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COLLECTIONS
Commentaries,
Word Studies, Devotionals, Sermons, Illustrations
Old and New Testament. |
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1 Kings
DEVOTIONALS
Our Daily Bread |
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1 Kings
1:15-31
Power Struggle
The Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it
whomever He chooses. Daniel 5:21
The president of a company in Michigan had suffered a minor stroke, and he
was not spending much time at the office. He didn't know that one of his
sons, with the help of two vice presidents, was scheming to take over the
firm. He learned of their plot just in time, though, and was able to
retain control.
In some parts of the world, power struggles result in assassinations,
bloody coups, or civil wars. We see power struggles in politics all the
time. They also occur in neighborhoods, families, and even in churches.
Adonijah made a power move to grab the throne of Israel (1 Kings 1:5-10).
But God had other plans. Bathsheba (David's wife) and Nathan the prophet
were able to stop the takeover (1 Kings 1:11-31), and God's appointed
leader, Solomon, soon became king (1 Kings 1:38-40; 2:12).
We need to remember that God rules over the kingdoms of earth (Dan. 5:21).
He raises up leaders and brings them down, whether in politics or in the
church. Sometimes it's necessary to replace an ineffective leader, but we
must pursue that option only after careful thought and earnest prayer for
God's direction. We should never become part of a move that serves the
ambition of some power-hungry person instead of honoring the Lord who
rules over all. –D C Egner (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
The Most High still
rules over kingdoms of men,
He gives the control to whomever He will;
All people must bow to His sovereign plan,
And know that His purposes He will fulfill. –Hess
The most powerful position on earth is kneeling before the Lord of the
universe.
How Much Does God Control?
What Do We Owe The Government? |
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1 Kings
3:5-10
Growing Wise
Give to Your servant an understanding heart. -1 Kings 3:9
Solomon was a young man charged with the responsibility of governing one
of the most prosperous kingdoms in the ancient Near East. Israel was a
significant power then, her domain extending from the Euphrates River to
the border of Egypt. Responsible for so much, Solomon knew he needed help.
So when God asked the young king what He could do for him, Solomon did not
ask to be healthy or wealthy. He asked to be wise (1 Kings 3:9). This
request pleased the Lord.
God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing, . . . I have done
according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding
heart" (1 Kings 3:11-12).
The word translated "understanding" in Solomon's request (v.9) actually
means "hearing." God gave Solomon a hearing heart so he could judge the
people, and "discern between good and evil."
Wise men and women hear God through His Book. They read other books, of
course, but they judge them all by the Word of God. There is no greater
wisdom.
If you want wisdom, ask God for it. The apostle James said, "If any of you
lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without
reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). -D H R (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
I scanned God's
teachings thoughtlessly,
In haste I did not hear Him;
Then prayerfully I read once more,
This time my heart drew near Him. -Gustafson
God opens the door of His wisdom to those who open their Bibles
Knowing God Through The Whole Bible
Knowing God Through Proverbs
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1 Kings 4:29-34; 11:4-6
WHAT DOES HE WANT?
His heart was not loyal to the Lord his God. - 1 Kings 11:4
After 10 years of being a parent, I think I think what I value most about
my children: our relationship.
Sure, it's nice when they score baskets or play beautiful music on the
piano. I like it when they bring home good grades or write something
profound for a school paper. And it's rewarding when people comment how
nice they look or act in public.
But what really keeps a tired dad going - after working all day, fixing a
leaking sink, reading Green Eggs and Ham for the hundredth time, and
helping with a grammar assignment - is a loving smile, a big hug, and four
choice words: "I love you, Dad."
If another day has passed and my kids have maintained a loving, caring,
mutually admiring relationship with me, I'm a glad dad.
It's something like what goes on between God and us. He wants us to work
at keeping our relationship with Him strong - even more than He wants us
to do anything else. That's why it's so sad to read about Solomon. He had
it all. Yet he shut off the relationship with God by being disloyal to
Him. He was a king with wisdom, power, and riches, but when he forsook God
those things meant nothing.
What does God want most from you and me? A loving relationship. - J D Brannon
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Spirit of God, descent upon my heart:
Wean it from earth, through all its pulses move.
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art,
And make me love Thee as I ought to love. - Croly
If you're not as
close to God as you used to be, guess who moved.
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1 KINGS
8:54-61
"Blessed be the Lord.... There has not failed one word of all His good
promise" (1 Kings 8:56).
A man who lived in northern Michigan went for a walk in a dense forest so
immense that a person could easily get lost. When darkness began to settle
in, he decided it was time to head home. He was used to being in the woods
and had a keen sense of direction, so he didn't bother to look at his
compass. After walking for a long time, however, he decided he'd better
check to make sure he was going in the right direction. He was surprised
when the compass indicated he was going west-not east as he had thought.
But the man was so sure of his own sense of direction that he thought
there must be something wrong with the compass. He was about to throw it
away in disgust when the thought came to him:
My compass has never lied to me yet-maybe I should believe it. The man
eventually found his way out of the woods and arrived home safely because
he trusted his compass and didn't rely on himself.
Solomon told the congregation of Israel that not "one word of all His good
promise" had failed. That assurance still stands. What God promises, He
performs. His instructions are always trustworthy. He will never lead us
astray. If we think so highly of our own judgment that we refuse to rely
on God's sure word, we are asking for trouble and will only become more
confused. His words have never failed, and they never will. -R W De Haan (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
The Bible always
points the believer in the right direction.
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1 Kings
8:56
A Promise Kept
"Blessed be the Lord...There has not failed one word of all His good
promise." --1 Kings 8:56
A close, longtime friend died after a 6-year battle with Alzheimer's
disease. A few days after her death, my wife and I attended a wedding. As
the bride and groom exchanged their vows, I pondered the whole matter of
promising. It was beautiful to witness two excited young people in their
twenties pledging their lives to each other. But it was profound to
remember the faithfulness of our recently departed friend. She and her
husband had kept their wedding vows for more than half a century, even
when the final years were darkened by her memory loss and decline.
Lewis Smedes wrote, "Some people still make promises and keep those they
make. When they do, they help make life around them more stably human.
Promise-keeping is a powerful means of grace in a time when people hardly
depend on each other to remember and live by their word."
Psalm 15 proclaims the qualities of the steadfast, God-honoring person who
enjoys fellowship with our promise-keeping Lord (1 Kings 8:56). This
individual keeps his promises even when it hurts (Ps. 15:4).
Our most important commitments are fulfilled one day at a time. "I do." "I
will." "You can count on me." There is power in every promise that is made
and kept. --D C McCasland (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Thinking It Over
Are you a person whose word can always be trusted?
What commitments have you made to your family,
your spouse, your friends, your church, God?
When you give your word, keep it.
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1 Kings
17:1-16
GOD'S WAYS
"How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out." -
Romans 11:33
After Elijah had experienced some especially trying times, the Lord told
him to flee to Zarephath where
he could find food and shelter. Imagine Elijah's surprise when he
discovered that the widow who was
to provide for him was extremely poor! In fact, she expected that she and
her son would soon die of
starvation.
How often God delights to astonish us by the wonder of His ways! Our
limited understanding of Him can be likened to a fly crawling on one of
the great pillars of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. What
does that tiny insect know about the architect's magnificent design? It
sees only the little space
of stone on which it moves. The beautiful carvings and ornamental work
seem like towering mountains and deep valleys that only impede progress
and obscure the view.
We as Christians often see only our immediate circumstances and perceive
but a glimmer of God's marvelous purpose. The obstacles that block our
vision and get in the way of our plans are actually part of the beautiful
designs of divine grace.
Our heavenly Father knows exactly what He is doing. Although His ways are
unsearchable, He assures us that all will work out for our good if we
trust Him.-- Henry G. Bosch (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
God's ways and
judgments baffle those
Who do not see His perfect plan;
But those who trust His saving grace,
With wonder all His actions scan! -- HGB
God may conceal the purpose of His ways, But His ways are not without
purpose.
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1 Kings 17:14
Dwindling ResourcesThe
barrel of meal shall not be used up, neither shall the cruse of oil fail.
1 Kings 17:14
At some point in life most of us face the problem of dwindling resources.
The story of the widow of Zarephath should encourage us to trust the Lord
to supply our needs at all times.
H. A. Ironside told of a Christian widow who lived in Scotland. With
several “bairns” in the home, it was extremely difficult for her to
provide food and clothing for her household. Through it all, she lived
close to the Lord and lovingly taught her children to put their confidence
in Him. The day finally came when the purse was empty and the pantry
depleted. Only a handful of flour remained in the big barrel. The mother
reached down into the container to scrape up the last bit in order to make
some bread for her hungry little ones. As she bent over the barrel, her
faith began to waver and she could hold back the tears no longer. Her
little son Robbie heard her sobs and began tugging at her dress till she
lifted her head and looked into his questioning eyes. In his Scottish
dialect he asked, “Mither, what are ye weepin’ aboot? Dinna God hear ye
scrapin’ the bottom o’ the barrel, Mither?” Ironside said, “In a moment
her failing faith reasserted itself. Ah yes, God did hear. All else might
be gone but He remained, and His Word declared that her every need would
be supplied.” -P.R.V. (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved) |
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1 Kings
19:1-18
A Neglected Remedy
He gives His beloved sleep. -Psalm 127:2
I am often asked to speak on the subject of stress. I'm not an expert on
stress, just an experienced sufferer! I simply share counsel from God's
Word that helps me live less stressfully and more restfully. Many
listeners are desperate for any new insight I might offer. What blank
looks I sometimes get when I make this particular recommendation: "Get
more sleep!" In their longing to deepen their experience of God's peace,
they were hoping for something more spiritual than that.
But I'm not alone in linking spirituality to sleep. A godly Bible teacher
was asked to share the key ingredient in his own life for walking in the
Spirit. He studied the Bible and prayed regularly, but his surprising
reply was this: "Get 8 hours of sleep each night."
This reply is less surprising in light of God's initial remedy for
Elijah's stress and depression (1 Kings 19:1-18). Twice God gave him food
and undisturbed sleep before gently confronting him at Mt. Horeb with his
error.
Psalm 4:8 says, "I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone,
O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Sleep is not the full remedy for stress,
but other solutions can become clearer to people who get adequate rest. -J E Yoder
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
When life is so busy
and hectic and humming,
You're uptight and frazzled and stressed;
Slow down for a while and spend time with the Savior,
And be sure to get adequate rest. -Fitzhugh
We can sleep in peace when we remember that God is awake.
Safe & Secure
What Can I Do With My Worry? |
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1 Kings
19:1-18
Light In The Darkness
Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers. --1 Kings
19:4
Christians who pass through the dark tunnel of depression tend to focus on
their sins and weaknesses and failures so much that they may even want to
die. God can use times like this, however, to increase their awareness of
His inexhaustible grace.
In 1964, Alan Redpath, former pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, sank into
the depths of despondency following a near-fatal stroke. He wrote later of
having terribly wicked thoughts. "O Lord," he prayed, "take me right
home!" It was then he sensed that the Lord was saying, "It is I, your
Savior, who has brought this experience into your life to show you [that]
this is the kind of person--with all your sinful thoughts and temptations
which you thought were things of the past--that you always will be, but
for My grace."
Redpath's experience reminds me of the prophet Elijah. He too wanted to
die. He cried out, "Lord, take my life!" (1 Kings 19:4). Although Elijah
had been mightily used of God, he needed to be reminded of God's
sustaining grace. Depression, which in his case was triggered by physical
and emotional exhaustion, became God's mirror of truth to let him see anew
the marvelous light of His grace. The darkest night is never without that
light. --D J De Haan (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Though tempted and
sadly discouraged,
My soul to this refuge will flee
And rest in this blessed assurance:
"My grace is sufficient for thee." --Anon.
Amid the darkness of sin, the light of God's grace shines brightest.
When Hope Is Lost: Dealing With
Depression |
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1 Kings
19:1-18
"RENEWED HOPE"
[Elijah prayed], "Lord, take my life."...Then the Lord said to him, "Go,
return on your way." -1 Kings 19:4, 15
People who live without hope can become suicidal. So it was with an
Italian prisoner of war being held on a military base in the United States
during World War II. He had become despondent after learning that his wife
had died in Italy. The camp commander, knowing that the man had been a
stonemason, asked him if he could design a chapel for the base. The POW
accepted the assignment and even supervised construction.
Today a unique chapel stands at the Letterkenny Army Depot in
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The formerly despondent prisoner found renewed
hope by using his God-given talents to bless others.
In 1 Kings 19, we read that Elijah was despondent. He was physically and
emotionally drained after fleeing from the evil Queen Jezebel. In despair,
he asked God to take his life. Instead, the angel of the Lord ministered
to his physical needs. Some days later, the Lord spoke to Elijah and told
him that his work was not over.
When you are in despair, the first step on the pathway to new hope is to
take care of your physical needs. Then listen to God's voice through the
Scriptures. The Lord will show you your spiritual condition and tell you
what He would have you do to bless others.-- D J De Haan (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
When plunged in
darkness and despair,
Our only hope is in the Lord;
Not once does He withhold His care,
Or ever fail to keep His Word.-- DJD
God gives hope to
us as we give help to others. |
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1 Kings
19:1-18
You're Not Alone
[God] has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." --Hebrews
13:5
If you're in a situation where you feel that you're the only one standing
true to God, take heart! There's encouragement in the story of Elijah.
The prophet had experienced the Lord's protection and miraculous
provision, and he had just won a great victory over those who had led
God's people astray (1 Kings 17-18). But then we find Elijah running for
his life and sinking into despair, convinced that he was the only one of
God's prophets who hadn't been destroyed by the enemy (1 Kings 19). After
having exhibited great courage, he suddenly was overcome with fear.
We may have a similar reaction. It may occur in the early stages of an
unknown venture or after a great success. Suddenly we feel isolated,
vulnerable, alone, afraid.
God came to Elijah in his darkest moment and gave the fearful prophet a
word of encouragement. The Lord told him, "I have reserved seven thousand
in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal" (1 Kings 19:18).
Seven thousand! God has His people everywhere. In your job, neighborhood,
dormitory, or barracks, you may feel that you're the only one standing for
Christ. Take courage! Other believers are in the same situation. And most
important, God will not leave you. You are not alone. --D C McCasland (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Though all around me
is darkness
And earthly joys are flown,
My Savior whispers His promise--
Never to leave me alone. --Anon.
When we have nothing left but God, God is enough.
Lonely But Never Alone |
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1 Kings
19:1-18
Finding New Hope
Why are you cast down, O my soul? . . . Hope in God, for I shall yet
praise Him. --Psalm 42:5
A woman who was widowed for the second time felt the loss deeply. She saw
little reason to go on living.
One day she got into the car with her young grandson. After securing him
properly, she started the car without fastening her own seatbelt. When the
5-year-old politely pointed this out to her, she told him she didn't care
about her safety because she wanted to go to Jesus and Grandpa. The boy
replied, "But Grandma, then you would leave me!"
God used this youngster to bring to her the realization that He still had
service for her to perform, and that her situation was not as hopeless as
it seemed to be.
During almost 50 years of ministry, I've seen many despairing people come
to the place where they felt there was no way out. Like Elijah, they
wanted to die (1 Ki. 19:4). God sustained them, however, and showed them
that He still had work for them to do. They discovered that the situation
was not as dark as they had thought and that God had a reason for them to
go on living.
Don't give in to despair! Remind yourself of God's goodness and love. Talk
to Him. He will meet your needs. He'll lead you in paths of love and light
and joy where you will find new hope. --H V Lugt (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Beyond the losses of
this life
That cause us to despair,
New hope is born within our hearts
Because our God is there. --DJD
No one is hopeless whose hope is in God. |
1 Kings 19:2-4
ELIJAH AT HOREB (DEPRESSION)
"Elijah . . . arose and ran for his
life, and went . . . a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat
down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die (1 Kings 19:2-4).
Adoniram Judson, the pioneer missionary to Burma who translated the Bible
into Burmese and is considered one of the great early missionaries, had
difficulty dealing with the death of his wife, Nancy. In deep depression,
he said, "God is to me the Great Unknown. I believe in him, but I find him
not."
We have all gone through times when the only certainty was uncertainty.
Like Christian in Pilgrim's Progress, we have all faced Giant Despair. As
Winston Churchill put it, we are sometimes overtaken by the "black dog of
depression."
Jezebel scared Elijah with her death threat, and he ran for his life. He
was so discouraged that he asked God to carry out Jezebel's pronouncement.
Instead, God reassured Elijah with His presence and plan for the future.
Like Elijah, the two disciples from Emmaus were near despair. Their hope
that Jesus would redeem Israel had been dashed, leaving them disappointed
and puzzled-but only until the resurrected Christ appeared. With His
presence came a bright light for the future.
Faith and doubt travel hand in hand, and doubt about God's goodness and
care often leads to depression. Yet sorrow has a spur; depression can
drive us to Him. If we do not find Him, He finds us; and we cry out for
joy. He is alive and He loves us. (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved) |
1 KINGS 19:1-10
"Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!" (1 Kings
19:4).
A letter came to Radio Bible Class that bore no signature and no return
address. It read, "By the time you receive this letter, I will have
committed suicide. I accepted Christ two years ago. Lately my world has
been crumbling around me. I can't take it anymore. I can't fall again or
be `bad' anymore. God and I have drifted apart. . . . Lord, help me. Could
you take a moment and say a prayer for me, a teenager? Lord forgive me!"
Even Christians can get so desperate that they want to take their own
life. In 1 Kings 19 we read that Elijah was so physically and emotionally
exhausted that he asked God to take his life. Although that's not suicide,
his request arises from the same feelings of despair. But God brought
Elijah out of his depression. He lifted him up by strengthening him with
food, restoring him through sleep, listening to his complaint, gently
correcting him, reassuring him in a still, small voice, giving him new
work to do, and telling him.that all was not lost.
Most people who take their own lives do so when they are deeply depressed.
Reality has become distorted, and they can't see the selfish, sinful
nature of their act. But God wants to restore and uphold them. Sometimes
He speaks hope directly to the soul, but more often He uses sensitive,
caring people who come alongside to help. We can be God's hope to others.
With a word, a smile, or a helping hand we can say to those who are cast
down, "In Christ there is hope." -D J De Haan (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
When we are most ready to perish, God
is most ready to help us. |
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1 Kings
19:1‑13
"What Doest Thou Here?"
Vance Havner
Jezebel had threatened Elijah, his nerves had gone into a tailspin,
and under the juniper he imagined himself to be the surviving saint, the
last good man. There are three great chapters in the life of this prophet
and they might well be titled, Cherith, Carmel, and the Cave. In the cave
the Lord asks him, "What doest thou here?"
Not a few of the saints are in a cave today and we would inquire of them,
"What doest thou here?"
1. For one thing, Elijah was tired.
It is too much for most of us these days. Never have I preached to so many
tired people as now. The human race lives in a nervous breakdown. It is a
day of stress, strain and tension, and our very speech is the speech of
weariness, the language of languor. We are weary and faint in our minds.
Fatigue is filling hospitals, asylums, graves. Men cannot drink it away
with whiskey nor play it away at card tables nor laugh it off in a theatre
nor sleep it away with sedatives. Our remedies treat only the symptoms and
not the disease.
2. Elijah was also discouraged and pessimistic.
He thought he was the last good man, and needed to learn that God had
seven thousand who had not bowed to Baal. When we are too tired we easily
grow despondent and imagine that everybody is out of step except
ourselves.
3. Furthermore, Elijah was suffering a reaction from a big and noisy
day on Carmel.
This noise standard shows up in our churches. Some of us think we are not
having a good meeting unless there is a lot of hullabaloo. Oh, 1 know that
what some call worship is just the device by which some resters at ease in
Zion catch up with their sleep. And what some call reverence and dignity
is just spiritual rigor mortis, the Sunday coma of religious dopesters
getting their eleven o'clock dose of pulpit cocaine. But the counterfeit
implies the truth, and most of us are so feverish and nervous that we
cannot hear God's whisper. "Be still and know that I am God." The Lord
commanded the multitude to sit down before He fed them.
4. [Elijah] was derelict in his duty.
He had no business under the juniper. He needed to get back on the job. In
God's permissive will He took mercy on the prophet and taught him a
lesson, but Elijah should not have run from the threat of Jezebel. A man
is first a runaway before he is a castaway.
"What doest thou here?" Are you under a juniper? Is the journey too great
for you, and are you exhausted, tired on the way, though not tired of the
way? Have you grown pessimistic until you imagine yourself the surviving
saint? Have you been living on excitement, big days, and big
demonstrations, fire and wind and earthquake, until you cannot hear God
whisper? Has the threat of Jezebel driven you to the wilderness? Wait on
the Lord and renew your strength! As important as it is to be saved and
sure and sound and strong, don't forget how much it means to be still! |
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1 Kings 19:5, 15, 16
NOTHING LEFT TO DO BUT DIE
Now, 0 Lord, take away my life... And the Lord said unto him, Go . . .
anoint Hazael . . . and Jehu ... and Elisha 1 Kings 19:5, 15, 16
The words, "There's nothing left to do but die," spoken by a
twenty-year-old girl who attempted suicide after a drug-taking episode,
still ring in my ears. She was a picture of abject hopelessness and
despair as she sat across the desk from me for our interview. She declared
that she had committed every kind of sin imaginable, and had never done
anything commendable that she could recall. Her moments of exhilaration
had come only while under the influence of forbidden and habit-forming
drugs. Now, confined to prison for her misdeeds, she said she expected
soon to die, but admitted she was desperately afraid. I assured her that
God still loved her, that Jesus died for her sins, and that the Lord would
save her and make the rest of her life worth-while if only she would
receive Christ. I pointed out that if she came to know the Lord, she would
become a new and vibrant person, full of eager anticipation for the
future. After counseling with her, giving her some additional Scriptures
to read, and praying with her, I left. Since then I have been praying
that God will reach her by His grace and claim her for himself. As yet she
has not responded to the Holy Spirit's wooings.
Friend, don't make the mistake of that girl in prison who can-not bring
herself to believe that God loves her. It is surprising that even
Christians sometimes doubt the Lord when confronted by adverse
circumstances. Note the case of Elijah mentioned in our text. Although a
child of God, he too was discouraged and wished to die, but the Lord still
had much work for him to do. God in His own good time will call us Home
when our task on earth is finished, but let us never faithlessly declare,
because of our limited perspective, that we have "nothing left to do but
die." God loves us and has a plan for each of us to follow. Life with
Christ is always worth living! (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Don't be downhearted, look up, look up,
For Jesus is on the Throne,
And He will supply every need from on High;
Cheer up, cheer up, cheer up!-Old Chorus
No life is hopeless unless Christ is ruled out! |
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1 Kings 20:28
THE GOD OF THE VALLEYS
"the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not
God of the valleys 1 Kings 20:28
The king of Syria, Ben-hadad, together with his great army, had suffered a
humiliating defeat at the hands of Israel. Since Palestine is rather
mountainous, the king erroneously concluded that the Israelites had been
successful because their deity was a God of the hills. If he could but
engage them again in the valley, he was sure that he could easily overcome
them. However, the prophet of the Lord spoke to King Ahab assuring him
that to vindicate the Lord's honor, and to show He was God of all places
and circumstances, Israel would again defeat the Syrian hosts. When the
battle came, God's people won an even more impressive victory. They were
thus reassured that the Lord was always at their side - even in the valley
of deepest testing!
Many people today still think God is with them when they enjoy prosperity,
yet mistakenly feel He has forsaken them when they are called to suffer
affliction.
A merchant was informed by his confidential secretary that his company was
in serious financial difficulty. "It's been a bad year, sir," said the
employee; "there have been vast losses and few gains." The merchant saw
that bankruptcy was imminent. When at last he spoke, his voice was low and
steady. " No, John, it has been a good year in spite of everything. Every
one of those figures `in the red' represent hours of agonizing prayer on
my part - experiences that have made me so spiritually rich that I cannot
despair over any earthly losses. The future is bright, for the Lord has
promised, 'No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.'
" The secretary looked at him for a moment, and then said, "I want to tell
you it was your steadiness under the testings of the past year that has
made me long to know Christ as you do; and so the other night I received
Him as my Savior. I agree, sir; it has indeed been a good year!" Both men
had come to realize in a wonderful way that the Lord is also "the God of
the valleys!" (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
God's "green pastures" are often found in the lowlands of trial!
-H. G. Bosch |
|
1 Kings 21:17-29
FRIEND OR ENEMY?
Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. -- Proverbs 27:5
I like people and want people to like me. So to tell them that their
conduct is dishonest or immoral isn't easy for me. On several occasions,
men have told me how they got out of a speeding ticket by making up a
touching story, or how they got even with some rascal in a shady business
deal. I've responded by asking, "That was clever, but was it honest?"
When I get acquainted with people and they tell me they are living
immorally, I may ask, "Do you believe in God and that you must answer to
Him? Or do you think we are accidents of nature with no more meaning than
an insect, and that it doesn't matter how we live?" When they express some
belief in God (and almost everyone does), I'll gently share with them what
He has said about about their conduct. Many times this opens the door to
present the good news of salvation.
Ahab called Elijah an enemy (1 Ki. 21:20). But he was wrong. The prophet
was really his best earthly friend. If only he would have listened to
God's servant, he could have been a good king and a child of God.
Lord, help us to be loving as we confront people with their sin. And help
us to see that those who point out our sins are not our enemies but our
true friends. --H V Lugt (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
True friends will say what's kind and
true,
Though it may cause us pain;
They're thinking of what's good for us
And all we stand to gain. --DJD
Faithful are the wounds of a friend. -- Proverbs 27:6 |
|
1 KINGS 21:17-29
Ahab . . . tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, .. . and
went about mourning (1 Kings 21:27).
John and Joe stole some money, but they reacted differently when
confronted with the evidence. John broke down immediately, confessed his
guilt, and offered to repay the money. But Joe refused to take any
responsibility and blamed his companion. Later, with his parents
supporting him, Joe claimed he was forced into this conduct because some
of the young people in his church had never accepted him.
After more than thirty-five years of giving spiritual counsel, I can
testify that people who try to cover their sins will not prosper, and that
those who confess and forsake them find mercy (Pr 28:13). Many people
never realize that they become their own worst enemies by blaming others
instead of facing up to their own faults.
In 1 Kings 21, we read that King Ahab wanted a vineyard belonging to
Naboth, but the owner refused to sell it. So Jezebel, Ahab's wife, had
Naboth executed. Although Ahab merely allowed her to use his name in
signing the orders, he didn't blame his wife when confronted with his evil
deed. Instead, he acknowledged his crime, expressed grief over it,
accepted responsibility, repented, and received a merciful reprieve.
Whenever we do wrong, we are wise to face up to it, take responsibility
for our actions, and ask God to forgive us. We will be better people when
we learn to say, "I'm to blame." -H V Lugt (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Only those willing to take blame can ever be trusted with responsibility. |
|
1 Kings
21:1-16
The Cure For Greed
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. --Colossians
3:2
A man who lived with his elderly aunt expected to inherit her small
fortune. But he didn't wait for her to die naturally. The newspaper
reported that he killed her by giving her an overdose of medication. He's
now in prison.
In 1 Kings 21, we read about wealthy King Ahab, who wanted a vineyard so
much that he allowed his wife to murder the owner. God was so displeased
that He sent Elijah to tell Ahab that dogs would lick up his blood in the
very place where Naboth had been murdered. Not only that, but his wife and
every male descendant would be slaughtered. The terrifying prophecy was
fulfilled 3 years later (2 Ki. 9:4-10:11).
We should fear the sin of greed because it leads people to do terrible
things. We should hate it because it is idolatry (Col. 3:5), causing us to
value earthly things above God.
The good news is that we can escape greed's grip. In his letter to the
Colossians, Paul wrote, "Set your mind on things above, not on things on
the earth" (Col 3:2). He urged us to focus on our relationship with Christ and
to look forward to meeting with Him when He returns (Col 3:1-4).
Think of Christ and all that He has given you. That's the cure for greed.
--H V Lugt (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Thinking It Over
Why is greed so pointless? (Mt. 6:19-24).
What's more important than possessions? (vv.25-34).
What do I desire most in life?
If we have Christ, what more do we need? |
|
1 Kings
22:41-45
"Learning from Dad"
"(Jehoshaphat) walked in all the ways of his father Asa." 1 Kings 22:43
Whenever major league baseball player Curt Schilling pitches, he writes
his dad's name on the free-ticket list for that game. It's a practice he
started in 1988, and he says it will continue as long as he plays the
game.
This wouldn't be all that unusual, except that a few months before Curt's
major league debut his dad died of cancer. Putting his father's name on
that list is an ongoing tribute to the man who for 22 years provided
guidance, instruction, encouragement, and inspiration.
Just as Curt Schilling's dad gave him the incentive to succeed in
baseball, so we need to instill in our children the knowledge, desire, and
wisdom to succeed in the arena of faith. Nothing is more important than to
spend time building into our children the skills to do right in God's
eyes.
Asa, who was loyal to God (1 Kings 15:11), must have imparted that quality
to his son, because Jehoshaphat "walked in all the ways of his father Asa"
(1 Kings 22:43).
We must lead our children to Christ and encourage them to let Him be the
Lord of their lives. This may never make them prominent like a great
athlete, but it will help them "run with endurance the race that is set
before us" (Heb. 12:1). And that's the only competition that matters.- J D Brannon
(Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Take stock of
yourself and consider your child --
Your time and your thoughts are his due;
How would you reply to the Lord should He ask,
"What kind of parent are you?" - Anon.
Don't just spend time with your children - invest it. |
|
1 Kings
DEVOTIONALS
Our Daily Homily
F B Meyer |
|
1 Kings 1:29
As the Lord liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress.
“In my distress I called on the Lord, and cried to my God.” Never let
there be distress without its cry. He will hear your voice out of His
temple, and your cry will come before Him even into His ears. He will
answer, and set you in a large place. There is even a gain to be won from
distress, because it brings out new phases of Christ’s redemptive help.
God redeemed David from the calumny of those who maligned him without
cause. In so many of his Psalms he refers to the unjust and cruel hatred
which misrepresented him and his doings. But God, to whom he committed his
cause, vindicated him, so that his righteousness shone as the light, and
his judgment as the noonday. So He will do for you. Those who now lay all
manner of unkind charges to your door, will be compelled to admit your
innocence. Only leave your cause with God, and be still.
God redeemed David from all the afflictions that shadowed his early days:
from his wanderings in the wilderness; from his hairbreadth escapes in the
caves; from meeting his death on many a terrible battlefield. We hardly
realize, just now, how much we owe to the Angel of God’s redemption, who
is ever beside us, environing us with careful love, so that no evil may
approach us, or snare take our feet. Our pathway is thick with snares and
dangers, as the pilgrims found it when journeying through the valley of
the shadow; but there is a way out, and in the morning we shall marvel to
see how we escaped.
God redeemed David’s life from destruction. This was the greatest miracle
of all, when we consider the strong passions that slumbered within him,
breaking out whenever he broke loose from God’s grace.
1 Kings 2:4
That the Lord may continue His word.
How strongly David held to God’s promise! It was deeply graven in his
soul. How could he forget the word which guaranteed the succession of his
race upon the throne of Israel! At the same time he distinctly recognized
that the fulfillment was conditional. There was an if in it. It was only
in so far as his children took heed to walk before God in truth that God
was bound to place them on the throne of Israel; therefore he urged
Solomon to keep the charge of the Lord, that the Lord might continue His
word. We also must obey the threefold condition if we would enjoy a
continuance of God’s helpful care.
1. Be thou strong.— The strength which is in Jesus Christ waits to make us
strong. In the Lion of the tribe of Judah there is the boldness which will
not swerve in the face of the foe. Timid women and little children in the
days of persecution have waxed valiant in the fight, and have not flinched
from death, because Jesus was beside them.
2. Keep the charge of the Lord thy God.— He has committed to our care many
a sacred deposit, in return for our deposit with Him (2 Timothy 1:12, 14;
r. v., marg. ). They are His holy Gospel, the Rest Day, the doctrines of
the Evangelical Faith, and the Inspired Word. Let us watch them until we
see them weighed out in the temple as were the sacred vessels which Ezra
committed to the priests for transport across the desert (Ezra 8:33),
3. Keep His statutes and commandments.— We must obey with reverent care
the one great law of love, which includes all the rest. Acting thus, we
shall put ourselves in the way of enjoying a continuance of that favor
which God has promised.
1 Kings
3:7-9 (from Our Daily Walk)
THE CHOICE
OF A LIFE-WORK
"I am but a
little child: I know not how to go out or come in...Give Thy
servant an understanding heart."-- 1 Kings 3:7-9.
WE SHALL never rightly choose our life-course until we are
determined to put first things first. Wealth, honour, fame, the
surpassing of our rivals, are not the chief things to be
considered, or our judgment will be impaired and our vision
distorted. It was because Solomon desired and sought the kingdom
and glory of God, that He gave him also the things for which he
did not ask (1 Kings 3:13; Matthew 6:33).
Impressed by the greatness of his responsibilities, the young king
had gone to Gibeon to worship God. He wished to fulfil his
opportunities to their highest measure, and to serve his
fatherland, but he realized his inefficiency. Do you feel like
this? You realize the wonderful opportunities and responsibilities
of life in this marvellous age, and long to be of service to God
and your fellows, but what can you do? You are but as a little
child, and "know not how to go out or come in." "Going out" stands
for the active life in the world of men; "coming in" for the hours
spent in the home, in recreation and society. It is like the
systole and diastole of the heart's action, which should be alike
consecrated to God and of service to man.
Solomon asked for an understanding heart, that he might discern
between good and bad. We all need this faculty, that we may
discriminate between things that look very much alike, but are
different in nature and direction (Hebrews 5:14; Phil 1:9-10; marg.
R.V.). It is not an enduement of intellectual power, but of moral
taste and discernment. It has been said, that the difficulty in
life is not to discriminate between white and black, but to choose
between the different shades of grey. In our fellowships,
recreations, literature, business--we are in urgent need of the
understanding heart, which listens for and heeds the voice of God.
Solomon offered a thousand burnt-offerings upon the altar (1Kiings
3:4). We are required to present our bodies as living sacrifices
unto God, which is our reasonable service. Our career is often
determined by our circumstances, or by our special gifts and
talents, and, on the whole, we succeed best in doing what we like
best. But if we yield ourselves to do God's will, He will direct
our paths.
PRAYER - O God, make us diligent in
business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. May we prove all
things, and hold fast to that which is good. AMEN.
1 Kings 3:13
I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked.
The understanding heart was Solomon’s supreme request, and it was given
him before the morning light had broken over Jerusalem. But God did
exceeding abundantly beyond what he asked or thought. Riches and honor,
victory and long life, were thrown in as part of the Divine gift; as paper
and string are given by the tradesmen with the goods we purchase. It seems
as though our Lord’s words were anticipated, “Seek first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Put first things first.— One of the most important lessons of life is to
discern the relative value of the objects within our reach. The child will
take the handful of glass beads, and leave the heap of diamonds in the
rough. It is the terrible mistake of men that, perplexed by earth’s
cross-lights, they put evil for good and good for evil; they make earth
rather than heaven their center; time rather than eternity their
measurement.
Seek God and all things in Him.— Things without God cannot satisfy the
craving of the soul. To know God, and to be known by Him, is to possess
all things. All that is lovely, strong, or right, in any human being was
in the Creator before it entered the creature; having God, you possess all
things in Him.
Be more careful of what you are than what you have.— A man’s life
consisteth not in the abundance of things that he possesseth; but in his
purity, truth, tenderness, and the properties of his soul. The fruit of
the Spirit must ever be manifest in the life of the believer— “Love, joy,
peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.”
1 Kings 4:29
Largeness of heart.
We must all admit that our soul is too narrow. It holds too little, knows
too little, is deficient in will-power, and, above all, in capacity of
love; and when we are called to run in the way of God’s commandments, we
break down in despair, and cry, “If I am to be a runner, Thou must first
enlarge my heart.”
How little we know of the experience which Madame Guyon describes when she
says: “This vastness or enlargedness, which is not bounded by anything,
increases every day; so that my soul in partaking of the qualities of her
Spouse seems also to partake of his immensity.”
“There is,” remarks one of the old Puritans, “a straitness, slavery, and
narrowness, in all sin; sin crumples up our souls; which, if they were
freely spread abroad, would be as large and wide as the whole universe. No
man is truly free; but lie that hath his will enlarged to the extent of
God’s will, by loving whatsoever God loves, and nothing else, he enjoys
boundless liberty, and a boundless sweetness.” God’s love embraces the
universe. He “so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son.” We
who have partaken of the Divine nature must also love as He does.
Thomas à Kempis says, finally: “He who desires glory in things outside of
God, or to take pleasure in some private good, shall many ways be
encumbered and straitened; but if heavenly grace enter in, and true
charity, there will be no envy, neither narrowness of heart, neither will
self-love busy itself, for Divine charity overcometh all things, and
enlargeth all the powers of the soul.” Give unto us, O God, this largeness
of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore!
1 Kings 5:4
Now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side.
God is the Rest-Giver. When He surrounds us on every side with His
protecting care, so that our life resembles one of the cities of the
Netherlands in the great war— inaccessible to the foe because surrounded
by the waters of the sea, admitted through the sluice— then neither
adversary nor evil occurrent can break in, and we are kept in perfect
peace, our minds being stayed on God.
Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand, Never foe can enter, never
traitor stand.
Have you experienced the rest which comes by putting God round about you,
on every side—like the light which burns brightly on a windy night because
surrounded by its four panes of clear glass? Ah! what a contrast between
the third (1 Kings 5:3) and fourth verse: Wars on every side; Rest on
every side. And yet the two are compatible, because the wars expend
themselves on God, as the waves on the shingle; and there are far reaches
of rest within, like orchards and meadows and pasture-lands beyond the
reach of the devastating water.
Out of such rest should come the best work. We are not surprised to find
Solomon announcing his purpose to build a house unto the name of the Lord.
Mary, who sat at the feet of Jesus, anointed Him. Out of quiet hearts
arise the greatest resolves; just as from the seclusion of country hamlets
have come the greatest warriors, statesmen, and patriots. Men think,
foolishly, that the active, ever-moving souls are the strongest. It is not
so, however. They expend themselves before the day of trial comes. Give me
those who have the power to restrain themselves and wait; these are they
that can act with the greatest momentum in the hour of crisis.
1 Kings 6:7
There was neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard.
In absolute silence, like the growth of a palm in the desert, that noble
building arose in the symmetry of its fair proportions. But there was
plenty of quarrying and hammering and chiseling before the materials were
brought to the site.
The absolute silence with which the Temple rose is a meet emblem of the
progress of the Church, from its foundations laid in the Apostolate toward
the top stone, which before very long will be laid upon the completed
structure. Amid the rise and fall of dynasties and empires, the Church is
being built. Soul after soul, as so many added bricks, is being quietly
placed upon the walls. Some day the world will be amazed when it sees the
New Jerusalem descend out of heaven from God. The mightiest works of God
are the fruit of silence.
You and I are now in the quarry, hewn, chipped, chiseled: or we are in the
saw-pit, being sawn, planed, pierced by nails. Be of good cheer! It will
not be long, the preparatory work will be over, and we shall become part
of the eternal structure. Into heaven there can enter neither hammer, nor
axe, nor any tool of iron. The trial will have done its work. Sorrow and
crying will flee away. The Apostle Paul, who knew more than any man what
trial and pain meant, could confidently declare: “I reckon that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us.” Then shall the city of God shine
forth in completed beauty, her walls Salvation and her gates Praise; and
the triumphant song of the redeemed shall ring forth: “Blessing, and
honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and
unto the Lamb forever and ever.”
1 Kings 7:46
In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them.
The Apostle tells us to obey from the heart that mould or form of doctrine
to which we were delivered (Romans 6:17). What a mould is to the metal
which is wrought into various forms of utensils, that the form of sound
doctrine is to believers who desire to resemble Christ. When our hearts,
melted in contrition and penitence, are poured into the teaching of the
Apostles, to ponder it in memory, and to carry it out in life, they are,
so to speak, cast into the pattern of Jesus Christ, which they wear
forevermore. Thus we are conformed to the image of His Son.
We differ as widely as the vessels named here. Some are lavers, and some
bases; some shovels, and some basins. It matters little what shape we
bear; so long as we are cleansed and meet for the Master’s use. Each
vessel in Solomon’s temple filled its own niche. The machinery of the
whole would have been hindered if one had been missing. Be content with
the shape which the Great Designer hath intended for thee. Yield to it.
Dare to pour thyself into the dark passages of the mould. Do not ask the
intention of this or that. Obey from the heart, otherwise thou mayest have
to be broken up, and put back again into the furnace to go through the
process once more. This is the Plain of the Jordan for us, the place of
death; but soon we shall be remitted to the Palace and Temple of God.
There is no clue to the understanding of the mysteries of our mortal life,
save the hypothesis, that we are being prepared for the position which has
been prepared for us in the eternal world. “And we know that all things
work together for good to them that love God.”
1 Kings 8:59
That He maintain the cause of His servant, as every day shall require. (r.
v.)
The R. V. marginal reading is, “The thing of a day in its day.” What rest
would come into our lives, if we really believed that God maintained the
cause of His servants! Men hate you, and say unkind or untrue things about
you; on your part, though you are quite prepared to admit that you have
made mistakes, yet you know that you desire above all things to act as
God’s servant should, that your motives are sincere, and your hands clean—
be of good courage then, God will maintain your cause, as every day may
require.
Or, you are beset by strong competition; and, in order to hold your own,
you have been tempted to do what is not perfectly the best— to spice your
teaching with a little heterodoxy, puff your wares with misleading titles,
to adulterate your goods. But there is no need to do this; if only you are
faithful to God, He will maintain your cause, as every day may require.
Or, you are tempted almost beyond endurance, and think that you must
yield. The seductions are so insidious, the pitfalls so carefully
concealed, the charm of evil so subtle. But, if you will only look away to
God, you will find Him a very present help to maintain your cause. Oh,
trust Him; for none of them that do so can be desolate. Daily strength for
daily need; daily manna for daily hunger; daily maintenance for daily
temptation. These are assured.
As we stand on the hilltop in the morning and look across the valley of
the coming day, its scenes are too closely veiled in heavy-hanging mists
for us to specify all our requests. We can breathe the comprehensive
petition, “Give us this day our daily bread.” And God will suit His help
to each requirement. As the moment arrives “the thing” will be there.
1 Kings 9:3
I have hallowed this house which thou hast built.
Man builds; God hallows. This cooperation between man and God pervades all
life. Man performs the outward and mechanical; God the inward and
spiritual. Paul plants, Apollos waters; but God gives the increase. We
elaborate our sermons and addresses, building them up with careful, eager
thought; but God must work in and through them for His own glory in the
salvation and upbuilding of souls. We must be careful to do our part with
reverence and godly fear, remembering that God must work in realms we
cannot touch, and to issues we cannot reach, before our poor exertions can
avail.
May we not apply this especially to the education of a child’s life? Many
who read these lines are engaged in building structures which will outlive
the Pyramids. The body is only the scaffolding, behind and through which
the building of the soul is being upreared. The materials with which we
build may be the gold, silver, and precious stones, of our example,
precept, careful watching, and discipline; but God must come in to hallow.
Our strenuous endeavor must be supplemented by the incoming of the Holy
Spirit.
God hallows by His indwelling. Holiness is the result of His putting His
Name into a place, a day, a human soul; for His Name is His nature,
Himself. Each day may be a building, reared between sunrise and sunset,
with our activities; but it were vain to hope to realize our ideal unless
the structure become a temple filled with God. Build what you will; but
never be satisfied unless God sets His eyes and heart upon your life,
hallowing and sanctifying each day and act to Himself.
1 Kings 10:9
Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee.
There were two reasons why Solomon was on the throne. First, because of
God’s love to him; secondly, because of God’s love to Israel. May we not
address our Savior with similar expressions of gladness as those which the
queen addressed to a less than He?
How. well it is, now and again, to let ourselves go in exuberant
adoration! Prayer is good, but it may revolve too largely about our own
needs and desires: thanks are right, when we have received great benefits
at His hands; but praise is best, because the heart forgets itself and
earth and time, in enlarged conceptions of its adorable Lover and Savior.
We are reminded in this connection of a noble hymn of old John Ryland:—
“Thou Son of God, and Son of Man, Beloved, adored Emmanuel, Who didst,
before all time began, In glory with Thy Father dwell:
“We sing Thy love, who didst in time, For us, humanity assume, To answer
for the sinner’s crime, To suffer in the sinner’s room.
“The ransomed Church Thy glory sings, The hosts of heaven Thy will obey;
And, Lord of lords, and King of kings, We celebrate Thy blessed sway.”
We can never praise Him enough. Our furthest thoughts fall short of the
reality. His wisdom and prosperity exceed His fame. No question He cannot
answer; no desire He cannot gratify; no munificence He cannot excel. Happy
are they who stand continually before Him. Let us see that this is our
happy privilege; not content to pay Him a transient visit, returning to
our own land, but communing with Him always of that which is in our heart.
1 Kings 11:4
His wives turned away his heart.
Every man is vulnerable at one point of his character. Strong everywhere
else, and armor-plated, he is weak there; and our great enemy knows just
where to strike home. It would have been useless to argue with Solomon for
the claims of idols. He could at once, by his wisdom, have annihilated all
infidel arguments, and have established the existence and unity of God.
But, step by step, he was led by silken cords, a captive, to the worship
of other gods. It is a solemn warning; and Nehemiah was perfectly
justified when, in his contention with the Jews who had married wives of
Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab, he said, “Did not Solomon, king of Israel,
sin by these things? Yet among many nations there was no king like him who
was beloved of his God.”
Let young people beware where they let their hearts go forth in love. Whom
we love we resemble; and in the marriage tie it is almost inevitable that
seductions to the lower will overcome the drawings to the higher. When a
Christian disobeys God’s distinct command against intermarriage with the
ungodly, he begins to sink to the level of his ungodly partner whom he had
thought to raise to his own religious standing.
Our associates determine the drift and current of our life. It is so easy
to launch upon the current that flows past our feet; it seems impossible
that the laughing, enticing water should ever carry us against sharp,
splintering rocks, or over-breaking cataracts. When we are compelled to
associate with the ungodly, let us maintain a strict self-watch, and pray
that the breath of the heavenward gale may more than counteract the
tendency of the earthward current.
1 Kings 12:33
The month which he had devised of his own heart.
Jeroboam acted on expediency. It did seem reasonable to argue that the
constant going up to Jerusalem to worship might alienate the people from
his throne, and awaken a desire for the old national unity; and without
doubt a mere worldly wisdom extolled his setting-up of idol-gods at Bethel
and Dan; but his policy in this respect led to the downfall of his
kingdom. Had he trusted God’s promise, made through the prophet Ahijah,
the Divine purpose would have ensured the continuance of his rule; but the
prompting of expediency resulted in ultimate disaster (1 Kings 14).
How prone we all are to devise out of our own hearts! We take counsel with
ourselves, and do what seems prudent and farseeing, with the inevitable
result of being betrayed into courses of action that God cannot approve,
and of which we have reason to repent bitterly. It is infinitely better to
wait on God till He develop His plan, as He most certainly will, when the
predestined hour strikes. He who trusts in his own heart, and takes his
own way, is a fool. To run before God is to sink knee-deep into the swamp.
We must make all things after the pattern shown us on the Mount, and take
our time from God’s almanac. What a contrast to the course of Jeroboam was
that of the Son of Man! He would do nothing of Himself. His eye was always
on His Father’s dial-plate, and thus He knew when His time was not yet
fulfilled. He was always consulting the movement of His Father’s will, and
did only those things which He saw His Father doing. Similarly make God’s
will and way thy Pole-star. Oh to be able to say with our blessed Lord, “I
seek not mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me “!
1 Kings 13:21-22
Forasmuch as thou hast been disobedient,... but camest back. (r. v.)
We are inclined at first sight to pity this unknown prophet, and to
justify his return; but as we look closer into the story, we not only
discover the reason for the severe penalty that overtook him, but we are
warned lest we make a similar mistake. When we have received a direct
command fresh from the lips of Christ, we must act on it, and not be
turned aside by a different suggestion, made to us through the lips of
professing Christians. God does not vacillate or alter in the thing which
proceeds from His mouth. When we know we are in the line of His purpose,
we must not allow ourselves to be diverted by any appeal or threat, from
whomsoever it may emanate. Deal with God at first-hand.
The rule for determining the true worth of the advice which our friends
proffer us, is to ask, first, whether it conflicts with our own
deep-seated conviction of God’s will; and, secondly, whether it tends to
the ease and satisfaction of the flesh, as the old prophet’s suggestion
certainly did. Beware of any one who allures you with the bread and water
that are to break your fast. That bait is likely enough to disturb the
balance of your judgment. When a voice says spare thyself, be on the
alert; it savors the things that be of man, not of those that be of God.
Learn to deal with God at first-hand. Do not run hither and thither to
human teachers, or to the Church. Be still before God, and what He says in
the depths of thy soul, do. His Holy Spirit shall guide you into all
truth; and when once His way has been revealed to thee, go straight on,
listening to no other voice, however much it professes Divine inspiration.
1 Kings 14:6
I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.
How foolish! Jeroboam thought that the old prophet could penetrate the
vail that hid the future, but not the disguise in which his wife wished to
conceal herself. As we might have expected, the aged prophet’s inner sight
read her heart. From God no secrets are hid. Immediately on His accosting
her by her name there came the dread announcement of inevitable disaster.
We must not hesitate to unfold all the consequences of sin. As watchmen on
the walls, we are bound to tell men of the certain fearful looking for of
fiery indignation which shall devour the transgressors. None of us should
flinch from declaring the whole counsel of God. We should specially insist
on the guilt side of sin. Not only that it is a misfortune, a mistake, an
error, a disease, a tyranny; but a crime. The sinner is a criminal, who
has incurred the just wrath and anger of a holy God: for which he must
suffer a due recompense.
Oh for more tenderness that we may with tears warn men of their doom! We
are so self-possessed, so stolid; we need to ask that our eyes, like
Jeremiah’s, should be fountains of tears, that we might weep day and
night. If the tidings are heavy, let us first feel their pressure on our
own hearts; let us bend over the regions of despair and darkness, and hear
the bitter weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and come back to warn
our brethren, lest they also come to that place of torment. Though it was
with fear and much trembling that Paul preached the Gospel, yet he did not
shun to declare the whole counsel of God. And while we go to men with the
good tidings of salvation, we must not withhold the heavy tidings from
those who persist in unbelief.
1 Kings 15:11
Asa did ... right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father.
It is a great thing to have such a testimony as this. We may do right in
our own eyes; yet the eye of the Lord may detect evil which neither our
associates nor we have seen. We may deceive ourselves, we may deceive
others; but we cannot deceive God. In the home or business, in situation
or factory, let us live as under the searching gaze of God.
Asa’s life was one of religious activity: he destroyed the idols of his
father, and even deposed his queen-mother, “because she made an idol in a
grove.” It needs Divine courage so to live for God that at home or afield
men shall take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus. This is what
the world is languishing for— reality, consistency under all
circumstances, and before all men.
There are, however, two clouds overhanging this otherwise bright life.
“The high places were not removed” (1 Kings 15:14). Though idols were
destroyed, the groves in which they were erected remained. They were no
scare to him; and he took care that during his life they should not
ensnare others; but after his death, in the reign of Jehoshaphat his son,
“the people offered and burned incense” in them (1 Kings 22:43). We must
not only cleanse our way before the Lord, but remove any evil thing which
may cause others to stumble.
The other cloud is indicated in 2 Chronicles 16:12: “He was diseased in
his feet... Yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the
physicians.” Strange that in affliction he should not have turned to the
Great Physician. The enemy of souls is ever on the watch. Pray that amid
the pains of death, you may not act unworthily.
1 Kings 16:33
Ahab did more to provoke the Lord to anger than all the kings.
His sin was very aggravated, largely through the influence of Jezebel, his
young and beautiful wife, who introduced the abominations of Phoenician
idol-worship. This is why he is said to have exceeded his predecessors in
wickedness. They broke the second commandment, and worshipped Jehovah
under the form of a calf. Ahab and Jezebel broke the first, and chose
other gods— Baal, the sun, and Ashtoreth, the moon. The inveterate love
for this idolatry was connected with licentious rites with which these
deities were served. What wonder that the land became corrupt when the
fountains of its religious life were polluted at the source?
The connection between the indulgence of impurity and the declension of
the spiritual life, is very close. As the apostle Paul tells us in Romans
1, the men that refuse to retain God in their knowledge are given up to
the working of passion; and as they yield to passion the | |