2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”

Sunday, September 9 Ahab
1 Kings 16:30 NRSV “Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all who were before him.
What are some of the things that previous kings had done?
Jeroboam - 1 Kings 12:26-33 MKJV “26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom shall return to the house of David! 27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. 28 And the king took counsel, and made two calves [of] gold and said to them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Behold your gods, O, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt! 29 And he set the one in Bethel, and he put the other in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one, even to Dan. 31 And he made a house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, who were not the sons of Levi. 32 And Jeroboam ordered a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that [is] in Judah. And he offered on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. 33 And he offered on the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised out of his own heart. And he ordered a feast for the sons of Israel. And he offered on the altar, and burned incense.”
1 Kings 13:33 ESV “33 After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who would, he ordained to be priests of the high places.”
Judah - 1 Kings 14:22-24 BBE “22 And Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and made him more angry than their fathers had done by their sins. 23 For they made high places and upright stones and wood pillars on every high hill and under every green tree; 24 And more than this, there were those in the land who were used for sex purposes in the worship of the gods, doing the same disgusting crimes as the nations which the Lord had sent out before the children of Israel.
Nadab - 1 Kings 15:25,34 “25 And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years. 34 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.”
Omri & Zimri - 1 Kings 16:15-20,25 God’s Word to the Nations “15 ¶ In Asa’s twenty–seventh year as Judah’s king, Zimri ruled for seven days in Tirzah while the army was camped near the Philistine city of Gibbethon. 16 When the army heard that Zimri had plotted against the king and killed him, the Israelite troops in the camp made Omri, the commander of the army, king of Israel. 17 Omri and the Israelite troops with him left Gibbethon and attacked Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city had been captured, he went into the stronghold in the royal palace and burned down the palace over his own head. He died 19 because of the sins he had committed––the things the LORD considered evil. Zimri lived like Jeroboam and led Israel to sin. 20 Isn’t everything else about Zimri and his plot written in the official records of the kings of Israel. 25 Omri did what the LORD considered evil. He did more evil things than all the kings before him.”

Monday, September 10 Power Couple
1 Kings 16:31-33 NLT “31 And as though it were not enough to live like Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to worship Baal. 32 First he built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. 33 Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to arouse the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.”
1 Kings 16:31 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE This was the head and chief of his offending; he took to wife, not only a heathen, but one whose hostility to the true religion was well known, and carried to the utmost extent. 1. She was the idolatrous daughter of an idolatrous king; 2. She practised it openly; 3. She not only countenanced it in others, but protected it, and gave its partisans honours and rewards; 4. She used every means to persecute the true religion; 5. She was hideously cruel, and put to death the prophets and priests of God; 6. And all this she did with the most zealous perseverance and relentless cruelty.
Jezebel’s attempts to get rid of God’s worship:
1 Kings 18:4,13 NKJV “4 For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water). 13 “"Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD’S prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?”
1 Kings 19:1-2 NRSV “1 ¶ When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel what Elijah had done and that he had slaughtered the prophets of Baal. 2 So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: "May the gods also kill me if by this time tomorrow I have failed to take your life like those whom you killed."”
1 Kings 21:25 MKJV “But there was none like Ahab, who sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.”

Tuesday, September 11 Jezebel and Elijah
1 Kings 18 BBE (selected verses) “17 ¶ And when he saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, Is it you, you troubler of Israel? 18 Then he said in answer, I have not been troubling Israel, but you and your family; because, turning away from the orders of the Lord, you have gone after the Baals. 19 Now send, and get Israel together before me at Mount Carmel, with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal who get their food at Jezebel’s table. 20 So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and got the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 ¶ And Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long will you go on balancing between two opinions? if the Lord is God, then give worship to him; but if Baal, give worship to him. And the people said not a word in answer. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, I, even I, am the only living prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Now, let them give us two oxen; and let them take one for themselves, and have it cut up, and put it on the wood, but put no fire under it; I will get the other ox ready, and put it on the wood, and put no fire under it. 24 And do you make prayers to your god, and I will make a prayer to the Lord: and it will be clear that the one who gives an answer by fire is God. And all the people in answer said, It is well said. 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Take one ox for yourselves and get it ready first, for there are more of you; and make your prayers to your god, but put no fire under. 26 So they took the ox which was given them, and made it ready, crying out to Baal from morning till the middle of the day, and saying, O Baal, give ear to us. But there was no voice and no answer. And they were jumping up and down before the altar they had made. 27 And in the middle of the day, Elijah made sport of them, saying, Give louder cries, for he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or he may have gone away for some purpose, or he may be on a journey, or by chance he is sleeping and has to be made awake. 28 So they gave loud cries, cutting themselves with knives and swords, as was their way, till the blood came streaming out all over them. 29 And from the middle of the day they went on with their prayers till the time of the offering; but there was no voice, or any answer, or any who gave attention to them. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me; and all the people came near. And he put up again the altar of the Lord which had been broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the Lord had said, Israel will be your name: 32 And with the stones he made an altar to the name of the Lord; and he made a deep drain all round the altar, great enough to take two measures of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, and, cutting up the ox, put it on the wood. Then he said, Get four vessels full of water and put it on the burned offering and on the wood. And he said, Do it a second time, and they did it a second time; 34 And he said, Do it a third time, and they did it a third time. 35 And the water went all round the altar, till the drain was full. 36 Then at the time of the offering, Elijah the prophet came near and said, O Lord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be seen this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things by your order. 37 Give me an answer, O Lord, give me an answer, so that this people may see that you are God, and that you have made their hearts come back again. 38 Then the fire of the Lord came down, burning up the offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and drinking up the water in the drain. 39 And when the people saw it, they all went down on their faces, and said, The Lord, he is God, the Lord, he is God. 40 And Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal, let not one of them get away. So they took them, and Elijah made them go down to the stream Kishon, and put them to death there. 41 ¶ Then Elijah said to Ahab, Up! take food and drink, for there is a sound of much rain. 42 So Ahab went up to have food and drink, while Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he went down on the earth, putting his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his servant, Go now, and take a look in the direction of the sea. And he went up, and after looking said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times; and he went seven times. 44 And the seventh time he said, I see a cloud coming up out of the sea, as small as a man’s hand. Then he said, Go up and say to Ahab, Get your carriage ready and go down or the rain will keep you back. 45 And after a very little time, the heaven became black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab went in his carriage to Jezreel. 46 And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he made himself strong, and went running before Ahab till they came to Jezreel.”

Wednesday, September 12 Naboth’s Vineyard
1 Kings 21:1-4 BBE “1 ¶ Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vine-garden in Jezreel, near the house of Ahab, king of Samaria. 2 And Ahab said to Naboth, Give me your vine-garden so that I may have it for a garden of sweet plants, for it is near my house; and let me give you a better vine-garden in exchange, or, if it seems good to you, let me give you its value in money. 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, By the Lord, far be it from me to give you the heritage of my fathers. 4 So Ahab came into his house bitter and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, I will not give you the heritage of my fathers. And stretching himself on the bed with his face turned away, he would take no food.”
1 Kings 21:8-16 God’s Word to the Nations “8 So Jezebel wrote letters, signed them with Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal. She sent them to the respected leaders and nobles living in Naboth’s city. 9 In these letters she wrote: "Announce a fast. Seat Naboth as leader of the people. 10 Have two good–for–nothing men sit opposite him and accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then stone him to death outside the city." 11 The men in Naboth’s city––the respected leaders and nobles who lived there––did what Jezebel asked them to do. They did just as she had written in the letters she sent. 12 They announced a fast and had Naboth seated as the leader of the people. 13 The two good–for–nothing men came in and sat opposite him. In front of the people, these men accused Naboth of cursing God and the king. So the people stoned him to death outside the city. 14 Then the leaders sent this message to Jezebel: "Naboth has been stoned to death." 15 Jezebel received the message and said to Ahab, "Get up! Confiscate the vineyard which Naboth from Jezreel refused to sell you. He’s dead now." 16 When he heard about Naboth’s death, Ahab went to confiscate the vineyard.”

Thursday, September 13 The End Comes
1 Kings 22:29-38 MKJV “29 ¶ And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth in Gilead. 30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I [will] disguise myself and enter into the battle. But you put on your robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle. 31 But the king of Syria commanded his thirty-two commanders of the chariots, saying, Do not fight with small nor great, but with the king of Israel. 32 And it happened when the commanders of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, Surely it [is] the king of Israel. And they turned aside to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 And it happened when the commanders of the chariots saw that it [was] not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 34 And a man drew a bow in his simplicity and struck the king of Israel between the joints and the breastplate. And he said to the driver of his chariot, Turn your hand and carry me out of the army, for I am wounded. 35 And the battle increased that day. And the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at evening. And the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot. 36 And there went a cry throughout the army when the sun went, saying, Each to his city, and each to his land. 37 And the king died and came to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. 38 And [one] washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and they washed his armor, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke.
2 Kings 9:30-37 NKJV “30 ¶ Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard [of it]; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window. 31 Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, "[Is it] peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?" 32 And he looked up at the window, and said, "Who [is] on my side? Who?" So two [or] three eunuchs looked out at him. 33 Then he said, "Throw her down." So they threw her down, and [some] of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot. 34 And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, "Go now, see to this accursed [woman], and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter." 35 So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of [her] hands. 36 Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, "This [is] the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the plot [of ground] at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; 37 ‘and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, "Here [lies] Jezebel."’"”
2 Kings 9:36 COMMENTARY FAMILY BIBLE NOTES As Naboth's vineyard was "hard by the palace of Ahab," Jezebel's body may have been taken up and cast into it, as Joram's had been.
1 Kings 22:51-53 NKJV “51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel. 52 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; 53 for he served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.”