This week,
we shall continue the study of the book of 1 Kings in the Old Testament.
(1) Why did God choose to prophesy against the altar?
(2) What would the future king of Judah do on this altar?
(3) How does this signify God’s judgment of the sin of Jeroboam?
(4) See its fulfillment in 2 Kings 23:15-20. How many years later was this fulfilled? (see chart of 1 Kings 11:41-12:15,Year 4 Week 20 Day139)
(5) What sign was given by the prophet about its fulfillment?
(6) What should the king have done upon hearing the prophet’s rebuke?
(7) What did he do? Why?
(8) What immediate judgment did he receive and witness?
(9) What should his reaction be at this point?
(10) Was his request for intercession a sign of humility and repentance? Why or why not?
(11) Why would God choose to heal him?
(12) Why did the king invite the prophet for a meal?
(13) Why did God command the prophet not to eat or drink in Bethel?
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) Since there was at least a prophet in Bethel, why did God choose to send one from Judah to warn the king of Israel?
(2) Why did the “old” prophet want to find the prophet from Judah?
(3) How might this “old” prophet feel about God using someone from afar instead of him?
(4) Knowing what God had commanded the prophet from Judah, why did this old prophet lie to him? (13:18) What might be his motive?
(5) For this prophet from Judah to return to Bethel and eat in the old prophet’s house, whose fault was it?
(6) Why did God use this lying prophet to pass judgment on this prophet of Judah? (13:20-22)
a. Should he not apologize to the younger prophet?
b. Shouldn’t the younger object to this judgment?
c. How should the old prophet feel?
(7) What happened to this younger prophet on his way back to Judah? Was God being too harsh or unfair? Why or why not?
(8) Why did the old prophet ask his sons to bury him in the same grave as the prophet now killed by a lion?
(9) What might king Jeroboam think when he heard that the prophet who rebuked and prophesied against him was killed by a lion?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) Why did Jeroboam send his wife to see the prophet Ahijah?
(2) What might his conscience tell him about the illness of his son?
(3) How might Ahijah feel about his “indirect” anointing of Jeroboam as king of Israel through his prophecy?
(4) From the words of rebuke by the Lord (in 14:7-9), consider the following:
a. How privileged was Jeroboam?
b. What was God’s desire in choosing him?
c. How great was his sin, in return?
(5) How severe was the judgment he and his household were to receive? (14:10-11)
(6) In what sense was the death of this son a blessing? (14:12-13)
(7) The judgment pronounced went beyond the household of Jeroboam (14:14-16):
a. What would happen to the people and their land?
b. What reason was being given?
(8) Do you think it was too late for Jeroboam to repent upon the death of this son? Why or why not?
(9) Why didn’t he?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) Since Solomon reigned over the nation for 40 years and Rehoboam took over the reign at 41 years of age, what would have Rehoboam witnessed in the life of Solomon in the following terms?
a. his goodness
b. his wickedness
(2) Who was Rehoboam’s mother?
a. Why does the Bible choose to mention her origin twice? (vv. 21, 31)
b. What might it say about her influence in that of the many wives and concubines of Solomon, her son was chosen to succeed Solomon?
(3) What was the spiritual condition of Judah after the death of Solomon, during the reign of Rehoboam?
(4) From the description in vv. 22-24, consider the following:
a. What might be the most heinous of their sins?
b. What might be the most expected sin (to you)? Why?
(5) What might have accounted for such rapid spiritual degradation within just one generation?
(6) How did God punish Judah (and their king) likely as a warning? (vv. 25-26)
(7) The gold shields made by Solomon were obviously for ornamental or parade purposes:
a. What did Rehoboam do to replace them? (v. 27)
b. Why did he need to replace them? (v. 28)
c. What does his action tell us about his character?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Here we have the account of two successive kings of Judah:
15:1-8―Abijah
(1) How long was his reign? (v. 2)
(2) What kind of a king was he? (v. 3)
(3) What reason is given here for allowing such a wicked king not only to be succeeded by his son, but to make Jerusalem strong? (vv. 4-5)
(4) How strong was his kingdom? (see 2 Chr. 13:15-21)
(5) Can a person’s love and piety really be a blessing for generations to come? What do you think?
15:9-15―Asa
(6) How long was his reign?
(7) How different was he from his father and grandfather?
(8) What was the most impressive of his religious reforms?
(9) Why did he not keep the looted treasures in his royal palace but bring them into the temple instead?
(10) While the Bible does not give us any explanation, why was Asa able to shake off the sins of his father, grandfather and even his influential grandmother?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
15:16-24—Asa, King of Judah (continued)
From the account in 2 Chronicles 13:19, it is safe to assume that Ramah, which was between Bethel and Jerusalem, was then under the control of Judah:
(1) What was Baasha’s purpose of invading and fortifying Ramah?
(2) How did Asa react to this invasion? Why?
(3) Contrast 15:15 with 15:18. What does it tell you about Asa’s response to this invasion?
(4) This political maneuver obviously worked:
a. Did it necessarily mean that God approved of it?
b. Did Asa consult the Lord beforehand?
c. Was it necessarily a sign of not trusting in the Lord?
(Consult 2 Chr. 16:7-9 for God’s perspective of Asa’s action.)
(5) It is also helpful to read 2 Chronicles 16:12 about Asa’s attitude toward the disease in his feet:
a. Is it wrong to consult physicians?
b. How do you look upon the life of Asa?
15:25-32—Nadab, King of Israel
(6) What was the prophecy against the house of Jeroboam? (1 Ki. 14:10-11)
(7) When and how did it come to pass?
(8) Would you call it “sin of the fathers”? (see Deut. 5:9; Num. 14:18; Exod. 20:5)
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
15:33–16:7—Baasha, King of Israel
(1) It was quite typical for the kingdom in Israel (i.e. that of the ten tribes) to be overturned and the throne usurped by someone from another tribe, often through assassination, and yet the Bible insists that each of these “successors” to the throne was raised up by God, like Baasha (1 Ki. 16:2). Why is that?
16:8-14—Elah, King of Israel
(2) How long did Elah reign?
(3) When he was assassinated, what was he doing? (v. 9)
(4) How was the prophecy of the prophet Jehu fulfilled? (16:7, 11-13)
16:15-20—Zimri, King of Israel
(5) How long did Zimri reign? (v. 15)
(6) Yet within only his 7-day reign, what was the biblical comment on his reign? (v. 19)
(7) Was it not obvious to the Lord that the Northern Kingdom had no hope of returning to Him? Why did He “waste” His time in allowing the Northern Kingdom to continue (which continued to be a thorn in the side of Judah, the Southern Kingdom)?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?