365 Reflections

I believe the two kingdoms of Israel in 1 and 2 Kings are a picture of our two worlds today. Those under the authority of the evil one who spurn God’s law and seek their own glory, following Satan’s example in leading rebellion from heaven. And secondly, those under the authority of Christ, covered by His righteousness and drawn by God’s grace back from the edge of self-destruction. The Northern kingdom of Israel, fathered by Jeroboam is a picture of that first kingdom, seeking glory and indulging sin of every sort. It is filled with evil and insurrection. The narrative of 1 Kings swings back and forth from Northern to Southern kings to illustrate the way of both worlds. For a few chapters, we read of the disorder of that northern line of wicked kings to glean a picture of the world under the authority of the great insurrectionist. 1 Kings 15:25–29 (ESV) Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two yea

The Kingdom of Israel is divided in two, with 10 tribes in the north aligned with the sons of Jeroboam and 2 tribes in the south (Judah) aligned with the sons of David. We have in 1 Kings a picture of national deterioration. For just when Israel had achieved rest from their foreign enemies and prosperity within their borders, internal troubled ensued. A divided nation slowly ebbs itself away. 1 Kings 15:16–17 (ESV)  And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17 Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah.  First there was internal conflict growing between the north and south to such an extent that they sought to thwart one another. Asa in the south is caught in a trap set by Baasha in the north. This is what happens when a nation is at peace with their enemies and accomplished in accumulation. What do we see in America but such similar divisions. Could it be the end of

There are a troubling few verses in 1 Kings 15 that took me a while to truly comprehend. Two successive kings in Judah are mentioned. One is evil (the Father) and one is righteous, seeking the Lord (the Son). And here's the worst part: They both have the same mother. 1 Kings 15:1–3 (ESV) Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom . 3 And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father. 1 Kings 15:9–11 (ESV) In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done. It would seem incest was prevalent in the reign of A

Many people think the Bible's prohibition in the Old Testament of Israel intermarrying with other nations is a proof text prohibiting interracial marriage in our day. Nothing could be further from the truth. The prohibition in the Old Testament against intermarriage with the pagan nations around Israel was a prohibition against inter-FAITH marriage. For when two people from different religions wed, they inevitably sway to one faith or another. And the Lord God knew the pull of seeking to please those surrounding nations who had been long established in the land was very strong for his people. He knew their hearts would be drawn away to serve their gods. Such is the case under the reign of Solomon's son. It doesn't take long for the southern kingdom to quickly degeneration into a people very much like the pagans they were supposed to drive out. Rehoboam leads Israel into blatant rebellion: 1 Kings 14:22–24 (ESV) And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and t

1 Kings 14:1–3 (ESV) At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. 2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people. 3 Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.” Jeroboam is not a good king. He has already disobeyed God's voice in erecting idols for Israel to worship, and he has refused to repent after hearing the prophetic warning in 1 Kings 13. But something happens here that shakes him to his core. His child and rightful heir to the throne is sick. So Jeroboam comes up with a plan. He has his wife disguise herself to go to the prophet Ahijah (who anointed Jeroboam king) and plead for help for her son.  Why not go as she was? Because Jeroboam knows he has dismissed obedience to the Lord who gave him the throne.

There’s a strange story in 1 Kings 13 about a prophet who comes to challenge and condemn Jeroboam’s idolatrous rebellion. He is told what to say, what not to do and how to leave. He was to prophecy the destruction of Jeroboam’s altars, not eat any food and not return the way he came. After he prays for Jeroboam’s hand and it’s restored, the king invites him to eat there. The man of God passes this test easily: 1 Kings 13:8-10 (ESV)  And the man of God said to the king, "If you give me half your house, I will not go in with you. And I will not eat bread or drink water in this place, 9 for so was it commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'You shall neither eat bread nor drink water nor return by the way that you came.'" 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel. Unfortunately, the man of God is soon duped by the lies and misgivings of a prophet... 1 Kings 13:18-19 (ESV) And he said to him, "I also am a prophet as

In 1 Kings 12, Israel is divided. And its leaders seek to keep it that way. Sound familiar? 1 Kings 12:25–27 (ESV) Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. 27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” Jeroboam was promised 10 tribes from the word of the Lord. Yet he is saturated with insecurity. The passage above shows his lack of trust in God and a need to secure his own fame, glory, and kingdom. He saw the people going to the Temple in the land of Judah and came up with a plan to stop it: 1 Kings 12:28–32 (ESV) So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem lo

If Solomon had a problem with women, his son Rehoboam had a problem with friends. He really needed to know they liked him. The story goes that after Solomon's death, Rehoboam is beseeched by the people who are tired of working so hard for the royal family. They need a reprieve. And they ask for it from the newly anointed king. Very oddly, he doesn't know what to do. He needs time to think. 1 Kings 12:4–5 (ESV) “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now, therefore, lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” 5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So the people went away. And three days go by and this is how Rehoboam responds: 1 Kings 12:12–15 (ESV) So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.” 13 And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, 14 he spoke to them according to the couns

Jeroboam will become the leader of the 10 tribes of Israel and an instrument of God's judgment upon Solomon for his wandering ways late in life. The promise made to Jeroboam sounds very similar to the promise God made to Solomon at the beginning of his call to the kingship. 1 Kings 11:37–40 (ESV) And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. 38 And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39 And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.’ ” 40 Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. What's interesting here is that the Lord is promising g

Of all the people you would think could have resisted the temptation to forfeit his place in the world in exchange for sinful, cheap and costly decisions, Solomon would be at the top of that list. Solomon BUILT the temple and prayed one of Israel's most famous prayers over it. He sacrifices 10s of thousands of animals to the Lord. He covered everything used in the Temple with gold. He was filled with heavenly wisdom. But STILL, he fell into sin. But he falls tragically and demonstrably into the hook of sin in 1 Kings 11. The lesson for us is simple: anyone, no matter their education, wisdom, insight or spirituality can get seduced and suckered by sin. As the old puritan writer put it: Be killing sin or sin will be killing you. Solomon's sin will cost him dearly and this chapter outlines important truths for Solomon and us concerning our place is God's plan. 1 Kings 11:14–17 (ESV) And the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was of the ro

1 Kings 11:1–3 (ESV) Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. There are fateful moments in the Bible where history turns on a few verses. This is one of them. Solomon was the richest, most famous and beloved human on the planet, but here, his legacy took a nose-dive. Think of 700 wives. Each one was a conscious decision to concede moral ground to bad influences. Each one, I'm sure, seemed like a good or pleasurable decision for Solomon. Remember the details of this chapter come on the heels of the previous chapter. Last chapter he was busy ac

Solomon gets a visit from an Arabian Queen at the height of his success and fame. The Queen of Sheba arrives and sees for herself the blessing of God on this great man. Her reaction is priceless: 1 Kings 10:6–7 (ESV) And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, 7 but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard.  Notice as well the first thing she mentions is Solomon's wisdom. That's where it starts, friends. If we want God's blessing we have to get a hold of God's wisdom. His wisdom will do so much for us that others will not have anticipated it!  We should take note that it was Solomon's wisdom for which she originally came. She had things on her mind and questions in her heart. 1 Kings 10:2–3 (ESV) She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing

In 1 Kings 9, Solomon gives Hiram, king of Tyre payment for his help in constructing the Lord's temple. The payment consists of 20 cities in the region of Galilee. 1 Kings 9:11 (ESV) and Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress timber and gold, as much as he desired, King Solomon gave to Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee . When Hiram goes to check them out, it reads very negatively: 1 Kings 9:12–13 (ESV) But when Hiram came from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, they did not please him. 13 Therefore he said, “What kind of cities are these that you have given me, my brother?” So they are called the land of Cabul to this day. Cabul is hard to translate but commentators call it, "good for nothing." Now there's also some more description to this region given to us in this passage that you may be tempted to skip over. Doing so misses a powerful point. Looking later in the chapter it reads: 1 Kings 9:20–21 (ESV)

With great power comes great responsibility. This phrase was made popular by the Spiderman movies and comics although some attribute it to more historical figures. But the truth at the root of it can be traced to the moment Solomon finished the Temple of Israel in 1 Kings 9. 1 Kings 9:8–9 (ESV)   And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the Lord has brought all this disaster on them.’” The Lord is not playing games when it comes to Israel's future prosperity. They were the nation God had called to Himself, saving them from Egypt and establishing them in the Promised Land. They alone of all the Nations had the Word of God, the Testimony of the t

It's amazing how much the Scriptures speak of rest . It is in the Garden of Eden, it's the goal of the deliverance of Israel and establishment in the Promised Land (see Joshua 14:15). It is there after Othniel's judgeship over Israel (Judges 3:11). It is also now here in 1 Kings 8 (the longest chapter in the book) after  Solomon's dedication prayer. 1 Kings 8:54–57 (ESV) Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the Lord , he arose from before the altar of the Lord , where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven. 55 And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 56 “Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant. 57 The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, This is the desire of God: rest for you with Him. I

Solomon is making his intercessory prayer over the Temple of Israel in 1 Kings 8. It is a very long prayer filled with theological and practical truths for us today. In the last post we looked at how this Temple and it's dedication prefigures the Church of Jesus Christ, the true Son of David who builds His people as a living Tabernacle to bring the broken, defeated, sinful and stranger into God's presence. As we continue in the prayer, Solomon speaks of the future of Israel, that they would be the people who turn to God for grace when they experience punishment for sin in the form of exile. Notice what Solomon says: 1 Kings 8:48–50 (ESV)   if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name, 49 then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and ma

The Temple is finished and it is dedication day for Solomon and the nation of Israel in 1 Kings 8. Solomon begins praying in this long chapter, giving thanks to God for fulfilling His promise to the nation and also to David, his father. Then, after all the work that was done on the temple and in the midst of the great coronation event Solomon considers something important: 1 Kings 8:27–30 (ESV)   “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! 28 Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, 29 that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. 30 And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray t

Solomon's aspirations for the Temple of God are admirable. He uses the best materials and the most sacred style of construction to send a message to the nation and the world that the HOUSE of the Lord deserved the highest priority. Sadly, the story of Solomon takes a sad turn just after the details of the Temple's construction are finished. Notice how the text quickly moves on to discuss Solomon's work on his own home and several others adjoining buildings for himself plus his queen's own residence in 1 Kings 7. The first hint at the problems occurs with the last verse of 1 Kings 6 and the first verse of 1 Kings 7: 1 Kings 6:38–7:1 (ESV)   And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it. 1 Solomon was building his own house thirteen years , and he finished his entire house. There is a tendency for those who work hard

When construction begins on the Temple in 1 Kings 6 the Lord interrupts the work's description to speak to Solomon about what he's undertaking. Here's what the Lord says: 1 Kings 6:11–13 (ESV) Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, 12 “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.” A few things should catch us in this passage: First, God interrupts what Solomon is DOING to make sure Solomon understands that what's in his heart is far more important than what his hands perform. This is what God wants from all of us. The greatest commandment is not the do things for the Lord but the Love the Lord our God will all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. In the end, the Lord wants us to love Him. Thi

1 Kings 6:1 (ESV)  In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the LORD. Solomon goes into great care to erect the Temple of God in Israel. It is a new day for the nation as the tabernacle tent is replaced by an ornate and finely tuned house of worship for Israel. The temple's dimensions are double the tabernacle of Moses meaning the whole structure would be quadruple the size. While this structure pales in comparison to today's buildings and churches, in the ancient world, it was impressive. Yet the most impressive thing about the construction of this house is not it's size but how it was formed. Look at verse 7: 1 Kings 6:7 (ESV) When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was

Solomon's kingdom becomes an exhibit to the world of the gracious hand of the Lord upon His people and His chosen king. When Solomon decides to begin construction on the Temple, he reaches out to the foreign King, Hiram for lumber. The relationship gets off to a wonderful start. 1 Kings 5:7–8 (ESV) As soon as Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the Lord this day, who has given to David a wise son to be over this great people.” 8 And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message that you have sent to me. I am ready to do all you desire in the matter of cedar and cypress timber. We have here God's desire for Israel from the beginning. That they be a light to the Gentiles and an example to the world of what life with the Lord looks like. Hiram is impressed with Solomon's wisdom. He offers to help him and in fact, will do more than Solomon requests. Instead of requiring shared labor, Hiram will have his people do all

Solomon's reign is described succinctly here: 1 Kings 4:20–21 (ESV)  Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. 21 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. The promise made to Abraham is now fulfilled. It took hundreds of years and many generations but Israel is now as numerous as the sand on the sea. Sadly, it will not stay this way but we should take note of what went into making this happen: Godly LEADERSHIP. It began with Moses, then Joshua, some good Judges, Samuel and David, now Solomon. In the end, people need leaders who will guide them along the path God has laid out for them. Here we see the "provision" (ate and drank) of Israel, and the emotional well being of Israel (happiness) connected to the wise RULE of Solomon. The purpose of leadership and authority is to care