Archive for month: March, 2025

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 16:21-28.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

1 Kings 16:21-28 (NIV)
21  Then the people of Israel were split into two factions; half supported Tibni son of Ginath for king, and the other half supported Omri.
22  But Omri’s followers proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.
23  In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.
24  He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city on the hill, calling it Samaria, after Shemer, the name of the former owner of the hill.

On verses 21-28:  These verses summarize the 12 year reign of Omri.  From a political and military standpoint, Omri was an impressive king.  Omri outlasted his opponent Tibni in a civil war (v21-22).  Omri built a new capital city for Israel called Samaria.  Ancient Assyrian records even refer to Israel as “the land of Omri” [1].

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 16:1-7.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

1 Kings 16:1-7 (NIV)
1  Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha:
2  “I lifted you up from the dust and made you leader of my people Israel, but you walked in the ways of Jeroboam and caused my people Israel to sin and to provoke me to anger by their sins.

On verses 1-7:  Because King Jeroboam had turned away from the Lord to worship idols of his own making and led Israel to do the same, God sent a prophet to say that one day the kingship would be stripped from Jeroboam’s family and his family would be eradicated (1 Kings 14:9-11).  In 1 Kings 15, Baasha is the one who kills Jeroboam’s entire family and takes over the throne.  Yet soon after Baasha becomes the new king Baasha commits the very same sins Jeroboam committed. 

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 15:25-34.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

1 Kings 15:25-28 (NIV) 
25 Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 
26 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, walking in the ways of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit. 
27 Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar plotted against him, and he struck him down at Gibbethon, a Philistine town, while Nadab and all Israel were besieging it. 
28 Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah and succeeded him as king. 

On verses 25-28:  1 and 2 Kings is tale of two kingdoms, Judah and Israel.  After Judah and Israel separate to become separate kingdoms, the author of 1 and 2 Kings tracks the reigns of the kings of Judah as well as the kings of Israel, going back and forth between them.  Verses 25-32 summarize the short 2 year reign of Jeroboam’s son Nadab king of Israel.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 15:9-24.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

1 Kings 15:9-15 (NIV)
9  In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah,
10  and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.
11  Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done.

On verses 9-15:  These verses summarize the long 41 year reign of Asa king of Judah.  Previously, for three consecutive generations, the kings of Judah (Solomon, Rehoboam and Abijah) fell headlong into idolatry.  So when Asa, Abijah’s son, comes on the scene as king of Judah, he is a breath of fresh air.  Notice that when the author of 1 Kings summarizes Asa’s reign, the author differentiate Asa from his idol-worshiping father by not even mentioning in verses 9-15 that Asa was Abijah’s son.