1 Kings 14, 15, 16, 17 Fulfilled Prophecies

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Prophesies made and prophesies fulfilled dominate these chapters. Since the Bible is a prophetic book, it’s not a surprise.  Some prophecies were for judgment and destruction while others were for blessing.  Prophecies made and fulfilled within the scope of a few chapters need to be recognized because they demonstrate that God’s Word stands.   

Through Nathan, the prophet, God told King David that his throne would be established forever; that his direct descendants would always sit on the throne; that his house and kingdom would endure before God. 

2 Samuel 7: 11-16     The Lord declares to you that the Lord Himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.  He is the one who will build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.  I will be his father and he will be my son.  When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men.  But, my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.  Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.

God promised David that his line would endure and that his descendants would sit on a throne that was established forever.

During his reign, Solomon, to whom God had appeared twice, embraced pagan deities and supported their worship in Israel.  God appeared to him a third time.  This time God prophetically told him that the punishment for his sin would be that ten tribes of  Israel would be torn from his son, and given to a subordinate.  (1 Kings 11: 11 – 13)

While Solomon was still King, the prophet Ahijah  told Jeroboam, an official in Solomon’s administration,  that God had chosen him to rule over ten tribes of Israel. Jeroboam was also informed that David’s line was being humbled because Solomon had forsaken God in order to worship Chemosh, Molech, and Ashtoreth.  (1 Kings 11: 29-39)

After Solomon’s death, after his son Rehoboam alienated Israel, Jeroboam did in fact become King of Israel.  Rehoboam, however,  remained King of Judah, in Jerusalem.  According to God’s promise to David, Abijah, Rehoboam’s son succeeded him; then Asa, Abijah’s son, succeeded him. 

The monarchies of the Northern Kingdom of Israel did not enjoy a continuous line. Even though Jeroboam knew that ten tribes were wrested away from David’s line because of spiritual apostasy, he instituted pagan worship to loosely parallel the worship of the God of Israel.  

Baasha deposed Jeroboam’s son, thus fulfilling God’s word spoken through Ahijah, the prophet, to “cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel – slave or free.” (1 Kings 14:10)      In 1 Kings 15:29, this prophecy was fulfilled. 

Another prophet, Jehu, prophesied against Baasha, the new King of Israel (1 Kings 16:1 -4).  In 1 Kings 16: 11, this prophecy was fulfilled when Baasha’s son and all of his family were murdered.

After a period of turbulence, another leader in Israel, Omri, became King of Israel. His son Ahab succeeded him. At Ahab’s direction, Jericho, which was cursed (Joshua 6:26) was rebuilt.  Though Ahab ordered this project, the prophecy was fulfilled exactly as the curse was written.

Joshua 6: 26  “At the cost of his firstborn will he lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest will he set up its gates.”

1 Kings 16:34   “In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho.  He laid its foundation at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun.”

God spoke prophetically, giving the concerned parties time to repent or to change their course of action.  If the leaders of Israel took God at His Word, calamity was both predicted and could have been averted if Israel chose to turn to God.  By underscoring the prophecies against certain individuals and their fulfillment, the prophecies concerning God’s abiding love for Israel are amplified. 

In 1 Kings 9: 3, God said to Solomon, “I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there  forever.  My eyes and my heart will always be there.”    God promised to always hear Israel’s cry.