Category: 1st and 2nd Kings-BibleTrekToday
Trek through 1st and 2nd Kings
Slow to connect the dots!
Scripture reading for April 9th: 1st Kings 20-22
Learning lessons in the school of life can be fun and rewarding. Learning from others with wisdom is one of the best ways to gain understanding. God also sends people to us who will speak the Word of God into our lives. The Old Testament called them ‘prophets.’ Heeding their word resulted in a victorious life; rejecting their word brought trouble.
God had sent Elijah to Ahab and Jezebel to confront their idolatry to Baal, the idol god of rain! He told them it would not rain in Israel except at God’s Word. (1st Kings 17:1) The reason for this judgment was Jezebel killing the Lord’s prophets and feeding 850 prophets of Baal at the king’s table. Elijah confronted them in the contest on Mt. Carmel. (1st Kings 18:18-19) He then killed the false prophets and prayed for rain again on the land and God sent a storm! God demonstrated His power through the prophetic ministry of Elijah that should have got their attention!
A while later, God sent another prophet to Ahab with instructions about how to defeat his enemy, Ben-Hadad, king of Aram. (1st Kings 20:13) God worked a miracle and the enemy was defeated soundly but Ben-Hadad appealed to Ahab, and Ahab made a treaty with him without consulting the Lord! His disobedience brought correction instead of connection!
God sent another prophet to bring Ahab a word of judgment. (1st Kings 20:41-43) Ahab responded with anger and sulking! Ahab coveted a neighbor’s vineyard to build a garden for himself. The neighbor, Naboth, refused to sell the family property. Jezebel promptly set in motion a plan to get the vineyard and Naboth was killed and the vineyard was secured for Ahab. God mercifully sent Elijah with another word of judgment.
God gives each person time to repent. But there is a point where patience runs out. We can harden our hearts and miss the grace of God. Jezebel was worldly, manipulative, and refused correction when God made it plain! Ahab knew what to do, but allowed his wife to manipulate to get his way. When corrected, he was not teachable but responded with anger. Pray today for a teachable heart and the ability to learn from God’s designated teachers!
Provision in dry times!
Scripture reading for April 8th: 1st Kings 17-19
In 1975, our family went through a drought on the farm. It rained early in the year, but then quit after the crops were in. June and July had almost no rain and the corn grew and tasseled, but did not produce silks. Ears formed but no kernels were on the cobs. It looked very bleak for feeding our animals and paying the bills. The soybeans were shorter than usual, but it rained in August when they were blooming and they produced a good crop. God provided for us even in the dry year.
Elijah announced to King Ahab that no rain or dew would fall from the sky except at his word. (1st Kings 17: 1) He then left the area following the instructions of the Lord. God promised provision to Elijah. He commanded ravens to feed him by the brook in the Kerith Ravine. After a few rainless weeks, the brook dried up and God sent Elijah to a widow’s house in Zarephath. It would have been ideal to have a rich widow but this widow was so poor that she was gathering sticks to cook her son a last meal from a nearly empty jar of flour and oil. Elijah asked her to bring him a little water and a piece of bread. He encouraged her not to fear, that God would provide for her until the rains came again. She obeyed and God provided meals for nearly three years from that empty flour bin and oil jar!
The times we live in are dry in many ways. Our economy is weak and many are laid off from jobs and can’t find work. Provision is often very low. In times like this, we must listen to the Word of the Lord! It is imperative that each person hears the instructions God has for them. Elijah was cared for because he obeyed the Lord. The widow was taken care of during the drought because she took care of the prophet. Dry times need not be a problem for those who honor the Lord first and listen to His instructions!
The school of “hard knocks”!
Scripture reading for April 7th: 1st Kings 12-16
“Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:32
“Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.” Proverbs 16:31
Old people are often marginalized in today’s world. This is not something new, for apparently Solomon’s son Rehoboam also discounted the advice of the elders of his day. When we disregard or disrespect those who have life experience and wisdom, we do so to our own peril!
Rehoboam became king. His father, Solomon had accumulated great wealth through forced labor and excessive taxation. The people appealed to Rehoboam to lighten the burden and harsh yoke of his father and they would serve him. He wisely consulted the elders. (1st Kings 12:4-7) They advised him to serve the people and lighten the yoke on them. But Rehoboam rejected the elder’s good advice.
He consulted the young men he grew up with. These peers advised him to answer the people with harshness and more taxes. The new king refused to listen to the people or the elders and instead took the advice of his peers. This divided the people and fulfilled the Word of the Lord to Jeroboam through the prophet Ahijah. (1st Kings 12:13-16)
Jeroboam returned from Egypt and was made king over Israel. Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to David’s house. Rehoboam mustered an army, but was warned by a prophetic word from Shemaiah to not fight against his brothers. This time Rehoboam wisely obeyed and Israel became a divided kingdom.
God is always ready to speak to us, if we are willing to listen. We often find that those most easy to receive from are those we agree with. The younger generation often does not value the advice of the elders. Identify an “elder” God has placed in your life who has been a source of wisdom for you. Thank the Lord for that person. Call that person and thank them for their godly input into your life. Ask God to speak to you and guide your path through them so you will not experience the school of “hard knocks”.
Fame, fortune and falling away!
Scripture reading for April 5th: 1st Kings 9-11
“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.” Proverbs 27:21
Fame and fortune bring lots of praise from the lips of men. Everyone wants to be around a famous person and the rich have many friends. These blessings can easily lead our hearts away from faith in the Lord and a vital relationship with Him. God warned the Israelites that when they entered the promised land and settled down and became prosperous, they would be tempted to forget God. (Deuteronomy 8:10-13) In a sense, prosperity and fame can be a more difficult test than sexual lust.
After Solomon finished dedicating the temple and achieving all he had desired to do, God appeared to him a second time. God promised that He would hear the prayers said at the temple and watch over it. At that time God warned Solomon against turning away from Him and going after other gods. (1st Kings 9:6-9) God understood the test that Solomon would face as his fame and fortune grew.
As God blessed him and his influence grew, Solomon married many foreign women and took 700 wives and 300 concubines from among the nations. God had warned that His people’s hearts would be led astray to idolatry and they should never marry from the nations. (1st Kings 11:1-6) Even though God had appeared to him, Solomon’s heart was not fully committed to the Lord and he did evil in God’s sight! He built high places for these gods of his foreign wives further angering God. His life should be a warning to us in our age of prosperity of the dangers of idolatry.
Pray today for someone who has fame or fortune or who is in a position of authority and influence. Pray for God’s grace to protect and keep that person–that he or she will not fall away or lead others astray. What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? (Matthew 16:26a)
The Glory connection!
Scripture Reading for April 4th: 1st Kings 5-8
Solomon, David’s son, had heard God’s decree that he would build the house where God’s Name would reside among His people. He had a vision and purpose for his life. He knew of the desire of his father David and willingly offered himself to the Lord to build this “House”. (1st Kings 5:5)
In building the temple, Solomon employed many people. Some came from lands outside Israel. The temple was made of stone, cedar and pine wood, and precious metals. Craftsmen worked off site on the stones so that the temple could be assembled without saws, chisels or hammers used on the site. (1st Kings 6:7) The temple took seven years to construct with thousands of workers meticulously adding every piece and detail in precise order and design. (1st Kings 6:38) God was truly a God of order and a master craftsman!
The crowning moment at the dedication was when God filled His house with His Glory! The priests had carried the Ark into the Holy of Holies and then withdrew. The priests could not stand to minister because of the Glory! (1st Kings 8:6-11) Solomon declared a blessing to the people gathered there and thanked God for His faithfulness!
Solomon then knelt down, raised his hands toward heaven, and prayed a magnificent prayer of dedication! In this prayer were eight petitions centering on the need for forgiveness! Since man’s troubles are caused by sin, the temple would be a place where they could meet with God and find mercy. As God’s people cried out, God’s glory was that He showered grace on them.
Solomon also asked God to hear the prayer of foreigners so that all peoples of the earth might know His Great Name! (1st Kings 8:41-43, 60) This prayer reminds us of Jesus command to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations! His house was to be a house of prayer for all nations! (Mark 11:17) Believers are the new “temple” of God. God’s presence fills each believer with His Glory and gives them power to reach the nations with the message of His saving grace! The “living stones” are being gathered from around the world without chisel or hammer through the power of the Gospel!
What do you want from God?
Scripture Reading for April 3rd: 1st Kings 1-4
I often ask people who come to me for advice a simple question. If you could do anything you wanted, what would you do with your life? This question opens us up to many possibilities and helps us discern the true desires of our heart. If we have truly committed our way to the Lord and delight ourselves in Him, He tells us that He will give us the desires of our heart! (Psalm 37:4)
Newly crowned King Solomon had an encounter with the Lord. He had gone to Gibeon to sacrifice to the Lord and that day offered a thousand burnt offerings! Extravagant worship marked the life of this newly anointed king! That night as Solomon lay asleep, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: “Ask for whatever you want Me to give you.” (1st Kings 3:4-5) Solomon first thanked the Lord for his kindness to his father David in placing him on the throne. Then he confessed his need for God’s help in ruling His people. He asked for a discerning heart and wisdom to rule wisely. (1st Kings 3:7-9)
This pleased the Lord! Solomon was granted what he asked for and also given by grace what he did not ask for! God gave him riches and honor so that there would be no equal among kings of that time. (1st Kings 3:10-14) God’s Word has proved true in history in the life of this son of David!
What would you ask the Lord for today? Are you passionately worshiping the Lord each day–offering Him extravagant worship and thanksgiving for who He is and His great faithfulness? Would you ask for riches and honor or something physical? These things are fleeting and of no eternal value if you are not delighting yourself in the Lord and willing to offer Him what you currently have!
Jesus Christ has been made to us wisdom from God! (1st Corinthians 1:30) God is no respecter of persons! He offers us the same choice given to King Solomon. Ask today for what you want God to give you! Wisdom is found in Jesus Christ and a true walk with the wisest King of Kings who has ever been!
The Lost Book!
Scripture reading for April 16: 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 the captivity! 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. While helping with the restoration of the temple, Hilkiah, the high priest found the Book of the Law which had been lost and ignored. The king’s secretary, Shapan read the Book, and then took it in to the king 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 against them because of their disobedience!
Josiah sent the leaders Huldah the prophetess to seek counsel from the Lord. She told them of God’s coming judgment and how the Lord was merciful towards King Josiah because he 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 of the Lord that day by pledging themselves to the Lord. (2nd Kings 23:1-3)
Where do we end up when we lose track of the Book? First, the temple of God will be in disrepair! Without God’s life-giving Word, things decay fast! Death and sin do their destructive work among God’s people without continual contact with the Book! Second, idolatry will fill the void. The idols had crept into the temple of the Lord! Josiah’s revival of reading the lost Book brought recognition and destruction of the idols in the land. (2nd Kings 23:4-7) A key element was the response to the Word of the lost Book. Conviction brings repentance that leads to true change of direction. Humbling and response from the heart is what God is looking for.
Have you lost track of God’s Book? Why not get back on track with your life today by responding to this reading 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 of responding as Josiah did!
Faith and Prayer!
Scripture reading for April 14th: 2nd Kings 18-21
In 1980, my wife and I were caught in a financial crisis beyond our ability to handle or 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. Mary and I knelt by our bed and confessed our sin. God heard and showed us mercy!
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) 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 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 in a humbled posture to seek the help. As he prayed to God, God sent word by the prophet Isaiah that He would intervene and deliver them! (2nd Kings 19:6-7)
Hezekiah let his faith lead him to prayer. His prayer was a humble appeal to the Lord of Heaven. Solomon had prayed earlier at the dedication of the temple for people who were at war and would cry out to God that He would hear and answer! (1st Kings 8:44-45) Prayers said hundreds of years earlier were still being answered!
What are you facing today that seems like a mountain? Go humbly if you need to confess how your own sinful actions led to the trouble. The answer is already on the way! By the way, eight years after we prayed, my wife and I were debt-free! Faith and prayer gives direction and patience!
The eyes of the Lord!
Scripture reading for April 13th: 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 His eye upon us today. He looks in love upon us because of His Son. He lives and dwells with us and in us by His Holy Spirit. He is with us always to watch over His Word and bring it to pass in our lives as well. Take a moment to look up today and thank God for his marvelous eyes!
“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;” Psalm 34:15
God’s dependable 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! In today’s reading, we hear the writer of 2nd Kings recounting time after time how God’s Word was spoken by men and how it came to pass.
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 gave 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!
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 approach the last days of these last days, it is more important than ever to give attention to God’s Word. It produces faith in those who hear it and it will judge those who reject or ignore it.