Bible Survey: Part TwoSample

Chapters 13-16 tell of a series of kings over Israel and Judah. Israel followed Jeroboam, consisted of 10 tribes of the original 12 tribes of Israel and lived to the north of Jerusalem. Judah followed Rehoboam, consisted of 2 tribes and occupied Jerusalem and the land to the south. God turned against Jeroboam because he chose to follow other gods. Rehoboam also followed other gods, but God could not turn completely against him because of the promises God had made to David. In chapter 16, Israel got a new king named Ahab. He was a very powerful king, but also a very evil one. Ahab introduced the worship of Baal. As pointed out earlier, it was believed that Baal was the god of storms. In this time of great evil, God called Elijah, one of Israel’s greatest prophets, into service. By predicting a drought and having it come about just as Elijah said, God was directly challenging Ahab’s belief that Baal was the one who controlled the rain.

Causing a drought may seem like punishing Israel for their unfaithfulness, but it really is God reaching out to them to return to Him. He couldn’t be any more direct in letting them know that Baal was not the one to follow. God doesn’t punish us either, He disciplines us. Hebrews 12:5-11 tells us that God disciplines us because He loves us and it is for our good. Not everything bad that happens to us is discipline, but when we are headed in a wrong direction, God can use discipline to catch our attention and get us turned around.