June 16 – Reading 167

June 16 – Reading 167

by Chris Rainey | June 16

“HOPE IS STILL A VIRTUE”
(1 Kings 15:25-17:24)

And 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.” – 1 Kings 17:24

“The times may be bad, but they are the only times we are given. Remember, hope is still a Christian virtue, and despair is a mortal sin.” – Richard John Neuhaus

God intervened to prevent a civil war in Israel after the death of King Solomon, and then the nation divided into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This fragile peace held for many years until Kings’ Jeroboam (Israel) and Rehoboam (Judah) died. Then the story takes on a Godfather-like quality, with assassinations, political alliances, palace intrigue, and general instability, particularly for the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Consider Baasha, who becomes king of Israel after striking down King Nadab son of Jeroboam and then executes Nadab’s entire family to prevent the certain retribution that would have come (1 Kings 15:29). Baasha is also noted for continuing the golden calf idolatry initiated by Jeroboam and for being at war with King Asa of Judah, their sister nation, during Baasha’s entire twenty-four year reign.  Imagine a not-United States if the Southern states had seceded from the Union, and the tension that would have existed every day. This was Israel, then and now. 

At this point our readings settle into a pattern of describing the kings of Israel and Judah and their reigns chronologically, which generally involved stating when the reign started in relation to the other kingdom (e.g., Ahab’s reign starts in the 38th year of Asa king of Judah), length of the reign, and the moral quality of the king’s relationship with God (“did what was right or what was evil in the sight of the Lord”).  There is then also often a reference to that king’s relation to the original sin of Jeroboam, the establishment of idolatrous golden calves. Sometimes a pattern of destructive behavior is handed down and repeated in what some refer to as a “curse of the generations.” The failure to break this pattern established in the Northern Kingdom would ultimately lead to their national demise. 

During this period of chaos, Israel ends up with Ahab as king, a man who never met a god he wouldn’t worship, whether it be golden calves, Baal, or Asherah (16:31-33).  And it is in this dark, polytheistic environment that devastation comes to the land through drought, yet at the same time God’s word comes to Elijah: “And the word of the Lord came to him…” (1 Kings 17:2, see also v. 4, 8, 16, 24).  Despite the dark times, God was still speaking to the nation to trust him for what would lie ahead. The question would be whether or not they would listen to the word of his prophets. 

Application:
Despite dark times in the land of Israel, the text makes it clear that God is still watching and working, even speaking through calamity like a drought to nudge the people back to him.

Reflection:
It’s easy to look around and see lots of reasons for despair in the modern world.  How does our reading and the Neuhaus quote above move us away from despair?

Closing Prayer:
Dear God, In times that feel dark and difficult, when it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the challenges around us.  Remind us that these are the times we are given. Help us to see these moments not as something to fear but as opportunities to trust in You. Grant us the grace to hold onto hope and turn away from despair. Fill our hearts with faith that You are still at work, even when we cannot see it. Give us strength to face each day with courage and trust in Your plan, knowing that You are with us always. Amen.