1 Kings 18 Pastor Mark Hudson I Kings 18 charms with drama, ridicule, decisions, fear, prayer, ritual, and murder.  This courageous act by Elijah, who challenges the prophets of Baal, almost gets him murdered by Queen Jezebel.  First notice that there is not one way to serve the Lord.  Elijah is confrontational while Obadiah is secretive.  Elijah is more fire and brimstone, speak directly to those in authority (dare I use ‘truth to power’?) and…

1 Kings 17 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence After a succession of wicked but short-lived kings in Israel, King Ahab was introduced as the seventh king of the northern nation in the previous chapter. His reign stands out from his predecessors in that he didn’t just encourage the worship of idols as they did, but he promoted the worship of foreign gods as well actually building a temple unto Baal in the very heart of Israel.…

1 Kings 16 Pastor Mark Hudson Chapter 16 of I Kings continues the narrative that begins in 15:25.   Nadab, son of Jeroboam reigns for two years until Baasha, the son of Ahijah of the tribe of Issachar kills him.  Then Baasha kills all the house of Jeroboam and I mean all the house.  Baasha fulfills a prophecy but that does not mean what he did was praiseworthy. He reigned for 24 years in the city…

1 Kings 14 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Even atheists will try praying to God when all else fails. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they’ve been converted or are expressing genuine faith but are merely seeking to cover all their bases. Nevertheless, it still testifies to the truth of Scripture that deep down in their hearts they know that there is a God, even though they refuse to submit to him. In our text this…

1 Kings 13 Pastor Mark Hudson Here is a chapter where the reader has questions at every turn, but few answers are given.  This chapter continues the idolatry we find in chapter 12.   But as Jeroboam begins his idolatrous worship a prophet from Judah rebukes his entire plan.  The prophet prophesies of the coming King and names him!  Then the prophet tells Jeroboam that this altar will be destroyed, and the ashes poured out.  Basically,…

1 Kings 12 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence In Proverbs 13:20 Solomon wrote “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Sayings such as these were collected and recorded to be given to his sons as well as to all God’s people. Sadly, his son Rehoboam didn’t pay them any regard, and his kingdom would suffer much harm as a result. His rival, Jeroboam, also did not walk with…

1 Kings 11 Pastor Mark Hudson Chapter 11 of I Kings brings all the joy, celebration, and thankfulness to an abrupt and sad end.  Remember Deuteronomy 17:15-17, when God gives the stipulations for a king, “you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. . . .  17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself exces-…

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 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 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 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…

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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…