Chapters 13-16 tell of a series of kings over Israel and Judah. Israel follows Jeroboam, consisting of 10 tribes of the original 12 tribes of Israel, and lives to the north of Jerusalem. Judah follows Rehoboam, consisting of 2 tribes and occupies Jerusalem and the land to the south. God turns against Jeroboam because he chooses to follow other gods. Rehoboam also follows other gods, but God does not turn completely against him because of the promises God had made to David. In chapter 16, Israel gets a new king named Ahab. He is a very powerful king, but also a very evil one. Ahab introduces the worship of Baal. As pointed out earlier, it was believed that Baal was the god of storms. In this time of great evil, God calls Elijah, one of Israel鈥檚 greatest prophets, into service. By predicting a drought and having it come about just as Elijah said, God is directly challenging Ahab鈥檚 belief that Baal was the one who controlled the rain.
Causing a drought may seem like punishing Israel for their unfaithfulness, but it really is God reaching out for them to return to him. He couldn鈥檛 be any more direct in letting them know Baal was not the one to follow. God doesn鈥檛 punish us either, he disciplines us. Hebrews 12:5-11 tells us God disciplines us because he loves us, and it is for our good. Not everything bad that happens to us is discipline, but when we are headed in a wrong direction, God can use discipline to catch our attention and turn us around.