Study the Bible in Two Years – 12/8/10

Wednesday, Dec. 8 – 1 Kings 21-22

1.  Chapter 21 is the classic story about coveting and what can happen if it is not controlled.  Coveting is a sinful desire for something you cannot have.   What did Ahab covet?    What other sins does that lead to?   How does the Lord give us the victory over coveting?

2.  What is the surprise ending to chapter 21?  What does that teach us about the grace of God?

3.  What did God say would happen to King Ahab? Read 21:19.  Perhaps Ahab reasoned that he couldn’t die in battle in far-off Ramoth-Gilead if what Elijah had prophesied was correct. In what surprising way did the Lord fulfill this prophecy?  See 22:37-38.

Study the Bible in Two Years – 12/7/10

Tuesday, Dec. 7 – 1 Kings 20

1.  Aram is the same country as Syria, whose capital is Damascus.  How did Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, show that he took Ahab (Is8) lightly?  See 20:6, 12, 18.

2.  Ahab used a common proverb in 20:11.  What does it mean?  What similar proverb do we use today?  (Don’t count your chickens….)

3.  Why did the Lord give Ahab the victory?  See 20:13 & 28.  Can you think of present-day situations where the Lord gives victory to people who despise him?  Why would God do that?

Study the Bible in Two Years – 12/6/10

Don’t forget the chart of Kings, from last week. It will help you follow what’s happening with the kings of Judah and Israel.

Monday, Dec. 6 – 1 Kings 19

1.  Despite a great victory over the prophets of Baal, nothing had really changed.  Elijah fled for his life straight south into the Judean wilderness.  What does he wish for?  See 19:4.  Why do you think he wishes for that?

2.  How did the Lord immediately show Elijah that he was watching over him?

3.  Elijah had learned in the previous incident (chapter 18) that the big, powerful miracles didn’t always solve the problem.  How did the Lord show Elijah his presence and his power?  See 19:12. What does that mean for us today?

Study the Bible in Two Years – 12/4/10

Saturday,  Dec. 4 – 1 Kings 17-18

1.  There was poetic justice in the Lord’s decree, because Baal was the god of fertility and harvests.  What did the Lord decree to show Baal was powerless?  17:1.

2. What two miraculous events happened in Zarephath at the widow’s house?  What was the result of these miracles?  See 17:24.

3.  What was the famous test between whether Baal was real or the LORD?  God uses miracles and shows his almighty power chiefly for what purpose?  See especially 18:39.

Study the Bible in Two Years – 12/3/10

Friday, Dec. 3 – 1 Kings 15-16

1.  We will number the kings of Judah and Israel, to help keep track of them.  Make use of the attached chart of the kings.   King Asa, (Judah 3 or J3) is the first faithful king after Solomon. How long does he rule?  15:10.   

2.  During Asa’s reign in Judah, there are 7 different kings of Israel. Each one is worse than the king before him.  What happened to Jeroboam’s family?  15:29.  What happened to Baasha’s family?  16:11.  How long did Zimri last?  16:15.   Who won the Civil War after that?  16:22.     What does this tell you about the spiritual state of Israel?

3.   Omri’s son Ahab (Israel 8 or I8) is most familiar to us because he is the main king during the time of the prophet Elijah.  In just 50 years, the northern kingdom of Israel has degenerated to go back to worshipping what Canaanite god? 16:31.   What is the name of  Ahab’s famous wife and where does she come from?

Study the Bible in Two Years – 12/2/10

Thursday, Dec. 2 – 1 Kings 13-14

1.  What were the direct consequences of Jeroboam’s idolatry?  See 13:3,4.  What would the consequences be in the future?   See 13:2.  Note: This happens 300 years later under King Josiah of Judah.  The kingdom of Israel is already long gone.

2.   What does the Lord tell his prophet to do in 13:9?  The New Testament commands us to do something similar when a brother won’t listen to God.  See 2 Thessalonians 3:14,15.

3.  What happened to this prophet may not seem fair, but the Lord holds his true servants to a higher standard than anyone else. What is miraculous about what the lion did?

4.  In 1 Kings 14, Abijah, the son of Jeroboam, dies.  Notice how he is described in 14:13.  Why was it a good thing that he died now, rather than grow up in this family?

Study the Bible in Two Years – 12/1/10

Wednesday, Dec. 1 – 1 Kings 12

1.  What advice did Solomon’s son Rehoboam follow?  Why did Rehoboam follow this bad advice?   See 11:15.  Note:  Rehoboam was also at fault. What was his sin? This is a little like when Jesus was put to death:  that was God’s plan for our salvation, but the enemies of Jesus freely chose to do whatever they could to get rid of Jesus.

2.  God had made all these wonderful promises to Jeroboam. Review 11:38.  What does Jeroboam do to show he really doesn’t care about the one true God?

3.  Politically, what is the reason that Jeroboam starts two new temples?  See 12:36-37.  Dan  is in the far north and Bethel is in the south of the new northern kingdom.  It is important to understand this because “the sin of Jeroboam” is mentioned again and again.  These temples were an imitation of the true temple in Jerusalem.   Jeroboam chose golden calves to put inside because he didn’t have an ark of the covenant.  He mimicked the true religion close enough that the people wouldn’t notice.  We see the same thing in some of the cults today who pretend to be Christian.e He

Study the Bible in Two Years – 11/30/10

Tuesday, Nov. 30 – 1 Kings 11

1.  As Solomon acquired so much wealth and so many wives, it was an indication that his wisdom was failing.  What warning of God’s Word had Solomon totally ignored?  See Deut. 17:16,17.

2.  What was the result of Solomon’s sin of idolatry?  See 11:11-13.  The rest of Israel’s history and the divided kingdom is a result of what Solomon did here.  Already the Lord raises enemies against Solomon, outside and inside his kingdom.  What does that teach you about how the Lord acts in history?

3.  What had Solomon’s great wealth done to him?  Think of how Jesus warns us in Matthew 19:23-26.   Was Solomon saved?  You can’t tell from this book.  (Since he wrote Ecclesiastes as an old man, he must have repented).

Study the Bible in Two Years – 11/29/10

Monday, Nov. 29 – 1 Kings 9-10

1.  On what condition does God make the promise that David’s descendants would be on the throne forever?   See 9:4.  What will happen if they don’t do this?  In a similar way, God had promised the land to Israel “forever” with these same conditions.  People today need to keep that in mind with present day Israel.

2.  1 Kings 9:21 is poorly translated in the NIV.  People were not “exterminated” like rats.  Please see the footnote and recall that the ungodly nations were to be “devoted” to the Lord in destruction as a punishment for their idolatry.  Many think that this contradicts Jesus’ teaching to love our enemies.  But remember that here the Israelites were acting as God’s ordained earthly government.  What powers has God ordained for governments?  See Romans 13:1-5.

3.  What was Solomon’s annual income in gold?  See 10:14.  To translate that into the present price of gold, it would be worth about $800 billion.  Compare that to one stimulus package.

Study the Bible in Two Years – 11/27/10

Saturday,  Nov. 27 – 1 Kings 8

1.  The Lord used a dark cloud to indicate his presence in the temple. See 8:10-13. This is the same thing as “the glory of the Lord” or the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.  What does the Lord use today to indicate his presence with us?

2. In Solomon’s dedication prayer, a phrase comes up again and again:  “Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive”  8:31,34, 36, 40, 43.45,49.  Solomon understands that God is not just in this man-made temple, but his primary dwelling has always been where?   What does Solomon and Israel and us need over and over and over again?

3.  Agree or disagree:  There is no temple in New Testament times.   (Hint – Are we talking about a building or something else?  See 1 Corinthians 6:19,20.)