My Daily Bible Blog

Hezekiah

Hezekiah was a King who rid Judah of idols and shrines. He was known for "doing right in the eyes of the Lord." In one of the oft-cited old testament miracles, we see the Lord cause a shadow to reverse direction on stairs to prove to Hezekiah that the Lord will extend his live another 15 years.

1 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years.

The first few verses follow the format of the rest of Kings. In these books, Kings (primarily the successors to David), are noted for their linage, their age, and the length of their reign. The one description to take note of is how their reigns are summed up in a single phrase: either they "Did right in the eyes of the Lord" or they "did evil in the eyes of the Lord."

3 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)

In Numbers 21:9, While the Israelites are wandering around in the desert, they begin to complain and the Lord sends a venomous snake to bite some of them as a reminder/punishment. Some of them die, but later God has Moses hold up a staff and he turns it into a bronze snake. Whoever looks at this snake, became healed. Apparently, the Israelites had grown to worship this snake over time, burning incense to it- making it an idol. We see that Hezekiah put an end to that quickly.

• How would the author of Kings sum up your life, were you to be listed as a King(Queen) in this book?

5 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. 6 He held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the LORD had given Moses. 7 And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. 8 From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.

What a life! Notice how he was granted success in all that he did, and why he was marked as such a great man who was one-of-a-kind:

1. He held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him
2. He kept the commands the Lord had given Moses
3. He rebelled against those that opposed the Lord and did not serve them
4. He defeated the Lord's enemies and protected his people
   

• How can we do each of these? Hold fast to the Lord, keep his commands, stand up against those that oppose the Lord, and defeat his enemies thus, protecting his people.

Although, we will see Hezekiah reaction when his is challenged by the King of Assyria in vs 17-37 (his answer may surprise you)...

To be continued....

Victory Over Sin – A Personal Account
Unknown

I don’t think most people know how to change because they have never gained the victory in certain key areas. No matter how you look at it, if there is a known sin in your life it has to be dealt with before you can progress in your walk with Christ. If you do not gain the victory over that sin it gains the victory over you and begins to push you back. God wants you to gain the victory, and you have to want to gain that same victory.

When we repent (being sorry enough to quit cold turkey) we ask forgiveness, accept forgiveness and a clean slate, and trust in His strength to keep us there. If we fail (and you cannot think about failing when repenting or you have not repented; repenting is reliance on the power of God to keep you clean and to change your desires), we have an intercessor who gives us an opportunity to repent and continue on.

I failed for years because I repented knowing I was going to commit the same sin again. I actually never repented. I never had FAITH (extreme confidence) that God could overcome the sin if I would ask His help every time. Often when I would pray, the thoughts would come, but I hated the thoughts so much I would pray anyway. I was tired of being filthy. God did not want me to be that way, he wanted me to trust in Him every time and stop thinking I could make up my mind to fix the problem. “Greater is HE that is in you than he that is in the world.”

Satan cannot win unless we let him. He does not have power over our lives unless we give it. I cannot say that I never have sinful thoughts, but I can say that they no longer dominate my life like they once did. I had to give up TV, secular music, and situations that brought on the thoughts. I give God all the credit. I know I could and cannot do it alone.

You have to use the Sword ~ The Bible. You have to memorize key verses to quote when you are in the heat of temptation (temptation is not sin, but indulging in the temptation is sin). He will not take away the temptation. You must have the choice in the matter or you would be a spiritual robot.

Gal 5:16-18 But I say, walk {and} live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to {and} controlled {and} guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings {and} desires of the flesh (of human nature without God). For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free {but} are prevented from doing what you desire to do. But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.

You need to be connected to a caring church. You cannot win as quickly alone. You need an army of many, not one.

Gal 6:1-6 BRETHREN, IF any person is overtaken in misconduct {or} sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right {and} restore {and} reinstate him, without any sense of superiority {and} with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also. Bear (endure, carry) one another’s burdens {and} troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill {and} observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) {and} complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it]. For if any person thinks himself to be somebody [too important to condescend to shoulder another’s load] when he is nobody [of superiority except in his own estimation], he deceives {and} deludes {and} cheats himself. But let every person carefully scrutinize {and} examine {and} test his own conduct {and} his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction {and} joy of doing something commendable [in itself alone] without [resorting to] boastful comparison with his neighbor. For every person will have to bear (be equal to understanding and calmly receive) his own [little] load [of oppressive faults]. Let him who receives instruction in the Word [of God] share all good things with his teacher [contributing to his support].

You will win. If God is for you, who can stand against you? I kept repenting, hating myself, and over the process I shared with you I gained the victory. I still have battles in other areas. I hope there is something here you can use.


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My war against lust
Unknown

The day I was born again, I became a new creation. It was like love at first sight with Jesus (2 Cor 5:17). When the congregation was singing in the Spirit, I saw a bright light shine upon me, heard God’s voice and felt God’s love. Conviction broke my heart to repentance and tears. That love burned my heart with a passion to stay in His presence. Then seeing heaven and God’s Throne, hearing God’s voice, and seeing his angels in visions and in dreams became a common experience. I was totally transformed. The desire to sin was gone. I felt totally pure and holy, free from any form of sin in thought, word or deed. As I devoured the Bible and pondered on every truth and principle, God showed me the things that I must get rid of. Repentance and renunciation of sins since childhood were the main events all through the weeks that followed.

The first two years of my conversion was a sweet and awesome daily experience with God. Then one day, a brother confessed some sins of lust, asking for prayer. After praying for him, a lustful feeling stirred my body. A familiar fleshly desire stuck on my spirit and I did not know how to handle it. I attempted to drive the spirit of lust and whatever spirits were around tempting me to commit lustful acts. But my prayers seemed futile. The spirit had gripped my body and it felt as if I was losing control and going crazy. Because of that lust, the door was opened for the devil to taunt and defile me. He dug up my past pains and bitterness. They were terrible and awful situations my wife and I had to overcome. I was oppressed and became oppressive to my wife. Due to the daily pain and rejection resulting from our petty conflicts, our marriage was terribly affected. My fellowship with the Lord waned. I drifted to self pity, depression, and more lust.

In spite of my frequent falling, the Lord faithfully lifted me up when I responded to the Spirit's conviction. God never grew tired of forgiving me even when I sinned against Him "seventy times seven a day" (Matt 18:21, 22 NIV). The lustful experience that had become frequent dried my spirit quickly, making me struggle, longing for the presence of God and His anointing which I had enjoyed in earlier years. One day, the devil showed himself to me, jeering and saying " Hahaha, you sinned again! You will never get out of it!" Then he left. I was stunned because I had no authority to rebuke him. What I did was ask forgiveness of God and declare an all-out war against lust.

I refocused my spirit on God: praying, reading the scriptures, meditating, listening to His voice, praying in the Spirit - a non stop activity as long as I was awake. It was tough discipline but it paid off. I saw quick victory which I thought was the result of persevering prayer. Yes, praying against lust powerfully drives lust away. But it was just as Jesus said: the spirit will leave the house empty, and when it comes back, he brings other demons stronger than himself (Matt 12:43-45 NIV). But one early morning while I was taking my children to school, the Holy Spirit told me that perfect love will cast out lust from my desires and feelings. When lust comes back, it has no room because love occupies the entire house.

A breakthrough against lust took place in my life when the Holy Spirit led me into the powerful knowledge and experience of loving Jesus with all my heart. I reoffered my life to God, refreshed my covenant, and devoted most of my time in an intimate fellowship with Jesus, a love affair in His holy chamber.

As the Lord of your life, God must be the most important person in your heart and mind. He must be enthroned there and take charge of your affairs, little or big. He must be the God who is real and awesome in your spirit, the God that you worship, adore and love above all things. You must give everything of your life to Him, your needs, concerns, wants, desires, dreams, visions, plans and everything, because this is love. Pray out these things to God now because He must be the foundation of your warfare against lust. Your victory against lust is possible only when you are intimately relating with God who must occupy your mind, heart, and body.

Love is enough to overcome lust, but such love must be that of God, not of this world (1 John 2:15, 16 NIV). Love is pure because it does not lust. The desire to be intimate with a girl or guy is very dangerous when one's heart is not under the kingship of Jesus. Such desires must be surrendered. In fact, everything must be surrendered to the Lord (Luke 14:33; 2 Cor 5:15; Gal 4:20). A Christian must master his heart to be intimate with Jesus. He must develop his love affair with Him by submitting every thought, feeling, desire, plan, and action to God. Everything that concerns you, your breath, your fear, your faith, your lack, your plenty, must be brought to God. Let Him speak. Let Him rule over you and you will find out that that is intimacy. God is not a hard taskmaster. When He requires total submission to Him, it is meant for us to enjoy that intimacy because His requirements are meant for an intimate relationship wherein love, peace, and joy abound. Some Christians cannot appreciate the idea of submitting to God every plan and action in one's personal affairs. They cannot appreciate the talking and asking relationship with God. These people cannot appreciate this because they cannot hear God. But if you are desperately looking for answers, do it and you will enjoy the love of the Lord. How wonderful it is to hear his voice!

One time Jesus said to the crowd, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matt 18:3 (NIV). He spoke of children as the illustration of humility and openness. Children are honest. They inquire and ask many questions. They ask many what’s, how’s and why’s. I believe that God wants us to be inquisitive like children. God wants to talk to us, teach and train us to move and have our being in the Lord. Adults do not ask questions even when they need to know something because they don't want to expose their ignorance and lack of knowledge. Such an attitude is pride. Children don't have this hang up. They ask when they do not know. Be like children; ask God when you don't know. You used to go into your thoughts squeezing your intellect to provide you answers; but in the Lord, you connect to God and let your intellect seek the mind of Christ. Now your intellect and God's intellect merge. They become one. That's powerful. The devil cannot win in such a situation. Lust cannot come in.

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Claiming Victory Over Sin
Josh Downing

Last night I was reading some stuff I downloaded back in 2005 about resisting temptation [Victory Over Sin – A Personal Account and My War Against Lust], because back when I first downloaded and read it, it was a big revelation and extremely powerful. It talks about what repentance really is, and confirms Christ's victory that's already been won for us. All we have to do is claim it. People say they know that over and over, but you'll rarely find people who actually put it into practice: claiming Christ's victory over temptations or strongholds that Satan holds in their lives, with the knowledge embedded in their hearts that they will not fall again. And I think people fail to claim and live in that victory because they forget that they're really in a spiritual battle over their own souls. Many churches and a lot of Christians downplay the fact that angels and demons are real and are extremely active in battling for the salvation/damnation of the world. Specifically, they downplay the role that demons play in our temptation and sins. They go around with the attitude that if they're saved, demons can't touch them. Yeah, right. If that were true there would be no reason for claiming victory in Christ, and resisting temptation would be simple.

Another thing some of the things I read talked about was something I'd heard and been taught years ago, both in church and through reading some of Corrie ten Boom's excerpts from her ministry overseas. When you gain the victory over a sin in your life (i.e., truly repenting with the knowledge that you won't fall again because Christ has sealed the victory for you, and going about your life by actually turning away from the sin and resisting the temptation), you have to fill that void left by the sin/evil spirit with your relationship with Christ--more importantly, His love. In Corrie ten Boom’s account, she and another minister had cast an evil spirit out of a person, but the evil spirit kept coming back and inhabiting the person again and again. God finally revealed to her that what was happening was what Christ talked about in Matthew 12:43-45: the person had never fully repented for the sins in which he was living and had not filled his life back up with God (seeking Him, praying, communing, etc). Because of that, the evil spirit was able to come back continually, even though the man had been forgiven.

I have been challenged a lot lately by my pastor and a guy named Jeb Kolby last night at dinner. Jeb went to A&M, class of '04. He is on staff at our church now. He and his wife are going on mission to Kyrgyzstan in September. They are going to "teach" at a school there. He was telling me how the pastor at our church FORCES everyone on staff to spend an hour a day with Jesus. If that is while they are at the office at church, then that is ok. Jeb said the mission leader of the school he is going to spoke to Jeb about this in order to prepare for his year of ministry. This is what he said:

People (Christians) can't commit to getting up early to spend an hour a day with Christ usually for three reasons:
1) They are too tired or lack of sleep
2) They don't have the desire
3) They don't see the relevance in doing so.

He said that if you are too tired then it is going to take a change in your lifestyle. If you have to go to bed an hour early so that you can get up an hour early, then do so. If you have to cut out watching David Letterman at night, then do it. David Letterman is not the King of the World, and he is not your savior. If you have to cut out spending time on the computer at night then do it. He said that if the President of the United States asked you to meet him at 5:00 am tomorrow morning, you would definitely make the time. What about Jesus?

If you don't have the desire, then ask for the desire!

I have committed myself to spending an hour a day at work with Jesus. From when I get to work at 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, my door is going to be shut. I am telling my assistant not to bother me with anything at all. Luckily I have a job that allows me to do this; not everyone does. You may not, but I know you can find some time somewhere. Early in the morning or at night when you get home, before you open your computer or do anything else this should be priority. Don't take this as me preaching, because I believe we are in the same boat here. For a while I wasn't doing this for those three reasons: too tired, didn't have the desire, and didn't see the relevance in doing so. Well, I guess I knew the relevance, but didn't act like I did. While I am writing this to you I am saying it to myself just as much!

I will be praying for you about that and pray for me too.


-Kyle Webb

Even Evangelical Teens Do It
How religious beliefs do, and don't, influence sexual behavior.
By Hanna Rosin
Posted Wednesday, May 30, 2007, at 1:34 PM ET


A 19-year-old virgin walks into a bar. He's got his lucky cross in his pocket and his best jersey on. Please God, he says to himself, let this be the night. He spies a girl sitting at a table—blonde, wholesome-looking, just his type. He sidles up closer to the girl, who is chatting with some friends. Over the din, he can make out snippets of her conversation: at Bible study the other night … Pastor Ted says … saving it for marriage. Discouraged, he walks away in search of a more promising target.

Did he make the correct decision? Or did he make a hasty judgment and miss a chance for a possible love connection? The answer to such a question can be found in Forbidden Fruit: Sex & Religion in the Lives of American Teenagers by Mark Regnerus, a professor of sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. The book is a serious work of sociology based on several comprehensive surveys of young adults, coupled with in-depth interviews. But it could also double as a guide for teenage boys on the prowl (who's easier, a Catholic girl or a Jew?) or for parents of teenage girls worrying about what will happen if their daughters keep skipping church.

Regnerus goes to some length to justify his unusual pairing of subjects. Most researchers of youth behavior tend to ignore the influence of religion, he argues, and instead focus on other factors—parental input, peer pressure, race, or socioeconomic status. But sex is one area where religion has a strong impact, at least on attitudes. When academics do consider religion, they tend to make lazy assumptions that religious communities are inherently conservative, universally condemn sex, and encourage abstinence. Regnerus complicates the picture by examining the varying attitudes of different religious communities. And while sex surveys are notoriously unreliable, his great innovation is to compare conservative attitudes with actual practices.

Which brings us back to Romeo at the bar. It turns out that the answer is: He has indeed made a hasty judgment, and a common one. The girl he had his eye on is speaking the modern idiom of evangelese, and Regnerus' most surprising findings are about her type, who make up about one-third of all teenagers, but who dominate the culture's notions about religion and sex. Teenagers who identify as "evangelical" or "born again" are highly likely to sound like the girl at the bar; 80 percent think sex should be saved for marriage. But thinking is not the same as doing. Evangelical teens are actually more likely to have lost their virginity than either mainline Protestants or Catholics. They tend to lose their virginity at a slightly younger age—16.3, compared with 16.7 for the other two faiths. And they are much more likely to have had three or more sexual partners by age 17: Regnerus reports that 13.7 percent of evangelicals have, compared with 8.9 percent for mainline Protestants.

How is that possible? What happened to all those happy, young Christian couples from the '90s swearing that True Love Waits? Partly, the problem lies in the definition of evangelical. Because of the explosion of megachurches, vast numbers of people who don't identify with mainstream denominations now call themselves evangelical. The demographic includes more teenagers of a lower socioeconomic class, who are more likely to have had sex at a younger age. It also includes African-American Protestant teenagers, who are vastly more likely to be sexually active.

But partly the problem lies in the temptation-rich life of an average American teenager. The fate of the True Love Waits movement, which began with the Southern Baptist Convention in the '90s, is a perfect example. Teenagers who signed the abstinence pledge belong to a subgroup of highly motivated virgins. But even they succumb. Follow-up surveys show that at best, pledges delayed premarital sex by 18 months—a success by statistical standards but a disaster for Southern Baptist pastors.

Evangelical teens today are much less sheltered than their parents were; they watch the same TV and listen to the same music as everyone else, which causes a "cultural collision," according to Regnerus. "Be in the world, but not of it," is the standard Christian formula for how to engage with mainstream culture. But in a world hypersaturated with information, this is difficult for tech-savvy teenagers to pull off. There are no specific instructions in the Bible on how to avoid a Beyoncé video or Scarlett Johansson's lips calling to you from YouTube, not to mention the ubiquitous porn sites. For evangelicals, sex is a "symbolic boundary" marking a good Christian from a bad one, but in reality, the kids are always "sneaking across enemy lines," Regnerus argues.

The results play out in the usual 19th-century way. When evangelical parents say they talk to their kids about sex, they mean the morals, not the mechanics. In a quiz on pregnancy and health risks associated with sex, evangelicals scored very low. Evangelical teens don't accept themselves as people who will have sex until they've already had it. As a result, abstinence pledgers are considerably less likely than nonpledgers to use birth control the first time they have sex. "It just sort of happened," one girl told the researchers, in what could be a motto for this generation of evangelical teens.

Regnerus' ultimate conclusion is not all that surprising. What really matters is not which religion teenagers identify with but how strongly they identify. After controlling for all factors (family satisfaction, popularity, income), religion matters much less than religiosity. Among the mass of typically promiscuous teenagers in the book, one group stands out: the 16 percent of American teens who describe religion as "extremely important" in their lives. When these guys pledge, they mean it. One study found that the pledge works better if not everyone in school takes it. The ideal conditions are a group of pledgers who form a self-conscious minority that perceives itself as special, even embattled.

I recently spent a year among some evangelical teenagers who belong to this elite minority, and I can attest to the inhuman discipline they exert over their hormones. They can spend all evening sitting on the couch holding hands and nothing more. They can date for a year, be alone numerous times in a car or at the movies, and still stick to what's known in the Christian youth literature as "side hugs," to avoid excessive touching. Muslims have it easy compared to them. At least in Saudi Arabia the women are all covered up, so there's nothing to be tempted by. But among this elite corps of evangelicals, the women are breezing around in what one girl I know called "shockingly slutty conservative outfits" while the men hold their tongues. (No, they don't hold anything else. Masturbation is strongly discouraged in the literature because it promotes selfish, lustful behavior.)

So, where does that leave our Romeo, still scanning the bar for a date? If he wanted to stick with the wholesome blonde, he would have to introduce himself and ask the relevant follow-up, namely, how often do you see Pastor Ted, or do you go to Bible study every week? If he ruled her out, here are some general guidelines: Definitely out of the question is an Asian-American who attends church weekly—84 percent of them are virgins. A Mormon is a long shot. They are unlikely to have sex and if they do, they don't tend to repeat the experience. A Catholic or a mainline Protestant teenager is a much better bet than a Jew (around 30 percent of the first two groups have had sex, compared with 17.6 percent for Jews). But a Jew could net a higher reward: Jews are more likely to say sex is pleasurable and more likely to have experienced oral sex.

Romeo's best bet confirms the conventional wisdom. From out of the millions of shy, guilt-ridden teenagers, there emerges this 17-year-old from Florida who calls herself nonreligious: "I don't see why sex is such a sacred thing to so many people," she told the researchers. " 'It's just pleasure, it's physical pleasure, and that's what it is,' said Carol, who estimates she's had 10 or 11 sexual partners."

Romeo, that's a sure thing.


-Josh D

For the past week now I've been waking up with the song "More Than Words" by Extreme stuck in my head. The first time I remember hearing the song was when driving with my friend Scott in Tacoma after going out one night. He threw in a CD that had the song on it, and I remember thinking, "I know this song. I've heard it before." But I couldn't place it. And I still can't. It was a strange feeling.



It was heralded by my friends in the car (most of whom were girls) as "such a great love song" and one that "makes your heart skip a beat when you hear it." Musically it's beautiful, and the harmonies are amazing, but the only lyrics I could readily remember were tiny parts from the chorus: "More than words . . . then you wouldn't have to say 'I love you' because I'd already know." I made up my mind then and there that I would learn to play it.



I took it upon myself to figure it out while I was deployed, so I a few weeks into the deployment I downloaded the lyrics, the mp3, and the guitar tabs. Upon reading the lyrics along with listening to the song it hit me -- this wasn't a song written about being in love that was "more than words" could describe as I'd originally thought; instead it was the singer's desperate plea for his lover to actually show that she loved him rather than just performing lip service. It’s even easier to see if you read them as a paragraph rather than a song:



Saying "I love you" is not the words I want to hear from you. It's not that I want you not to say... but if you only knew how easy it would be to show me how you feel! More than words is all you have to do to make it real; then you wouldn't have to say that you love me, because I'd already know.



What would you do if my heart was torn in two? More than words to show you feel, that your love for me is real. What would you say if I took those words away? Then you couldn't make things new just by saying "I love you." More than words...


Now I've tried to talk to you and make you understand that all you have to do is close your eyes and just reach out your hands, and touch me. Hold me close, don't ever let me go. More than words is all I ever needed you to show; then you wouldn't have to say that you love me, because I'd already know.


What would you do if my heart was torn in two? More than words to show you feel, that your love for me is real. What would you say if I took those words away? Then you couldn't make things new just by saying “I love you.” More than words...


It was after discovering this that I started waking up with the song in my head each morning. I sang it each morning for about a week, thinking to myself how cool it was and how great the harmonies were. It is, after all, a beautiful song.



I left for this deployment with the intention of drawing closer to God and working through some things that I’ve struggled with spiritually for awhile. Yet even while I’ve been here I’ve been unable to lift myself out of the vicious cycle of sin-repent, sin-repent. The majority of the struggles have been minor (cursing, judging, holding grudges, etc.), but they’ve all stemmed from an inability to maintain consistency and discipline in my walk, spending time with God, reading His Word, and praying. That root problem has always been a huge struggle. I recognize it, and throughout my sin-repent cycle I’ve prayed that God would align my heart with His, would stir the fire within me, and cause a huge dependency upon Him so that I would have an unquenchable desire to spend time with Him daily. But the next day I find myself failing and praying again, “God, forgive me… I love You and desire to be close to You and to follow Your will completely.” It’s been frustrating to the point that over the past couple of weeks I’ve even doubted my own repentance. Am I guilty of using God’s free gift of forgiveness as a “Get Out of Jail Free” card? So this past week I began coupling my prayer of repentance with, “God, let this be real in my heart. Show me what I need to do or change in my heart so that I’ll be able to walk with You in true repentance and victory.” But I didn’t hear an answer, and I continued to struggle.


A couple of days ago I came back to my room to pick out songs to sing at the chapel for Sunday’s service. (God provided me with the opportunity to lead worship for the services when I first arrived here.) I walked into my room was started sorting through music when I came across “More Than Words” again. And God’s answer, which He’d been placing in my heart every morning for a week, rushed over me as I read the lyrics again. “More than words are all I’ve ever needed you to show, then you wouldn’t have to say that you love me, because I’d already know.” Everything in the song spoke to me: my sin-repent cycle, the way I could achieve victory and walk in His will, and even Him trying to show me how to walk in freedom despite my ignorance of His voice. I was broken and relieved at the same time.


God desires so much more from me than lip service. He delights in my obedience. In Isaiah 1 He states that if I cut obedience out, all other activity of worship is weariness to Him. God rejected Saul because Saul thought that his sacrifices were worth more than his obedience (1 Sam 15:22). And Jesus explains this in even more detail in John 14:21, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him.” It’s about maintaining a relationship with my Father, hiding His Word in my heart, and delighting in His laws rather than a sporadic prayer for a temporary fix.


Is it a new revelation? Not really. Like I said, I’ve known that one of my root issues is my inconsistency with spending time reading and studying His Word. But it’s a wonderful reminder that God is on my side, trying just as hard as I am to pull me closer to Him. -JD

Things Fall Apart

Ch 11 v1-13

I almost titled the theme of this chapter study “Solomon’s End” and I saw that the scripture had already done that by titling it “Solomon’s Wives.” It’s sad to see the author give a direct reference to God’s decree against marrying women from those countries (v2). It leaves no doubt that Solomon knew he was doing something wrong. I thought this guy was supposed to be wise…

Before I pass a bunch of judgment, don’t we all do things we know, without a doubt, are wrong? We see evidence in the upcoming chapters of the punishment that comes down on Israel, Solomon, and more. Don’t we deserve the same? Before agreeing wholeheartedly, think about the things you do that hurt God. It’s hard but we all need to make changes to avoid Solomon’s folly and follow God’s desires.

Verses 3 and 4 should not be interpreted as misogynic, much like we shouldn’t blame Eve for leading Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. We all have the sole responsibility of doing the right thing. None of it can be another’s responsibility. Take this opportunity to steel your hearts against anyone that may influence you or lead you against what God wants from you.

And lastly, we see that God is faithful in his promises. David’s family will continue to reign, even if it is in a lesser role. This is so important to our faith, for we count on God’s promise of forgiveness and grace for our salvation.

v14-25

Israel has become powerful and prosperous in the relative past. Its enemies are chomping at the bit to get some revenge/riches/power/you name it. God merely opens the gate to the pasture. Verse 23 says “God raised up…another adversary” but also “Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as Solomon lived” so God didn’t even have to create any enemies. He just quit protecting Israel. Sometimes I’ve felt that loss of protection, and I hate it.

v26-43

“Jeroboam Rebels Against Solomon” titles this passage in my bible. Really it’s more that “Jeroboam Unites With God When Solomon Made a Mess of Things.” Also, don’t all the power plays in Israel through the last few books come from God through prophets? Those guys have the real power. Just a thought.

Ch 12 v1-24

Rehoboam becomes King and Jeroboam knows it’s his role. He goes about claiming the throne in an interesting way: by requesting to serve Rehoboam (as long as he can be just and fair). So Rehoboam takes the advice (ill advice) of his high school buddies, refuses that offer, and it eventually causes 10 of the tribes to split away under King Jeroboam. IRONY ALERT. God definitely has a sense of humor. This could have gone down countless ways, but this way humiliates Rehoboam and serves God’s will. Also: fun.

I’m not sure why Rehoboam ends up obeying God in verse 24. It seems different from his previous M.O.

v25-33

Jeroboam had it all going for him: the backing of a prophet, God’s desire for his reign, the hearts of the people, and then he goes and does THIS. These golden calf idols and his new nation’s religion are a serious kick of dirt in the face of God.

A lot of advice and influence is portioned out in these previous chapters. Some of it was good, most of it was bad. It’s okay to take advice, but we all need to make sure the advice giver has a good frame of reference (God and His desires) and avoid a sinful heart’s desires of power, wealth, etc. I hope the upcoming chapters turn out better for God’s people, because these two sent it down in a bad way.

1 Kings 8 and 9

Ch 8
v1-13
Finally, the Temple is built and the Ark is carried in a correct fashion to its final resting place. I can almost hear God (and the people of Israel) give a sigh of relief. All of the studies we have done since David became King, really since the Israelites left Egypt with Moses, culminate at this point.
Times are good in Israel.
v14-21
I like that Solomon starts his prayer with praise, a good example for our own prayer format. There are so many references here to the books of Samuel that I can't cover them all. Needless to say, this prayer of praise recalls so many conversations (or 'convos' as a college girl I know would call them) between David and God. Many promises that have been fulfilled: that's a great thing to be thankful for.
v22-61
In v25 he's asking if God will fulfill his promise to David (see 2:4 - that was repeated to Solomon on David's death bed) but because I’m playing Sunday morning quarterback, I doubt it. Also, Solomon is making some poor choices in regards to women, money, greed, and alliances.
I also like all the desire for forgiveness, grace, and mercy for Israel. I can almost see God nodding his head during this and thinking of His plan to send Jesus to die for our sins...maybe with an "All in good time, Solomon, all in good time". Solomon's heart seems to be so pure, and so dedicated to God in v56-60. I was ‘burying’ him earlier (to use the parlance of our time) but I feel some 'digg' is in order. He shows humility, desire to follow God, and desire for God's word to reach the world - I fell that last part is oft forgotten in his era. He sets forth a difficult charge in v61, but isn't that what we should all desire to do? Fully committed! Live by his decrees! Obey his commands! No grey area there.
v61-66
144,000 head of livestock. That's A LOT of livestock. This temple is such a Huge Deal. I feel it has lost some of its importance in our day. Also, isn't 144 seen other times in scripture? 12 x 12...is that any relevance to the 12 tribes of Israel? Just curious...non issue.

Ch9
v1-9
It's quite a challenge in v4. Solomon has to walk before Him as David did AND do all He commands AND observe His decrees and laws. Side note - Is this implying that David did not?
This reads a little like foreshadowing; only because I am well versed in human nature.
7 "...object of ridicule among all peoples” Harsh, but isn't this how it happens to us to? Israel can be a good metaphor for ourselves or our households and how we honor God's commands and walk before Him in integrity of heart can easily affect our success/failure.
It's sad to already know that v 8-9 will happen, and are happening today. Do we need to reclaim Jerusalem and rebuild the temple? -Just a question for discussion.

v10-28
When I first read the title of this passage "Solomon's Other Activities" I thought 'uh-oh, here we go again'. And my hunch was right.
Fill in your own observations of Solomon's mistakes here (see ch 8 commentary)...and be sure to recognize them in your own life and realize the effect they have on your relationship with God and on your life.

As we have seen, Solomon has asked God for wisdom- but not only this; Solomon asks God for a special kind of wisdom- a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. v 9

In the next verses we will begin to see Solomon's wisdom come to life in a situation and with a resolution that, I'll admit, seems to be torn from prime-time television.

A Wise Ruling

Solomon jumps into the action with an odd situation. Two women come to his palace in order for the king to weigh in on their custody battle.

• Two prostitutes came to the king to settle a matter before him. v 16
  
• The women lived together in the same house and both recently had just born sons.
• During the night one of the woman's sons dies because she rolls over on him while she is sleeping. v 19
• The woman who has accidentally killed her child carefully takes the other woman's baby and for herself and places her dead child at the breast of the other woman. v 20
• When the second woman awakens, she notices that it is not her son and demands her son back. v 22
• The first woman demands that, "No! Your son is dead and mine is alive!" and the whole battle gets thrown before Solomon for his judgment. v 22

Wew! This is perhaps one of Solomon's most famous stories. (In fact, I can remember parodies of it from several cartoons when I was a kid.) One important thing I would like to point out first, is to consider the people in this situation.

• The women in this argument are two prostitutes. v 16

Historically, most prostitutes were slaves in this time period. Many times they were poor women or women who had lost their husbands and had been sold into slavery. As many of you may know as with Mary Magdalene, these women were considered the lowest of the low. Pay special attention to Solomon's ruling on this situation.

Then the King said, 'Bring me a sword.' So they brought a sword for the king. v 24

If you were these women, what would you be thinking he was going to do at this point. My money would be on the bet that he was just going to strike them both down right there for for troubling him. Let's see what he does:

Cut the living child in two and give one half to one and half to the other. v 25

Wow! Not exactly what they were ready for! (If I had not passed out at this point- I probably would have been cleaning out my ears to make sure I heard him right!)

Asking for Wisdom

First, I would like to get a few key terms defined:

knowl·edge -noun

1. acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition: knowledge of many things.
2. familiarity or conversance, as with a particular subject or branch of learning: A knowledge of accounting was necessary for the job.
3. acquaintance or familiarity gained by sight, experience, or report: a knowledge of human nature
4. the fact or state of knowing; the perception of fact or truth; clear and certain mental apprehension
5. awareness, as of a fact or circumstance: He had knowledge of her good fortune
6. something that is or may be known; information: He sought knowledge of her activities.
7. the body of truths or facts accumulated in the course of time
8. the sum of what is known: Knowledge of the true situation is limited.

wis·dom –noun

1. the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.
2. scholarly knowledge or learning: the wisdom of the schools.
3. wise sayings or teachings; precepts.
4. a wise act or saying.

in·tel·li·gence - noun

1. capacity for learning, reasoning, understanding, and similar forms of mental activity;
2. aptitude in grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.
3. manifestation of a high mental capacity: He writes with intelligence and wit.
4. the faculty of understanding
5. knowledge of an event, circumstance, etc., received or imparted; news; information.

dis·cern·ment - noun

1. The act or process of exhibiting keen insight and good judgment.
2. Keenness of insight and judgment.

I believe it is important to recognize how these very similar words are not exactly interchangeable as we might thing. Rather, I believe that they compliment each other and in fact, it is possible to have each independent of each other.

• Solomon has made an alliance with the Pharaoh of Egypt through marrying his daughter. This alliance with the provisions for continued worship compromised his devotion because his people did not have a place to worship within Jerusalem. v. 1-7 (Faith In Action, pg 494)

• Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father , David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incenses on the high places.

It was imperative that the people of Jerusalem have their own place to worship, (they are currently offering sacrifices and burnt offerings on a high place) so as we will see, Solomon works to build a temple for his people.

However, I would like to emphasize the fact that he "showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father". For me, that is a very amazing thing- remember his father's charge to his before he died,

Be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and where ever you go... (v 2-3)

What an amazing charge to a son. A call to action! To me, it is important to see that even though David had screwed up many times in the past, we still held on to his desire to 'get right with God'. David asks Solomon to do this so that the Lord may keep his promise to him- so that he will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel. A noble goal in itself, but, but to go further, David seems as if he doesn't just want Solomon to walk with the Lord for the future of his country, he wants him to walk with the Lord so that Solomon will not make the same mistakes David did in the past.

• So how is Solomon to do this? Here is the big question:

If you could ask God for anything, what would you ask for?

Perhaps you would ask for the financial means to do whatever you want? It seems that many of us (myself included), are always asking for God to bless us with prosperity- maybe not outright, but for success at work. Prayer for that promotion, for that raise, or even just a job that will put us in a better position for the future. I'll admit, that personally, I often forget to ask God for the tools to accomplish his will. That is what is interesting about Solomon's request. Solomon asks for "a discerning heart."

• Solomon asks for discernment- remember our definition: The act or process of exhibiting keen insight and good judgment.

David gave Solomon the charge of walking in the way of the Lord. When we learn to walk in the ways of the Lord we make his desires our own. It's interesting how our priorites begin to change when we start aligning ourselves with what God wants for us.

An intersting thing about discernment is that it is not the defintion of wisdom. Although both contain the ability to have knowledge of what is true, true wisdom goes beyond jsut knowledge. it has the discernment to do what is right. It is not jsut a measurement of what is right and wrong- rather, it is the ability to choose what is right. Solomon asked for this and recieved the gift of wisdom and discerment from the Lord.

• Solomon wanted a discerning heart for what purpose? "to govern God's people." (v 9)

Here is the next interesting thing about Solomon's request: he did it not so that he may gain more power from knowledge, or even to be more well respected amongst his people. He did it so that he may govern God's people.

One of my favorite passages in this chapter:

...but I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my
duties. Your servent is here omong the people you have chosen , a
great people to numerous in number to count. So give me a discerning heart
to govern your people and to distinguish beteween right and wrong. (v 7-8)

Solomon knows that alone, he cannot govern a nation in the way his father David challenged him to do. much in the same way, we begin to realize that there are things we of our own strength and ability we cannot do without God.

Again, when we begin to align ourselves with the Lord's will, we begin to think less about our needs and more about how we can serve others and thus, serve God. The nation of Isreal needed a strong leader to continue after David and Solomon asks for the tools to make it so.

• Lord, develop in me the tools and abilities that I need to glorify your kingdom and create in me the will to make it so.
  

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and anot for long life or wealth for
yourself, nor have you asked for the death of your eemies but for
discernemnt in administering justice... I will give you what you have not asked for- both riches and honor- so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. (v 10-14)

• Notice, however that there is a stipulation of sorts:

And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David
your father did, I will give you a long life. (v 14)

.

Solomon's Officials

This is a listing of Solomon's primary officials he has designated to reign over the various functions of his kingdom. He appointed 12 "District Governors" who also supplied provisions for the king and his household on a monthly basis- essentially on a rotation that took care of food, animals, and taxation.

Thoughts:

• Solomon has been blessed with wisdom and discernment as we have seen before in chapter 3. He was also blessed with the amazing abilities of a resource manager. (I could only hope to be this organized!)
  I believe this gives us an insight into the mind of Solomon and really an idea of just how God gives us natural talents and abilities that can be used in different areas of our life. For me, it is interesting to hear these stories of how Solomon handles situations both creatively and practically (such as his method of determining the correct mother of the child in 1 Kings 3:16-28.)
  
• If you were ever curious where the name "Ben-Hur" came from look in v 8.
  

*We see that some time has passed through the completion of this list as in v 11 and 15 show that two of his officials are his sons-in-laws and that Solomon has a daughter.

• Although there were many people in Judah and Isreal- "as numerous as the sand", they ate, drank, and were happy! v 20-21. people from all over brought tribute and were his subjects for years and years to come.
• The man had 4,000 stalls for chariot horses and 12,000 horses!

In verses 29 through 34 we see the amazing depths of knowledge Solomon was blessed with and that truly he was one of the wisest men to ever live.

• God gave Solomon "Wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the sea shore." v 29
• He was a man of many talents and of wisdom of every kind- from composing 3000 proverbs to a 1005 (1000 + 5 bonus?) songs, he described plant life and described all the animals and the birds. v 30-33
  
• Men from all over came from all over the world to listen to his wisdom. v 34
  

• However, does living by biblical wisdom assure us of prosperity?

I would say no based on the fact that we have seen numerous people of God who were said to have knowledge fall short on many occasions. From David from 1 and 2nd Samuel all the way back to Moses. Granted, we have not seen Solomon fall yet in the readings, we almost certainly know it is on the way. God gives us resources, talents, and gifts that we can use to either further his kingdom or ourselves.

He blesses some of us with charisma and an amazing speaking ability, some of us with administrative skills, other with the ability to create wonderful works of art, and still some with a heart that simply lends itself to those that just need someone to listen to them. It is up to us to choose how we use those gifts as we were created with free will.

1 Kings was most likely written between 560 and 550 BC, during the Babylonian exile of the Jews.

"The books of 1 and 2 Kings were originally one book, the author of which is unknown... and were originally written for the Jews living in exile in Babylon to preserve a detailed history of Isreal and Judah. First Kings includes the history of the united Kingdom under Kigd Solomon as well as that of the first 80 years of the divided kingdom." - Faith In Action Study Bible