1 kings 22

So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say such things!"

(1Ki 22:8)

Proverbs tells us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Here we get a peek at what is really going on in the heart of Ahab. He really has no interest in what the Lord has to say to him at all… Apparently all he cares about is whether people say good things or bad things about him.

Maybe we are never quite as bold as Ahab is here, but if we are honest, we have thought this way in our hearts before. We SAY that we want to hear what the Lord wants for us, but really we are hoping to hear what we want to hear. I had a friend before who would go from person to person getting counsel until someone told them what they wanted to hear, then they would act as if it was a message from the Lord. The truth is the Lord doesn’t always say what we want Him to. He doesn’t always tell us to do what is easiest, or most convenient; He often asks us to do things that are difficult, or contrary to our nature.

The question is this, when the Lord speaks into your life what do you say? Are you ready to do whatever He asks, even if it ISN’T what you hoped he would say? Or, do you disregard it and stick with what you want to do? When Ahab says he hates Micaiah, it is really the Lord he hates. We can claim to “love” the Lord, but if we don’t obey His commands then we are only fooling ourselves. The Lord wants to speak to you, will you listen?

1 kings 21

Envy and Jealousy can drive you to do the most foolish things. Here is Ahab, king of Israel; he has more possessions than he knows what to do with. Yet, he sees something he doesn’t have, a little vineyard next to the palace, and he thinks, “what a nice garden that would make”. He goes to Naboth, the owner of the vineyard, and offers him money or a bigger vineyard to replace it. Naboth says “no way Jose” because the vineyard has been in the family since the Israelites possessed the land! To Naboth, that land was given to him specifically from the Lord, there was no way he was going to give it up. Ahab leaves furious.

In the next scene we see Ahab behaving like a little child, sulking in bed and refusing to eat because he can’t have what he wants. We may not do this exactly, but it is a good visual illustration of what goes on in our hearts when we don’t get what we want. Do you throw a temper tantrum, or sulk around the house? Do you get touchy and moody when things don’t go your way? If so it is selfishness, and it is sin.

Jezebel tells Ahab she can make it all better. What she really does is kill Naboth and take his land. Ahab doesn’t mourn, he is delighted. All he cares about is his stupid garden. Do you ever do things for your own benefit at the expense of others? This is sin, and grieves the heart of God. He desires for us to put others before ourselves, to “serve one another in love”. In the end, God turns the tables on Ahab and sends a prophetic message about how Ahab’s life will end, and what will become of his family. Ahab’s selfish choices ultimately became self-destruction… and that is how it always goes.

1 Kings 20

Friendship with the world... Jesus doesn’t speak to kindly of it. In fact, he says that “friendship with the world is ENMITY with God”. In our chapter today we have the “world” represented by the evil king of Syria Ben-Hadad. Ben-Hadad is a real bully, when he is stronger and more equipped than Israel, he sends messengers saying “your silver, your gold, your women, and your kids… they all belong to me now”. Ahab says, “I guess that will be alright”. Then Ben-Hadad sends word again, he says “we are going to come and search your houses, and we are going to take anything that looks good”. Ahab says, “no way man, I already gave you my silver, gold, women and children; you can’t have my stuff”! They continue to talk smack to each other until it becomes clear that a battle is going to ensue.

The Lord sends word by a prophet and says, “I am going to deliver you… and I am going to do it using the YOUNG LEADERS of the provinces”. So you have these young faithful guys, and God equips them and uses them! Sweet! God wants to use you students just like He used these young leaders. The doom was imminent, but the Lord was their strength; deliverance took place at the hands of these young people! The Lord tells them that this isn’t the last they will see of the Syrians, they will be back in the spring. So the armies prepare and sure enough, the spring comes and with it come the armies of Syria.

This is where things get sad. The Lord delivers the armies into the hands of the Israelites once again, and this time they really wreck house. They have Ben-Hadad cornered in the inner recesses of one of the cities, and he sends out a group of ambassadors looking for mercy. The ambassadors arrive and they say, “Ben-Hadad asks that you would let him live”. Ahab’s response is astounding. He doesn’t seek the Lord; He doesn’t even acknowledge the Lord! Instead he says, “Ben-Hadad, he is my brother”. STOP! WAIT JUST ONE MINUTE!! The dude tried to take everything from you, he said he would completely destroy you, and now you call him BROTHER?!?! God can forgive even the hardest of criminals… but they need to repent!

Ahab and Ben-Hadad broker a LAME peace deal. Ahab agrees to let his worst enemy go free for the right to trade his products for free in their capital city. It’s like saying, “ok world, you’ve really worked me over, but I’ll be your friend as long as I can profit from it a little.” The Lord isn’t pleased with this decision so he sends a prophet who gives an interesting analogy… read it again for yourselves in verses 35-43. The gist of it is this “Ahab, the Lord had put your enemy into your hand, and HE had a plan for what was to be done… but you let him go! You called him brother and cut a deal with him”!

In this life we as Christians have three enemies and they all work together. They are the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. We can learn a VERY IMPORTANT LESSON about our dealings with them. We should NEVER cut a deal with the enemy, but should always turn those things over into the hands of the Lord. You can’t make deals with the devil, you can’t have peace with this world, and you surely cannot peacefully co-exist as a spiritual being with your wicked flesh. We resist the devil, we flee from the temptations of this world, and we CRUCIFY the flesh… we never make deals.

1 Kings 19

Do you ever feel alone? Do you ever look around at your friends, your family, your classmates or coworkers and think, “why am I so different”? If so, then you aren’t in bad company… in our text today that is exactly how Elijah felt. He comes down off of the mountain top, where everyone said “we will worship the LORD”, only to find that there was a price on his head. So, he runs… he runs and he hides. The Lord comes to him, provides for his needs, sustains him, and after all of that the Lord speaks to him.

The Lord asks Elijah, “What are you doing here”? Then He sends a series of events… A strong wind, an earthquake, a fire… but He is not found in any of those things. The wind, the earthquake, the fire… they brought power, strength, noise… but the Lord wasn’t there. Then Elijah hears a still small voice, the Lord is there! This is the way the Lord often works… we have all of this madness going on around us, and He speaks in a gentle whisper, reminding us who He is, and what He wants to do. Our God is so powerful, yet He comes to us in such gentleness and love. Here is Elijah, and He isn’t where is supposed to be. He is weak and afraid, hiding away, and the Lord has work for him to do. God doesn’t come in screaming and swinging. He comes with a still small voice… listen to what He says…

“Elijah, what are you doing here”? Elijah’s answer is honest and simple; “I have followed you zealously, I have lived for you completely; I am the only one alive that still follows you, and everybody wants to kill me”. – The Lord’s response to Elijah is Incredible.

· First He tells him “GO”. – Go to the wilderness of Damascus. The Lord doesn’t just tell Elijah to “get outta here”, but He gives him a clear direction.

· Then He tells him to “DO”. – God gives Elijah PURPOSE. Rather than just sitting around like he was doing in this cave, The Lord has important business for Elijah. He wants Elijah to ANNOINT three different individuals. God wanted Elijah to be involved in ministering to others!

· Lastly He tells Elijah “YOU ARE NOT ALONE”. – Elijah felt so alone, but the Lord knew things he didn’t, and saw things he couldn’t. Elijah was not alone; there were 7000 others who were still faithful to the Lord!!! Our view of things gets so skewed when we allow fear to drive us and dominate us. If we will simply trust the Lord, then we can begin to see things the way the Lord sees them.

Today if you are feeling alone… however you may have gotten there, hear the still small voice of the Lord. Maybe sin has driven you from His presence, maybe fear has caused you to run… whatever the case, put your faith in JESUS; He loves you SO MUCH. He is gentle, and He is full of love ad grace. He tells us that He is “meek and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls”.

1 Kings 18

So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.

(1Ki 18:28-29)

And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!"

(1Ki 18:36-39)

Religion vs. relationship, works of the flesh vs. faith in God; here we have these two contrary principles radically illustrated for us! We look at the prophets of Baal and we see man attempting to get God’s attention, to gain his favor. The scene must have been incredible, 450 men jumping around for about 3 hours, yelling “oh Baal, hear us!” What was the response they received? SILENCE. Elijah is standing, watching, and after 3 hours, he begins mocking them… “maybe your God is busy, maybe he is asleep, maybe he decided to take a vacation”. The prophets “KICK IT UP A NOTCH” and they cut themselves, continuing to cry out. These aren’t just little scratches, these guys keep cutting deeper and deeper… now they are GUSHING BLOOD! It’s evening now, and still the heavens are silent.

What a picture… we can kick and scream, we can yell and shout, but there is nothing we can do to earn God’s approval. So much of religion is a watered-down version of what these prophets are doing… pray the right prayer, do the right good deeds, follow these seven pillars, or these five pillars… it all ends the same. You cannot earn a right relationship with God, it is impossible!

Then we see Elijah… The contrast couldn’t be starker. Darkness to light; we see in Elijah a man who KNOWS God, a man who has RELATIONSHIP with God. One simple prayer… no yelling, no jumping, no self-inflicted wounds; Elijah talks to the Lord like a man talks to his friend. God sends FIRE. I mean, God sends FIRE!!! We are talking a serious ball of flame, water evaporates, sacrifice consumed, THERE IS A GOD IN ISRAEL and YHWH is His name!!!

Yesterday we looked at Elijah and in him we saw a man full of faith. Today we see where that faith came from. Elijah KNEW the Lord. God spoke to him, God directed him, they were not disconnected, Elijah had REAL FELLOWSHIP with God. When you look at your life and your relationship with God, are you connected like Elijah, or are you disconnected like the prophets of Baal? Jesus said, “I came that they might have life and that abundant”. In John 1 we read that “In Jesus was life, and that life was the light of men”. Jesus is life, and He wants relationship with us more than ANYTHING ELSE. Get to know Jesus… START TODAY!

1 Kings 17

Here in chapter 17, we see a new character step onto the scene… his name is Elijah. We are introduced to Elijah by seeing him do something incredibly bold… he brings a prophetic word of judgment to King Ahab, and says “no more rain till I say so”. The amazing thing is it actually happens. This is miracle #1, and it took faith for Elijah to actually go and tell the king, believing it would really happen.

Miracle #2: God feeds him using ravens! This also took some faith on Elijah’s part, he had to go and live by the brook Cherith if he wanted to be fed.

Miracle #3: The multiplying oil and flour. This took faith as well, first he had to go and ask, and then He had to believe that God would do what He had promised to do.

Miracle #4: The healing of the woman’s son. This took a tremendous amount of faith. The boy had stopped breathing, and there was no “medical staff” anywhere. Elijah carries the boy upstairs, and the first thing he does is PRAY. 3 times Elijah lays his body out across the boy, an incredible picture for us of giving your life to someone else. As He does this, he continues to pray… “O Lord, let this child’s soul come back to him”. An amazing thing happens… the boy is raised from the dead!

This is an incredible introduction to this man Elijah’s life, and it tells us something about him. Elijah believed that God could do ANYTHING! To Elijah, there was nothing to difficult for the Lord… Stopping the rain, feeding in the wilderness, providing an endless supply of oil and flour, even raising the dead! My question for you is this; do you believe that nothing is too difficult for the Lord? Does your life communicate that to others?

When we look at Elijah, we see a man who believed the promises of God. If the Lord said it, it was as good as done in Elijah’s eyes. What about you? Do you believe God’s promises, or do you find yourself doubting Him? Take some time today to think about the many things God has promised, and ask Him to fill you with faith like His servant Elijah… Faith to speak His word, faith that He will provide, faith that He will meet every need, and faith that He can do the impossible.

1 kings 16

Now his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him as he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, steward of his house in Tirzah. And Zimri went in and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place. Then it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he was seated on his throne, that he killed all the household of Baasha; he did not leave him one male, neither of his relatives nor of his friends.

(1Ki 16:9-11)

And it happened, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the citadel of the king's house and burned the king's house down upon himself with fire, and died, because of the sins which he had committed in doing evil in the sight of the LORD, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he had committed to make Israel sin.

(1Ki 16:18-19)

What a crazy end to a crazy life. Zimri lived a violent life, and died a violent death. Our story begins in Tirzah where we find Elah drinking himself drunk in his steward’s house. Zimri sees an opportunity to seize power for himself, and he moves in for the kill. After killing Elah, Zimri takes the throne and kills all of the male friends and family of Elah, leaving no heir.

Zimri did everything he could in his power to achieve greatness. He knew what he wanted, and he would stop at nothing to get it. Mass murder was not out of the question, as long as it resulted in his achieving the power he longed for. Zimri’s victory is short lived though… news travels fast about what Zimri has done, and on the 7^th day of Zimri’s rule, his house is attacked.

This is where things get really crazy; it is almost as if Zimri is saying, “If I can’t have it, then NO ONE CAN!” He goes into the citadel of the king’s house, and he sets the palace on fire, destroying himself and everything in the house. Zimri fought tooth and nail to gain what he thought he wanted, and in the end it destroyed him and a lot of what surrounded him. Zimri went down in a ball of flame.

What about you? Are you coveting something that doesn’t belong to you, scheming about how you can make that thing yours? Be careful! Zimri did everything in his power to make the kingdom his own, and it destroyed him. If you let envy control your life, it WILL ultimately lead to your destruction.

1 Kings 15

Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did his father David. And he banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. Also he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it by the Brook Kidron. But the high places were not removed. Nevertheless Asa's heart was loyal to the LORD all his days.

(1Ki 15:11-14)

We have 2 statements here about Asa. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and his heart was loyal to the Lord all of his days. All throughout the books of kings and chronicles we read that a king either did “what was right in the eyes of the Lord” or did “what was evil in the eyes of the Lord”. There is no in between, there is no middle ground… it is one or the other. These kings were not judged based on what was right in their eyes, what was right in the people’s eyes, or even what was right in the eyes of the religious leaders. It was the Lord’s opinion that mattered.

I love the term “right in the eyes of the Lord”. If something was right in the eyes of Tommy, it would be something I looked at and said “mmmmm, that’s good”. There are several godly men who have lived throughout history that have lived INCREDIBLE lives. When I look at a summary of these men’s lives from start to finish I say, “Mmmmm, that’s good”. This is what the Lord said about the life of Asa in its entirety… it is the same thing He had said about David.

So, if the Lord were to summarize your life today, would He say “mmmmm, that’s good” or “oooooooo, that’s bad”? The answer to that hinges on the second statement made about Asa. Is your heart LOYAL to the Lord? The word translated loyal here is the word “SHALEM”. It means in a state of peace, right, just, or complete. Asa had a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with the Lord. Do you have a right relationship with the Lord? Are you at peace with Him? Is His peace “reigning and ruling” in your heart today?

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know the answer to those questions. Because Asa had a heart that was LOYAL to the Lord, he drove out the idols, he cleaned up the spiritual state of the country, and he turned the focus of the nation back to the Lord. Asa’s HEART for the Lord affected ALL OF HIS ACTIONS. So what about you? Does your life communicate a heart of loyalty to the Lord, or does it tell people that you just do what you or the others around you think is best at the time? Think about it….

1 Kings 14

Now Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree. And there were also perverted persons in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made.

(1Ki 14:22-26)

What happens when the Lord is provoked to jealousy? Does He just sit and think “I am so jealous of the love those people are giving to idols rather than me, their creator”, and do absolutely nothing? No, when the Lord is provoked to jealousy, then He reaches out and responds with CHASTISEMENT.

The kingdom of Judah was FULL of idolatry. On every hill, and under every green tree, you could find an idol. The sin of Judah was quite simple really. Instead of worshiping GOD, they were worshiping STUFF. This kind of sin, (called SPIRITUAL ADULTERY throughout the scriptures) ALWAYS leads to more obvious sin. The reason that some of the people in the land were PERVERTED as we read in verse 23, was because they were worshiping CREATED things rather than the CREATOR of all things.

The result was God sending judgment. Now, His judgment wasn’t meant to DESTROY the people of Judah, it was meant to BRING THEM BACK to Him, to cause them to REPENT. He sent the Egyptians, the same people they had been delivered from way back in their beginnings to discipline them. The Egyptians stole some of the BLESSINGS that belonged to the Israelites… they took away some of what God had given them.

Sometimes this happens in our lives. We start to get a little too friendly with the world, and we begin to give CREATED things a place in our lives that ONLY belongs to the creator. The Lord is JEALOUS of our love, and He wants our ENTIRE LIVES. Because of this He sends chastening our way to bring us back to Him. Often it comes in this form… the world we are so admiring begins to steal from us the blessings we experienced walking with the Lord… we begin to lose the Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and Self-control that come from walking with God.

Guess what? You can always get it back! The Lord LOVES to restore, all it takes is REPENTANCE… Changing our mind about what we are doing, seeing things the way God sees, and altering our course to match His will for our lives. Maybe today you feel that you have lost some of the blessings of being a believer, like the world is choking them out… Turn back to Jesus and allow Him to fill you with life once again!

1 Kings 13

He said to him, "I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.' " (He was lying to him.)
(1Ki 13:18)

You have a mysterious man of God in this chapter. He had been sent with a specific command to rebuke Jeroboam and tell of the upcoming king, Josiah. This man of God was successful in delivering his message. The Lord protected him from any danger that Jeroboam might have caused. Finally, he starts to head home, being given a specific command from the Lord not to turn a different direction or even stop for food.

Here comes the old prophet. He had forfeited a part of his ministry by living in the very center of the false system of worship. He was probably convicted when he heard of the man of God, and probably intrigued as well. He goes after him, and uses his position to command the man to come with him. Unfortunately, this prophet was lying. Unfortunately, this man of God heeded his words rather than the Lord’s command.

Follow the Lord’s commands for your life. Learn the Lord’s voice now when you guys are growing up. John 10 tells us that His sheep know the master’s voice. There will come a day when you feel God is calling you to do something. When that day comes you cannot expect other people to make the decision for you. In fact, in good nature these people may try to lead you a different direction. This can be extremely difficult when these are people you look up to. Nonetheless, I think this story makes it very clear, listen to God and Him only.

For most of you, God has you at a place where He has placed your parents in your life to make or help make many decisions for you. What does this mean? This means that you have more time to learn His voice! One day, you will have decisions to make on your own. The only way you can be sure you are heading the right direction is if you learn your master’s voice and obey it.

1 Kings 12

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. (1Ki 12:8).

Rehoboam was faced with a question from the people. They wanted to know if he would be harder on them or easier on their work load than that of his father Solomon. Rehoboam was not a politician. He ran to the elders for advice. They gave very good advice in telling Rehoboam to serve the people this day, and they will serve back in response. Rehoboam consulted his own friends, the guys he had grown up with. They told Rehoboam to make a statement. They told him to make the people's work load even harder that way they stop complaining. Not good advice.

Friends Friends Friends. It is a fact that if you hang around a certain group of people you become more like them. You cannot help this. In fact we are reminded that, "Bad company corrupts good morales." This verse does not say, "Don't let bad company corrupt." Bad company simply corrupts. Rehoboam had been hanging out with these people all his life, therefore, it only makes sense that he would take advice from them.

Look at Jeroboam at the end of our story. He spends years in Egypt and now he is building alters and idols. Be careful where you spend your time.

Become friends with someone you truly look up to spiritually. Share stuff with them. Learn to take advice from them. Maybe this is someone from church. Maybe this is an elder. Maybe this is your own parents. Either way, build yourself a relationship where you become a custom to taking godly advice. This relationship will prove priceless in later years.

1 Kings 11

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY !!!

“And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.”

Solomon’s story is very sad. He lived a very great life, yet at the end, everything came tumbling down. The numbers seen above are astronomical. This is a lot of wives and concubines. Interesting how often we read in the proverbs about the “love of women.” Proverbs 7:26 tells us “For she has cast down many wounded, And all who were slain by her were strong men.” Solomon knew what was right and never obeyed.

Think about this number. We are told in this chapter that the flesh years of Solomon started in his old age. I do not want you to think that all 1,000 wives and concubines came in those closing years. This was a fall he had been setting himself up for some time. Yet he was still able to serve the Lord before.

Was Solomon’s whole life a lie? If he had always been having these relationships, was not his whole life just one big sin?

The answer to this is, “No.” Solomon sincerely served the Lord for most of his life. He had a sincere love for the Lord and he wanted to serve God through everything he had. Unfortunately, Solomon had a weakness. He never allowed this weakness to takeover, however, he never killed it. A little compromise here and a little compromise there and all of a sudden, in the later years of his life, Solomon starts to serve other gods. It was not the other gods he cared for but it was his original sin that he had never killed.

Gang, I want to challenge you. Be careful. You may be serving the Lord right now and doing great things for Him, yet have this one fleshly thing you are yet to let go of. Let go. Cast the burden on Jesus, for He cares for you. Do not live this productive life for the Lord, and then allow this life sin to take over your life when you are weak. Build yourself up in Jesus, and allow Him to have complete control of your life.

1 Kings 10

So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. (1Ki 10:3)

Imagine all your questions being answered! I know I have a ton of questions I would love to ask Solomon. The queen of Sheba came prepared with questions. She was somewhat skeptical about this guy. Verse one tells us that she came to test him with hard questions. It was not long before she was sharing the questions of her heart.

The heart is a funny thing. We know we have one. We know that what we keep in it is special. We know that what we share from our heart should only be shared to people we can trust. The Queen of Sheba came for one purpose, to test Solomon. She left with the thoughts of her heart answered. I guarantee it was no struggle for her to share those hard questions. I am sure it very quickly led to those thoughts of her heart. Maybe all the gifts afterwards were her of making sure Solomon did not tell of those thoughts. Either way, when we find someone wise and someone we can trust, it is a very good thing to be able to share what is on your heart. I am sure the queen was grateful that she could head back to her country with the answers to those “hard questions.” More so, I am sure she was peaceful knowing that she had finally found answers to the questions of her heart.

We are always going to have heart questions. Find somebody you can trust, someone you consider wise in the Lord, and share with them. Also, consider being that person for someone else. Notice that when Solomon shared his wisdom, God was glorified. People recognized this as coming from Someone else. Draw closer to God and allow Him to make you wiser so that you can answer those heart questions for others.

1 Kings 9

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.' But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
(1Ki 9:4-7)

Solomon had built this great temple to the Lord, however Solomon himself declared that this was only a building. When the Lord responds to Solomon He gives these careful instructions, "walk before me." What does it mean to walk before the Lord?

I remember playing basketball for the Sterling league. There would be a day where all the coaches would come out and they would split the teams up by having a draft. Of course, this was the day you wanted to perform to your best. This was very difficult to do because you had many coaches just watching you perform. You felt their stares with every move you make.

The Gospel of John explains to us that sin loves the darkness. Why? Because darkness covers up whatever you are doing. To walk before the Lord is to walk in complete openness toward Him. Sure, God knows what you are doing no matter what. We can never truly hide from Him. Yet, too often we convince ourselves in our hearts that he is not watching. I like the way this one song puts it:

"the right moment for you to look away Though you never did, I pretended for a while, So I could walk where I dont belong"

Ever pretend God is looking somewhere else so you can live the way you want? Guess what, HE IS NOT!!! This verse not only tells us He is always watching, but tells us to live with that knowledge. Walk before the Lord. May your life be lived before the Lord. May your ways be set before the Lord. May you live with an open heart, willing to be examined at any moment.

1 Kings 8

2 Chronicles gives us a little insight as to when this prayer of dedication took place. It was prayed right after the temple was built. It was prayed as a dedication for the temple. Solomon was not only given a word of wisdom when he spoke these words, he was given a word of prophesy.

"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!” (1Ki 8:27).

Humility is a beautiful thing. Imagine if we lived life with the constant idea that we are unworthy. Of course we realize this. We know we are not worthy creatures. We do not often live like this. Solomon realizes that he is completely unworthy and that this temple was unworthy, yet he asks in humility for the Lord to dwell in it.

And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.
(1Ki 8:30)

When you hang around people who love Jesus you will often hear the words, “I am not praying near enough.” This is a good thing. This shows that this person loves Jesus so much that they realize they need more of Him. In this verse we hear Solomon pray to God that when Israel prayed toward this temple, that He would hear them. What a wonderful supplication. Of course, the greatest example of this is Daniel. “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” (Dan 6:10) There was a decree out that threatened Daniel’s life should he kneel and pray. Yet Daniel knew of Solomon’s supplication toward God. Daniel that not only should he pray three times a day, but he should pray toward the temple in Jerusalem. Woe. I am convicted.

"When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple,” (1Ki 8:33).

For the next couple weeks we are going to see this instance over and over again. Israel will be defeated, divided, and destroyed because of their disobedience. Despite this, God is faithful, when they return to the Lord. I think of Jehosophat, Hezekiah, and Josiah. These three men led Israel to many years of peace. All three men had something in common, they served God.

"When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance. (1Ki 8:35-36)

In just a few weeks we will be learning about Elijah. He shut up the heavens for three years and with one prayer before the Lord it rained down! This act is mentioned throughout the Bible including Revelation.

"When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple: then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men), that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers. (1Ki 8:37-40)

All of the above would happen to Israel. Read Joel to learn about when the plague of locusts came. Read through the life of Elisha (2 Kings) to learn of the desperate, poor state of Israel. One may start to think that Solomon is giving the Lord ideas, though we know that it was Solomon being given a tremendous word of Prophecy. Solomon continues his prayed of dedication concerning the temple. To see the Lord’s response you have to turn to 2 Chronicles 7:12-14 to hear the Lord’s answer:

Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2Ch 7:12-14)

If you need healing today, please note the above.

1 Kings 7

He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work.
(1Ki 7:14)

I love the studying these type of people in the Bible. These are the guys who are so easy to look over, however held great responsibility. What did Hiram do? He furnished the entire temple of the Lord and hand crafted every piece of bronze in it! No doubt Hiram was elected for this job because he had a gift. He was skilled in the art of bronze therefore, being the best at what he does, he was asked to furnish the temple. Even in this, he was to be filled with “wisdom and understanding and skill.” In everything we do, whether it is a natural ability for us or something entirely new, we are to invite the Lord to be involved. Not only that, but we are to ask the Lord to grant us wisdom understanding and skill.

We also see this same principle when the tabernacle is being made.

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. "And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tabernacle of meeting, the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furniture of the tabernacle—the table and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base— (Exo 31:1-9).

These two men made everything in the Holy of Holies and everything in the tabernacle. They made the lamp stands and down to the utensils. Although they were no doubt naturally gifted for this occasion, they needed to be filled up by the Lord with His wisdom, that they might do His work.

Remember, if you want to serve the Lord to the best of your abilities you have to allow the Lord to use in every way. This means a complete surrendering of all your members. The Lord will fill you and use you in the most practical ways. I am always so encouraged when I watch VBS come together. You got all the crafts people doing their thing. You got the musicians doing their thing. You got the teachers doing their thing and you got the activity people doing their thing. Though these gifts differ in many ways, we have one great bond: we are all doing it for the Lord and we are all receiving our instruction from the Lord. As you go out and minister make yourself an instrument for the Lord to use, just like Hiram.

1 Kings 5

Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts: they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home; Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. (1Ki 5:13-14)

This temple was going to be big. Solomon had 10,000 men working in one month shifts. Let me start by saying this, these men worked hard. It only took them 7 years to build this temple. You may think 7 years sounds like a lot of time, but let me start by saying this; one of those tall buildings in the Reston Town Center takes about 3 years to build. That is only one building. Also, we have machinery. We have trucks to move supplies. We have cranes and bulldozers, dump truck and huge mechanical shovels (I forgot the name). They had none of this, and they built the temple in only seven years. What did they have instead? They had a wise leader, hard working men, and willing hearts.

This chapter challenges me. What would we be able to accomplish if we worked for the Lord like these men worked for the Lord? What would we be able to do if we were to allow the Lord to use all of our gifts together? This is why I love VBS and Ireland. You get to see the most different gifts come together to help out in one cause.

Jr. High and High Schoolers, I want to strongly encourage all of you to get out there and use your gifts for the Lord. I understand that many of you have loads of free time during the summer. See how you can use that free time for the Lord. See where you can get plugged in. Put together your own labor force for Jesus.

1 Kings 4

We remember in Numbers 34 that God gave the borders for the Land of Israel. Unfortunately Israel never conquered all that they were supposed to. They were to have all the Land south of them through the Wilderness of Zin. This would push their real estate right up against Egypt. In this chapter we find Israel has all of it!

“So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life” (1Ki 4:21)

They had conquered all the land up to “the River” Euphrates. This was a lot of land to cover Eastward, however, they had conquered all of it. They had conquered up to Mount Hor as Numbers 34:7 had commanded them. Unfortunately, there was this little sliver of land up against the Mediterranean Sea that the Philistines still occupied. Therefore, though this was Israel’s greatest kingdom yet, and greatest kingdom since, it is not the fulfillment of that greatest city to come. Israel will have all the land God promised them.

And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. (1Ki 4:29)

To whom did Israel owe all their success? It was to the Lord. God had given Solomon divine understanding. God had set up Solomon as the greatest, wisest, richest king this world had ever known. Remember, ultimately, it was the Lord governing Israel and Solomon was just the instrument God was using. Unfortunately, this would not always be the case. God was doing a work in Solomon but Solomon would have this very heart, a heart enlarged by God, turned for the things of this world. This is why Israel was always to have a Theocracy (God ruled), and not a Monarchy (Man ruled) government. Solomon was a great king when he allowed God to be king of his life. Once he stopped doing that, his story turns out to be quite depressing.

What we have we owe to God. He is the one who enlarges our hearts. He is the one who gives freely. Therefore everything we own belongs to Him. Do not allow the cares of the world to change your heart.

1 Kings 3

And Solomon said: "You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
(1Ki 3:6-8)

What would you do if God were to come up to you and say, “I will give you anything you ask.” What in the world would you ask for? It could be anything. I think when the answer is presented in this way it would be easy to come up with the right answer. “I would ask for wisdom,” or “I would ask greater knowledge of the Word that might better know Jesus.” I am challenged here. Do I live this out? Do a live a life that is seeking to know Jesus more? I am truly seeking things of this world. If someone were to open up your heart today, unpack it, and lay the contents out, would they see a heart seeking Jesus or would they see a heart seeking something from this world?

Notice that Solomon did not only say the right thing, he was living it. He had come to the “high place” to give offerings. In fact, gave a thousand offerings. He had so much offering to give, that he just spent the night there. He probably spent quite some time there, just offering to the Lord. Have I ever done this??? Have I ever just said, “Today, I am going to offer praises and prayers to the Lord all day!” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 tells us, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.” Our lives are to always be shooting up prayers and praises to the Lord.

Gang, we might not be faced up with this question up front but we are faced with this question everyday through the decisions we make and the things we seek after. What do want from the Lord? Does your life scream, “More Jesus,” or is it running after the things of this world?

* Todays devo was posted late due to a Proverbs 6:9 moment. Apologies

1 Kings 2

"I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. 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;

(1Ki 2:2-3)

I’ve pointed out before how much I love getting to read people’s last words. You can tell so much about what was really IMPORTANT to them. In this passage, we see David’s last words. They are not spoken to the masses, but to his son; a powerful exhortation to LIVE FOR THE LORD.

David tells Solomon BE STRONG, but not in the John Wayne/action hero sort of way. This is not strength he found in himself, but strength he found in the LORD. Let’s look at what David said, and what it means. I hope we can glean from what David had to say to Solomon… we should do the same things Solomon is told to do!

He starts by saying, “Keep the CHARGE of the Lord”. David tells Solomon to guard with all that he was what the Lord had given to him, what the Lord had called him to do. Is what the Lord has given to you and called you to do PRECIOUS to you? Do you keep it and guard it? Do you protect its place in your life?

What were the things the Lord had charged Solomon to do?

• Walk in His ways… (follow His path, not your own)

• Keep His statutes… (Things God has stated to be true)

• Keep His commandments… (Things God has said to do, or not to do)

• Keep His judgments… (The decisions God has made)

• Keep His testimonies… (His warnings)

All of these things can be found in the WORD OF GOD. You see, the way Solomon was to BE STRONG was by walking according to God’s word. He needed to follow the Lord’s path, and listen to what God said was true. He needed to do only what God said to do, and never what God said not to do. He needed to respect the decisions that God made, and heed all of God’s warnings. He needed to allow God to CONTROL HIS LIFE.

David’s biggest concern at the end of his life was simple, “I want my son to live according to the Word of God”.

What about you? Are you living by God’s Word? If you are, the promise David gives Solomon here can apply to you as well. “You will do well whatever you do and wherever you go”. Great advice… LET’S KEEP IT!