Reading for September 8th

Read 2 Kings 4.8-37 This story is also similar tot he one about Elijah in 1 Kings 17.17-24, which it has influenced. Mount Carmel (v. 25) was a holy site and the location of Elijah's victory in 1 Kings 18. It has apparently become Elisha's residence. Gehazi, Elisjah servant, is mentioned here (v. 25), without introduction, for the first time. As in 1 Kings 17, Elisha's resuscitation of the boy involves contactual magic (v. 34), though the miracle is clearly seen as the Lord's doing (v. 35). The boy's sneezing (v.35) is a sign life. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 7th

Read 2 Kings 4.1-7 In 4.1-44: Elish's wonders. In verses 1-7: This story is similar tot he one about Elijah in 1 Kings 17.8-16. The sale of oneself or one's family members to pay debts was permitted on a temporary basis by israelite law (lev 25.39-42; Deut 15.1-17). Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 6th

Read 2 Kings 3.21-27 In verse 22: The red color of the water is appripriate to edom, which comes from the word for red and which was known for it red sandstone (see Gen 25.25,30). In verse 27: Child sacrifice was practiced in the ancient Near East. here the king of Moab sacrifices his son to Chemosh, Moab's god. It is not clear what is meant by great wrath came upon Israel. Perhaps it means that the israelites became afraid whenthey witnessed this desperate act, through the most natural interpretation would seem to be that Chemosh's wrath was directed against Israel in some town. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 5th

Read 2 Kings 3.13-20. In verse 13: What have I to do with you? means "We have nothing in common", Elisha wants nothing to do withthe king of Israel. Jehoram's father was Ahab and his mother Jezebel. Their prophets were worshipper of Baal and Asherah (1 Kings 18.19). In verse 15: Music was used to induce the prophet's ecstatic experience in which he would give his oracle (compare 1 Sam 10.5, 9-13). In verse 19: Themeasures described inthis verse would ruin a piece of land for agriculture. In verse 20: The morning offering or oblation was made at dawn. 1 Kings 18.29 refers to a second oblation at about 3 p.m. The practice of two oblations may have begun inthe exile or later. This is an indication that this story was written at a later date. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 4th

Read 2 kings 3.1-12 In 3.1-27: The independence of Moab. In verse 1: The informationhere about the beginning of Jehoram's reign disagrees with that of 1.17. The two verses maybe be based upon two distinct chronologes. In verse 2; A pillar was often used, much as an idol would be, as a symbol for a god in worship. In verse 3: In the sin of jeroboam was the two shrines at dan and Bethel (1 Kings 12.25-33). In verse 4: Moab was the country across the Dead Sea fromisrael. The lambs and wool that king Mesha sent to Israel were the yearly payment of tribute of a subject state to it overlord. In verse 8: Edom was east of the Jordan and south of Moab. it was apparently controlled at this time by judah. Jehoram plans to attack Moab from the south. In verse 11; As in 1 Kings 22.7, it is the righteous King Jehoshaphat of Judah who asks for a prophet of the Lord. To inquire is a technical term for divination or seeking an oracle from God, Elish is here recogas elijah's servant who used to pour water onhis hands. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 3rd

Read 2 Kings 2.13-25 In 2.13-25: Elisha as Elijah's successor. The stories here show Elisha has in herited Elijah's power as a man of God. In verses 13-14: Elisha picked up the matle of Elijah, which was the symbol of his prophetic power (1.8; Zech 13.4). He then struck the water of the Jordan with it and parted it just as Elijah had done (2.8) and as much as Joshua did when he succeecec Moses (Ex 14.21-22; Josh 3.13-17). In verse 15: The company of prophets (see 2.3) recognize Elisha as Elijah's successor. In verses 16-18: Elisha knows that Elijah has been taken up and will notbe found, but he acquiesces to a search at the inistence of the other prophets. In verses 19-22: Elisha's miraculos purification of the spring also shows that he has the power of Elijah. This story offers an etiological explanation for the renowned spring at jericho that is still active today. In verses 23-25: This legend was preserved not for its high ethical quality but to show the power now vested in Elisha and to teach that one should have respect for prophets. Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 2nd

Read 2 Kings 2.1-12 In 2.1-12: The translation of Elijah. The stoies inthis chapter fall outside of the standard wording that marks the beginning and ending of the reigns of the kings, called regnal formulas (1.17-18; 3.1), which may indicate that they along with other stories about the prophets, are later additions tot he Deuteronomistic History. In verse 1: The only other person in the Bible who was taken up into heaven without dying was Enoch (Gen5.24). In verse 3: The company of the prophets, literally "the sons of the prophets," were followers of the prophets, perhaps even a guild or school of prophets. They were also aware, perhaps through prophetic agency,that the Lord will take Elijah away. In verse 8: Elijah's mantle is a symbol of his power as a prophet (see 1.8; Zech 13.4), which Elisha will inherit (2.13). His division of the Jordan here is reminiscent of Moses' division of the Red Sea (Ex 14.21-22) and and Joshua's division of the Jordan (Josh 3.13-17). In verse 9: Double sharedoes not mean twice as much as Elijah but the portion of the first-born son (deut 21.17), or two-thirds. In verse 12Elisha calls Elijah his father out of respect for his teacher, not because there is a blood relationship betweent hem. The chariots of israel and itshorsemen may allude to the image of the Lord as commander of the heavenly armies ("Yahweh shbaoth," "The Lord of Host"; see 6.17). Comments or Questions..

Reading for September 1st

Read 2 Kings 1.1-18 In 1.1-18: The death of Ahaziah- In verse 1: This verse anticipates the story in 3.4-27 and may be out of place here. In verse 2: The lattace was decorative, but functional inthe sense of admitting light and air while providing some privacy. It was not strong enough to keep a person from falling, as the story shows. Ahaziah sent messengers to inquire, a technical term, for divination. Baal-zebub meaning "lord of the fly," is a deliberate mocking distoration of the nameBaal-zebul, "Baalthe prince." In verse 3: The hebrew word for angel also means messenger. In verse 8: A hairy man, literally "a man of hair," may refer to a coarse garment that was the mantle of prophets (Zec 13.4). In verses 10, 12: The fire of God from heaven was probably lightening. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 31st

Read 1 Thesalonians 5.23-28 In 5.23-28: Epistolary closing. The passage is framed with a prayer or blessing form (5.23, 28) that reminds the congregation of the letter's themes: the survival of the community because of God's initiative (1.4; 2.12); sanctification (3.13; 4.3-4, 7-8), and the end time (1.10; 2.19; 3.13) which orients the community'slife toward distinctive, blameless living. In verse 24: On who calls, an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 30th

Read 1 Thessalonians 5.12-22 In 1 Thessalonians 5.12-22: How the congregation should live. In verse 12: Those who ... have charge of you, "leaders" or patrons in the congregation who provideed the means for the congregation to survive. In verse 14: Idlers: NRSV, perhaps influenced by 2 Thess 3.11, uses this specific noun ratherthan the more general "disorderly ones." it is not a comment about laziness, but about those who have not fully embraced the end-time orientation and need for holy living. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 29th

Read 1 Thessalonians 4.13-5.11 In 4.13-5.11: The expectation of the end times. Paul shows the distinctiveness of a community expecting the Lord's coming. In 4.16: God's trumpet, see Ex19.16, 19; Isa 27.13; Joel 2.1. In verse 17: Meet, a term used of a delegation going out to met a ruler. In 5.3: Labor pains, see Jer 6.24; 13.21; 22.23; Hos 13.13; Mic 4.9. In verse 5: Children of the light, an expression that occurs in the Dead Sea Scrolls (1QS 1.9-10; 3.13). In verse 8: On military imagery, see Isa 59.17. In verse 10: Who died for us, an early formulation or belief about Christ. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 28th

Read 1 Thessalonians 4.1-12 In 4.1-12: Holy Living toward each other and outsiders In verse 1: Finally marks the last large section of the letter. In verse 4: Body, lierally "vessel," could also mean "wife." Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 27th

Read 1 Thessalonians 2.17-3.13 In 2.17-3.13: Separation and end-time orientation. Paul tells ofhis separation and turn from sorrow tojoy: because the chuch has survived, Paul will present them at the comin of the lord as his joyful reward (2.17-20). Timothy's visit encourages the congregation and paul (3.1-8). A Third section (3.9-13) returns tot he theme of joy, along witha pryaer that the congregation will grow morein the present and will be found blameless at the Lord's coming. In 3.8: Stand, one of several military terms inthis letter. In verses 11-13: A hinge between the previous mention of the Lord's coming (2.19) and later themes of love (3.4, 9-12), holiness (3.13; 4.3), and the Lord's coming (4.11; 5.11). Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 26th

Read I Thessalonians 2.13-16 In 2.13-16: The Suffering of the Thessalonians. The anit-Jewish tone is uncharacteristic of paul,but there is no evidence that it was inserted later, and is not directed at all Jews. Debate and angry arguementbetween jews occur injewish writings of the time (see Josepheus, Antiquites 1.15.91; Philo, Cherubim 17). paul's point is his ministry success despite opposition. The passage functions like a hinge in reminding the Thessalonians how they suffered in receiving the word (2.14. see 1.6) and in foreshadowing Paul's account of his separation fromthe community (2.17-3.13). In verse 16: God's wrath perhaps as actual event,but given the survival of the Judean churches and the Thessalonians, more likely that God at last has prevented opponents (some Jews and some gentiles) from destroying them. Comments or Questions..

Reading for Augusr 25th

Read 1 Thessalonians 2.1-12 In 2.1-12: The endurance of the mission team. Paul denounces false teachers and praises themissionteam forbuilding up the congregation. In verse 2: Oppositition, ametaphor of athletic struggle (Epicteus Diss, 1.24.1-2: 4 Macc 16.16). In verse 4 God ... tests our hearts, see Gal 1.10; prov 17.3. In verse 7; The Greek word "epoi," gentle found in some manuscritpts, differs for "nepioi," infants, by only the letter "n." Paul rarely uses "infant" postively (see Rom 2.20); 1 Cor 3.1; 13.11; Gal 4.1, 3), so gentile is probably original. In verse 11: Father ... children, see gal 4.19-20; 1 Cor 4.14-21; 2 Cor 6.11-13. In verse 12; Lead a life worthy (Gal 5.16; Rom 13.13), "walk" a distinctive (holy life even though the end time is not yet obvious to a world that is passing away (see 4.1-8). Kingdom of God, rare in Paul (see 1 Cor 4.20). Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 24th

Read 1 Thessalonians 2-10 I verese: 2-5: Thanksgiving. Paul highlights his consistent prayers, sign of congregation's ongoning life, and God's initiative in theeffectiveness of the gospel and Paul's mission team. In verse 3: Faith ... love ... hope, see 5.8; Rom 5.1-5; 1 Cor 13.13; Gal 5.5-6. In verse 4: On the kinship expression brothers and sisters, see deut 4.37; 7.6-8; 10.14-15; 14.2. In 1.6-2.16: The suffering and endurance of the congregation. Three sections depict how the Thessalonians suffered with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit (1.6-10), the endurance of themission team (2.1-12), and what the Thessalonians suffered (2.13-16). In 1.6-10: How the Thessalonians suffred. In verse 6: Persecution (3.3-4, 7), suffering or affliction, the woes that precede the consummation of the new age. In verse 8: Sounded forth, the Greek implies continous spreading of the word. In verse 9-10: This may be a formal statement of belief. Turned to God from idols suggests, contrary to Acts 17.4, that the converts were gentiles. See 2.14. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 23rd

Read 1 Thess1.1 In 1.1: Opening A typical greeting although written in an extremely simple form (see Phil 1.1-2). In verse 1: Silvanus, Latin form for Silas, one of Paul's companiona (Acts 15.22, 40; 17.4). Timothy, one of Paul's emissaries and a traveling companion (Rom 16.21; 1 Cor 4.17; 16.10; Phil 2.19). Grace and peace, likely a variation of the Jewish "mercy and peace" (See 2 Baruch 78.2, a late Jewish apocrypal writing, probably from the first centry CE.). Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 22nd

Read 1 Kings 22.45-53 Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 21st

Read 1 Kings 22.24-44 In verse 24: Zedekiah claims that the lying spirit is actually in Micaiah. In verse 25: Micaiah's point is not entirely clear. Apparently, he forsees Zedekiah trying to hide an an inner chamber after israel is defeat. Another possible interpretation would take Micaiah's meaning to be coarsely sarcastic: You will know the answr to your question (v. 24) the next time you relieve yourself (taking hide in an inner chamber to be a euphemism). In verses 27-28: In peace means alive and unharmed. In verse 30: The king of Israel believed Micaiah enough so that he disguised himself in order to avoid being a target of the enemy. This probably means he did not wear his royal robes as did Jehoshaphat. In verses 32-33: Something about Jehoshaphat's cry, perhaps his accent, alerted the Arameans that he was not the king of Israel. In verse 36: Every man to his city, and every man to his country is a cry to military demobilization. See 2 sam 20.1; 1 Kings 12.16. In verse 38: The fact that the dogs licked up (Ahab's) blood is evidently meant as a fulfillment of Elijah's word in 21.19. In verse 40: The idom slept with his ancestorsis not used anywhere else of a king who suffered a violent death. Thus the closing formula for Ahab's reign seems toignore his death in battle. In verse 43: The hig places were places for worship outside Jerusalem. Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 20th

Read 1 Kings 22.13-23

In verses 13-14: Micaiah, unlike the court prophets, cannot speak what he wishes or what the king wants to hear, but only what the Lord says to him.

In verse 15: Micaiah's first response agrees completely with that of the court prophets.

He may, in fact be mimicking them.

In verse 16: The king of Israel recognizes Micaiah's insincerity and adjures him to speak the truth in the name of the Lord.

In verse 17: The image of a king as a shepherd was common in the ancient Near East (2 Sam 5.2).

The sheep are without a shepherd in Micaiah's vision because the king has died.

In verse 19: The Lord is depicted as a king sitting on a throne surrounded by his council of advisers, here call the host of heaven.

In verse 20: This is the only time in the story proper that the king of Israel is identified as Ahab.

The council deliberates how to entice him to go to Ramoth-gilead where he will fall, that is be killed.

In verse 21-23: A spirit or "breath" steps forward and volunteers to deceive Ahab as a lying spirit in the mouth of his prophets.

Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 19th

Read 1 Kings 22.1-12.
In 22.1-53: The prophecy of Miciah.
In verse 2: As in ch. 20, the king of Israel in this story was originally not identified.
The identification as Ahab is secondary and probably incorrect.
In verse 3: Ramoth-gilead was an important site east of the Jordan river.
In verse 5: The fact that Jehoshaphat wants to inquire of the Lord reflects the author's positive view of him.
The king of Israel is depicted as an enemy of the true prophet, Micaiah.
In verse 6: The prophets are probably court prophets who were sustained by the king.
It is not clear whether they even worshippers of the Lord (Yahweh).
In fact, the number four hundred recalls the prophets of Baal in 18.19.
Their oracle appears favorable to the king, but it could be ambiguous since they do not say which king will be given the victory.
In verse 7: Jehoshaphat is skeptical of the quick answer and unanimity of the 400 prophets, so her requests another prophet of the Lord, one who is a true prophet of Yahweh but not associated with the 400 court prophets.
In verse 8; The fact that Micaiah ... never prophesies anything favorable about the king but only disaster is an indication that Micaiah is a true prophet, since prophets often opposed kings.
In verse 10: A threshing floor was a broad, flat area where grain was separated from the hull.
Kings as often pictured in the Bible as sitting enthroned outside in similar settings.
(1 Sam 14.2, 22.6).
In verse 11: Prophets inthe Bible often carried out symbolic acts lik the one described here 9Jer 13; Ezek 4).
Nothing is known outside this story about Zedekiah.
But his name ("the righteousness of Yahweh) indicates that he was a worshipper of the Lord (Yahweh).
Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 18th

Read 1 Kings 21.15-29
In verse 18: Again, the phrase in Samaria is an addition.
In verses 20-24: The oracle against Ahab has been turned into a prophecy about the fall of the entire dynasty similar to those against the houses of jeroboam (14.7-11) and Baasha (16.4).
Verse 23, how ever, is new and is directed specifically against Jezebel.
I verses 27-29: Ahab's repentance delays the fall of the dynasty until after reign.
These verses were likely written by a different author from the one responsible for vv. 25-26, which view Ahab as the worst of all Israelite kings.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 17th

Read 1 Kings 20.1-14
In 21.1- 29: Naboth's vineyard.
In verse 1; Naboth's vineyard was in Jezreel, while the royal palace was in Samaria.
The phrase of Samaria was probably added later by a scribe who was influenced by the David and Bathsheba story in 2 Sam 11-12.
The story is set in Jezreel where Ahab had another palace.
In verse 3: Israelite law forbade the sale of one's ancestral inheritance in perpetuity (Lev 25.23-28).
In verses 8-14: Jezebel's actions show a keen awareness of Israelite law, which required two witnesses in capital cases (Deut 17.6) and condemned blasphemy (lev 24.10-23) and speaking against the king (Ex 22.28).
Her plot against Naboth is not done in ignorance of Israelite tradition but in spite of it.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for August 16th

Read 1 Kings 20.35-43
In verse 39: A talent was a measure of weight between 45 and 130 pounds.
In verse 42; Devotion to destruction was an aspect of holy war in which the enemy was killed as a kind of sacrifice.
The king of Israel is condemned for not carrying out Yahweh's command, much the same as Saul is condemned in 1 Sam 15 for the same offense.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 15th

Read 1 Kings 20.16-34
In verse 22: In the spring is literally "at the turn of the year," which may mean "next year."
In verse 23-25: Twenty-seven thousand may be a simple exaggeration, or the word translated "thousand" may refer to a military unit of much fewer than a thousand men.
In verse 31: Sackcloth (Heb., "saq") refers to some typr of clothing that was worn to show sorrow.
In verses 32-33: The servants of Ben-hadad refer to him as the servant of the king of Israel.
But the king of Israel calls him a brother, thus making him an equal.
This is also treaty language and indicates that the king of Israel wants to be treaty partners with Ben-hadad.
This indication is the sign or omen the servants of Ben-hadad were waiting.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 14th

Read 1 Kings 20.1-15
In 20.1-43: Tales of other prophets.
This chapter probably went originally with ch. 22 as in the Greek (Septuagint) version of 1 Kings, which has chs. 20 and 21 in reverse order.
The stories in chs. 20 and 22 are out of place historically, since they assume a setting in which Israel is dominated by Aram (Syria), which was not the case during Ahab's reign.
In verse 1: The thirty-two kings were rulers not of nations but of city-states or chieftains dominated by Damascus.
In verse 2: The king of Israel is here identified as Ahab, but this identification is likely secondary.
For most of the chapter he is called simply "the king of Israel."
In verse 12; The booths probably refer to the army's tents.
However, it might also be read as "Sukkoth," a site east of the Jordan.
In verse 14:The young men who served the district governors seems to be a special rank or division within the military, but we no longer know exactly what it means.
Comments or Questions...

Reading for August 13th

Read 1 Kings 19.1-21
In 19.1-21: Elijah on Mount Horeb.
In verses 1-3: Elijah flees south some 130 miles to Beer-sheba out of fear of Jezebel.
In verse 8: Like Moses,  Elijah fasts forty days and forty nights.
Elijah goes to Horeb the mount of God, which is called Sinai at other places in the Bible.
It is the place where Moses received the law.
In verse 9: The Hebrew text reds "the" cave apparently the same cave where Moses hid when the lord passed by (Ex 33.17-23).
In verses 11-12: The Lord does not appear in any of these violent forms, which might be associated with the storm god, Baal.
Rather, the Lord appears quietly.
In verse 13: Elijah wrapped his face in his mantle, apparently because he was afraid.
In verse 14: Again, Elijah is overstating matters when he says I alone am left.
In verses 15-18: The Lord evidently accepts Elijah's "resignation."
Elijah is assured that he is not alone (v. 18), but he is told to anoint or designate Elisha (my God saves") as his replacement.
The other two commissions in these verses are actually carried out by Elisha (2 Kings 8-9).
In verse 19: The introduction of Elisha is abrupt.
We know nothing of his background except what is narrated here.
The twelve yokes of oxen (v. 19) suggests that he is from a wealthy family.
The mantle was a token of the prophetic office.
When he threw his mantle over him, Elijah was designating Elisha as his replacement.
In verse 20: Elijah's response to Elisha's request in v. 20 is obscure.
By asking What have I done to you? he may be asking Elisha to keep in mind that he has received an important call.
In verse 21: Elisha's feast is a way of bidding good bye to his former life.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 12th

Read 1 Kings 18.30-46
In verses 30-32: Elijah's repair and use of an altar way from Jerusalem would not have been approved by the deuteronomistic historian and is one indication that the stories in chs. 17-19 are a later insertion.
In verse 32; two measures (Heb., two "se'ahs") of seed was about three pecks or seven gallons though this seems too small for the amount indicated in the story.
Some have suggested that it refers to the amount of land that could be planted by two measures of seed.
But this seems inappropriately large.
In verses 33-35: The point of drenching the sacrifice is to make clear that the fire is not accidental and does not originate on earth.
It also makes the test all the more difficult in order to impress the audience with the Lord's power, especially during a drought.
In verses 36-39: The Lord answers by sending lightning onto the altar, and the people recognize that Yahweh is the true God, who controls the storm and fertility.
In verse 40: The slaughter of the prophets of Baal counters Jezebel's slaughter of the Lord's prophets.
In verse 41: Elijah tells Ahab to eat and drink.
Ahab may have been fasting for ritual purposes before and during the contest.
In verses 42-45: Elijah's call for the end of the drought is yet one more sign of the Lord's control over the elements and Elijah's prowess as a man of God.
In verse 46: Jezebel was about 17 miles away!
Elijah was able to outrun Ahab's chariot because the hand of the Lord was on (him); hand often signifies power.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 11th

Read 1 Kings 18.17-29
In verse 17-18: Ahab blames Elijah for the drought and calls him the troubler of Israel, but Elijah points out that it is Ahab's apostasy that has brought trouble to Israel.
In verse 19: Baal and Asherah were the leading male and female deities, respectively, in the fertility religion of ancient Canaan.
Carmel means "vineyard of (the  god) El" and implies affiliation with Canaanite fertility religion.
Mount Carmel is near the Mediterranean coast in northern Israel and held a place for worship near its summit.
In verse 21: Elijah accuses the people of limping with two different opinions or "straddling the fence" between the worship of Yahweh and that of Baal.
The word "limping" is echoed later (v. 26) in referring tot he ritual dance of the prophets of Baal.
In verse 22 Elijah is overstating the case when he says, I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord since there are at least the 150 prophets of the Lord saved by Obadiah.
In verses 23-24: Elijah proposes a decisive test to determine whether the Lord (Yahweh) or Baal truly controls the storm.
The fire which each of them prays is lightning.
In verse 26: No voice or "sound" means that there was no thunder.
When the prophets limped about the altar they were apparently engaged in a ritual dance.
In verse 27: He is meditating may mean that he is relieving himself (see Gen 24.63), which would certainly fit with Elijah's mocking.
In verse 28: This kind of blood-letting was common in ritual as a sign of fervency or perhaps sympathetic magic.
In verse 29: The verb for raved on also means "Prophesy" and implies trane behavior or some other loss of self-control.
The time of the offering of the oblation, about 3 p.m.
Second Kings 3.20 also mentions a morning ablation.
The practice of two daily oblations may have arisen first in Exile or later.
The reference to the oblation also implies the existence of a central sanctuary and therefore a southern author.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 10th

Read 1 Kings 18.1-16
In 18.1-46: Contest on Mount Carmel.
In verse 3: Obadiah is loyal to Yahweh, his name means "servant of Yahweh."
In verse 4: There is no story preserved about Jezebel killing off the prophets of the Lord.
In verse 5: Ahab is more concerned about saving his animals than about his wife's slaughter of the Lord's prophets.
In verses 7-8: Obadiah calls Elijah my lord, but Elijah refers to Ahab as your lord, thus hinting that he is not pleased about Obadiah being a servant to such a wicked king.
In verse 12: Obadiah's fear about Elijah disappearance shows the aura of mystery and the power that surrounded the prophet.
In verse 15: Lord of hosts is a title for Yahweh indicating his authority over the armies or hosts of both heaven and earth.
Comments or Questions..

Reading for August 9th

Read 1 Kings 17.17-24
In verse 17: The woman who was previously described as destitute is here called the mistress of the house.
This is one indication that the story in vv. 17-24 has been adapted from or influenced by the story about Elisha in 2 Kings 4.11-37.
In verse 18: The woman implies that her son's death is divine punishment for some sin.
In verse 19: The upper chamber is another element drawn from the story in 2 Kings 4, which explains how the chamber was built for the prophet.
In verses 21-22 Elijah's actions suggest that life or "breath" went from Elijah's body into the boy's so that he revived him.
Examples of this kind of contactual magic are found elsewhere from the Near East.
The point of the story, however, is that this was the Lord doing.
Comments or Questions..