaigns is inscribed on the exterior of the Amon temple’s south wall at Karnak in Egypt.

2. The only reason that the Southern Kingdom was not destroyed was because they humbled themselves before the Lord, II Chron. 12:7.

3. However they did suffer loss because God was teaching them a lesson, II Chron. 12:8. I Kings 14:26 says that Shishack “took everything”. If you go back and read 1 Kings 10:14-23, & 27, you get an idea of how much they lost. Remember that Solomon received 50,000 lbs. of gold every year, and silver was as common as stones.

4. Vs. 28: King Rhehoboam continued to go to the Temple and went through the motions of worshiping God while he was worshiping idols, false gods, sacred pillars, asherim, etc. It was nothing more than ritual without reality.

5. There was pomp, circumstance, and great ceremony that was absolutely meaningless. They were being intellectually dishonest.

6. Their Temple worship was as fake as their brass shields they pretended was gold. The brazen shields were borne before him in solemn procession as if everything was the same as before. Solomon’s golden shields were kept in the house of the forest of Lebanon, 1 Kings. 10:17. These shields of brass were of so little value that the guard chamber sufficed for their custody.

7. The shields downgraded from gold to brass is symbolic of the true Temple worship that was reduced to paganism.

8. There are many people today who play the same game Rehoboam played. They go to church, sing hymns, and pray, but it’s all superficial because they are deep into post-modernism that claims no one can know anything for certain. You can’t really know if God exists, if Christ died on a cross, or if He rose from the grave, or if the Bible is God’s word but they still call themselves Christians.

9. Solomon made alliance with the strongest and proudest of the empires of that age. Solomon, whose fore-fathers were Pharaoh’s bondmen, allied with Egypt and was glad to be recognized as the great Pharaoh’s son-in-law. A short time after his death, this same Egyptian kingdom became an assailant of Solomon’s son, and Pharaoh oppressed and plundered the whole realm.

10. The “Golden Age of Solomon” and the great Temple of the mighty God of Jacob was despoiled in just twenty some odd years after its dedication. How sad! What a waste. Why did it happen? The people stopped seeking the Lord, they decided to be like everyone else, and they did as they pleased instead of doing what pleased Him.

11. Notice what a great contrast there is between Exod. 14 and 1 Kings 14. Israel, who “saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore,” was feeling the grip of Pharaoh on its throat once again.

Lesson #54 (02/18/07) - Continued

It is interesting to remember here the aspect these repeated revolutions and assassinations would have on the Kingdom of Judah, then enjoying quietness and prosperity under Asa.

Proverbs 16:7 - When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

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