He who covers an offense promotes love, but he who repeats a matter separates best friends. Proverbs 17:9

1 Kings 16-17

1 Kings 16

Jehu’s Prophecy against Baasha

¹ The word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, ² “Because I exalted you out of the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have caused my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, ³ I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat:

⁴ Those who belong to Baasha who die in the city,
the dogs will eat,
and those of his who die in the field,
the birds of the sky 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 of the kings of Israel? ⁶ Baasha rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah, and Elah his son reigned in his place.

⁷ Moreover the word of the Lord came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and against his house, both because of all the evil that 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 he killed them.

Elah Reigns in Israel

⁸ In the 26^th year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah for two years. ⁹ His servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah, ¹⁰ and Zimri went in and struck him and killed him, in the 27^th year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

¹¹ When he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, he attacked the entire house of Baasha. He did not leave a single male among his relatives or his friends.

¹² Thus Zimri destroyed the entire house of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet ¹³ for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they committed, and with which they caused Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel to anger with their vanities. ¹⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Zimri Reigns in Israel

¹⁵ In the 27^th year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. ¹⁶ The people who were encamped heard that Zimri had colluded and also killed the king. Therefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. ¹⁷ Omri went up from Gibbethon and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah.

¹⁸ When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the fortified part of the king’s house and burned down the king’s house over him and died, ¹⁹ for his sins which he committed in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he did, causing Israel to sin. ²⁰ Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the treason that he committed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Omri Reigns in Israel

²¹ Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. ²² But the people who followed Omri prevailed against the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath, so Tibni died, and Omri reigned. ²³ In the 31^th year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel for twelve years. He reigned six years in Tirzah. ²⁴ He bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for 150 pounds of silver, and he built on the hill and named the city which he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill.

²⁵ Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and dealt wickedly above all who were before him. ²⁶ For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins which he caused Israel to commit, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel to anger with their vanities. ²⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did and his might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ²⁸ So Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and Ahab his son reigned in his place.

Ahab Reigns in Israel, Marries Jezebel

²⁹ In the 38^th year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel. Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria 22 years. ³⁰ Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, above all that were before him.

³¹ As if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians and went and served Baal and worshiped him. ³² He raised up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. ³³ Ahab made the Asherah, and Ahab did more yet to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. ³⁴ In his days Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho. He laid its foundation 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.

1 Kings 17

Ravens Feed Elijah

¹ Elijah the Tishbite, who was one of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years,  except at my word.”

² Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ³ “Go away from here. Turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith that is before the Jordan. ⁴ You shall drink from the brook. I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” ⁵ So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith that is before the Jordan. ⁶ The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. ⁷ After a while, the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land.

The Widow of Zarephath

⁸ The word of the Lord came to him, saying, ⁹ “Get up. Go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.”

¹⁰ So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, a widow was there gathering sticks. 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 morsel of bread in your hand.”

¹² She said, “As the Lord your God lives, I don’t have any bread, just a handful of grain in a jar and a little oil in a jar. I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.”

¹³ Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you have said, but make me a little bread from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward make some for you and for your son. ¹⁴ For the Lord, the God of Israel says, ‘The jar of grain will not run out, and the jar of oil will not fail, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ”

¹⁵ She went and did according to the word of Elijah, and the woman and Elijah and her household ate for many days. ¹⁶ The jar of grain did not run out, and the jar of oil did not fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Elijah.

Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son

¹⁷ After these things, the son of the woman, who was mistress of the house, became sick, and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. ¹⁸ She said to Elijah, “What do I have to do with you, man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to memory and to kill my son!”

¹⁹ He said to her, “Give me your son.” He took him from her bosom and carried him up into the room where he stayed and laid him on his own bed. ²⁰ He cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?”

²¹ He stretched himself on the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, please let this child’s soul come into him again.”

²² The Lord listened to the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. ²³ Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the room into the house and delivered him to his mother, and Elijah said, “Your son lives.”

²⁴ 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.”

Acts 10:24-48

Peter at Caesarea

²⁴ The next day they entered into Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them, having called together his relatives and his close friends. ²⁵ When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up! I myself am also a man.” ²⁷ As he talked with him, he went in and found many gathered together. ²⁸ He said to them, “You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to visit or associate with one of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. ²⁹ Therefore I also came without complaint when I was sent for. I ask therefore, why did you send for me?”

³⁰ Cornelius said, “Four days ago, I was fasting until this hour and at the ninth hour, I prayed in my house, and suddenly a man stood before me in bright clothing ³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer is heard and your gifts to the needy are remembered in the sight of God. ³² Send therefore to Joppa and summon Simon, who is also called Peter. He is staying in the house of a tanner named Simon, by the seaside. When he comes, he will speak to you.’ ³³ Therefore I sent to you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God to hear all the things that have been commanded of you by God.”

The Gentiles Hear the Good News

³⁴ Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God does not show favoritism, ³⁵ but in every nation he who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶ The word which he sent to the Israelites, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all— ³⁷ you yourselves know what happened, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached, ³⁸ Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

³⁹ We are witnesses of everything he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they also killed, hanging him on a tree. ⁴⁰ God raised him up the third day and caused him to be revealed, ⁴¹ not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen before by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that this is he who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him, that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive remission of sins.”

The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word. ⁴⁵ They of the circumcision who believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles, ⁴⁶ for they heard them speaking in other languages and magnifying God.

Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone forbid these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just like us.” ⁴⁸ He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

Psalm 134

Bless the Lord, All You Servants

A Song of Ascents.

¹ Look! Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of God!
² Lift up your hands in the sanctuary.
Praise the Lord!
³ May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth.

Proverbs 17:9-11

⁹ He who covers an offense promotes love,
but he who repeats a matter separates best friends.
¹⁰ A rebuke enters deeper into one who has understanding
than a hundred lashes into a fool.
¹¹ An evil man seeks only rebellion,
therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.

«       »