Chapter 15                               the week of April 29

God’s Messengers

After the division of Israel to a northern and southern kingdom, the situation continued to deteriorate as their kings and the people did not follow God. We have already had generals, then judges, then kings to speak God’s words. Here, various prophets were raised up to speak God’s message to these kings. God was always caring for His people to draw them back to Himself. These people mostly did not listen.

PP 203-6  Elijah was a prophet mightily used in the northern kingdom of Israel. He challenged King Ahab that God said there was not to be dew or rain until God commanded it to happen. Elijah then went into hiding and the ravens provided his daily bread and meat. Have you had a situation when God gave food and drink when you had none?

Elijah challenged King Ahab the draw all of Israel to come to Mount Carmel. There he saw himself as the only prophet of God against Baal’s 450 prophets. The contest began with the pagan prophets attempting to call fire down on a sacrifice. All day they were futile in their efforts. After taunting them (“shout louder…maybe your gods are asleep”), Elijah proceeded to build an altar of sacrifice and doused it with much water. He prayed to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and called fire down, consuming the sacrifice. The people gave credence to the living God. Then Elijah and the prophets seized and killed. This led to God’s releasing the rain that had been desperately needed for three years. Most of us do not live to see a demonstration from God like this, winning over overt evil. Try to imagine being a witness to this power of God.

Pp 206-7  The Queen Jezebel would have none of this. She personally vowed to have Elijah killed. And Elijah ran away; God again provided. Why are many of our greatest successes followed by the threat of defeat?

In a conversation with God, Elijah heard that the Lord would be passing by. He was not in the powerful wind, the earthquake, or the fire. God was in a still small voice, a gentle whisper. Why is it that we desire dramatic actions and voice from God, when He often speaks in the silence of our own thoughts? Elijah was to anoint another king and be assured that there were 7000 faithful Israelites.

PP 207-9  Elijah put his cloak on Elisha to designate him as his prophet successor. Elisha was at his side incessantly. Finally, Elijah made a dramatic departure by being picked up and then transported to heaven in a chariot of fire. The remaining godly prophets saw the effect on Elisha as he served in the same power from God as had Elijah. This is one of the few good transitions from one to another. Why was this important for Elijah to initiate the process and for Elisha to follow?

PP 209-11  Elisha also did many attesting miracles to authenticate God. One of the most amazing was the raising of the son of a mother whom he had predicted would bear a child. We don’t always know God’s timing, but these signs did validate God in a dark age. As we would consider our present age a dark time, why do you think God does not do this today?

PP 213-17  Other prophets brought God’s message to the divided kingdoms. Among them, Amos was a shepherd who was called by God as a prophet to northern Israel. He focused on justice and mercy. Hosea preached as a prophet to southern Judah. He was told by God to marry the prostitute Gomer and pursue her as she ran from him. This was an analogy of God’s steadfast love toward Judah, even while they ran from Him.

These prophets saw very little fruit of ministry as they continued to do the hard things God called them to do in the midst of an evil generation. As we are so success oriented, how may we be more persistent by showing up and speaking out toward the people not living for God?

Chapter Fourteen                                 the week of April 22

A Kingdom Torn in Two

Solomon was about to die. God had told him that if he followed God in obedience his lineage would be on the throne of Israel. He chose not to follow God. So Jeroboam, whom God had designated to be king, had fled to Egypt. When Solomon died, Jeroboam returned. Rehoboam, one of Solomon’s sons was crowned king. It became the beginning of a divided kingdom.

Pp 193-95  Solomon had put a heavy tax burden on the people of Israel and had becoming wealthy as a result. Jeroboam represented most of Israel in asking for relief from this heavy taxation from King Rehoboam. Solomon’s former advisors counseled him to relieve the burden and gain the trust of the people. The king rejected that advice and listened to his younger friends, giving an even greater burden to authenticate that he was in control. The eleven tribes returned to the North and made Jeroboam their king. Rehoboam had only the tribe of Judah to rule.

In the change of an administration there is only one chance to set a tone. Wanting to make an impression, why do leaders tend to make the harshest choice?

Pp 195-7  Now Israel of the North and Judah to the South were at war. Rehoboam was warned by a man of God to not go to battle, and this time he listened. Meanwhile, Jeroboam realized that his people would be going to festivals in Jerusalem and that they would be tempted to give allegiance to the other king. So he set up a golden calf in Bethel and Dan to worship. He set up opposing festivals, shrines and priests. The people obliged by committing apostasy against the living God. A prophesy was made concerning Rehoboam’s downfall at the hand of Josiah.

 Sometimes self-protection becomes the rationale for creating a false religion. In our world, how have false cults and pop religion provided security for the originators and spiritual slavery to the people?

Pp 197-8  The son of Jeroboam of the North was gravely ill. Jeroboam sent his wife to learn from a prophet of his son’s future. It was told that this son, the only good one, would die and the kingdom would be taken from Jeroboam, leaving no surviving sons. Sometimes God intervenes; sometimes he allows us to reap what we sow.

Pp 198-9  In Judah of the South the situation was just as bad. They followed the nations and built pagan high places with practices formerly removed from the land. The treasures of the temple and palace were confiscated by a rival king. And warfare became ongoing between Judah and Israel. Rehoboam, then his son Abijah died as spiritual and political failures. The two kingdoms were rivals at how much they could disobey God.

Pp 199-202  Asa, King of Judah, became a bright spot in this marred picture. He set to reverse the plague of paganism, tearing down heathen shrines and even deposing his pagan grandmother. His righteous behavior lasted two decades.

By and large evil kings dominated the landscape of both kingdoms, each seeming to outdo each other in blaspheming God in their words and actions. It is truly remarkable how patient God was.

Now think about David and Solomon. All was in their hands to perpetuate good for generations to Israel. They could have been the city on the hill. But the slippery slope happened when they did not completely follow God, till their descendents were completely not following God.

How do we break this descent with our descendents? God is shown as kind and holy in this chapter. Why are we attracted to the first attribute and we ignore the second? What is at-risk in our imbalance?

Chapter 13                           the week of April 15

The King who had it all

David had lived a full life in his seventy years. He had been a shepherd, a military leader, a king in waiting, a person on the run from Saul, from his own son Absalom, and the enemies of Israel. Of course, he had also been a sinner, but one who repented to God. He would then die and leave his legacy with his son from Bathsheba, Solomon.

PP 175-6  David charged his son Solomon to carry on a righteous kingship. The message was the same perpetuated to every generation: Honor God and He will honor you. What is unwritten in The Story is that one of his other sons, Adonijah, also contended for the throne (1 Kings 1).

PP 176-8  God asked Solomon what was his desire, anything he wanted. When Solomon asked for wisdom alone, God granted this and along with wealth and honor. Of course, there is always a question of how people deal with wealth and prestige. Why is wisdom more precious than wealth or fame?

Solomon’s wisdom was shown in how he adjudicated the case of two women who each claimed a child was their own son.  The outcome gave the son to the rightful woman, and news of the king’s wisdom spread throughout the kingdom. We have seen the downfall of
our own Presidents for the lack of common sense and wisdom. Why is wisdom so difficult to find and hard to live by?

PP 178-83  Solomon started as a man for all seasons. Using his wisdom he expanded Israel’s boundaries the farthest it ever existed and wrote prolific proverbs. These proverbs dealt with common sense issues like money, friendship, work, and life. What are insights you glean from some of these sayings?

PP 183-9  Solomon took seriously his calling to build the Temple that his father David had devised. It was only 2700 square feet, the size of a large American home, but it required close to 184,000 people to construct it. It was ornate and lavish, with symbolism covering every inch. The dedication of the Temple was one of the grandest days in Israel’s history. God was hailed for His goodness and enduring love. Fire came from the sky to consume the sacrifices. And the charge to the people including blessings and cursings was given again. With these times of remembrance, God was reminding Israel over and over again. Why did they continually forget? Why do we forget?

PP 189-92  Everyone, both foreign and domestic, gave financial tribute to Solomon. He lived in an opulent place and had no physical needs. He also lived in a brash way by having 700 wives and 300 concubines. Many of these women were from foreign descent with foreign gods that turned Solomon away from the true living God. So here we have a remarkable man who had everything going for him. He wrote the Proverbs and Song of Solomon, wise sayings. But he also wrote Ecclesiastes, speaking to the meaningless of life…having it all but living life itself as a hollow, godless existence.
What a sad state of affairs. The one with the most promise is lost without relying on God. This is a lesson for us to learn: if we don’t have a heart after God like David, we might end up like Solomon…having it all but finding life meaningless. Does this ring true?

Chapter 12                                             the week of April 8

The Trials of a King

King David consolidated his leadership of the twelve tribes of Israel. Without internal strife he had only external battles with neighboring enemy kingdoms. One such battle was with the Ammonites, the present day Amman in Jordan. David delegated the battle to his warriors and sat this out in his lavish Jerusalem home.

P 161  From his rooftop David saw a beautiful woman bathing. What was the process of his downfall? Walking on the rooftop was not wrong, but he might have been restless (wondering about the war without being there?). When he saw Bathsheba he didn’t turn away, he looked longer. He sent someone to inquire about her. Then he used his authority inappropriately to appropriate her for his own needs. Certainly she may have resisted, but it is difficult to turn down a king. Our own downfall begins with a lack of focus, turns into temptation, then allure, then inquiry, then action, which many times comes from personal power: money, strength or position. See James 1:13-15.

Pp 161-2  A second set of sins began with the denial of the sins of the first set. David’s confession to God, then to Bathsheba and Uriah would have saved Uriah’s life. As it was, David called Uriah (one of his choicest soldiers) back from battle and gave him freedom of movement to relate to Bathsheba. But, insult to injury, Uriah was too loyal to be with his wife while Israel was in battle. So David ordered Uriah to be left alone in battle, essentially executing him. Do you recall cover up sins more onerous than the original?

Pp 162-3  So David had another beautiful wife and  his own flesh in a child to be born. How do you think his other wives took this? Did they know how to count to 9 months? The prophet Nathan approached him with a story of a wronged vulnerable man. David wanted the perpetrator killed when Nathan responded: You are the man! Now there would be kingdom repercussions for David: violence in his family & the kingdom, desecration of his wives, and the death of his newborn son. David’s response, though belated, was genuine. He recognized he had sinned primarily against the Lord. With sin having much collateral damage, why is it primarily against the Lord?

Pp 163-4  David’s response in Psalm 51 is very authentic. He asked for God’s mercy to cleanse his sin. He needed restoration from God as well. He desired reconciliation so he would not be reminded of his stain against God. He wanted a pure heart, a steadfast spirit, the presence of God, the power of His Spirit, the joy of salvation, and a pliable spirit…all aspects of the spiritual life we should desire. Why does it take spiritual disaster for us to see more clearly and come to God?

P 165-6  David had likely broken nine of the ten commandments, possibly ten if it happened on the Sabbath. While his unnamed son was dying, David diligently fasted and prayed. When it was found the child had died, David cleaned himself and worshipped God. He was an example of pleading with God, even when the result seemed determined. Jesus did the same thing in Gethsemane. And the status of his deceased son?  ‘He (the son) would not come to me (David) but I will go to him’.

See the response of David to God from Psalm 32: Blessing God, acknowledging his own silence, groaning and wrenching of his body, recognition of his sin, cover up and the joy of forgiveness. Oh, that we would discover this sooner than later. Notice that the consequences of sin and resulting confession have physical and psychological repercussions. A new son, Solomon, comforts his parents David and Bathsheba.

Pp 166-9  There is trouble in the family. David’s son Absalom murders and creates insurrection. David dispossesses him then allows Absalom back to the city but ignores him. This is a pattern David had when his daughter Dinah was raped by another son. Absalom had only taken justice into his own hands because David didn’t. Absalom passively then actively fought against his father David. Absalom was killed by David’s commander Joab when David had explicitly told him not to do so. And David wept in an agonized Absalom, Absalom! Why are there consequences of forgiven sin?

Pp  169-72  David had desired to build a temple to the Lord, but God would not receive it from his bloodied hands. So David made the preparations and set aside materials and charged his son Solomon with the project following David’s death. Whether his motivation was a gift or a legacy, David must have felt unfulfilled because he was unable to build the temple.

Pp 172-3  David was arguably the most spiritual king of Israel. He was imperfect, but rebounded back to God. His 23rd Psalm gave credence to God’s attributes: God as shepherd, nourishing with pastures, water and right paths; His sustaining nature, with presence in our darkest places, making safe and comforting; His provision of food amidst enemies, and anointing with blessing in this life and in his presence forever. This truly is everyman’s psalm for every time.