2 Kings 4:18-5:27
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Interesting readings in 2 Kings 4 about the Shumanite woman, her son and the prophet Elisha today!  You’ll note that in verse 20 her son dies, and in verse 21 she places her son on Elisha’s bed – in part so that no one will know that her son died.  As she gets to verse 22-24 she is saddling up on a donkey to go straight to Elisha without anyone in her family knowing her son had died!  Below is a painting by Rembrandt from 1640 titled “The Departure of the Shumanite Woman”:

As the Shumanite woman nears Mount Carmel Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, comes out to greet her and still she won’t even tell him that her son has died!  She says everything is fine.  She wants to deliver the news first and directly to Elisha!  I like this woman’s focused faith.  She knew that Elisha delivered the Word that she would have a son in previous day’s readings, and now that her son had died, I think she had faith that Elisha, being a prophet in relationship with God, would be able to revive her son.  Do you have a focused faith like this when it comes to your relationship with God and Jesus?  Do you always take your problems directly to the One who can truly revive you?  Below is an image of Elisha and the Shumanite woman by artist C.F. Vos:

Did anyone else notice that at the end of chapter 4 today Elisha busted out with a miracle that seemed to foreshadow Jesus’ loaves and fishes miracles??  Very cool to consider the parallels between Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 and Elisha feeding 100 here in chapter 4 verses 42-44: “One day a man from Baal-shalishah brought the man of God a sack of fresh grain and twenty loaves of barley bread made from the first grain of his harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the group of prophets so they can eat.” “What?” his servant exclaimed. “Feed one hundred people with only this?” But Elisha repeated, “Give it to the group of prophets so they can eat, for the LORD says there will be plenty for all. There will even be some left over!” And sure enough, there was plenty for all and some left over, just as the LORD had promised.” (That’s Jesus below, not Elisha 🙂

In chapter 5 we get to the story of the healing of Naaman.  I found it very interesting that Naaman needed to humble himself and wash up in the waters of the lowly river Jordan!  Know anyone else that did some “washing up” in the river Jordan??  🙂  Maybe all of us somehow need to humble ourselves and symbolically be washed up in the river Jordan to receive true healing?  Below is a portrait by artist Guy Rowe of the prophet Elisha with Naaman washing in the river Jordan:

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s Second Kings readings titled “The Shunammite’s Son Resurrected” is at this link, “Death in the Pot” is at this link, “The Miracle of the Bread” is at this link, “The Healing of Namaan” is at this link, and “The Sin of Covetousness” is at this link.

Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of MercyMe’s song “You Reign:”

Do you know the One who reigns?  Click here to meet the King! 

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

2 Kings 3:1-4:17
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In 2 Kings 3 verse 3 today we are reminded that King Jeroboam’s legacy is held out as a unfavorable legacy… “Nevertheless he (Joram) continued in the sins of idolatry that Jeroboam son of Nebat had led the people of Israel to commit.”  That is an interesting thing to think about – a legacy.  Jeroboam’s legacy was obviously not one we’d like to have.  So, what type of legacy would you like to have?  And what type of legacy are you in fact leaving these days?  The more I think about my legacy, the more I simply hope and pray that my legacy is something along the lines of “one who loved God and loved people.”  Pretty simple really.  But also really tough in our modern world full of so many distractions!  And I am not so sure that I am really leaving this legacy some days.  I don’t want to pursue this type of legacy for the wrong reasons – for any sort of appearing “righteous” or prideful reasons.  But I in fact I really do want to spend the rest of my days simply loving God and loving people.  Whatever else I do – career, ministry, whatever – pales in comparison to loving God and loving people.  I even hesitate to write this hope for a legacy on this blog – I feel like I should go back and delete everything I just wrote.  Except – I think this might be the type of legacy we are called to as Christians.  Remember the two great commands Jesus gave us in Matthew 22:37 & 39 – “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love God and love people.  So – whaddya think?  Is this a good legacy for us to aim for?  Should we be aiming for a legacy at all?  What will your legacy be?

2 Kings 4 verse 8 definitely demonstrates that in addition to being a prophet, Elisha was a very wise man!  “One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she invited him to eat some food. From then on, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there to eat.”   🙂

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s 2 Kings readings titled “The Rebellion of the Moabites” is at this link,  “Elisha Prepares to Hear God’s Word” is at this link, “The Victory Over Moab” is at this link, “God’s Supply in the Midst of Poverty” is at this link, and “The Shunammite Woman Receives a Son” is at this link.

Worship Video: 2nd Kings today reminds me of the song “Legacy” by Nichole Nordeman:

Do you want to leave a legacy?  Click here for the true Legacy!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

2 Kings 1:1-2:25
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Today we begin the book of Second Kings!

Author: Unknown
Date: Sixth century B.C.
Content: Second Kings covers a period of approximately 250 years during which time two national tragedies occurred. In 722 B.C. the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians, and in 586 B.C. the southern kingdom of Judah was destroyed by the Babylonians. The reigns of the various kings are described in some detail with care being taken to show the spiritual significance of what they were doing. Throughout this whole time of good and bad kings, war and peace, prosperity and ruin, God is seen to be at work, in particular sending prophets to preach his word and warn of judgment to come.
Theme: God’s control over the affairs of men and nations is constantly seen throughout this book. The rulers of men may think they are in control, but even the enemies of God’s people fit into God’s plan by executing judgment upon the wayward nations of Israel and Judah. It must be stressed that sin invariably brings judgment upon the people and righteousness brings God’s blessing. Second Kings also shows that God never sends his judgment without a warning first; in this instance, the warning came through the prophets who were sent. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” pp. 6-7) More commentary on Second Kings is at these 3 links –
https://bible.org/article/introduction-books-first-and-second-kings
https://bible.org/article/argument-first-and-second-kings 
https://bible.org/seriespage/1-introduction-and-historical-setting-elijah (Introduction to Elijah)

2 Kings 1 today…  wow…  Elijah is not to be messed with when he is sitting on top of that hill!  Elijah asks a very poignant question twice in this chapter – “Is there no God in Israel?” This is a question each of us will need to ask in our lives at some point – “Is there or is there no God in my life?”  Hopefully we’ve already answered this question affirmatively.  It’s a sad state of affairs to imagine a country without God.  It is a sad state of affairs to imagine our own lives without God. 

Today in 2 Kings 2 we read about Elijah going up to heaven in the whirlwind!  Elijah was taken to heaven without dying.  He is the 2nd person in scripture to do so – Enoch was the first (see Genesis 5:21-24).  Jesus of course was also taken to heaven in bodily form after His resurrection from the dead (see Acts 1:9).  Below is Italian artist Giovanni Battista’s (1683-1754) painting of Elijah’s whirlwind scene:

Okay, so 2 Kings 2 verses 23 & 24 are some of the most unique verses in the Bible no doubt…  “Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. “Go away, you baldhead!” they chanted. “Go away, you baldhead!” Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.”  Zondervan’s NIV Study Bible has some good commentary on these verses as follows: “The youths from Bethel no doubt assumed that Elisha was going up to Samaria to continue Elijah’s struggle against royal apostasy.  Some believe that the youths, in their mocking, were telling Elisha to ascend to heaven as Elijah had done.  By calling Elisah “baldhead” the youths from Bethel expressed that city’s utter disdain for the Lord’s representative, who, they felt, had no power.  Elisha pronounced a curse that gave warning of the judgment that would come on the entire nation of Israel should it persist in disobedience and apostasy.”

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s 2 King’s readings titled “Chariots of Fire” is at this link and “Elisha’s Accreditation” is at this link and “Elisha and the Two Bears” is at this link.

Worship Video: Today’s readings in 2 Kings reminded me of the awesome song, “Days of Elijah!”

Are these the days of Elijah for you?   Click here to meet Elijah’s God!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

1 Kings 22:1-53
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Today we finish the book of First Kings! Second Kings begins tomorrow!  Ahab is not happy about the Arameans occupying Ramoth-gilead at the beginning of today’s readings.   A location profile of Ramoth-gilead is at this link.  Ramoth-gilead was on a hilltop that could have looked something like this:

King Jehoshaphat of Judah wisely suggests that they should consult God before going into battle against the Arameans.  At which time King Ahab of Israel trots out his 400 yes-men “prophets” who say they should definitely go to war and that they will be victorious.  I love Jehoshaphat’s reaction to these 400 yes-men in verse 7: “But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the LORD around, too? I would like to ask him the same question.””  Ahab’s reaction in verse 8 is quite telling…  “There is still one prophet of the LORD, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but bad news for me! His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.”  This verse really stands out for me in a big way in our world today.  I wonder if sometimes we – you and me – look for supposed “prophets” of the Lord that are yes-people to our particular likings – instead of looking for Truth.  Meaning…  and I’m just putting this out there, so bear with me.  Do we sometimes maybe even decide to attend a particular church because it tells us basically what we want to hear?  It keeps us in our comfortable place… we get yes-messages…  When, instead, should we be okay with attending a church that will give us some challenging and convicting messages on occasion?  Biblical messages mind you – which surely can be challenging to our modern ears at times.  I heard somewhere once before that church should be a place that “comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable.”  I like that…  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I am not saying we need to be in super-strict churches per se.  I just think we should really watch for churches that are giving a yes-message all the time to our particular likings verses churches that teach the Truth.  I don’t think church is the only area of where we might default to looking for yes-messages.  I think this can happen in books we read, TV we watch, or even with friends or with work.   Are we listening to 400 yes-people in our lives or are we okay with 1 Micaiah coming in and sharing a perceived “bad-news” message?  (which may ultimately be very good news if we’ll just listen to it…  if Ahab had really listened to Micaiah’s message in today’s readings, think he still would have rushed out to battle?) Below is an image of Micaiah and the false prophets before Jehoshaphat and Ahab:

Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of Matt Maher’s fantastic song “Your Grace is Enough:”

Is God’s Grace enough for you?  Click here for Amazing Grace!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

1 Kings 20:1-21:29
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In 1 Kings 20 today we read about King Ahab’s battles with King Ben-hadad of Aram.  Verse 11 today was sharp! “The king of Israel sent back this answer: “A warrior still dressing for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.””  Not a bad little saying from Ahab to Ben-hadad!  Sounds sort of like a Proverb.  Actually, this really sounds like our modern day saying of: “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch!”  🙂

Alas, even though King Ahab was given victories by God’s grace in today’s readings, he goofs things up by letting King Ben-hadad of Aram go free. Then, as we get into First Kings chapter 21 today, things go from bad to worse for Ahab in terms of his relationship with God.  Chapter 21 is a sad story of Naboth and his vineyard…  Would it be safe to say that King Ahab was coveting Naboth’s vineyard?  Would Ahab be breaking a commandment in the Mosaic Law here in this image…?

I couldn’t quite remember why Jezebel was cast in such a bad light in our readings a few days ago.  Today I remember why…  It is great to see Elijah show up on the scene and say to Ahab in verse 20 – “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the LORD’s sight.” How sad.  Do you think people today can still sell themselves to what is evil in God’s sight?  Below is an image of Elijah denouncing Ahab for the evil that transpired over Naboth’s vineyard in today’s readings.

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s 1 Kings readings titled “Israel’s Deliverance” is at this link and “Ahab Buys the Farm or Payday Someday” is at this link.

Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of the Britt Nicole song “The Lost Get Found:”

Are you Lost?  Click here to be Found!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

1 Kings 19:1-21
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Great chapter today!  We are introduced to Elisha, who will be mentored by Elijah to succeed him as a prophet at the end of First Kings 19 today.  However, before we get to Elisha, we read about Elijah being very “dejected” in the desert to say the least.  Some commentaries on this early portion of chapter 19 are not super-kind to Elijah for heading to the desert.  Commentaries I think wisely suggest that verses 9 & 13 demonstrate God trying to gently let Elijah know he’s off course and feeling too sorry for himself, when asked twice in these verses: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  This kind of reminded me of Jonah fleeing from God’s will on the boat.  (which we’ll read about later this year).  And this kind of reminded me of me – and maybe you too.  🙂  Have you ever had that nagging question enter your heart or mind when you suddenly realize that you are off course from God’s will in your life?  That question of:  “What are you doing here??”  I know I have…  Praise God when we are actually able to hear and understand that question and get out of the desert and back to life and back to loving this hurting world!  Below is a wonderful painting from the year 1464 by the Flemish artist Dirk Bouts for verses 5 & 6, early on in the chapter when Elijah was fleeing to Mount Sinai – “Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and saw some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.”

Today in 1 Kings 19 verses 11 through 14 we read about how God appears to Elijah in a way that he was not expecting – “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.  And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  The interesting thing to note about these verses is that Elijah was expecting or hoping God would appear in judgment to the Israelites in a windstorm, earthquake or fire. But God did not appear in any of these forms. Instead, God comes to Elijah in a simple gentle whisper. A gentle whisper. And I wonder about us in our lives today as well – do we often expect God to move mountains or to really show himself to us in big bold ways? When, perhaps, God may be speaking to you or me right now, but we’re missing it? Why? Well, is it possible that God is speaking to you right now with a simple gentle whisper? Is it possible that you have built up so many distractions or duties or activities or worries in your life that you cannot hear God’s gentle whisper? I know that I have been in this place too many times – I’ve gotten myself so busy looking for God in all the wrong places. And then finally I will slow myself down for just long enough to hear God speaking to my heart in a gentle whisper! A gentle whisper that I am sure was there all along. . . but I was looking for God in the windstorm and earthquake and fires of life. When instead I should have simply slowed down and listened for God’s gentle whisper. Will you slow down long enough to listen for God’s gentle whisper for you? Do you believe that God can speak to you in a simple gentle whisper this very moment?

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s 1 Kings readings titled “The Vulnerability of Victory” is at this link.  “The Crisis of Elijah” is at this link. “The Restoration of Elijah” is at this link.  And “Taking Up Your Mantle” is at this link.  Below is a painting in a Carmelite cloister in Frankfurt, Germany from the year 1517 by an unknown artist showing the life of the prophet Elijah, including what I think is the anointing/calling of Elisha in the middle portion – and you’ll see the angel tending to Elijah in the desert on the left and the burnt offering from yesterday’s readings on the right:

Worship Video: Today’s readings reminds me of Chris Tomlin’s song “Praise Him Forever:” 🙂

Do you believe God’s love endures forever?  Click here for Forever!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

1 Kings 18:1-46
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Wow!  Great readings today in 1 Kings 18.  This is an amazing chapter of the Bible, and one that I heard a wonderful sermon on a couple of years ago.  This is strong stuff.  One thing that kind of got me chuckling was the subtitle the New Living Translation puts at the top of this chapter – “The Contest on Mount Carmel!”  For some reason this got my mind thinking of WWF Championship Wrestling… yes… strange place for my mind to wander I realize.  🙂  But then, this imagery kind of stuck with me throughout the readings and I definitely think Elijah threw down a WWF level taunt in verse 27 when the prophets of Baal were not having any luck getting their fire started: “About noontime Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or he is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or he is asleep and needs to be wakened!””  Perhaps he is relieving himself??  The prophet Elijah puts even Hulk Hogan’s WWF taunt’s to shame!  🙂

Okay… in all seriousness… 1 Kings 18 is an amazing chapter.  There were several verses that stood out to me.  First was verses 17 and 18 when Ahab meets Elijah – “”So it’s you, is it–Israel’s troublemaker?” Ahab asked when he saw him. “I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the LORD and have worshiped the images of Baal instead.”  I love Elijah’s directness and boldness to Ahab.  Ahab tries to go after Elijah and maybe intimidate him, since Ahab is King.  And Elijah does not back down one iota – he tells Ahab exactly why Ahab is the troublemaker.  I love that.  I wonder about our lives today.  If someone comes after us and maybe attacks our faith or integrity falsely in some way, will we immediately stand up for our faith like Elijah did to King Ahab?

Verses 20 & 21 are powerful – “So Ahab summoned all the people and the prophets to Mount Carmel. Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How long are you going to waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.”  What a great question – and one that we may need to ask ourselves – “How long are you going to waver between two opinions?  If the Lord is God, follow him!”  Are we wavering at all in our commitment to God?  Are we being silent like the people were when Elijah asked this question?  Let us not waver between two opinions…  If the Lord is God, are you following him?  Wholeheartedly? 

Below is an image of Elijah’s “Sermon on the Mount Carmel”…  🙂  bad pun… sorry.  (I really should know better than to start off a blog post with the Hulkster… it sets me off on the wrong foot… 🙂

I love the little story at the end of today’s chapter where Elijah falls to his knees in prayer on Mt. Carmel and tells his servant to go look toward the sea – 7 times!  And then soon comes the little cloud….

Last but not least, verse 46 is a great closing to this eventful chapter! “Now the LORD gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.”  Think about this day’s events – Elijah meets with Obadiah.  Summons Ahab.  Meets with Ahab.  Summons the people of Israel and the prophets of Baal and Asherah.  Conducts a WWF Smackdown tourney 🙂 – and God wins big time!  Prays for rain.  And then what better way to finish out this type of day but to “tuck his cloak into his belt” and run faster than Ahab’s chariot back to Jezreel!  Great stuff!  What a chapter!  Elijah rocks!

Bible.org has tons of great commentary on today’s readings in 1 Kings 18, which is not surprising considering how much happens in this chapter today.  Commentary titled “The Word of the Lord Comes to Elijah” is at this link.  “Elijah ministers to Obadiah” is at this link.  “Elijah Meets and Rebukes Ahab” is at this link.  “When One Becomes a Majority” is at this link.  “The Ineffectual Prayers of the Baal Priests” is at this link.  And finally, “The Prayers of Elijah” is at this link.

Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of Rhett Walker’s song “When Mercy Found Me:”

Has mercy found you?  Click here for mercy!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

1 Kings 15:25-17:24
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1 Kings 15 verse 26 stood out to me right away today: “But he did what was evil in the LORD’s sight and followed the example of his father, continuing the sins of idolatry that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit.”  The key word that stood out to me in this verse is “example.”  I think sometimes we can forget that every action we take is an example to others.  We are either exampling godly behavior or ungodly behavior.  Obviously Jeroboam exampled ungodly behavior – and unfortunately, since he was king of Israel, his bad example had far reaching effects.  Even though you or me aren’t king of any land, I do believe that the examples we set have bigger impacts than we realize.  Our kids, our parents, our siblings, our neighbors, our co-workers, the stranger on the street, the person at the coffee shop, are all watching what we do.  How we behave.  Who we are.  Our very lives are examples to so many people each and every day.  What type of example are you setting with your life?  Do you realize that people are literally following your example each and every day?

1 Kings 16 is quite the chapter full of drama!  It’s like a soap-opera.  As I was reading this chapter, and in particular when Zimri was plotting to kill Elah, I was reminded of Macbeth’s old quote – “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.”   Indeed very true in this chapter!

Great readings in 1 Kings 17 today!  We are introduced to the prophet Elijah!  And what an introduction.  I love the visual of Elijah being fed by ravens.  Elijah was completely dependent on God for his food delivery via birds.  This image reminds me of how dependent you and I are today on God…  (even if we do not realize how dependent we really are….)

Elijah was the first prophet in a long line of prophets to come over the next 300 years in Israel.  As the kings of Israel were now all sinning and there were few Levitical priests left in Israel (most were in Judah), God brought forth the prophets to bring God’s word to his people in Israel.  More on who Elijah was is at Bible.org at this link.  More on the message of Elijah is at this link.

Great readings today about Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath!  Verses 21 through 23 are awesome – “And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” The LORD heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he came back to life! Then Elijah brought him down from the upper room and gave him to his mother. “Look, your son is alive!””

Bible.org’s commentary on our 1 Kings 17 readings on Elijah today titled “Testings By the Brook” is at this link and commentary titled “Testings and Ministry at Zaraphath” is at this link and commentary titled “The Death and Resurrection of the Widow’s Son” is at this link.   There is a lot of great in-depth commentary on 1 Kings 17 at Bible.org! 

Worship Video: Today’s 1 Kings readings today about Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath reminded me of the Natalie Grant song “Held:”

Do you know what it is like to be Held?  Click here to be Held!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

1 Kings 14:1-15:24
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Allright, now we are getting into the story of the Kings!  I really like this portion of the Bible.  I am fascinated by the back-and-forth stories and timelines of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judah.  The one very unfortunate thing you will notice over and over are verses like 1 Kings 14 verse 22: “During Rehoboam’s reign, the people of Judah did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, arousing his anger with their sin, for it was even worse than that of their ancestors.” Or verses like 1 Kings 15 verse 3: “Abijam committed the same sins as his father before him, and his heart was not right with the LORD his God, as the heart of his ancestor David had been.”  And we will read far too few verses like verse 11 as we read about the Kings of Judah and Israel: “Asa did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, as his ancestor David had done.”  I think what is interesting to note in all of these verses – and in the verses to come about future Kings we will read about – is that it really didn’t much matter what the Kings “did” in their reigns.  Their wars or their building of cities or whatever really didn’t matter compared to did they sin against God or not?  Did they lead Israel or Judah into sin or not?  Did they love God or not?  And I think this is the same for our lives today.  God does not so much care what our careers are or what our social status is or how many friends  or how much money we have.  God cares whether we love Him with all of heart, mind, soul and strength.  God cares whether we are sinning against Him or not.  As Jesus tells us: “seek first the kingdom of heaven, and all of these things will be yours as well.”  So, yes, God ultimately does care about our lives and careers and friends and such too – but he first wants us to seek a right relationship with Him – and then everything else will flow from our relationship with God.  Someone should have let some of these Kings of Israel and Judah know this!

Okay, a good overview of the Divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah at this point in our readings in First Kings is this image below:

Below is an image for 1 Kings 14 verses 25 & 26 – “In the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace and stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.”

Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of the song “Lord, I need you” by Matt Maher, sung here by Lauren Daigle:

Do you need the Lord?  Click here for your need to be fulfilled!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

1 Kings 12:20-13:34
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Well, Jeroboam didn’t last very long before worshipping other gods!  Keep in mind Jeroboam’s name as we continue to read through the book of Kings – you will continue to hear about “Jeroboam’s sin” and “the sin Jeroboam caused Israel to commit” many times in our upcoming readings – even long after he is dead.  Not a legacy one would want to leave behind…  Here is an image of Jeroboam leading the Israelites into the sin of worshiping a golden calf:

Interesting story about the man of God from Judah prophesying against the altar at Bethel.  The man of God delivers his prophecy and then shuns Jeroboam’s invite to go to his palace for food and a gift.  The man of God appears very strong.  And then later… he lets down his guard.  And he falls prey to the lie of the old prophet.  Now why on earth the old prophet decided to pursue the man of God and tell this lie is beyond me.  If anyone has insights on this, please post up in the Comments below.  I think the lesson here for us today is this – we cannot let down our guard when it comes to spiritual matters.  I think sometimes we think we can – but we simply cannot!  If we do let down our guard, then we often stumble.  And thanks to God’s grace we can recover from that stumble.  But, there is always the dangerous risk that our stumble could be very severe, as it certainly was for the man of God in today’s readings…

Worship Video: Today’s readings reminds me of the Jason Gray song “More Like Falling in Love:”

Have you Fallen in Love with God?  Click here to fall in love!

Comments from You:  What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!