38. Things Go Very Wrong

1 Kings 12:1-33; 15:9-24

After Solomon died, God’s people needed a new king.

Rehoboam was Solomon’s son, and he wanted to be ruler. He decided that being mean to God’s people was the way to show his power.

Lots of people did not want a mean king, so they chose a different king called Jeroboam. He ruled over most of Israel, and Rehoboam ruled only a small part, called Judah. God’s land was split into two parts.

The temple where God lived among his people was in Judah, and King Jeroboam did not want people to visit it. So he made up two not-gods and told the people he ruled to worship them instead of God. And they did. Soon, the people in Judah chose to love not-gods too.

Israel and Judah had king after king after king. Some were good, and told the people to love and obey God. Most were bad, and told the people to worship not-gods. God sent lots of messengers to remind the kings and the people to believe his promises and obey his commands. But they chose not to listen. Things had gone very wrong.

39. Elijah and the Fire

1 Kings 16:29 – 17:1; 18:16-45

When Ahab and Jezebel were king and queen, they told everyone to worship the not-god Baal. They said Baal was super-powerful. They said Baal made food grow.

God’s messenger was called Elijah. “God will stop it raining,” he warned King Ahab. “No food will grow.” And for years, no rain came and no food grew. “You should worship and love God,” Elijah told the people. But they were not sure whether to listen to him or Ahab.

So Elijah set a challenge. He put a dead bull on top of some wood and stones, and some men who worshipped Baal did the same. “Whichever God can set a bull on fire is the God you should love and obey,” Elijah said to the people.

The men who worshipped Baal shouted and danced. They asked Baal to send fire. They begged Baal to send fire. Nothing happened.

FIRE! The bull was burned up, the wood was burned up – even the stones were burned up!

“This is the real God!” the people said.

And God sent rain so that food would grow again.