It takes spiritual grit to stay the course. These tiny compromises can grow and begin a downward spiral that will draw our hearts further and further away from God. This story of Israel’s kings can serve as a warning to us when we are drawn by the influence of our culture to allow tiny compromises in our own lives. You can see how compromise can begin so simply and yet become a snowball of rebellion and consequences that seem utterly out of control. This “legacy of compromise” continued on to every single king that came after him, and each one was worse than the one before. Jeroboam replaced God’s chosen place of worship, ordained common people as priests instead of God’s chosen tribe of Levi, and he set up golden calves as idols for the people to worship. He had completely disregarded God’s commands concerning worship, and that was the beginning of the compromises that led to Israel’s troubles. Jeroboam was the first king of the Northern 10 tribes of Israel as they split from the other tribes. We observed the slippery slope of compromise as king after king rebelled against God and indulged in idol worship, thus bringing severe consequences for their sin to the nation of Israel. We read how the nation became divided into the Northern Kingdom, called Israel, led by one evil king after another, and the Southern Kingdom, called Judah, led by some good and some bad kings, and it was during this time that God used Elijah to prophecy to His people. We discovered how the nation transitioned from having God as their King and being led by judges to becoming a monarchy. On Day 1, we set the stage for our study by outlining a bit of the history of Israel that led to the time of Elijah. I have written a summary for each day of our study this week, and the discussion questions and assignments will be at the end. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” Our focus verse for the week is Hebrews 11:6, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Whereas Elijah did seven miracles in his lifetime, young Elisha, his student, did fourteen miracles, probably because he asked for a “double portion of spirit” (2 Kings 2:9).Įlmer Towns, Bible Answers for Almost All Your Questions (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003).Congratulations! You made it through the first week, and what a powerful week it has been! We focused on a number of themes this week from the beginning of Elijah’s story in 1 Kings 17 – Prayer, Faith, Spiritual grit, the slippery slope of compromise, Repentance, Restoration, Seasons in our walk with God, God’s provision and strength during our difficult times, Waiting on God, Trusting Him when life doesn’t make sense, and much more! Isn’t it amazing how much God has had to say to us in just our first week of study? Whereas Elijah was rough and ministered in the wilderness apart from society, Elisha went into the cities, spoke to the kings in their courts, and lived with a school of prophets. What is the difference between the ministries of Elisha and Elijah? Young Elisha took the mantle and carried on his work. His prophetic mantle-symbol of office-was dropped as Elijah was carried into heaven. Apparently he did not die, but was translated into the presence of God. Second Kings tells the story of Elijah going up to heaven in a whirlwind. He ministered primarily during the time of King Ahab (1 Kings 16:29–22:40). Elijah was a preaching prophet, not a writing prophet, and his message was primarily to the ten tribes of Israel. He was rugged, abrupt, and dressed in skins with a leather girdle and a long “mantle.” The mantle was the symbol of his office. He was a prophet from Gilead, considered one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament.
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