Read: 1 Kings 15-17
Marked: 1 Kings 17:15, So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days.
This woman had nothing, just enough to feed her and her son one last meal and then wait for death.
But at word from the prophet Elijah, she prepares him something to eat from the little she had. That takes great faith. I want my faith in the Lord to be like that. No questioning, or arguing. Just simple obedience.
Read: 1 Kings 12-14
Marked: 1 Kings 12:8, But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.
Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders before he sought advice from others. It appears he had already made up his mind before seeking the advise of the elders.
When I seek advice I shouldn’t have already made up my mind and only seek agreement from others on my decision. That is not seeking advice. Weighing a decision requires an open mind and listening to the advice of others.
Read: 1 Kings 10-11
Marked: 1 Kings 11:9, So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
Our experiences with God should not be what keeps us. Experiences come and go, but God’s word is eternal and never changes.
If God said it, He will do it. In spite of God appearing to Solomon twice, the things of the world drew Solomon away from keeping what the Lord had commanded.
Whenever I compromise the word of God with the things of the world, my relationship with God suffers.
Read: 1 Kings 8-9
Marked: 1 Kings 9:3-5, And the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
Solomon had spent over 20 years building the temple and other structures, and dedicated them to the Lord.
He took much pride in what he had done, perhaps too much. So God reminds him that man might build but it is God who consecrated, or sanctifies.
The Lord would much rather sanctify the man, to have man walk in integrity of heart and uprightness.
As much as I can take pride in the things I do for God, it is better to seek God to build me and do according to all He has commanded me.
Read: 1 Kings 6-7
Marked: 1 Kings 6::14, So Solomon built the temple and finished it.
Chapter 6 details the building of the temple and finishing it. 1 Corinthians 2:16 says my body is the temple of God in which the Spirit of God dwells. Amazing
I see the detail, intricacy, and beauty of the physical temple and I am reminded in Philippians 1:6 that the good work God has begun in me will be completed.
God does not leave His work unfinished. He will complete every aspect of constructing my life that I might be a habitat fit for His Spirit. Amazing.
Read: 1 Kings 3-5
Marked: 1 Kings 3:13, “And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.
Solomon saw that he was king because of God, and when given an opportunity to ask God for anything he realized he was like a little child, V7.
All he asked for was an understanding heart to judge God’s people, and to discern between good and evil, V9. So God gave him what he asked for and then also gave him what he had not asked for, V13.
When I come like a child and ask the Lord for the things He wills for me, He often gives me more than I ask. I can’t go wrong seeking the things of God according to the will of God.
Read: 1 Kings 1-2
Marked: 1 Kings 2:3, And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.
I can’t “keep the charge of the Lord” unless I first observe His word. I need to know His ways to walk in His statutes, commandments, judgments, and testimonies, as written, to keep them.
That is how I will prosper in all I do and wherever I turn. These Words remind me of Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall depart from your mouth”, and Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God.”
Read: 2 Samuel 22-24
Marked: 2 Samuel 22:31, As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
The Hebrew for, “perfect” means, whole, or complete. And “proven” means, tried, or tested, as in a smelter.
I can see why David was a man of God. He held to the word because he knew it was the only wholly complete thing we can find on the earth.
He lived by it and proved it and found it a sure defence keeping him from sin as he put his trust in it.
May I prove the perfect word of God in my own life and find protection from my enemies like David did.
Read: 2 Samuel 19-21
Marked: 2 Samuel 19:8, Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And they told all the people, saying, “There is the king, sitting in the gate.” So all the people came before the king. For everyone of Israel had fled to his tent.
Leaders/servants lead/serve regardless of how they feel. David’s mourning for Absalom was excessive and selfish. He failed to recognize how he’d been saved by the people from being deposed.
But when confronted by Joab, David carried out his responsibilities as the king and showed himself to be a man after God’s own heart.
I am reminded of how Christ sets the example in leadership and service in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Read: 2 Samuel 16-18
Marked: 2 Samuel 18:4, Then the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.
David was an accomplished leader, yet, was willing to heed the advice of his people. David was a man who listened to God, and to others, and showed himself to be a wise leader.
I may want to do something that others think I shouldn’t do. Am I willing to take advice from others? Am I wise enough to listen?
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