I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     Jeroboam’s son, Nadab, succeeded Jeroboam on the throne. Nadab continued the sins of his father. Nadab was assassinated by Baasha in the second year of his reign. After assassinating Nadab, Baasha took the throne and slaughtered all of Jeroboam’s remaining family as the prophet had foretold. However, Baasha continued the practices of Jeroboam. God sent the prophet Jehu to Baasha to tell him that his family would meet the same fate as that of Jeroboam. Baasha reigned for twenty-four years and was at war with King Asa of Judah for the entire time. When Baasha died his son Elah became king.
     Elah ruled for two years. In the second year of Elah’s reign, Zimri, the commander of half of Elah’s chariot forces, assassinated Elah. Zimri then killed all of the relatives of Baasha that he could find. When the army, which was attacking a Philistine town at the time, heard that Zimri had assassinated Elah they chose Omri as their king. Omri led the army to the capital and occupied it. When Zimri saw that the Omri’s forces had taken control of the capital city, he went into the citadel and burned it down around himself. After the death of Zimri, the people of Israel were split into two camps. Half of the people supported Omri and half of the people supported Tibni. Omri’s supporters defeated Tibni’s supporters and Tibni was killed, clearing the path for Omri to become king. Omri built the city of Samaria and made it his capital. The passage tells us that Omri was even worse than his predecessors.
     When Omri died, his son Ahab became king in his place. Ahab sinned even worse than his father Omri or any of the other previous kings of Israel. Ahab married Jezebel the daughter of the king of Sidon. Ahab built a temple for Baal in Samaria and set up an Asherah pole. It was during the reign of Ahab that Elijah began his prophetic ministry. Elijah told Ahab that there would be no reign for the next several years until he, Elijah, gave the word. God told Elijah to go and hide by a brook near the Jordan River. God caused ravens to bring food to Elijah morning and evening. Eventually the brook dried up and Elijah needed to move.
     God instructed Elijah to go to a village near Sidon. When he arrived at the gates of the city, he saw a widow gathering sticks. He asked her to bring him a cup of water. When she went to get it for him, he called after her asking for a piece of bread as well. She responded that she had very little flour or oil left. She had been about to make a final meal for herself and her son and then they would die. Elijah told her to go ahead and make that meal, but first make a bit of bread for him. Elijah told her that if she did as he requested there would always be a bit of flour and a bit of oil in her containers until the rains returned. She did as Elijah had asked and there was always enough flour and oil in her containers to make another meal. Some time after this the widow’s son became sick and died. She confronted Elijah over the death of her son. Elijah took the body of her son up to his room and prayed over the boy. God answered Elijah’s prayer and returned the boy to life. Elijah returned the boy to his mother.
     There is a lot in this passage for us to think about. I will first mention the widow. She provided for Elijah out of her meager store and God blessed her for that action in a time of hardship. However, the main thing I wanted to touch on was the succession of kings of Israel. One after the other they led the people of Israel into ever greater sin and this reflects badly on those kings. However, it also reflects badly on the people of Israel because they followed those kings. If the people of Israel had been faithful to following God’s commands, God would have raised up leaders to lead them in godliness. While God will hold the leaders of a nation accountable for the direction they lead the people in, He will also hold the people accountable for following those leaders. The same is true of us today. Perhaps our political leaders are leading us ever further into godlessness, but if we as a people were to stop asking our government to take the place of God, God would raise up leaders who would lead us back to godliness. We keep looking for political leaders who will lead us back to godliness, when instead we should just be seeking to do the will of God and expecting our political leaders to follow along. Rather than seeking a political solution to our problems we should follow Jesus admonition, “Seek first the Kingdom of God.”

     When Peter got to Caesarea, Cornelius was waiting for him with family and friends he had called together. As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him. Peter told him to get up at once, stating that he, Peter, was merely a man. Peter went on to tell the people gathered at Cornelius’ house that even though it was against Jewish laws, as they knew, for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home, or even associate with Gentiles, God had shown Peter that he should no longer view anyone as impure or unclean. Peter then asked why they had sent for him. Cornelius responded that a man in glowing clothes had appeared before him, told him that God had heard his prayers and remembered his gifts to the poor. The man went on to tell Cornelius to send for Peter.
     Peter then started speaking to them. He told them that he now understood that God does not show favoritism, He accepts everyone from every nation who fears Him and does what is right. Notice that while we should be willing to preach the Gospel to anyone who will listen and should consider no one impure, we are still called to teach them to fear God and do what is right. Peter went on recapping Jesus’ ministry and the events which he had witnessed after Jesus’ resurrection. As Peter as speaking the Holy Spirit came upon those listening, causing them to speak in other languages. Those Jews with Peter were astonished to see the Holy Spirit descend on the Gentiles. Peter asked those with them if any of them could object to baptizing the Gentiles who had received the Holy Spirit just as the Jewish believers had? Peter then ordered that the Gentiles who had just received the Holy Spirit be baptized in the name of Jesus. Peter stayed with them a few days giving them further teaching. Here again we have the profession of faith followed immediately by baptism. I think we have lost something in the Church today with our practice of putting people through classes before baptizing them (although I understand the reasons).

What more is there to say? Except, perhaps, “Praise the Lord!”

     The first proverb tells us that the surest way to build a relationship is to overlook the other’s failures (especially when they are offenses against ourselves), on the other hand the surest way to destroy a relationship is to constantly bring up the ways the other person has done us wrong.
     The second proverb tells us that those who are wise feel worse, and learn more, from a single rebuke than those who are foolish experience from severe punishment. The final proverb tells us that evil people promote rebellion, but will suffer for it.