June 3 1 Kings 4-5

June 3 1 Kings 4-5 (ESV) Solomon’s Officials 4:1 King Solomon was king over all Israel, 2 and these were his high officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha were secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 4 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; Zadok and … More June 3 1 Kings 4-5

June 2 1 Kings 2-3

June 2 1 Kings 2-3 (ESV) David’s Instructions to Solomon 2:1 When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his … More June 2 1 Kings 2-3

How to lose a kingdom

Welcome to 1 Kings in our reading plan. Pastor Ray Stedman writes: First Kings is the gripping story of how to lose a kingdom. As we read these Old Testament books, the key to making them live and be vital in our lives is to see that they are visual aids by which God is … More How to lose a kingdom

June 1 1 Kings 1

June 1 1 Kings 1 (ESV) David in His Old Age 1:1 Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. 2 Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king … More June 1 1 Kings 1

Spurgeon on digging trenches and expecting divine blessings

From C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening(Evening May 16): The armies of the three kings were famishing for want of water: God was about to send it, and in these words the prophet announced the coming blessing. Here was a case of human helplessness: not a drop of water could all the valiant men procure from the … More Spurgeon on digging trenches and expecting divine blessings

Does God always operate in thunder and in lightning and in power?

And a great and strong wind was rending the mountain and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire [or lightning], but the Lord was not … More Does God always operate in thunder and in lightning and in power?

Elijah: Faith was a gift, and God would send It when he willed

ELIJAH PART 2, An Advent Poem by John Piper King Ahab called out from the rocks, “Do you think that a fire-tailed fox Can scorch the fields of Jezebel, And starve the stock, and dry the well, And mock the Baals, and scorn Jezreel, And not be crushed beneath the wheel Of Ahab’s chariot? Beware … More Elijah: Faith was a gift, and God would send It when he willed

Declining Dynasties

Quoting from “For the Love of God, Volume 1, October 13,” by D. A. Carson  FIRST AND 2 KINGS narrate the declining fortunes of both the northern and southern kingdoms. Occasionally there is a reforming king in one realm or the other. But on the whole the direction is downward. Some orientation (1Kings 16): (1) Although 1 and 2 … More Declining Dynasties