Category: 1 Year Bible Reading Plan

Today, we turn to 2 Kings. In this book we find the same format as 1 Kings. The book opens with Ahaziah, Ahab’s son in power in Israel. Ahaziah’s reign was short. He fell through the lattice-work in his palace and was injured. Instead of turning to the LORD, he had men go to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether he would recover. The LORD told Elijah to go and ask the men if there was no God in Israel, that they need to inquire of Baal-zebub? He then said, Ahaziah would die. Ahaziah sent men to get Elijah. He sent fifty men with a captain in charge. Elijah called fire down from the sky, and the fifty were consumed. This happened a second time. When the third captain came to Elijah, he bowed down in front of him, and begged for mercy. The LORD told Elijah to go ahead and go with the group. He announced to Ahaziah the he would die, and Ahaziah did die. Jehoram became king in his place. Jehoram was not related to Ahaziah, because he didn’t have any son’s, so the line of Ahab was broken.

As we turn to 2 Kings 2, we read of Elijah being taken up into heaven. Elisha is with him, and Elijah tells Elisha not to go with him, but Elisha is unwilling to remain behind.  The account holds a great deal of intrigue. Everyone knows it is the day the LORD will take Elijah into heaven. All the prophets tell Elisha this is the day Elijah will be taken up, and he keeps telling them not to speak of it. When the two come to the Jordan river, Elijah takes off his cloak and hits the water with it. The river parts and the two walk across on dry ground. As they walk along a chariot of fire comes down and takes Elijah up. Elijah had asked Elisha what he could do for him, before he was taken up. Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Elijah said it was a hard thing, but if Elisha saw him being taken up, it would be done. Elisha did see Elijah being taken up, and as he went back to the Jordan, he tapped the water with Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen to him as Elijah was taken up.  The water parted again, and Elisha recognized he had received the “mantle” of Elijah.  When he went back to the other prophets, they told of the water being bad, so Elisha gave them a bowl of salt to put in the water, and it made it good again. As Elisha traveled on, a group of children mocked him, calling him “baldhead.” After Elisha passed, two she bears came out and mauled forty-two of the boys. This seems quite drastic, but we’re being shown the power and position of Elisha as he starts his ministry in place of Elijah.

In chapter 3, the King of Moab rebels against Israel. When Ahab was the king, the Moabites paid tribute to Israel, but after Ahab died, they rebelled. Jehoram called on King Jehoshaphat to help him. He also called on the King of Edom, who joined the alliance. King Jehoshaphat asked King Jehoram if there was any prophet they could ask about the battle. Elisha came. He told them the LORD was only helping because of Jehoshaphat’s presence in the situation. He also predicted the LORD would provide water supernaturally for the three armies, which He did. When the Moabites saw the pools of water, it looked like blood, so they assumed the three armies had fought against each other, and attacked to claim the spoils. Instead, they were defeated and driven back to their own land. In desperation, the King of Moab sacrificed his oldest son, which incensed the Moabites and gave them extra power. In that power they forced the coalition back. As we reflect on this passage, what we see is even when a faithless king, such as Jehoram joined with a faithful king, Jehoshaphat, the LORD provided deliverance. The LORD doesn’t respond to our prayers based on our faithfulness, but He does bless obedience and faithfulness. If He only responded when we are totally obedient and faithful, He would never respond. Thankfully, His grace and mercy bend His heart toward us.

As we turn to Matthew 6, the second chapter recording the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about the spiritual disciplines of giving, prayer and fasting. In each case, Jesus makes it clear we are not to give, pray, or fast as a show to others of our faithfulness, but we are to offer them to God alone. Many other details of these disciplines are included, but the key is to offer ourselves, our lives, and our disciplines to the LORD. As we do, He will reward us. In the second half of Matthew 6, Jesus talks about the importance of serving God and God alone. He tells us the chief rival “god” in our lives, will be money. Remember, these words were spoken 2,000 years ago, and yet they are so apropos for today. Jesus recognized we tend to worry about our daily needs, and to think money will be the solution. He reminds us not to worry about anything, and to remember God provides everything we need. The final point Jesus makes in the chapter is so vital. He tells us “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything you need will be added to you.” I have made this such a focus in my life and ministry, because it really is a principle that makes life so simple. As long as we put God first, we don’t have to worry about anything else. God promises to meet our needs. On the other hand, if we don’t put God first, then we need to worry, because we’re in the position of needing to provide for ourselves. Throughout my life, I have found God to be completely faithful in meeting my needs, and my family’s needs. I’m sure you will, too, as you seek Him first!

1 Kings 21 offers us another example of the evil of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Ahab wanted a vineyard that belonged to a man named Naboth. The vineyard was close to Ahab’s palace and he wanted to turn it into a garden, but Naboth wouldn’t sell it, because he didn’t want to sell his family’s inheritance.  Ahab went home and went to bed without dinner, pouting because he couldn’t have what he wanted. When Jezebel came in and saw Ahab’s actions, she asked him if he wasn’t the king in Israel? In other words, “Why not take what you want?” Jezebel went behind Ahab’s back, and had Naboth falsely accused before the elders of the people. His punishment for blasphemy against God and speaking against the king was to be stoned to death. After Naboth was dead, Jezebel took the vineyard and gave it to Ahab. As Ahab was looking over the vineyard, the LORD told Elijah to go and pronounce condemnation of Ahab, and on his whole family. When Ahab heard the judgment, even though he was the most wicked of all Israel’s kings, he repented. Because he repented, the LORD decided not to carry out the judgment against Ahab’s family until the time of Ahab’s son. We see here, God’s judgment is always tempered by His mercy. This is an important reality for each of us, because we all stand under God’s judgment, but in His mercy, He forgives us when we repent and return to Him.

1 Kings 22 records the death of Ahab. It starts with Ahab allying himself with King Jehoshaphat of Judah to go to war against Syria.  Before the battle Jehoshphat asked Ahab to consult the prophets. Ahab’s court prophets predicted victory in battle for Israel and Judah, but Jehoshaphat asked whether there was a prophet of the LORD who could be consulted. Ahab responded there was one, but that he never prophesied anything good to him. Nevertheless, the prophet who was named Micaiah the son of Imlah was called. At first, he told Ahab victory would be his, but Ahab told Micaiah to tell the truth. At that point Micaiah told Ahab he would die in the battle and the army would be scattered. Ahab rejected the prophecy and had Micaiah placed back in prison until he returned. But Ahab didn’t return. He planned to trick the Syrian army by having Jehoshaphat dress up in his robes, while he dressed as a common soldier. The plan didn’t work. When the Syrians started chasing Jehoshaphat, he cried out, and they realized it wasn’t Ahab. One of the Syrian soldiers shot his bow “at random.” The arrow hit in a space between the sections of armor Ahab was wearing. He was mortally wounded, and died later that day.

We also read a brief account of what Jehoshaphat did as King of Judah. He was a good king as his father Asa before him. He reigned 25 years in Judah, and we’re told the only thing he didn’t do as king that would have made his reign better was to remove the “high places,” where idol worship took place. Most of the good kings of Judah failed to eradicate false worship from Judah, and that would eventually be part of Judah’s downfall. At the end of the chapter, we’re told Ahaziah reigned in Israel after Ahab died. His reign was short, only two years.

As we turn to Matthew 5, we enter a section of the book known as “The Sermon on the Mount.” It includes Matthew 5-7, and is the longest extended section of Jesus’ teaching in any of the gospels. In it Jesus sets before us the ethics of the Kingdom of God. As we read these chapters, we find ourselves thinking, “No one can do all this.” That is the conclusion Jesus intended for us to draw. To live out the Sermon on the Mount, we need the power of the Holy Spirit, a power which is available to all who trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Chapter 5 starts by telling us Jesus climbed up a mountain and his disciples followed Him. Once He arrived at the top, Jesus sat down and started teaching. His first teaching is what we call “The Beatitudes.” They are called that, because they pronounce blessing on those who carry out what we find. Jesus starts by saying those who are poor in spirit are blessed, because theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. To Jesus’ listeners, this would have been confusing. They would have thought the Kingdom of heaven belongs to those who were strong or rich in God’s Spirit. Jesus was pointing out we never seek Him or His Kingdom until we realize our own lack of spiritual growth, health, or strength. Each beatitude progresses through the development of the character necessary to be a citizen of heaven. Jesus pronounces a blessing for mourning, being merciful, being meek, being peacemakers, being pure in heart, and for suffering for righteousness sake, and ultimately for serving Jesus. The rewards for such behavior are great blessings.

The next lesson in the chapter is we are “the salt of the earth,” and “the light of the world.”  Salt and light were vital in Jesus’ culture. Salt preserved food, healed wounds and added zest and flavor. Light made it possible to see. The spiritual character of salt and light are obvious, and Jesus told us when we display these character traits, people will see them and give the glory to God, our Heavenly Father. Jesus goes on to tell us He didn’t come to destroy the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them. His constant battles with the religious leaders of Israel could have led people to conclude Jesus was against the Law. He was not. He was for the fullness of the spirit of the Law being lived out in our lives.  Jesus went on to illustrate His point by reinterpreting the commandment against murder, to include being angry with others; the commandment against adultery, to include mental acts of lust; and Jesus forbade swearing oaths, calling us to say a simple yes or no when we need to make a commitment. Jesus also spoke about “turning the other cheek,” and “going the second mile” in our lives. Jesus spoke in both figurative and literal terms here. His point was our righteousness must be based in our relationship with Him, and not in a cold carrying out of a long lists of do’s and don’ts found in the Bible. Jesus called us to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, and in the end, to be “perfect” even as our father in heaven is perfect. Of course, we cannot fulfill these new commands without the Holy Spirit working in and through us. Jesus knew that, and yet He gave us these instructions, before He died and rose again.  As we read them, we ought to think, “I could never do that!” How can we avoid being angry with others, or thinking lustful thoughts, or be perfect? Short answer: We can’t. Not unless we have the power of God living in and through us. Thankfully, that happens when Jesus becomes Savior and Lord in our lives. Only then do we have His Spirit in us, and only then can we live out these commands victoriously!

In 1 Kings 18, we see Elijah confront Ahab and the prophets of Baal. In the first portion of the chapter, we read of Obadiah, Ahab’s chief officer, and how he had protected 100 prophets of the LORD, when Jezebel had the prophets killed. We’re given this information, because the LORD sent Elijah to confront King Ahab, and as he travelled he met Obadiah. Elijah told Obadiah to go to King Ahab and tell him Elijah was coming. Obadiah begged Elijah not to have him do it, because Obadiah believed the Lord would take Elijah somewhere else in the Spirit, and then Ahab would kill Obadiah. But Elijah did go to see Ahab. When Elijah showed up, Ahab asked, “It it you, you troubler of Israel?” Interesting how from Ahab’s perspective it was Elijah who was troubling Israel and not the other way around, but Elijah told Ahab he was Israel’s troubler, and he had come to set up a contest between himself and the prophets of Baal and Asherah.

The “odds” were against Elijah. The prophets of Baal and Asherah numbered 850. Elijah proposed the contest be for each “side” to build an altar, then to put a bull on the altar, and then for the true God to send fire to burn up the bull. The people agreed this would be a great contest. Elijah had asked the people how long they would go limping back and forth between two opinions, that if the LORD was God they ought to follow Him, and if Baal was god to follow him. The image of a person jumping back and forth from one foot to the other is the image Elijah intended. The people seemed to have turned from God, but Elijah gave them the benefit of the doubt. As the contest began, Elijah gave his opponents first try. He let them call out to their god from morning until evening. He made fun of them after a while, asking them if their god was on vacation, or going to the bathroom or taking a nap. Finally, when evening came, Elijah had the altar prepared, the bull prepared, and then he had them pour gallons and gallons of water on the sacrifice. Then Elijah prayed to the LORD and asked Him to show the people He was the true God and that Elijah was His prophet. The LORD answered, and the people were convinced. Their God had answered with fire, and was the true God. In the frenzy that followed, Elijah had the people gather up all the prophets of Baal and Asherah, and he slaughtered them.

Next, Elijah told Ahab the rains were coming. He prayed seven times, and each time had his servant go to look to see whether the rains were coming. On the seventh time, the servant said there was a cloud the size of a man’s hand, but that was enough for Elijah. He warned Ahab to return to his palace before the rain was so hard that he couldn’t ride his chariot. Elijah’s great faith in the LORD is evident throughout 1 Kings, but as we will see, even Elijah faltered in his faith at times.

In 1 Kings 19, we read of Elijah’s faltering. After all he had just seen God do, we would think nothing could cause Elijah to fear King Ahab or Queen Jezebel, but when Ahab told Jezebel what Elijah had done, she sent him a message saying she was going to kill him before the same time the next day. Rather than stand up to Jezebel, Elijah ran for a day. He was tired so he sat down and asked God to take him, because his life wasn’t worth living. After that he fell asleep. When he woke up, an angel had food and water for him. After he ate, he fell asleep again. Once again the angel came and gave him food and water. After this Elijah rose and ran for forty days and forty nights. After that he hid in a cave. The LORD spoke to Elijah and asked him what he was doing in the cave. Elijah said he was the only one left who hadn’t deserted the LORD, and now everyone was trying to kill Him. The LORD corrected Elijah’s perspective. He pointed out there were 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed their knee to Baal. He sent Elijah outside and sent a howling wind, and earthquake and a fire, but the LORD wasn’t in any of these natural events. Then the LORD whispered to Elijah. Why did God whisper? In one of his books, Steven Furtick, answers, “Because He is so close.” I love that answer. In the whisper, the LORD sent Elijah back to anoint a couple kings, and to anoint Elisha as prophet. Elijah responds and as the chapter ends, both Elijah and Elisha are ready to serve the LORD. We do well to read these two chapters together, as they show us both the power of God in times of great corporate challenge, and the power of God in times of great personal challenge. In both types of time, He is more than ready to help us!

In 1 Kings 20, we read of King Ahab’s two battles with the King of Syrian, Ben-hadad. King Ahab was willing to give up his wives and his servants to Ben-hadad, but after he did so, Ben-hadad sent his men again to get more from Ahab, and Ahab told the elders of Israel about it. They  recommended that Ahab not give any more. This time Ben-hadad sent a message that his army would pulverize Israel. King Ahab sent a return message, “Let not the one who puts on his armor, speak as the one who takes it off. In other words, don’t brag until after the battle is over. God gave the Syrians into Ahab’s hands. The next spring, the Syrians attacked again, and Ahab’s troops won again, but Ahab let Ben-hadad go. A prophet of God came and told Ahab, because he had done this, the LORD was going to exchange his life for Ben-hadad’s. That the next battle Israel would lose and Ahab would die. We might think it was good for Ahab to show leniency, but the LORD’s purpose was to demonstrate the authority of His people over a pagan nation.

In Matthew 4, we read of Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness after His baptism. Before, Jesus’ ministry started in earnest, He endured a tremendous set of three temptations. Before the temptations Jesus fasted for 40 days. That made the first temptation significant: The devil tempted Jesus to turn a stone into bread. This temptation shows us the devil recognized Jesus as God’s son. After all, it wouldn’t be much of a temptation for you or me to turn a stone into bread, would it? Jesus responded to the temptation by quoting Scripture, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Next, the devil tempted Jesus to go up on top of the Temple and jump down. The idea was God would send his angels to save Jesus, and seeing this, people would worship Him. Jesus responded by quoting Scripture, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test.” Finally, the devil showed Jesus all the nations of the world, and promised to give them to Jesus if He would only bow down and worship him. Again, Jesus responded with Scripture, “You shall worship the LORD your God and Him only will you serve.” We learn something vital from this passage: The best way to deal with the devil is to know and quote Scripture to Him. Don’t argue–quote!

After this experience, Jesus started preaching that people needed to repent, because the Kingdom of God was near. (This was John the Baptist’s message, too.) Then Jesus called His first four followers: Peter, Andrew, James, and John. They were all fishermen. Jesus promised if they left their nets, He would teach them to fish for people. We’re told Jesus then went to the synagogues and taught. He also healed the sick and cast out demons. Jesus’ public ministry was underway. The details are a bit different than Mark and John, but the focus is the same: Jesus came to call people to repentance, to  preach, teach, heal, and cast out demons.  As Jesus followers in the 21st century that is also our focus and task. As we carry out that focus ad live into those tasks, people will come to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord. That has been His plan for the past 2,000 years!

In 1 Kings 15, we find a format that will follow through the Book of 2 Kings: we read of a king of Israel or Judah, whether he was good or evil, and then we read of the alternating king of the opposite group or about the son of that king. If we read about Israel’s king first then we read about Judah’s king second and vice versa. As noted, we might read about a king of Judah and his son, before we switch to reading about the corresponding king of Israel.  As we will see all the kings of Judah were evil. They followed in the ways of Jeroboam, the first king of Israel. Eight of the kings of Judah were good, including David. The good kings were said to follow in the ways of their “father,” David. As we start 1 Kings 15, we read of King Abijam of Judah. We’re told he did what was evil as his father had. (His father was Rehoboam.) He reigned for only three years. Even though he did what was evil, God didn’t end the line of David as king in Judah, for the sake of David. God valued His covenant with David and for David’s sake, whether the kings of Judah were good or evil, He let them rule.  We’re told Abijam was at war with Jeroboam, and when he “slept with his fathers,” or died, he was buried in the city of David. As we will see, some of the kings of Judah were not buried in the city of David. That’s always a clue for us that we have just read about one of the bad kings!

After Abijam died, Asa, his son, ruled in his place. Asa was a good king. He undid the idol worship his father and grandfather had established. He also formed an alliance with Syria against Israel that allowed him to retake some land in the northern part of his kingdom. He reigned for forty-two years and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His son Jehoshaphat ruled in his place.

Next we read of Nadab, Jeroboam’s son ruling in Israel. He ruled only two years, and because he was a king in Israel, we know he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Baasha, one of Jeroboam’s military officers, conspired against Nadab and overthrew him. He then had all of Jeroboam’s family killed, which fulfilled the prophecy pronounced against Jeroboam during his reign. Baasha reigned over Israel for twenty-four years, and did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. Even though Baasha had overthrown the household of Jeroboam, he continued to walk in the way of Jeroboam. We learn a key principle in this chapter: No one has to “walk in the way” of his or her ancestors but people often do. All the kings of Israel followed the path of least resistance, which was to follow the sinful example set by Jeroboam. A handful of kings in Judah either followed the example of their good father, or they looked back to the positive example set by David and ruled according to God’s plan for their life. Whatever example your parents set for you, you have the opportunity to follow it if they walked in the way of the LORD, or to follow Jesus, if they didn’t!

In 1 Kings 16, the usual pattern changes, as we read of several kings of Israel and their reigns without hearing about any kings of Judah.  First, we read of King Baasha’s unfaithfulness. Because he didn’t change direction, the word of the LORD came to Baasha, and he was told what had happened to Jeroboam and his “house,” would happen to him. When Baasha died, his son Elah took his place and continued on the path of sin established before him. Zimri conspired against Elah and killed him after Elah had reigned only two years. Zimri killed the entire household of Elah, fulfilling the prophecy against Baasha. Zimri’s rule lasted only seven days, as another military commander, Omri, overthrew him.  Omri reigned for twelve years, and continued Israel’s evil direction away from the Lord. Following Omri, Ahab, his son, became king. We’re told Ahab did more evil than all the kings of Israel. He added to his sin by marrying Jezebel, who brought Baal worship to Israel in addition to their worship of the golden calves, which had been set up during Jeroboam’s reign. This spiral of evil in Israel would lead them to the point of God’s judgment of them and their being carried off to exile by the Assyrians.

At an initial glance, it might be difficult for us to understand how a nation, which had been established by God could move so quickly toward destruction. If we do wonder about that, we need to look in the mirror as Americans. In a matter of decades, we have moved away from so many patterns of good established in scripture. We have become a nation where everyone does what is right in our own eyes, as was the case in Israel during the period of the judges. While the establishment of the monarchy changed that direction for a time, we see the human heart, if it is not dedicated to the LORD, will dedicate itself to itself or to false gods. That is because God created us to worship Him, and when we don’t pursue that God-given purpose, any other purpose we pursue will lead us down the path of evil and destruction, whether in a short time or long.

1 Kings 17 introduces us to the prophet Elijah. Elijah starts his ministry in Israel by telling King Ahab it would not reign there for three years, unless he said it would. It did not. This drought produced a famine across the region. Elijah was initially fed by God in a supernatural manner as birds brought him food. Later, the LORD told him to go to Zarephath, where he would meet a widow who would provide him food. When Elijah met the widow, she told him she had no food and she was preparing for her son and her to die, after she baked a last loaf of bread for them. Elijah told her to prepare food for him first. She did, and as a result, her flour didn’t run out for the entire period of the famine! The widow’s son got sick and died. She told Elijah it was his fault, but Elijah brought the son back to life. After that the widow believed he was a true prophet. That would do it!

As we turn to Matthew 3, we are introduced to John the Baptist and his ministry of preparing the way for Jesus and baptizing people as a sign of their repentance. John’s message was strong. He called the religious leaders a brood of vipers. He told them God was able to raise up a generation of children to Abraham from the stones. In other words, God didn’t need the current generation of Israelites to continue the line of Abraham. Eventually, Jesus came to John for baptism. John told Jesus it was he who needed to be baptized by Jesus instead of the other way around, but Jesus convinced John it was necessary to fulfill all righteousness. We learn an important truth about Jesus here: He did many things He didn’t need to do to set an example for us. As a sinless man, He didn’t need to subject Himself to baptism, or to being here on earth at all, for that matter, but He did it so we would have the opportunity to receive salvation through Him.

At the conclusion of Matthew 3, after Jesus’ baptism, God the Father affirms Jesus’ obedience, by sending the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and by the verbal affirmation: This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. As Jesus prepared to start His earthly ministry, He received the affirmation of His Heavenly Father. What a powerful message for us who are dads. If Jesus, the Son of the living God, needed affirmation at the outset of His ministry, we must certainly affirm our children when they make efforts to follow God’s calling in their lives, or when they pursue what is good over what is evil.

In 1 Kings 11 we read that Solomon turned away from the LORD in his latter years as king. Solomon married 700 women who were princesses and had 300 concubines. Most of Solomon’s wives were women of pagan nations, whom he married for political reasons. The problem was they brought with them the pagan worship of their nations. Solomon’s departure from worshiping the LORD went so far that he event worshiped Chemosh, a pagan god that required child sacrifice. Because of Solomon’s unfaithfulness, the LORD told him He would tear the nation out of his hands. But for the sake of David, the LORD said He wouldn’t do it until the time of Solomon’s son being king. He also planned to leave two of the tribes under the leadership of Solomon’s son. This split would create the nations of Israel and Judah. In the second portion of the chapter we’re told of adversaries the LORD raised up against Solomon, the chief of which was Jeroboam. Jeroboam would become the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

In 1 Kings 12, the LORD’s plan to divide the Kingdom in two parts became a reality. When Solomon died and his son, Rehoboam, became king, the people of Israel asked him to lighten the burden of taxes and service, and they would remain faithful to him. But Rehoboam went to his advisers to see what his response ought to be. The older advisers suggested Rehoboam ease the burden as the people requested, but Rehoboam asked his younger advisers, and they told him to tell the people he was going to increase it. This brought the wrath of the people on Rehoboam, and Jeroboam became the king of ten of the tribes. King Rehoboam assembled his army against Jeroboam, but the LORD told him not to go to battle, because it was His will to give the Northern Kingdom to Jeroboam. Once Jeroboam established himself as king, he committed a grave sin before the LORD. He decided if the people went to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship the LORD, they would eventually turn their allegiance to Judah. Therefore, he set up two golden calves in the Northern Kingdom. He told the people these were the gods that brought the people out of Egypt. They worshiped the idols and the beginning of the end of the Northern Kingdom had already begun.

In 1 Kings 13, a prophet of the LORD told Jeroboam that a descendant of David, Josiah by name, would one day sacrifice the priests of his gods on the altar where they sacrificed to the gods. Jeroboam stretched out his hand toward the prophet and it withered. Jeroboam asked the prophet to restore his hand, and he did. The prophet was told by the LORD not to eat or drink anything before he went home. Another prophet invited him to eat with him, but the prophet wouldn’t. Then the prophet who invited lied to him and said the LORD had told him it was okay. The prophet ate and as a result was killed on his way home. This seems extreme, and yet the prophet was told not to eat anything, and he did. The LORD requires obedience of all His children, but especially the prophets in the Old Testament era. After this, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways, and he continued to lead Israel away from true worship of the LORD.

In the first portion of 1 Kings 14, we read about Jeroboam’s continued sinfulness. His young son, Abijah, became sick, so Jeroboam sent his wife to the prophet Ahijah to see what would happen. The prophecy was extremely unpleasant. Abijah would die the moment the wife returned to the city. He would be the only member of Jeroboam’s family to be buried. Those who died in the city would be eaten by dogs, and those who died in the country would be eaten by the birds. Nevertheless, Jeroboam continued his wicked ways until he died. In the second portion of the chapter, we read about King Rehoboam’s reign in Judah. Rehoboam also did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD. As we shall see, all the kings of the Northern Kingdom were evil, and only eight of the kings of Judah were good kings. When Rehoboam died, his son Abijam became the new king.

Matthew 2 records the coming of the wisemen to pay homage to Jesus. When they entered Jerusalem and asked King Herod where the one who was born as King of the Jews would be found, Herod didn’t know. He had to ask his advisors. They told the wisemen to go to Jerusalem. Herod pretended to want to worship the new king as well, but his motive was to eliminate Jesus, and thus eliminate any competition for his throne. The LORD warned the wisemen to go home a different way once they had found Jesus, worshiped Him, and presented gifts to Him.  Joseph received another dream, and this one guided him to take his family to Egypt, to avoid Herod’s search for Jesus. When Jesus realized the wisemen had tricked him, he sent soldiers to kill all the male children in Bethlehem who were two years old or younger, in an attempt to kill Jesus. Once Herod died, Joseph was informed in a dream to come back to Israel. Because Herod’s brother was ruling in his place, Joseph was guided to go to northern Israel and live in Nazareth. Matthew tells us this was to fulfill an Old Testament prophecy that said God’s son would be called a Nazarene. In Matthew’s gospel, we see time and again how God intervened in Jesus’ life, and how the actions of Jesus and his family were considered a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. This makes perfect sense given Matthew’s Jewish background.

1 Kings 8 records Solomon bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple, his praising God, his dedication of the Temple and his benediction. The sheer numbers of animals sacrificed in the process of bringing the Ark into the Temple and the dedication service was most likely never rivaled either before or after in any religious service in Israel. Solomon made it quite clear the LORD’s Temple was to be the place for the Israelites to pray, whether it was to thank the LORD for His goodness or to call out to the LORD for his mercy during times when the people had turned away from him either individually or corporately. Take time to note the details of the dedication process. King Solomon took it quite seriously, and made sure the people understood both the importance of the Temple to Israel’s worship, and the connection of David and his line of descendants to the Temple and to the leadership of Israel.

1 Kings 9 tells us the LORD appeared to Solomon a second time in a dream. This time He came to affirm Solomon’s action in building the Temple, and to warn him if he turned away from the LORD he would experience grave consequences. The LORD renewed His covenant with David through Solomon, but He also told Solomon if any of his descendants abandoned the LORD, the LORD would abandon them. After the account of the dream, we are given a list of Solomon’s actions as king. Most of twenty years was devoted to the construction of the Temple and his palace. We’re told Solomon conscripted slaves from the conquered people of the land, but he didn’t enslave Israelites. We’re also told Solomon built a fleet of ships and sent them various places to trade with other nations. Through King Solomon’s efforts, Solomon became one of the great world leaders of his day.

1 Kings 10 tells us of the famous visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon. While she was there, she realized that Solomon was even greater and wiser than she had been told. Solomon was extremely wise, and the remainder of the chapter tells us about his wealth. Again, Solomon’s wealth was incredible. We’re told during Solomon’s time was considered nothing, because it was so plentiful. Most everyday utensils were made of gold and even his drinking cups were made of gold.

Today we turn to Matthew’s gospel for the first time. Matthew is the longest of the synoptic gospels. It was written from a Jewish perspective, which isn’t surprising given that Matthew was a Jewish tax collector. Matthew offers many Old Testament references in his gospel to demonstrate Jesus’ fulfillment of them. Matthew starts his gospel with a genealogy of Jesus’ line. Luke’s gospel also starts with a genealogy but they are quite different in their layout. Matthew’s genealogy starts with Abraham, the “father” of the Jewish people and proceeds forward to Jesus. Luke’s genealogy starts with Jesus and proceeds backward all the way to Adam. Luke was a gentile, so his genealogy didn’t stop with Abraham, the “father” of the Jews, but with Adam the “father” of all people.

After the genealogy, Matthew gives us a brief account of how Jesus’ birth came about. Matthew tells us that Mary conceived Jesus, before she and Joseph, her espoused husband had “come together.” As a result, Joseph was going to divorce Mary quietly, but an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream and assured Joseph that the child within Mary was holy. Luke offers an extensive explanation for how the birth of Jesus came about by comparison, but Matthew provides us enough information to make it clear Jesus’ birth was anything but “normal.” That is as we would expect given that He is the Son of the living God!

1 Kings 4 offers us a list of Solomon’s leaders in virtually every area of life. Then it tells us of his wisdom and expertise in many different areas of life. While the chapter contains a great deal of detail, this written explanation is short, because it doesn’t contain many principles or points of significant application for us.

1 Kings 5-7 tells us of Solomon’s construction of the Temple and of his own palace. He used Hiram of Lebanon to oversee the cutting of the cedar lumber for the project. He conscripted Israelites to do the work. The number of workers is prodigious. He conscripted 30,000 workers, who worked in shifts of 10,000 at a time, so they worked one month and were off for two months during the project. He also had 70,000 men who carried the wood, along with thousands of others who undertook various aspects of the project. We’re given the details of the project, both the exterior and interior construction, and the furnishing of the Temple. King David had set aside supplies for the project, and we’re told the wood and the stones were cut and made to size before they were brought to the Temple for its construction. This meant that no stone or hammer was heard on the construction site itself. Solomon’s palace was bigger than the Temple, and was opulently furnished. As we read the details of the Temple and palaces construction, we see not only had David planned ahead by providing the materials, but Solomon planned ahead so that every detail of the project was thought through and completed in a timely and effective manner. We can learn a great deal from reading through these three chapters, and one of the most important truth it contains is the importance of effective planning and execution of our plans.

As we return to Mark 16, which recounts the resurrection of Jesus, we’re reminded once again that the “shorter” ending of Mark, which most biblical scholars agree was the original ending to it, doesn’t contain many details about Jesus resurrection, except that it happened and Jesus promised to appear to His disciples. The longer ending tells us Jesus rebuked His disciples for not believing the women’s account that He had risen. It also includes detail about His commission to preach the gospel in the nations we don’t find in the other gospels. It speaks about signs accompanying their preaching which would include casting out demons, tongues, handling poisonous snakes without harm, and laying hands on sick people and healing them. The details are consistent with events recorded in the Book of Acts, so we need not doubt them just because they don’t occur in the other gospels, nor in the shorter ending of Mark itself. As we live out Jesus’ commission in the power of the Holy Spirit, He will provide was is necessary for us to fulfill it near and far.

Today we move to 1 Kings. In this book we start with David’s death. He “bequeathed” the monarchy to his son, Solomon, who would become the wisest and wealthiest king in the history of Israel. As we will see, though, Solomon did not finish well. By the time we move to David’s grandson, Rehoboam, the monarchy fractures into two separate kingdoms: Israel and Judah. While those distinctions were around in David’s time, in Rehoboam’s time those devisions become clear and pronounced. The LORD kept His promise to have one of David’s sons sit on the throne “forever,” but the influence of those sons after Solomon would never be close to the level of David or Solomon’s.

1 Kings 1 starts with the account of David being an old man, who was so frail he couldn’t keep warm. A young woman, named Abishag, was brought to sleep with him, and literally all she did was sleep with him, to keep him warm.  Obviously, David’s reign as king was nearing an end. The only question that remained was which of his sons would be king. As they say, “Nature abhors a vacuum,” and because David had not announced his successor, his son Adonijah, his second-born after Absalom, talked with Joab, and Abiathar the priest, and they sided with him and proclaimed him king. Nathan the prophet heard about it. He remained loyal to David, as did Zadok the priest, and Benaiah his bodyguard. Nathan knew David had said Solomon would be his successor, so he called Bathsheba and told her to go to David and tell him that Adonijah had pronounced himself king. Nathan’s plan was to come in shortly after Bathsheba spoke to David, and confirm Bathsheba’s report and ask David what his wishes were. The plan went as expected and David proclaimed Solomon his successor. David’s leaders made a public display of Solomon as the new king, and Adonijah realized he was doomed. His supporters left him, so he went to the tabernacle and grabbed the horns of the altar, symbolic of his putting himself at King Solomon’s mercy. Mercy showed himself a son after his father’s heart, by announcing that if Adonijah proved true, his life would be spared.

In 1 Kings 2, we read David’s last words to Solomon. While some of the words simply reminded Solomon of the LORD’s promise to have one of his descendants remain on the throne of Israel, and some advice about ruling, David also showed revenge toward those who had not been faithful to him at the end of his life. He charged Solomon to see they were killed. To solidify his grip on the kingdom after David died, Solomon had his and David’s enemies killed. They included Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei. He didn’t kill Abiathar, because he was a priest, but he did exile him from his presence. In Solomon’s actions, we see his obedience to his father, and his own willingness to do what was necessary to establish his reign over Israel.

In 1 Kings 3, Solomon had a dream, and in it the LORD asked him what he wanted the LORD to give him. Solomon’s answer was he wanted wisdom to rule the people of Israel well. The answer pleased the LORD. Because it was an unselfish answer, the LORD promised to give Solomon wisdom, and to give him wealth and victory over his enemies, as well. We see Solomon had a great start to his leadership as king, the closing section of chapter 3 shows us the LORD’s answer to the dream was real. Two prostitutes came to Solomon, and one claimed the other had taken her child. She did it because she had suffocated her own child as she slept, by rolling over on him. Then she took the other prostitute’s baby and placed the dead one in her arms. As they argued about whose child the living baby was, Solomon called for a sword. He said, “Let the child be divided in two and half given to each.” Immediately, the one prostitute said, “Yes, do that.” The other prostitute said, “No, give the child to her (the other prostitute.). Solomon then said, “Give the child to the one who said not to kill him, but to give him to the other. She is the mother.” Everyone realized how much wisdom it took to come up with such a plan. They praised Solomon, and recognized God’s hand on his life.

As we return to Mark 15, we find Jesus before Pilate. Pilate finds no fault with Jesus–because there was no fault to be found. Yet, because of his fear of the crowds, and for his position, he condemns Jesus to die. Jesus is crucified, and endures the physical pain, but much more the spiritual anguish of taking the sins of the world upon Himself. At his death, Jesus is taken to the tomb of Joseph, and the stage is set for the greatest reversal in all of human history–the resurrection!

 

2 Samuel 22 offers us an example of David’s poetry. We know David wrote many of the Psalms included in the Bible. The poem in chapter 22 gives God the credit and glory for all of David’s victories in battle and for protecting him throughout his life. We find parts of this poem in several of the psalms. David calls God his “rock.” He tells us he called out to God in his distress and God answered. We see the personal nature of the relationship David had with God, and we are reminded of God’s desire for us to be in relationship with Him. As we examine the various religions of the world, we find most of them point to an impersonal god or gods, but the God of Israel, the true and living God, always looks for people, and upholds the righteous. That was certainly the case in David’s life. David was imperfect as all of us are, but God loved him and blessed him throughout his life.

As we move to 2 Samuel 23, we are told we are reading the last words of David. They aren’t the “last” words of David, but they do point us to the end of David’s reign as king. David recalls that God promised to have one of his descendants rule on Israel’s throne for all generations after him. The second half o f the chapter lists David’s thirty mighty men. In reality, the list includes “the three,” who were mightier than the thirty. As we read the men’s names, along with their exploits in David’s service it is striking the loyalty these men showed to David. Every leader knows loyalty is a vital component of being an effective and successful leader. After all, as John Maxwell once put it, “If you think you are leading, but no one is following, then you’re only taking a walk.” David was never simply taking a walk. He had people who were willing to die for him, to kill for him, and to go wherever he led them. That loyalty was earned by David’s own loyalty to the LORD, and to his men.

In 2 Samuel 24, we read about one of David’s last actions as king. It was an ill-advised command to take a census of Israel and Judah. The reason the action was ill-advised was it resulted in God’s judgment. We’re told God incited David to command the census, but the command was a test from God, which David failed. To count one’s people or troops in that day showed a desire to demonstrate one’s power or influence. David ought to have trusted in the LORD and not the number of his people or troops. Joab realized as much and attempted to dissuade David from having the census carried out. The the census was completed, the LORD sent Gad, the prophet, to David and gave him three options for how the judgment would be carried out. David chose a plague, because it would put the final death toll in the LORD’s hands, rather than in the hands of David’s enemies. 70,000 people died through the plague, which was finally ended when David bought the threshing floor of Aruanah, and offered sacrifices to the LORD there. When Aruanah offered to give David the threshing floor and the oxen needed to offer the sacrifice, David said he would not offer to the LORD that which cost him nothing. That is a powerful principle we ought to keep in mind as we live our lives. God offers His salvation to us freely through the blood of Jesus, and yet Jesus told us if we want to be His followers we must deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily and follow Him. Our salvation was free to us, but it cost Jesus everything. As we live out our faith, it will have a cost for us as well.

As we return to Mark 14, we return to the painful last night of Jesus’ life. The chapter starts with Jesus having a meal in Bethany and being anointed with expensive perfume. Some in the group were upset the money was “wasted,” as the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. But Jesus affirmed the action, and pointed out the woman was preparing his body for burial, and that she would be remembered for her good deed. Then we read about the Last Supper, Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denial, Jesus’ time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, His arrest and finally of Peter’s denying three times he had ever known Jesus. When it came to the last moments before Jesus was crucified, He was alone. Those closest to Him either betrayed Him,  denied Him or abandoned Him. This had to be one of the darkest moments in Jesus life. We know from His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane that He asked God to remove what  was coming ahead of Him. Jesus knew He was going to take the sin of the world on His shoulders on the cross, and it shook Him to the core. Yet, in the end He told His heavenly Father, “Not My will, but Your will be done.” That attitude shows us Jesus is both Lord and Savior for us. While as Lord He owns us and gets to tell us what dot do, He was first willing to die for us to purchase our lives out of sin, so He can lead us. That kind of Lord is worthy of being served!

In 2 Samuel 19 Joab rebukes David for mourning so forcefully for Absalom, and David realizes he must affirm the troops, or lose them. When David returns to Jerusalem, he shows his character once again, by pardoning those who spoke against him when he left the city. He also reinstates Mephibosheth, who Ziba had deceived and left in the city.  Because David couldn’t tell for sure whether it was Ziba or Mephibosheth who was telling the truth, he divided Mephibosheth’s property between them. Even so, Mephibosheth was grateful that his relationship with David was reestablished, because that meant more to him than the property. David also appointed Amasa as his commander over the army.

In 2 Samuel 20 Sheba, an Israelite (as opposed to a citizen from Judah) rebelled against David. When David sent his troops out against Sheba under Amasa’s command, Joab once again showed his treachery by murdering Amasa. Joab and Abishai then led Judah’s troops to victory and reestablished David’s leadership over all of Israel.

2 Samuel 21 records God’s judgment against the Israelites, because Saul had broken their pledge with the Gibeonites and killed some of them during their reign. The judgment came in the form of three years of famine. When David realized what was happening, he went to the Gibeonites and asked what could be done to satisfy this wrong. They didn’t ask for money, but for seven sons of Saul to be hanged. While the request seems so inhumane from our perspective, when David provided the men, and they were hanged the famine stopped. In addition, to this account, the chapter tells us about a couple of additional battles with the Philistines. David was nearly killed during the first battle, and his commanders told him that he must no longer go into battle. We see David is aging, and literally his reign is going down hill at this point. In all of our lives, we grow and mature, and at some point while our mental and spiritual abilities may continue to grow, our physical capacity diminishes. When that happens, we are wise to do as David did and realize our limitations.

As we return to Mark 13, we read Jesus’ record of what will take place in the future at the time of the end. Many signs and evidences of the end are noted, but Jesus made it clear no one would know the exact time of His return. He made one point extremely clear: Be ready.  While many folks in our day spend their time attempting to determine when Jesus will come back, we must invest our time attempting to help as many people as possible to know Him as Savior and Lord. That way when He returns we will be found ready!