161 Now the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha , saying , 2 "Inasmuch e as I exalted you from the dust and made you leader over My people Israel , and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made My people Israel sin , provoking Me to anger with their sins , 3 behold , I will consume Baasha and his house , and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat . 4 " Anyone of Baasha who dies in the city the dogs will eat , and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat ." 5 Now the rest of the acts of Baasha and what he did and his might , are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles e of the Kings of Israel ? 6 And Baasha slept with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah , and Elah his son became king in his place . 7 Moreover , the word of the Lord through the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani also came against Baasha and his household , both because of all the evil which he did in the sight of the Lord , provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands , in being like the house of Jeroboam , and because e he struck it.
8 In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah , Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel at Tirzah , and reigned two years . 9 His servant Zimri , commander of half his chariots , conspired against him. Now he was at Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza , who was over the household at Tirzah . 10 Then Zimri went in and struck him and put him to death in the twenty-seventh e year of Asa king of Judah , and became king in his place . 11 It came about when he became king , as soon as he sat on his throne , that he killed all the household of Baasha ; he did not leave a single male e , neither of his relatives nor of his friends . 12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha , according to the word of the Lord , which He spoke against Baasha through Jehu the prophet , 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son , which they sinned and which they made Israel sin , provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols . 14 Now the rest of the acts of Elah and all that he did , are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles e of the Kings of Israel ?
15 In the twenty-seventh e year of Asa king of Judah , Zimri reigned seven days at Tirzah . Now the people were camped against Gibbethon , which belonged to the Philistines . 16 The people who were camped heard it said , "Zimri has conspired and has also struck down the king ." Therefore all Israel made Omri , the commander of the army , king over Israel that day in the camp . 17 Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon and besieged e Tirzah . 18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken , he went into the citadel of the king's house and burned the king's house over him with fire , and died , 19 because of his sins which he sinned , doing evil in the sight of the Lord , walking in the way of Jeroboam , and in his sin which he did , making Israel sin . 20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri and his conspiracy which he carried out, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles e of the Kings of Israel ?
21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts : half of the people followed e Tibni the son of Ginath , to make him king ; the other half followed Omri . 22 But the people who followed Omri prevailed over the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath . And Tibni died and Omri became king . 23 In the thirty-first e year of Asa king of Judah , Omri became king over Israel and reigned twelve e years ; he reigned six years at Tirzah . 24 He bought the hill Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver ; and he built on the hill , and named e the city which he built Samaria , after the name of Shemer , the owner of the hill . 25 Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord , and acted more wickedly than all who were before him. 26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and in his sins which he made Israel sin , provoking the Lord God of Israel with their idols . 27 Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did and his might which he showed , are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles e of the Kings of Israel ? 28 So Omri slept with his fathers and was buried in Samaria ; and Ahab his son became king in his place .
29 Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth e year of Asa king of Judah , and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two e years . 30 Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him. 31 It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat , that he married e Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians , and went to serve Baal and worshiped him. 32 So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria . 33 Ahab also made the Asherah . Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho ; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his firstborn , and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub , according to the word of the Lord , which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun .
171 Now Elijah the Tishbite , who was of the settlers of Gilead , said to Ahab , " As the Lord , the God of Israel lives , before whom I stand , surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years , except e by my word ." 2 The word of the Lord came to him, saying , 3 "Go away from here and turn eastward , and hide yourself by the brook Cherith , which is east e of the Jordan . 4 "It shall be that you will drink of the brook , and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there ." 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord , for he went and lived by the brook Cherith , which is east e of the Jordan . 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening , and he would drink from the brook . 7 It happened after e a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land .
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying , 9 "Arise , go to Zarephath , which belongs to Sidon , and stay there ; behold , I have commanded a widow there to provide for you." 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath , and when he came to the gate of the city , behold , a widow was there gathering sticks ; and he called to her and said , "Please get me a little water in a jar , that I may drink ." 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her and said , "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand ." 12 But she said , " As the Lord your God lives , I have no bread , only e a handful e of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar ; and behold , I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son , that we may eat it and die ." 13 Then Elijah said to her, "Do not fear ; go , do as you have said , but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son . 14 "For thus says the Lord God of Israel , 'The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted , nor shall the jar of oil be empty , until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth .' " 15 So she went and did according to the word of Elijah , and she and he and her household ate for many days . 16 The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty , according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah .
17 Now it came about after these things that the son of the woman , the mistress of the house , became sick ; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 So she said to Elijah , " What do I have to do with you, O man of God ? You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death !" 19 He said to her, "Give me your son ." Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the upper room where e he was living , and laid him on his own bed . 20 He called to the Lord and said , "O Lord my God , have You also brought calamity to the widow with whom I am staying , by causing her son to die ?" 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times , and called to the Lord and said , "O Lord my God , I pray You, let this child's life return to him." 22 The Lord heard the voice of Elijah , and the life of the child returned to him and he revived . 23 Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house and gave him to his mother ; and Elijah said , "See , your son is alive ." 24 Then the woman said to Elijah , " Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth ."
181 Now it happened after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year , saying , "Go , show yourself to Ahab , and I will send rain on the face of the earth ." 2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab . Now the famine was severe in Samaria . 3 Ahab called Obadiah who was over the household . (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly ; 4 for when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the Lord , Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave , and provided them with bread and water .) 5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah , "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys ; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive , and not have to kill some of the cattle ." 6 So they divided the land between them to survey it; Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way by himself . 7 Now as Obadiah was on the way , behold , Elijah met him, and he recognized him and fell on his face and said , "Is this you, Elijah my master ?" 8 He said to him, "It is I. Go , say to your master , 'Behold , Elijah is here."' 9 He said , "What sin have I committed , that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death ? 10 " As the Lord your God lives , there is no nation or kingdom where e my master has not sent to search for you; and when they said , 'He is not here,' he made the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you. 11 "And now you are saying , 'Go , say to your master , "Behold , Elijah is here."' 12 "It will come about when I leave e you that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you where e I do not know ; so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth . 13 " Has it not been told to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord , that I hid a hundred prophets of the Lord by fifties in a cave , and provided them with bread and water ? 14 "And now you are saying , 'Go , say to your master , "Behold , Elijah is here"'; he will then kill me." 15 Elijah said , " As the Lord of hosts lives , before whom I stand , I will surely show myself to him today ." 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah .
17 When Ahab saw Elijah , Ahab said to him, "Is this you, you troubler of Israel ?" 18 He said , "I have not troubled Israel , but you and your father's house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed e the Baals . 19 "Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel , together with 450 e e prophets of Baal and 400 e prophets of the Asherah , who eat at Jezebel's table ."
20 So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel .
21 Elijah came near to all the people and said , " How long e will you hesitate between two opinions ? If the Lord is God , follow e Him; but if Baal , follow e him." But the people did not answer him a word . 22 Then Elijah said to the people , "I alone am left a prophet of the Lord , but Baal's prophets are 450 e e men . 23 "Now let them give us two oxen ; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood , but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood , and I will not put a fire under it. 24 "Then you call on the name of your god , and I will call on the name of the Lord , and the God who answers by fire , He is God ." And all the people said , "That is a good idea ." 25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal , "Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many , and call on the name of your god , but put no fire under it." 26 Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying , "O Baal , answer us." But there was no voice and no one answered . And they leaped about the altar which they made . 27 It came about at noon , that Elijah mocked them and said , "Call out with a loud voice , for he is a god ; either he is occupied or gone aside , or is on a journey , or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened ." 28 So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. 29 When midday was past , they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice ; but there was no voice , no one answered , and no one paid attention . 30 Then Elijah said to all the people , "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down . 31 Elijah took twelve e stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob , to whom the word of the Lord had come , saying , " Israel shall be your name ." 32 So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord , and he made a trench around the altar , large enough to hold two measures of seed . 33 Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood . 34 And he said , "Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood ." And he said , "Do it a second time ," and they did it a second time . And he said , "Do it a third time ," and they did it a third time . 35 The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water . 36 At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice , Elijah the prophet came near and said , " O Lord , the God of Abraham , Isaac and Israel , today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word . 37 "Answer me, O Lord , answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord , are God , and that You have turned their heart back again ." 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust , and licked up the water that was in the trench . 39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces ; and they said , " The Lord , He is God ; the Lord , He is God ." 40 Then Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal ; do not let one of them escape ." So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon , and slew them there .
41 Now Elijah said to Ahab , "Go up, eat and drink ; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower ." 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink . But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel ; and he crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees . 43 He said to his servant , "Go up now , look toward the sea ." So he went up and looked and said , "There is nothing e ." And he said , "Go back " seven times . 44 It came about at the seventh time, that he said , "Behold , a cloud as small as a man's hand is coming up from the sea ." And he said , "Go up, say to Ahab , 'Prepare your chariot and go down , so that the heavy shower does not stop you.' " 45 In a little e while e the sky grew black with clouds and wind , and there was a heavy shower . And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel . 46 Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah , and he girded up his loins and outran e Ahab to Jezreel .
47 While He was still speaking , behold , a crowd came, and the one called Judas , one of the twelve , was preceding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. 48 But Jesus said to him, "Judas , are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss ?" 49 When those who were around Him saw what was going to happen , they said , "Lord , shall we strike with the sword ?" 50 And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear . 51 But Jesus answered and said , "Stop ! No more of this ." And He touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders who had come against Him, "Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against a robber ? 53 "While I was with you daily e in the temple , you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power of darkness are yours ."
54 Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest ; but Peter was following at a distance . 55 After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together , Peter was sitting among them. 56 And a servant-girl , seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said , "This man was with Him too ." 57 But he denied it, saying , "Woman , I do not know Him." 58 A little later , another saw him and said , "You are one of them too !" But Peter said , "Man , I am not!" 59 After about an hour had passed , another man began to insist , saying , "Certainly e this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too ." 60 But Peter said , "Man , I do not know what you are talking about." Immediately , while he was still speaking , a rooster crowed . 61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter . And Peter remembered the word of the Lord , how He had told him, " Before a rooster crows today , you will deny Me three times ." 62 And he went out and wept bitterly .
63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, 64 and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying , " Prophesy , who is the one who hit You?" 65 And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming .
66 When it was day , the Council of elders of the people assembled , both chief priests and scribes , and they led Him away to their council chamber, saying , 67 " If You are the Christ , tell us." But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe ; 68 and if I ask a question , you will not answer . 69 " But from now on THE SON OF MAN WILL BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND of the power OF GOD ." 70 And they all said , "Are You the Son of God , then ?" And He said to them, " Yes, I am ." 71 Then they said , "What further need do we have of testimony ? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth ."
(Read Luke 22:47-53)
Nothing can be a greater affront or grief to the Lord Jesus, than to be betrayed by those who profess to be his followers, and say that they love him. Many instances there are, of Christ's being betrayed by those who, under the form of godliness, fight against the power of it. Jesus here gave an illustrious example of his own rule of doing good to those that hate us, as afterwards he did of praying for those that despitefully use us. Corrupt nature warps our conduct to extremes; we should seek for the Lord's direction before we act in difficult circumstances. Christ was willing to wait for his triumphs till his warfare was accomplished, and we must be so too. But the hour and the power of darkness were short, and such the triumphs of the wicked always will be.
(Read Luke 22:54-62)
Peter's fall was his denying that he knew Christ, and was his disciple; disowning him because of distress and danger. He that has once told a lie, is strongly tempted to persist: the beginning of that sin, like strife, is as the letting forth of water. The Lord turned and looked upon Peter. 1. It was a convincing look. Jesus turned and looked upon him, as if he should say, Dost thou not know me, Peter? 2. It was a chiding look. Let us think with what a rebuking countenance Christ may justly look upon us when we have sinned. 3. It was an expostulating look. Thou who wast the most forward to confess me to be the Son of God, and didst solemnly promise thou wouldest never disown me! 4. It was a compassionate look. Peter, how art thou fallen and undone if I do not help thee! 5. It was a directing look, to go and bethink himself. 6. It was a significant look; it signified the conveying of grace to Peter's heart, to enable him to repent. The grace of God works in and by the word of God, brings that to mind, and sets that home upon the conscience, and so gives the soul the happy turn. Christ looked upon the chief priests, and made no impression upon them as he did on Peter. It was not the mere look from Christ, but the Divine grace with it, that restored Peter.
(Read Luke 22:63-71)
Those that condemned Jesus for a blasphemer, were the vilest blasphemers. He referred them to his second coming, for the full proof of his being the Christ, to their confusion, since they would not admit the proof of it to their conviction. He owns himself to be the Son of God, though he knew he should suffer for it. Upon this they ground his condemnation. Their eyes being blinded, they rush on. Let us meditate on this amazing transaction, and consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself.
