The Reign of Ahab
(1 Kings 20-22; 2 Kings 1)
March 1, 2026
Sunday Recap
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Sunday Recap •
Hey Fams!
Have you ever heard the expression “you reap what you sow”? Perhaps you feel the burn of those words as you think of times you made a hasty decision or took matters into your own hands, only to later watch things fall apart. In today’s text, Ahab made a series of poor choices which ultimately led to his demise.
First, the Lord gave King Ahab victory over the Arameans—not once, but twice—to remind Ahab that He is the Lord. When Israel won the second battle, they captured Ben-hadad, but Ahab disobeyed God and agreed to a treaty, releasing Ben-hadad.
Second, a man named Naboth owned a vineyard that caught Ahab’s interest. In his greed, Ahab and his wife Jezebel developed a wicked scheme to take Naboth's vineyard. Their deception turned murderous when hired men lied about Naboth, saying he had cursed God and the king. Naboth was falsely convicted and sentenced to death.
A few years later, Ahab wanted to go to war against the Arameans once again. Ahab’s false prophets supported his decision, but Micaiah, a prophet of the true God, advised against it, since going to war against Aram would fail. Once again, Ahab acted stubbornly and went to war anyway. During the battle, he was struck by an arrow and died.
While God showed Ahab patience and gave him many warnings, Ahab ultimately refused to repent. Like Ahab, we can be greedy and stubborn. In our sin, we rebel against God and act according to our flesh. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus (Romans 6:23). Jesus lived a perfect life and died in the place of sinners so that we might be forgiven and be made right with God.
Encourage the children in your care to see that because Christ laid down His life for us, we can escape the punishment we deserve because of our sin. Teach kids that when we believe in Jesus and repent of sin, Christ removes our unrighteousness and changes our hearts so that we desire to follow God and His ways.
** Next week: Elisha the Prophet (2 Kings 2; 4-5)
Family Discipleship Plan
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Family Discipleship Plan •
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Read 1 Kings 20-22; 2 Kings 1 from the Bible.
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Have you ever heard of a Rube Goldberg machine? This is a contraption that uses a chain reaction to do a very basic job in a complicated way. You drop a marble, and it rolls down a ramp, knocks over a domino, which falls into a cup. The cup pulls a string, and that makes a toy car move, which bumps into another thing, and finally the machine does the job it was supposed to do—like turning off a light or popping a balloon!
A Rube Goldberg machine is humorous, but the point is that something simple can be made rather complicated. As we look at the life of Ahab, we see God’s power and faithfulness on display. Even though Israel’s army was much smaller than Aram’s, God gave Israel victory—not once, but twice.
It was clear that God was willing and able to help His people, but Ahab’s selfish actions after the battle revealed his heart. Instead of obeying God completely, Ahab made a series of greedy and sinful choices. His decisions were like a chain reaction that went from bad to worse to disaster!
This story reminds us that trusting God always leads us to victory. In the most important battle against sin, God provided Jesus to offer salvation and eternal life to sinners. Even when it’s hard, we can trust in His promises.
Ahab was a disobedient, greedy, and stubborn king who refused to lead Israel in the ways of the Lord. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, always obeyed God and laid down His life for us. Anyone who follows Him will dwell with God forever.
Pray: Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness, even when we don’t deserve it. Help me to trust Your Word and obey Your instructions so that my life reflects Your power and love. Amen.
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Preschool:
"May all people know the Lord is God. There is no other!”
1 Kings 8:60
1st-5th:
”Then all the nations on earth will know that the Lord is God. They’ll know that there isn’t any other god.”
1 Kings 8:60 (NIRV) -
Mornings
Ask God for guidance as you prepare for the day. Ask Him to help you trust and obey His Word as you interact with people and make decisions today.
Evenings
Praise Jesus for being the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep and who is always present to comfort them when they need it most. How have you felt comfort or safety in knowing Jesus?
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For Fun
Set up a relay race where one person is the shepherd, and the other is the sheep. The sheep wears a blindfold, and the shepherd must guide them through an obstacle course using only their voice. Talk with kids about how we can trust Jesus to guide and protect us, even when we can’t see the way clearly, because He is the Good Shepherd.
To Serve
Go through your closets and storage to collect clothing to donate to a local charity organization. Encourage kids to think of other items that can be donated like books, toys, or canned goods. Retell the story of Ahab’s greed and how it led him to disobey God. Talk with kids about how Jesus gave of Himself to save sinners. Remind kids that Jesus’ sacrificial love is both the example and motivation we need to love and serve others.