This page gives you ready-to-use study questions for 1 Kings 14, with a leader’s answer or discussion note for each one. It suits a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study. The chapter covers the sickness of Abijah, the secret visit of Jeroboam’s wife to the prophet Ahijah, the sentence of judgment on Jeroboam’s house, and a summary of the reigns of Jeroboam and Rehoboam.
1 Kings 14 at a Glance
The chapter opens with King Jeroboam’s son falling ill. Jeroboam sends his wife in disguise to ask the aged prophet Ahijah what will happen. Ahijah, who cannot see, recognizes her anyway and delivers a hard message: because Jeroboam led Israel into idolatry, his house will be swept away, and the child will die as she returns home.
The second half turns to Judah under Rehoboam. The people there also turn to false worship, and Egypt’s king Shishak plunders the temple and palace. The chapter closes with the death of Rehoboam and the succession of his son Abijam, with the constant conflict between the two kingdoms in the background.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers an opinion. Ask the group to point to the specific verses where they find each answer, and read those verses aloud. This keeps the discussion anchored in the text.
1 Kings 14:7-8
7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘The LORD, the God of Israel, says: “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you prince over my people Israel, 8 and tore the kingdom away from David’s house, and gave it you; and yet you have not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in my eyes…
(WEB)
Read this passage to show the charges the Lord brings against Jeroboam and the comparison with David. It gives the group a clear picture of the standard by which the chapter measures faithfulness.
1 Kings 14:13
All Israel will mourn for him and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam will come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.
(WEB)
This verse highlights the one good thing found in the child and the honor of his burial. Reading it aloud helps the group pause on the mercy that God shows even in the midst of judgment.
1 Kings 14:14-16
14 Moreover the LORD will raise up a king for himself over Israel, who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day! What? Even now. 15 For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and he will root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger. 16 He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he has sinned, and with which he has made Israel to sin.”
(WEB)
These verses contain the promise of a new king and the warning of scattering for Israel. Hearing them together helps the group see how the sins of a leader can reshape the future of a whole people.
1 Kings 14:17-18
17 Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed, and came to Tirzah. As she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18 All Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the LORD’s word, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.
(WEB)
Reading the fulfillment of the prophecy in these verses shows that God’s word stands firm. It is a useful passage for talking about trust in what the Lord has promised.
1 Kings 14:22-24
22 Judah did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 There were also sodomites in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD drove out before the children of Israel.
(WEB)
This passage describes the idolatry of Judah in plain terms. Reading it helps the group reflect honestly on how easily a community can drift from the Lord, and why repentance must be corporate as well as personal.
Memory Verse for 1 Kings 14
1 Kings 14:8
And tore the kingdom away from David’s house, and gave it you; and yet you have not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in my eyes…
(WEB)
Memorizing this verse gives the group a simple picture of wholehearted faithfulness. Encourage members to repeat it together and to consider how David’s example applies to their own daily walk.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to You knowing that You see the hearts of kings and common people alike. Thank You that You are faithful to Your word, even when that word brings hard news. Forgive us for the times we have looked to other sources for security and have turned our attention away from You. Give us hearts that follow You wholly, as David did, and help us to honor You in our homes, our church and our work. Show mercy to those among us who are grieving or afraid, and let Your steadfast love be our comfort through every season. Amen.
