DAILY DEVOTIONALS

1 Kings 10

1 Kings 10 By Pastor David Groendyk What words could you use to describe the state of Israel and King Solomon in this chapter? Breathtaking, unforgettable, grandiose, extravagant, just to name a few. Several of the themes we’ve been exploring in this first part of 1 Kings occur in today’s chapter again—foreign rulers coming to admire God’s blessings, prosperity beyond measure for God’s chosen king, and the height of all wisdom on full display—but it’s…

1 Kings 9

1 Kings 9 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” said one of the guards of the king’s castle in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Even though Israel was enjoying peace and prosperity on every side under the reign of God’s anointed king Solomon, this chapter continues to hint that there is nevertheless corruption and evil lurking in the shadows. After reading such a wonderful chapter yesterday of how the Lord gladly…

1 Kings 8

1 Kings 8 Pastor Mark Hudson Here is a suggested outline for 1 Kings 8 per D.R. Davis Celebration and sacrifices   1-13 Blessing Israel and Yahweh  14-21 Solomon’s prayer of dedication 22-53 Blessing Israel and Yahweh 54-61 Celebration and sacrifices 62-66 What is important about this structure, called a chiasm, after a letter in the Greek alphabet that looks like an X.  In this structure the middle section, that has no parallel is how the…

1 Kings 6

1 Kings 6 Pastor Mark Hudson As you know as a reader of the entire Bible, these stories and events are rooted in history. In verse 1, the author makes it clear how long after the exodus the temple build started. Some think the 480 years is more of a round figure, but it seems unlikely, although possible, since the rest of the verse is so precise. One author says in this verse we see…

1Kings 5

1 Kings 5 By Pastor David Groendyk There is a good deal that could be said about the physical construction and supplies for the building of the temple. For instance, one commentator mentions that, although archaeologists have never unearthed this exact temple building, all of the descriptions in 1 Kings 5–8 of the supplies, the dimensions, the carvings and design, and even the process of building are quite similar to other construction projects during this…

1 Kings 4

1 Kings 4 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence These first few chapters in the book of 1 Kings describe the very apex of Israel’s history and also the pinnacle of the Old Testament. Under Solomon’s reign, Israel enjoyed peace and prosperity on every side with God’s appointed king ruling over a vast territory stretching from the river Euphrates to the Red Sea and all the surrounding nations bringing in tribute to Israel. The vastness of the…

1 Kings 3

1 Kings 3 Pastor Mark Hudson From chapter 3 to chapter 10, Solomon is living with God’s richest blessings.  As the third king of Israel, he will, like Saul and David, reign 40 years.  Solomon may be as young as 20 years old when he become king.  He has lived in luxury in the house of David growing up, but David’s house was not a normal house by any means.  Solomon, in many ways, was…

1 Kings 2

1 Kings 2 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence On his deathbed, David charges his son Solomon to wholeheartedly seek the Lord as the new king over Israel and to tie up some lose ends that would strengthen his kingdom overall. You’ll notice in vv.3-4 that in commending God’s Word to his son, David speaks of it in many different ways as: the charge of the Lord, his ways, his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his…

Intro to Kings

Intro to Kings Pastor Mark Hudson Kings There are three major division in the Hebrew Bible: Law Prophets The Writings. The Law includes Genesis, Exodus. Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Prophets Joshua Judges I & II Samuel I & II Kings   (all called the former prophets) Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Hosea - Malachi   (all called the latter prophets) The Writings                         Psalms Proverbs Job Song of Solomon Ruth Lamentations Ecclesiastes Esther Daniel Ezra Nehemiah Chronicles Dillard…

Psalm 42

Psalm 42 By Pastor David Groendyk Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 actually go together to form one single song and/or prayer. If you look carefully, the psalmist actually never makes a request to God in Psalm 42! All the requests come in Psalm 43. Psalm 42 is merely the occasion and situation that the psalmist finds himself in. And that occasion is certainly a dark one. This chapter divides nicely into two sections, and the…

Psalm 41

Psalm 41 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.” This seems to be the primary argument that David uses in this prayer when asking the Lord to forgive him his sin and to heal him of his sickness. Again, we don’t know all the specifics of what is going on in the royal palace at this time, but clearly David has…

Psalm 40

Psalm 40 Pastor Mark Hudson Here are two outlines for Psalm 40.  The first by Kidner. 1-10             Waiting Rewarded 11-17           Waiting Renewed Now notice John Stott’s outline. 1-10             An account of past deliverance 11-17           A prayer for present help The waiting we find in verse one needs something like ‘patiently’ (ESV or NIV)  or ‘waited, waited’ (NEB), ‘intently’ (NASB).  This is not a passively waiting but this waiting is intentionally, expecting help.  This person is…

Psalm 39

Psalm 39 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence As the Spirit says to the church in Hebrews 12:6 “the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives, so David proves in this psalm to be a child of God under God’s chastening hand. In the first few verses, in the midst of his pain and suffering, David vows to remain silent under God’s correction, especially in the presence of unbelievers, so as…

Psalm 37

Psalm 37 Pastor David Groendyk In preparation for this devotional, I glanced at four different outlines of this psalm by four different authors, and not a single author agreed on how this psalm should be divided! Fortunately, the one main theme of this psalm is loud and clear. Once again, we are dealing with the problem of the prosperity of the wicked and the deprivation of the righteous. Evildoers have abundance; believers have nothing, and…

Psalm 36

Psalm 36 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence In this psalm David contrasts the sinfulness of wicked men with the steadfast love of the Lord then calls upon the Lord in his love to protect his people by overruling the plots of evildoers. In the first four verses he describes the inner thoughts and the secret plots of the wicked. Unable to hear the voice of the Lord, the wicked man is attentive to the voice of…

Psalm 35

Psalm 35 Pastor Mark Hudson It is fairly easy to see the sections in this Psalm, but Kidner provides the easiest outline to remember. 1-10             The scheming 11-18           The mobbing 19-28           The gloating For the Psalmist, we often find that calling people their enemy and wishing destruction upon them is somewhat normal.  This author knows enemies who want to kill him.  They actively work against all he tries to do.  But He pleads with God…

Psalm 34

Psalm 34 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence We might refer to this psalm as an ode to the God who answers prayer. Even though the superscription tells us that it was written particularly to commemorate David’s escape from Abimelech or Achish, it doesn’t go into any of the details of that specific narrative. Instead, it is written in the form of an acrostic lyrical poem where each verse begins with the successive letters of the Hebrew…

Psalm 33

Psalm 33 Pastor Mark Hudson I like to look at how others outline chapters.  So here are some examples: Invocation to praise 1-3 Substance of praise 4-19 The Lord’s Word 4-9 The Lord’s Plan 10-12 The Lord’s Eye 13-15 The Lord’s Might 16-19 Conclusion 20-22  (Craigie, Word Commentary)   Rejoice in the Lord          1-3 His creative word             4-9 His triumphant will          10-12 His discerning gaze          13-19 We Hope in Thee             20-22  (Kidner)   Righteous…

Psalm 32

Psalm 32 Pastor David Groendyk Have you ever been caught in a lie and then had to continually cover your tracks so that the lie didn’t catch up to you? Or have you ever been doing something you know you shouldn’t be doing and so you were continually looking over your shoulder to make sure no one caught you? What an agonizing and stressful way to live! Unchecked and unconfessed sin plagues you and overshadows…

Psalm 31

Psalm 31 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Even without knowing the particular circumstances that led David to write this psalm, clearly, he is being afflicted somehow by the relentless pursuit of his enemies. Consequently, he calls upon the Lord again to be his refuge and rock, his strong fortress and deliverer. It is his fervent trust in the Lord that seems to be the primary theme of this psalm and the one that he commends to…

Psalm 30

Psalm 30 Pastor Mark Hudson The superscription of this Psalm is ‘a song at the dedication of the temple [actually ‘house’]’ yet David never dedicated the temple since he was not allowed to build it.  David was not alive when the temple was finished.  The other interesting aspect of the superscription and the Psalm is that there is little talk of offerings, sacrifices, and religious words associated with the temple.  This is not a Psalm…