In 1 Kings 12, we read that after Jeroboam joined the people, they asked King Rehoboam to “lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” (vs 4) Notice that they didn’t ask that he end it altogether, just that he lessen the load. If he … More A turn of events from the LORD
We come to a sad tale in 1 Kings 11, a tragic tale of the downfall of King Solomon. God had warned him not to marry foreign women, for they were bound to turn his heart away from the Lord. But, not only did Solomon take a foreign wife or two, he married “700 wives, … More A sad tale
How rich was Solomon? 1 Kings 10:14&15 – “The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 25 tons, not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land.” 1 Kings 9:27&28 – “And Hiram sent his men – sailors who knew the sea … More How rich was Solomon?
1 Kings 8:27 “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!” Solomon makes this amazing statement as he is dedicating a house he built to be a place where God’s presence would dwell in Israel. Even though … More Uncontainable God!
As we read in 1 Kings about Solomon’s construction of the Temple, we need to be reminded that it was a shadow. John Piper comments on this in an introduction to a message, “Jesus: Mediator of a Better Covenant” The tabernacle and temple were a shadow; the official priesthood was a shadow; the animal sacrifices … More These shadows will fall away
1 Kings 3:6-14 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on … More Asking God for a discerning heart
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 showing us what is going on in our … More How to lose a kingdom
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
And it came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently. Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled … More “By the mercy of God”
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?
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 