1 Kings 14:1-31 Jeroboam’s Wife Disguises Herself to Ask About Her Sick Son’s Health

 

Jeroboam’s Wife Disguises Herself to Ask About Her Sick Son’s Health

1 Kings 14:1-31                               1 Kings [in Smaller Chunks]

At that time, Abijah, [Jeroboam's] son, fell sick. Jeroboam said to his wife, I pray [that] you, arise & disguise yourself, [so it’s] not known you [are Jeroboam’s] wife. [Go] to Shiloh [to] Ahijah, the prophet, who told me I [would] be king over this people.

Take with you 10 loaves [of bread, cakes] & a [jar] of honey to him. He shall tell you what shall become of the child. [Jeroboam’s] wife did so & went to Shiloh & came to the house Ahijah. But Ahijah couldn’t see, for his eyes were [glazed due to] his age.

The Lord said to Ahijah, [Watch for Jeroboam’s] wife, [who] comes to ask you [about] her sick son. You shall say [this] to her for when she comes, [for] she will [pretend] to be another woman.

It [happened,] when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came [to] the door, he said, Come in, [Jeroboam’s] wife. Why [do] you [pretend] to be another [person?] For I am sent to you with [bad news.]

Go, tell Jeroboam, [this] says the Lord God of Israel, [Although] I [elevated] you from among the people & made you prince over My people, Israel & [tore] the kingdom away from the house of David & gave it to you.

[Still,] you haven’t been [like] My servant, David, who kept My commandments & followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in [My] eyes. But [you have] done evil above all [who] were before you.

For you have gone & made you other gods & [molded] images to provoke Me to anger. You have [turned ] your back [on] Me.

[Look,] I will therefore bring [disaster] upon the house of Jeroboam & [all its males] & [those] shut up & left in Israel & will take away the [rest] of the house of Jeroboam, [like] a man takes away [feces, until] it’s all gone.

[Those] of Jeroboam [who] die in the city, the dogs shall eat. [Those who] die in the field, the [birds] of the air will eat, for the Lord has spoken it. Therefore, arise & [go] to your own house.

And when your feet enter the city, the child shall die & all of Israel shall mourn for him & bury him. For he [is] the only [one] of Jeroboam [who] shall come to the grave, because in [the child] there is found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel [from] the house of Jeroboam.

[Also,] the Lord shall raise up [for] Him a king over Israel, who shall cut off [Jeroboam’s] house [this] day, even now. For the Lord shall [strike] Israel, [like] a reed is shaken in the water & He shall [uproot] Israel out of this good land, [that the Lord] gave to their [forefathers.]

And [He] shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves & [provoked] the Lord [God] to anger. [Exodus 34:12-14 [Pay attention to yourselves,] lest you make a covenant [contract] with the inhabitants of the land [where] you [go,] lest it [is] a snare in the midst of you.

But you shall destroy their altars, break their images & cut down their groves. For you shall worship no other god: for the Lord, Whose Name is Jealous, is a jealous God.]

[The Lord God] shall give Israel up, because of [Jeroboam’s] sins, who [sinned] & who made Israel sin. [1 Kings 12:28-30 [Upon this,] king [Jeroboam] took counsel & made 2 calves of gold & said to [the Israelites,] It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem [to sacrifice:] [See,] your gods, O Israel, [that] brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

And [Jeroboam put] the one in BethEl & the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin, because the people went to worship before the one, even to Dan.]

And Jeroboam’s wife arose & [left.] And when she came to Tirzah & [crossed] the [door’s] threshold, the child died.

And they buried him & all Israel mourned for him, [like] the Words of the Lord [God, had spoken] by His servant, Ahijah, the prophet. The rest of [Jeroboam’s actions] & how he warred & how he [ruled, look,] they are written in the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

Jeroboam [ruled] 22 years & he [died] & slept with his [forefathers.] Nadab, [Jeroboam’s] son, [ruled] in his [place.] Rehoboam, [Solomon’s] son, [ruled] in [Judah. Rehoboam was 41 years old when he began to [rule.]

He [ruled] 17 years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord [chose] out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His Name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess.

And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord & provoked Him to jealousy with their sins [that] they had committed [that were worse than] all their [forefathers] had done.

For they also built [themselves] high places, images & groves & on every high hill & under every green tree. [Isaiah 57:4-5 Against whom do you [show off] yourselves? Against whom do you make a wide mouth & [stick] out your tongue? Aren't you not children of transgression, the [offspring of deceivers?]

Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, [sacrificing] the children in the valleys under the [cliffs] of the rocks?]

There were also sodomites in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations [that] the Lord cast out before the children [people] of Israel.

It [happened] in the 5th year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak, [Egypt’s] king, came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures [from] the [Lord’s] house & the treasures [from] the [King’s] house.

He [even] took away all the gold shields Solomon had made. [Instead] king Rehoboam made [brass] shields & [had them put] into the hands of the chief guard, [who] kept [the entrance] door of the king’s house.

It [happened,] when the king went into the [Lord’s] house, the [guards carried the shields] & brought them back into the [room of the guards.] Now, [aren’t] the rest of [Rehoboam’s actions] & all he did written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

And there was war between Rehoboam, [Solomon’s son] & Jeroboam, [Nebat’s son,] all their days. And Rehoboam [died] & slept with his [forefathers.] He was buried with his [forefathers] in the city of David. His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. Abijam, [a.k.a. Abijah,] his son, [ruled] in his [place.]

1 Kings 13:1-34 A Man of God Is Sent to Prophesy to Jeroboam

A Man of God Is Sent to Prophesy to Jeroboam

1 Kings 13:1-34                               1 Kings [in Smaller Chunks]

[See,] by the Word of the Lord, there a man of God came out of Judah & [went] to BethEl. Jeroboam, [Nebat’s] son, stood by the altar to burn incense. [1 Kings 12:28-29 [Upon which,] king [Jeroboam] took counsel & made 2 calves of gold & said to them, It’s too much for you to go up to Jerusalem, [to sacrifice.]

[Look,] your gods, O Israel, [that] brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And he [put] the one in BethEl and the other he put in Dan.]

[The man of God] cried [out] against the altar [with] the Word of the Lord & said, O altar, altar, the Lord has said [this; Look,] a child shall be born to the house of David, [named] Josiah.

Upon you, [altar, Josiah] shall offer the priests of the high places [who] burn incense upon you & men’s bones shall be burnt upon you. [2 Kings 23:1 And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the [tombs] that were in the mount & [had] the bones [taken] out of [them] & burned them upon the altar & [defiled] it, according to the Word of the Lord, [that] the man of God, who proclaimed these words, [declared.]

[The man of God] gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign [that] the Lord has spoken [Watch,] the altar shall be [broken] and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.

It [happened,] when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, [who] had cried [out] against the altar in BethEl, [Jeroboam] put [out] his hand from the altar, saying, [Seize] him.

And [Jeroboam’s] hand [that] he had put out against [the man of God] [shriveled] up, so that [Jeroboam] couldn’t pull his hand in again. The altar also [split apart] & the ashes poured out, according to the [Lord’s] Word, the man of God had given [Jeroboam.]

King [Jeroboam] answered & said to the man of God, At the face of the Lord your God, I [request you] pray for me, [so] my hand may be restored [to] me again.

The man of God [begged] the Lord & the king’s hand was restored [to] him again & became as it was before. The king said to the man of God, Come home with me & refresh yourself & I will give you a reward.

The man of God said to the king, [Even] if you [were] to give me 1/2 [of your] house, I won’t go in with you, neither will I eat bread or drink water in this place, [because I] was charged by the Word of the Lord, saying, Don’t eat bread, nor drink water, nor [return] the same way you came.

So, [the man of God] went another way & came to BethEl. Now, an old prophet [lived] in BethEl & his sons came & told him all [the things] the man of God had done that day in BethEl & the words [that] he had spoken to the king.

Their father said to them, [Which] way [did he go?] His sons had seen the way the man of God, [who] came from Judah, went. [The old prophet told] his sons, Saddle me a [mule,] so they [did] & he rode [on it] & went after the man of God & found him sitting under an oak.

He [asked,] Are you the man of God [who] came from Judah. He said, I am. The [old prophet] said to him, Come home with me & eat bread. [The man of God] said, I may not return with you, nor go in with you. Neither will I eat bread, nor drink water with you in this place.

For [I was told] by the Word of the Lord, You [shall not] eat bread, nor drink water there, nor [return] the way you came. The [old prophet] said, I am a prophet [like] you are & an angel [spoke] to me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with you to your house, [so] he may eat bread & drink water.

But [the old prophet] lied to [the man of God.] So, the [man of God] went back with [the old prophet] & [ate] bread & [drank] water in his house. And it [happened,] as they sat at the table, the Word of the Lord came to the prophet [who] brought him back.

He cried [out] to the man of God, saying, The Lord [says this, Since] you disobeyed the [words] by the mouth of the Lord & haven’t kept His [command that] the Lord your God commanded you, But [you] came back & [ate] bread & [drank] water in this place [when] the Lord [told you not to;]

Your carcass shall not come [into] the [tomb] of your [forefathers.] And it [happened,] after he had eaten bread & drunk [water, the old prophet] saddled a [mule] for the prophet whom he had brought back.

And when [the man of God] was gone, a lion met him by the [road] & slew him & his carcass was [thrown in the road] & the [mule] & the [lion] stood by the carcass. And [some] men passed by & saw the carcass [throw in the road] & the lion standing by it. And they came & told [about] it in the city where the old prophet lived.

And when the prophet [who] brought him back, heard [of it,] he said, It is the man of God, who [disobeyed] the [Lord’s] Word. Therefore, the Lord has delivered him to the lion, [that] has torn & killed him, according to the Word of the Lord, which He had spoken to him.

He [said] to his sons, Saddle me the [mule] & [they did.] And he went & found his carcass in the [road] & the [mule] & the lion standing by the carcass & the lion hadn’t eaten the carcass, nor [attacked] the [mule.]

And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God & laid it upon the [mule] & brought it back & the old prophet came to the city, to mourn & to bury him. [The old prophet] laid the carcass [of the man of God] in his [own] grave & they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!

It [happened,] after he had buried [the man of God,] that [the old prophet spoke] to his sons, saying, When I am dead, bury me in the [tomb where we] buried the man of God.

Lay my bones beside his bones: [Because of] the saying [that the man of God] cried by the Word of the Lord against the altar of BethEl [Jeroboam built] & against all the houses [in] the high places in the cities of Samaria, shall surely [happen.]

After this, Jeroboam [didn’t] return from his evil [ways,] but again made the [lowliest] of people priests of the high places. [Whoever] would [do it, Jeroboam] consecrated him & he became one of the priests of the high places.  And this thing became [the] sin of the house of Jeroboam, [that led to his downfall] & [destruction from] the face of the earth.

1 Kings 12:1-33 The Israelites Ask Rehoboam to Make Their Work Lighter

 

The Israelites Ask Rehoboam to Make Their Work Lighter

1 Kings 12:1-33                               1 Kings [in Smaller Chunks]

Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all [of] Israel [had gone] to make him king. [1. Kings 11:43 And Solomon. Slept. with his [forefathers] & was buried in the city of David, his father. And Rehoboam, his son, [ruled] in his [place.]

It [happened,] when Jeroboam, [Nebat’s] son, who was [still] in Egypt, heard of it (for he [had] fled from the presence of king Solomon & [he lived] in Egypt.)

They sent for Jeroboam. And Jeroboam & all the congregation of Israel came & [spoke] to [king] Rehoboam, [Solomon’s son] & said, Your father made a or yoke grievous.

Therefore, now make our grievous yoke & the [heavy work] of your father lighter & we will serve you.  And [Rehoboam] said to them, [Go] away for 3 days & [return] to me again, [so] the people [left.]

King Rehoboam consulted with the old men [who] stood before his father, Solomon, while he was [still] alive & said, Advise me [about] how I [should] answer [these] people?

And they [said] to him, If you will be a servant to [these] people & will serve them & answer them with [kind] words this day, they will be your servants forever.

But [Rehoboam rejected] the [advice] the old men had given him & consulted the young men, [who had] grown up with him & stood before him. [Rehoboam said,] What [advice do you have for me] to answer [these] people [who asked] me, saying, Make the yoke lighter [that] your father put on us?

The young men [who had] grown up with him [said,] You shall [tell] the people [who said] to you, Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter [for] us: You shall say to them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s [waist.]

And now, [since] my father [gave] you a heavy [workload,] I will add to your [work.] My father [corrected] you with whips, but I will [correct] you with scorpions. So, Jeroboam & all the people [returned] to [king] Rehoboam the 3rd day, [like] the king [requested.]

And the king answered the people [harshly & rejected] the old men’s [advice] they gave him. He [spoke] the [advice] of the young men to them, saying, My father made your [workload] heavy & I will add to your [work.]

Also, my father [corrected] you with whips, but I will [correct] you with scorpions [scourges with points.]

[For this reason,] the king [didn’t listen] to the people, [since it] was from the Lord [God, so] that He could [accomplish what He said] to Jeroboam, [Nebat’s] son, by Ahijah, the Shilonite, to Jeroboam, [Nebat’s] son.

[1 Kings 11:31-33. And [Ahijah] said to Jeroboam, take 10 pieces for you; for the Lord God of Israel says [this, Watch,] I will [tear] the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon & will give 10 tribes to you.

(But He shall have 1 tribe for My servant, David’s, sake & for Jerusalem’s sake, the city [that] I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) Because they have [abandoned] Me,

And have worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonian’s, Chemosh the god of the Moabites & Milcom, the god of the children [people] of Ammon. & have not walked in My ways, to do [what] is right in [My] eyes & to keep [My mandates] & My judgments, [like] David, his father did.]

So, when all Israel saw [that] king [Rehoboam didn’t listen] to them, the people answered, What portion [do] we have in David? We have [no] inheritance in the son of Jesse. [Return] to your tents, O Israel.

[Take care of] your own house, David. So, Israel departed to their tents. But Rehoboam [still ruled] over the children [people] of Israel [who lived] in the cities of Judah.

Then, King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over [forced labor] & all Israel stoned him [to death.] Therefore, king Rehoboam [hurried] to get [into] his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. So, Israel [has] rebelled against the house of David to this day.

It [happened,] when all [of] Israel heard Jeroboam, [Nebat’s son, had returned,] they called him to the congregation & made him king over all of Israel. There [were] none [who] followed the house of David, [except] only the tribe of Judah.

When Rehoboam, [Solomon’s son, came] to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to [restore] the kingdom again to Rehoboam, [Solomon’s] son.

But the Word of God came to Shemaiah, the man of God, saying, Speak to Rehoboam, [Solomon’s] son, [Judah’s] king & to all the house of Judah & Benjamin & the [rest] of the people, saying, The Lord [says this,] You shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren, the childen [people] of Israel.

Every man return to his house; [since] this is from Me. Therefore, they [listened] to the Word of the Lord & [turned to leave,] according to the Word of the Lord. Then, Jeroboam, [Nebat’s son, rebuilt] Sheshem in Mount Ephraim & [lived there.] [Jeroboam] went out from there & built Penuel.

Jeroboam said in his heart, Now, the kingdom shall return to the house of David. If [these] people go to Jerusalem to sacrifice in the house of the Lord, then the [hearts] of [these] people will [return] again to Rehoboam, [Judah’s] king. They [will] kill me & go again to Rehoboam, king of Judah.

[For this reason,] king [Jeroboam, Nebat’s son got advice] & made 2 gold calves & said to them, It’s too much for you [to have] to go up to Jerusalem [to sacrifice.] [Look,] your gods, O Israel [that] brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

He [put] 1 [gold calf] in Bethel & put the other in Dan. This became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one [gold calf,] even to Dan. And [Jeroboam] made a house [in] high places & made priests of [the lowliest] of people [who] weren’t [Levites.]

And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the 8th month, on the 15th day, of the month, like the feast that is in Judah & [Jeroboam] offered upon the altar. So, in Bethel, [Jeroboam] sacrificed to the [gold] calves that he had made.

He placed in Bethel the priests of the high places [that Jeroboam] made. [Deuteronomy 12:2-3. You shall [totally] destroy all the places, [in which] the nations you shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains & upon the hills & under every green tree.

And you shall overthrow their altars & break their pillars & burn their groves with fire; and you shall [cut] down the [carved] images of their gods & destroy the names of them out of that place.]

So, [Jeroboam] offered upon the altar [that] he made in Bethel, [on] the 15th day, of the 8th month, even in the month [that] he had [made up in] his own [mind] & ordained a feast to the children [people] of Israel. [Jeroboam] offered upon the altar & burnt incense.

1 Kings 11:1-43 Solomon Is Led Astray From the Lord God

 

Solomon Is Led Astray From the Lord God

1 Kings 11:1-43                               1 Kings [in Smaller Chunks]

[In addition to his wife,] the daughter of Pharaoh, King Solomon loved many strange women, of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians & Hittites; of the nations [about] which, the Lord said to the children [people] of Israel, You shall not [be intimate with] them.

Neither shall they [be intimate with] you. For surely, they will turn away your heart after their gods. Solomon [clung] to these in love. [Solomon] had 700 wives & princesses & 300 [mistresses] & his wives [led Solomon’s heart astray. For it [happened,] when Solomon was old, his. Wives turned away his heart after other gods.

[Solomon’s] heart wasn’t [blameless] with the Lord his God, [like] David, his [father’s] heart was. For Solomon [followed] Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonian’s, [a.k.a. Sidonians] & after MiIcom, the abomination of the Ammonites.

And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord & [didn’t fully follow] the Lord, [like] David, his father did. Then, in the hill, [in front of] Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab.

And [also] for Molech, the abomination of the [people] of Ammon. [Solomon] did [similarly] for all his [foreign] wives, [who] burnt incense & sacrificed to their gods.

The Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart [was led astray] from the Lord God of Israel, [Who] had appeared to him twice & had [warned Solomon about] this thing, [so] he [wouldn’t] go after other gods, but [Solomon didn’t keep what] the Lord commanded.

[For this reason,] the Lord said to Solomon, [Since,] you [have] done [this] & you haven’t kept My covenant [contract] & My [mandates that] I have commanded you, I will surely [tear] the kingdom from you & give it to your servant.

[However,] for your father, [David’s] sake, I won’t [do it during your life,] but I will [tear] it out of the hand of your son. [Still,] I will not [tear] away all the kingdom, but will give 1 tribe to your son for David, My servant’s sake & for Jerusalem’s sake, which I have chosen.

And the Lord stirred up an adversary [against] Solomon, Hadad, the Edomite. He was of the king’s [descendants] in Edom.

It [happened,] when David was in Edom & Joab, the captain of the [army had] gone up to bury the [dead,] after he had [killed] all the [men] in Edom, (for Joab had [remained] in Edom for 6 months, with all the [Israelites,] until all the [males] w in Edom [were] cut off.)

[Then,] Hadad, [some] Edomites & his father’s servants fled with him to Egypt, [when] Hadad was [still] a little child. They [came] out of Midian & [went] to Paran & took men from Paran & [went] to Egypt, to Pharaoh, [Egypt’s] king, [who] gave him a house, land & appointed [food for him.]

And Hadad found great favor in [Pharaoh’s] sight. Pharaoh gave the sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, to [Hadad to marry.] The sister of Tahpenes [bore Hadad] his son, Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s [palace.]

And Genubath was in Pharaoh’s household among the sons of Pharaoh. And when Hadad heard [while] in Egypt, that David slept with his [forefathers] & Joab, the captain of the [army] was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me [leave, so] I may go to my own country.

Then, Pharaoh [asked,] But what have you lacked with me, [in] that you seek to go to your own country? [Hadad] answered, Nothing, [but] let me go [anyway.] The Lord [also] stirred up another adversary, Rezon, [Eliadah’s] son, [who] fled from his lord, Hadadezer, [Zobah’s] king.

[Rezon] gathered [a group] of men to him & became [their] captain, when David [struck down those] of Zobah. [Rezon & his group] went to Damascus & [lived there] & [ruled] in Damascus.

And [Rezon] was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, [in addition to] the [trouble] Hadad [caused.] [Hadad hated] Israel & [ruled] over Syria. And Jeroboam, [Nebat’s] son, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, [rebelled] against the king.]

[Jeroboam,] whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow. This is the [reason Jeroboam rebelled] against the king. Solomon built [Millo’s terraced retaining wall] & repaired the [gaps in the city’s walls,] of David, his father.

And Jeroboam was a mighty man of [bravery] & Solomon [saw] he was industrious & made him ruler [in charge] over all of the house of Joseph. It [happened] when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet, Ahijah, the Shilonite, found him in the [road clothed] with a new garment.

[The] 2 were alone in the field. And Ahijah [grabbed] the new garment & [tore] it [into] 12 pieces. And [Ahijah] said to Jeroboam, Take 10 pieces for [yourself, because] the Lord God of Israel [said, Look,] I will tear the kingdom [from] the hand of Solomon & will give 10 tribes to you.

(But [Solomon] shall have 1 tribe for My servant, David’s sake & Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) Because they have [abandoned] Me & have worshiped Ashtoreth, the. goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh, the god of the Moabites & Milcom, the god of the [people] of Ammon.

[They] haven’t walked in [My] ways, to do what is right in [My] eyes & to keep My [mandates] & My judgments, [like] David, his father did.

[However,] I won’t take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him a [ruler] all the days of his life, for David, My servant’s sake, [whom] I chose, because he kept My commandments & My [mandates.]

But I will take the kingdom out of [Solomon’s] son’s hand & will give 10 tribes to you. I will give [Solomon’s] son 1 tribe, [so] David, My servant, may have a light [always] before Me in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen [for] Me to put My name there.

And I will take you & you shall be king over Israel & you shall [rule] according to all your [heart] desires. It shall [happen,] if you will [listen] to all I command you & [you] walk in My ways & do [what] is right in My sight, to keep My [mandates] & My commandments, [like] David, My servant, did.

I will be with you & build you a [secure] house, [like] I built for David & [I] will give Israel to you. I will afflict [David’s descendants,] but not forever. Solomon had [thought] to kill Jeroboam & he fled into Egypt & was in Egypt until [Solomon’s] death.

Aren’t the rest of [Solomon’s actions] & all he did & his wisdom, written in the Book of Solomon? Solomon [ruled] in Jerusalem over all of Israel [for] 40 years. And Solomon slept with his [forefathers] & was buried in the city of David, his father. And Rehoboam, [Solomon’s] son [ruled] in his [place.]