1 Kings 15:25-17:24; Acts 10:24-48; Psalm 134:1-3; Proverbs 17:9-11 1 Kings is largely a book about, not surprisingly kings, not surprising since that is the name of the book. It tracks king after king and the spiritual landslide of the nation. As we read of the kings doing “evil in the eyes of the Lord” it might be easy for us to wonder what God is doing. When wickedness seems to prevail, where i...  Read More

1 Kings 14:1-15:24; Acts 10:1-23; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 17:7-8 Nature or nurture? This classic argument over what determines the way we live is thrown upside down by our reading today. We read of Israel and Judah’s quick descent into idolatry and then suddenly we are introduced to Asa. Despite being a product of idolatrous royalty he is “fully committed to the Lord all his life.” He is willing t...  Read More

1 Kings 12:20-13:34; Acts 9:26-43; Psalm 132:1-18; Proverbs 17:6 How often do we see people, including ourselves, rationalize disobedience to God? In 1 Kings 12-13, we see both a king and a “man of God” who are willing to disobey God. King Jeroboam was concerned about retaining his power and position and was thus willing to drag people away from worshiping God in the way he had commanded. He was m...  Read More

1 Kings 11:1-12:19; Acts 9:1-25; Psalm 131:1-3; Proverbs 17:4-5 How can someone so wise do such foolish things? Solomon is pictured as an archetype of wisdom and yet he finds himself multiplying wives and idols. These wives who worship foreign gods slowly cause his heart to drift away from a singular commitment to YHWH. This failure to worship God alone was a slow drift in his life and similar foo...  Read More

1 Kings 9:1-10:29; Acts 8:14-40; Psalm 130:1-8; Proverbs 17:2-3 God's heart is for all people, from all nations to come and worship him. We can see that happening both in the Old and New Testaments today.In 1 Kings 9, we have the Queen of Sheba who has come from Africa to see if Solomon is truly as wise as the rumors. Before she leaves, we are told that she says, "Praise be to the Lord your God." ...  Read More

1 Kings 8:1-66; Proverbs 17:1; Psalm 129:1-8; Proverbs 16:31-33 God’s desire has always been to dwell with his people. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, he dwelt with his people in the tabernacle, and now as we read in 1 Kings 8, he does so in the temple. When Solomon brought the ark into the temple God’s glory resided in the temple in the form of a cloud. God once again was dwelling with...  Read More

1 Kings 7:1-51; Acts 7:30-50; Psalm 128:1-6; Proverbs 16:31-33 Tucked away in the depths of I Kings 7 is a mention of Huram, who created all the elaborate bronze work for God’s temple. Huram can serve as a profound reminder of the fact that God has “good works” that He “prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).As I Kings 7:14 mentions, Huram’s mother was from the tribe of Naphtali, makin...  Read More

1 Kings 5:1-6:38; Acts 7:1-29; Psalm 127:1-5; Proverbs 16:28-30 Our reading out of 1 Kings is like an episode from HGTV. We see the planning, construction, and finished project of the temple. It is not hard to picture the Israelite version of Chip & Joanna walking through the before and after pictures.The construction of the temple is a pivotal moment within the salvation history of Israel because...  Read More

1 Kings 3:3-4:34; Acts 6:1-15; Psalm 126:1-6; Proverbs 16:26-27 If you could ask for anything from God what would you ask for? This is the situation Solomon finds himself in early in his kingship.Solomon responded by asking for wisdom and discernment. Would this make your top 100 list of things you would request from God? We might ask for money, security, and health but wisdom? If we stop and thin...  Read More

1 Kings 2:1-3:2; Acts 5:1-42; Psalm 125:1-5; Proverbs 16:25"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death." When we make ourselves the final authority over our decisions and actions, Proverbs 16:25 tells us that the result is not going to be desirable. This roughly sums up the final exhortation which David gives to Solomon. He reminds him that his effectiveness as kin...  Read More

1 Kings 1:1-53; Acts 4:1-37; Psalm 124:1-8; Proverbs 16:24 In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus calls for us to pray that God’s will might be done on Earth as it is in heaven. We are to submit our desires before his. Today’s reading takes us to someone who rebels against the will of the king and others who are willing to do whatever it takes to glorify God. First, we see the example of Adonijah. He, like h...  Read More

2 Samuel 23:24-24:25; Acts 3:1-26; Psalm 123:1-4; Proverbs 16:21-23 Is a sacrifice a true gift if it costs the giver nothing?  How costly must a gift be to bring reconciliation in a relationship?King David had an impressive group of mighty men – men whose deeds had demonstrated superhuman strength, with whose help David had won many victories.  But David wasn’t content with the Thirty and ordered ...  Read More