Category: 1st and 2nd Kings-BibleTrekToday
Trek through 1st and 2nd Kings
Thankful for Promises!
Scripture reading for April 3rd: 1st Kings 7-10
Key Scriptures: 1st Kings 8:55-57 “He (Solomon) stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice saying: “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel just as He promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through His servant Moses. May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He never leave us or forsake us.”
Solomon dedicated the temple with a prayer for God’s presence and blessing to remain with His people in a continuing manner for all time to come. He praised God for the rest given Israel and for the faithful promises that proved true–down to the last word! By faith we lay hold of these sure words!
Rejoicing in true promises: Jesus Christ, Solomon’s son and God’s Son, also stated the truth of God’s promises and promised to be with His people always! “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) ” “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
Thankful for a Wise King!
Scripture reading for March 31st: 1st Kings 2-6
Key Scriptures: 1st Kings 4:29-30 “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater that the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.”
Solomon was blessed with wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to take knowledge and apply it in righteousness to bring about God’s will and purposes. The greatest Son of Solomon, Jesus Christ, also was filled with even greater wisdom! We are blessed by a wise King!
Rejoicing in Christ’s wisdom: Thankfully God blessed His Son Jesus Christ with total wisdom and has made that available to all who trust in Him! “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:2-3)
Singing of our Lord!
Scripture reading for March 30th: 2nd Samuel 21-24, 1st Kings 1
Key Scriptures: 2nd Samuel 22:1-3 “David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: “The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer; my God is my Rock in whom I take refuge, my Shield and the Horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my Refuge and my Savior–“
King David was a psalmist of Israel who loved to sing psalms of praise to His Lord. As David remembered all the times God had delivered him from all his many foes, this song of praise broke forth from his lips! Our Rock is worthy of praise!
Rejoicing in our Savior: The chorus in heaven will resound with song at the victory of the Lamb of God! “In a loud voice they sang, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power for ever and ever!”” (Revelation 5:12-13)
Acting in love!
Scripture reading for July 16th: 1st Corinthians 8
“Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he out to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.” (1st Corinthians 8:1-3) Paul addressed the problem of eating food that had been sacrificed to idols. Much of the meat in the Corinthian culture came from sacrifices to idols. Many Christians knew about this and some were ‘weak’ and others were ‘strong’.
Paul was in the ‘strong’ group that understood that an idol was really nothing. There was only one God and Father who gave us all things to enjoy. He alone was the source of life and blessing. That meant that food could be received with thanksgiving to God and eaten, regardless of the source, without defiling the person. (1st Corinthians 8:8)
However, another group of believers had come out of the idolatry and their consciences were ‘weak’. They believed it was a sin to eat the meat sacrificed to idols. The ‘strong’ believers were causing them to stumble by eating that same meat. Paul addressed this problem by calling on the ‘strong’ believers to limit their freedom in order not to offend or cause their ‘weaker’ brothers to stumble.
“When you sin against you brother in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.” (1st Corinthians 8:12-13) Truly ‘strong’ believers are sensitive to the needs of the younger or ‘weaker’ believers and limit their freedom. Love does what is best for the other! Would that we would be sensitive to the Spirit and the needs of our brothers!
The Lost Book!
Scripture reading for April 16th: 2nd Kings 22-25
Josiah became king of Judah when he was just eight years old! By the time he was 26, he was ready to begin what was to be the last revival in the land of Judah before God’s Word brought judgment! Josiah was a king who did right in God’s eyes and tried to follow the Lord in obedience. He was concerned for the temple, which had fallen into disrepair. As the work was going on, Hilkiah, the high priest found the Book of the Law and gave it to Shaphan, the secretary to the king. Shaphan read the Book, and then took it in to the king and began to read it to him. As the king heard the Word of the Book, he was humbled and tore his robes. He realized that God’s anger was because of their disobedience!
Josiah sent the leaders to Huldah the prophetess. She told them of God’s coming judgment and how the Lord was merciful towards King Josiah because he had humbled himself. King Josiah called the elders together and they went up to the temple where he had the lost Book read in their presence. They renewed the covenant that day by pledging themselves to the Lord. They began to recognize and remove the idols that had come into the land. (2nd Kings 23:1-7)
What happens when we lose track of the Book? The temple of God will be in disrepair! Without God’s life-giving Word, death and sin do their destructive work among God’s people! Idols slip into the temple of the Lord and worship of the true God is lost! Idolatry sets God’s people on a path of judgment instead of God’s blessing. The people do not understand right from wrong and wander from God without the instruction of His Book!
Have you lost track of God’s Book? Why not get back on track with your life today by responding as the Word suggests? Now is the right time to make the change! Humility and repentance is the right posture to receive grace from the Lord! He is watching and waiting to restore and heal you! You’ll never be ashamed or sorry!
Faith and prayer!
Scripture reading for April 15th: 2nd Kings 18-21
In 1980, my wife and I were caught in a financial crisis beyond our ability to fix. We had borrowed money to buy land and equipment and build our farming business and now the interest rates had more than doubled. Many neighbors had lost farms to the banks and creditors because they were unable to pay and our situation looked bad. We had rededicated our lives to the Lord just a few years earlier and as we studied the Word of God, we knew we needed to humble ourselves and ask God for His mercy. Mary and I knelt by our bed in an act of faith and desperation.
Hezekiah, one of the kings of Judah, was a man of faith. Scripture says that he “held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow Him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses.” (2nd Kings 18:5-6) Because he trusted the Lord, the Lord was with him and he was successful in all he did. One of his first moves was to destroy the bronze snake that Moses had built to stop the plague of serpents in the desert. God’s people had made an idol of it and were burning incense to it! (2nd Kings 18:4)
Hezekiah was tested by the Assyrians. He rebelled against the king of Assyria, the military power of that day, and would not serve him. Assyria captured Samaria and Israel (the ten tribes) in Hezekiah’s sixth year. In Hezekiah’s fourteenth year, Sennacherib, king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. (2nd Kings 18:13) Hezekiah tried to buy off the king of Assyria with gold from the temple, but a large army showed up surrounding Jerusalem. Hezekiah was told of this situation and he immediately went to the temple to seek the help of God. As he prayed for help, God sent word by the prophet Isaiah that God would deliver them! (2nd Kings 19:6-7)
What are you facing today that seems like a mountain? Go to God in prayer! Go humbly expecting God to hear and answer you! The answer is already on the way! By the way, eight years after we prayed, my wife and I were debt-free!
The eyes of the Lord!
Scripture reading for April 14th: 2nd Kings 13-17
God the Father is Spirit and He has the ability to see and know all things. The writers of Scripture often speak of the “eyes” of the Lord. God’s eyes are able to see in different ways than our eyes function. His eyes are able to penetrate into the depths of our thoughts and motives. His eyes see what we think we are doing in secret. His eyes can see in the darkness as if it is daylight and no detail escapes Him. His eyes are able to weigh good and evil and make righteous judgments.
As we read through the stories of the various kings of Israel and Judah, we have one of two remarks that are repeated time and again. If the king was good, the writer states that “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord”. (2nd Kings 15:3) If the king was wicked, the writer states that “he did evil in the eyes of the Lord”. (2nd Kings 15:9) Those kings who obeyed the Lord and sought to walk in honor of Him were seen by the Lord and rewarded accordingly. God’s eyes are always watching for those whose hearts are fully committed to Him so that He can show himself strong on their behalf. (2nd Chronicles 16:9)
We would also do well to remember the “eyes of the Lord”. God is watching us as well! David asked God to keep him as the “apple of His eye”. (Psalms 17:8) God told Solomon that His eyes and heart would always be in the Temple he had built. (1st Kings 9:3) We are now the living stones of the new Temple built by the greater son of David and Solomon! God’s keeping eye is upon us today. He looks in love upon us because of His Son. Take a moment to look up today and thank God for his marvelous eyes! If you love Jesus, He’s smiling as He looks at you!
“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;” Psalm 34:15
God’s accurate Word!
Scripture reading for April 12th: 2nd Kings 9-12
My father is a man who is true to his word. As I was growing up, he would buy and sell cattle worth hundreds of thousands of dollars over the phone. He would call the banker and tell him how much he needed put into his bank account as a loan. They would do it and he would come in later and sign the note. My father knew the value of a good reputation and it was a badge of honor to be a man of your word. In fact, this trait is honorable because it is one of God’s character traits, too!
The prophet Elisha sent a word with one of the members of the company of prophets. He was to anoint Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat to be king over Israel. He was also to give Jehu a mission of destroying the house of Ahab and Jezebel for their murderous and adulterous behavior. (2nd Kings 9:6-10) He told Jehu that dogs would devour Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel that she had stolen from Naboth and that no one would bury her. Jehu went to Jezreel, found Jezebel and had her killed. As he rested, dogs came and ate up her body. The Word of the Lord was fulfilled! (2nd Kings 9:34-37)
Next, Jehu went after the remaining sons of Ahab in Samaria. He came to Samaria and killed all who were left of Ahab’s family. (2nd Kings 10:17) This was according to the Word of the Lord spoken to Elijah the prophet. (1st Kings 21:20-22) This word was given several years earlier. Time may pass, but God’s Word remains true!
We would do well to heed the Word of the Lord. God’s Word is the only source of ultimate truth. (John 17:17) God is faithful to watch over His Word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12) Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s Word will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35) As we live in these last days, it is more important than ever to give attention to God’s accurate and infallible Word!
More for us than against us!
Scripture Reading for April 11th: 2nd Kings 4-8
I enjoy spending time with my father who is 94 years old and a veteran of World War II. He enjoys telling stories about his time in the service of our country. He was drafted in 1941 and spent 4 years in the Army as a messenger and driver for the officers of the Third Armored Division. He went ashore a few days after D-Day on Normandy beach and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He recently told me how he was driving an officer out in the front lines away from the company when he suddenly came upon a German tank. He did a u-turn before his officer passenger could say a word and beat a path for the cover of his company. As he topped a hill, a shell landed behind his jeep but he soon passed one of his own tanks who covered him. These memories are still vivid for my father who knew what it was like to be in enemy territory and out-manned!
The Arameans were angry at Elisha, who was warning the king of Israel about their plans of attack. They found out Elisha was staying at Dothan, and came at night and surrounded the city with soldiers, horses and chariots. Elisha’s servant went out the next morning and saw the great army and came back to Elisha alarmed. (2nd Kings 6:15) Elisha prayed that the servant would be able to see the forces on their side and his eyes were opened to see more for them than against them! (2nd Kings 6:16-17)
As this enemy approached, Elisha prayed that the Lord strike his enemy with blindness. He then led this blinded army to Samaria to the king of Israel and then prayed to open their eyes. There was more for him than against him! Thankfully, God is no respecter of persons! Do you need fresh vision today? Ask the Lord to open your eyes or those of one you love!
“And Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened his servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2nd Kings 6:17)
What can I do for you?
Scripture reading for April 10th: 2nd Kings 1-3
As the prophet Elijah was about to depart from this earth, he asked Elisha: “What can I do for you before I am taken from you?” (2nd Kings 2:9) The understudy wisely answered that he desired a double portion of the Spirit. This is essentially the same question God asked Solomon a few years earlier. (1st Kings 3:5) God gives us choices. One of the tensions in Scripture is between our free will and God’s sovereign will. God is sovereign but he has chosen to work with man who is made in His image. Part of that image is the ability to make choices.
Elijah had been instructed by God to tap Elisha to take his place some ten years earlier. Elisha was the son of a farmer. He was plowing with 12 yokes of oxen–a big rig of that day! (1st Kings 19:19) He was called when Elijah threw his cloak over him. Scripture records that he left his oxen and ran after Elijah. Then he sacrificed his oxen, burning his plowing equipment to cook the meat and set out to follow Elijah.
As the time for Elijah’s departure drew near, Elisha had to choose to stay near his mentor. If we are going to get all that the Lord has for us, it means we must persevere! Elijah gave him a word of knowledge–that if he could see him when he departed, he would have what he asked for. (2nd Kings 2:10-12) As they walked on together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses appeared and Elijah was taken to heaven in a whirlwind right before Elisha’s eyes! Elisha picked up the fallen cloak and began to do greater things than his mentor!
Jesus Christ has told us to ask Him for whatever we need and He will do it. (John 14:14) He has given us the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and bring forth the gifts of the Spirit as they are needed to glorify the Lord. He has told us that we will do even greater works because He has gone to the Father. (John 14:11-14) Ask the Lord today for what you need! How much more will God the Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask! (Luke 11:13)