It's all about Him

2 Kings - Chapter 5

In this chapter we read about the healing of Naaman - a gentile from the country of Aram.  Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Aram, and he had leprosy. Jesus quoted this story in Luke 4, when he was being rejected in his home town

2 Kings - Chapter 4

This chapter is full of links to Jesus.  I could write about miraculous births; raising from the dead; care for widows and the hungry.  But I shall choose the story of the miraculous feeding of the multitude. "a man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing Elisha twenty loaves of bread

2 Kings - Chapter 3

In this chapter the King Joram of Israel is confronting the King of Moab, and he is assisted by the King of Judah, and the governor of Edom.  They are in difficulty, with no water and ask for help from Elisha.  Elisha says this to Joram: "Why should I

2 Kings - Chapter 2

The end of Elijah's life was unusual - he was seen being taken up into heaven: "then suddenly a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire came between them, and Elijah was taken up to heaven by a whirlwind. Elisha saw it and cried out to

2 Kings - Chapter 1

In this chapter there is a description of Elijah's physical appearance: “What sort of man was he?” the king demanded. “What did he look like?” They replied, “He was a hairy man, and he wore a leather belt around his waist.” This description is linked to the description

1 Kings - Chapter 22

Frequently the people of God are described as sheep, and God as their shepherd.  And this analogy is used by David in Psalm 23 - "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" and this is illustrated when we first meet David, looking after his father'

1 Kings - Chapter 21

In this chapter we read the story of Naboth's Vineyard. The King wants some land and the true owner of the land does not want to part with it.  The owner of the land is then falsely accused of speaking against both God and the king, and is

1 Kings - Chapter 20

In this chapter Israel is threatened with an attack by King Ben-Hadad or Aram.  Ahab does not seek God's help and certainly does not deserve it.  The destruction by Ben-Hadad could be viewed as deserved for the failure to follow the true God.  However, while Ahab is ready

1 Kings - Chapter 19

Elijah meets with Jesus in the Old and the New Testament. In the Old Testament - in this chapter - "All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and

1 Kings - Chapter 18

In this chapter the drought finally comes to an end and a heavy rain falls.  This is referred to by James in his Epistle: "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has

1 Kings - Chapter 17

In this chapter we read about one of the greatest of God's prophets, Elijah.  There is a famine in the land, because of a  long period without rain. "Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon.

1 Kings - Chapter 16

In this chapter we see for the first time Jezebel, who has the reputation for being the most evil queen of Israel. "Ahab son of Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty-two years. But

1 Kings - Chapter 15

"Abijam began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. ... He committed the same sins as his father before him, and he was not faithful to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been. But for David’s sake, the Lord

1 Kings - Chapter 14

In this chapter there is a reference to the loss of the treasures that Solomon had provided in the temple and in his palace: "It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. And he took away the treasures of

1 Kings - Chapter 13

A prophet from God came from the Southern Kingdom of Judah and gave God's words of judgement to Jeroboam: "So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out

1 Kings - Chapter 12

The Kingdom is now divided.  In the south, King Rehoboam, Solomon's son, rules over the House of Judah.  In the north King Jeroboam rules over the House of Israel. "Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there

1 Kings - Chapter 11

We read in this chapter that Solomon is led away from God by his many wives.  Then God responds: "Now the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was a descendant of the king in Edom." A royal Edomite is introduced as an adversary

1 Kings - Chapter 10

The Queen of Sheba heard about Solomon and visited him: Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices,

1 Kings - Chapter 9

In this chapter we see some of the other activities that Solomon did, as well as building the temple and the royal palace: "Here is the account of the forced labour King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s temple, his own palace, the terraces, the wall of Jerusalem,

1 Kings - Chapter 8

At the end of his prayer of dedication for the temple. Solomon says this: “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised." God is the giver of rest; and this gift is claimed by Jesus in Matthew 11: “Come to

1 Kings - Chapter 7

In this chapter we see the furnishings of the Temple.  These all point to Jesus.  One example was the laver: "And he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of

1 Kings - Chapter 6

We have in this chapter a description of the Temple - which is a greatly enlarged version of the Tabernacle.  Like the Tabernacle there is a special Holy of Holies, which is separated from the rest of the building: "He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set

1 Kings - Chapter 5

In this chapter Solomon plans the construction of the temple: “You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the Lord his God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet. But now

1 Kings - Chapter 4

In this chapter we read that "during Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree." This expression "each man under his vine and his fig tree" was a proverbial expression

1 Kings - Chapter 3

In this chapter God tells Solomon to ask for whatever he wants God to give him.  Solomon asks for wisdom - a request that pleased God.  God was pleased that Solomon did not ask for long life or wealth or the death of his enemies. This is a picture of