1 Kings 12:20-13:34
1 Kings 12:20-33
Vs. 20-24 Although it says that only Judah followed "the house of David," Benjamin is listed as contributing to the army of Judah. God kept this a relatively bloodless civil war. V. 24, Rehoboam listened to the man of God.
Vs. 26-27 God had made a promise to Jeroboam and it had been fulfilled to this point. Look at what is influencing Jeroboam. Faith is spiritual, fixed on, and resting in God. The flesh is not only of no avail, it can destroy us, others and nations. As disciples these are some of the same things that influence us. I don't know about you, but this all seems so unbelievable. He is blessed by God and commits amazing sin to keep the blessing.
One question here: Why do you think the nation was so easy to push into idol worship? Doesn’t it seem like the entire country would have rebelled at leaving the worship of Yahweh like this? So, who got the nation ready for this? That's right, the wisest man in the world, by his own ungodly example. Isn't it stunning to think that the man who built the temple, as a king, introduced such grave idolatry into the nation, that Israel would never recover. This would eventually lead the nation to exile and the temple to destruction.
As disciples, we are never perfect. In following in humility, our imperfections are overwhelmed by God's grace and forgiveness. We need to beware of having a secret life, as David did for a time, and as Solomon must have had privately with his wives, before it became public. Living with such a contradiction between belief and practice caused irreparable damage.
1 Kings 13
So, what common element ties these two events together besides the fact that the names of both guys end in "boam?" It seems to me that both were faced with a "man of God." This begins something very important in the history of Israel and in prophetic history: the role of the prophet. God begins sending His messengers before the kings and people, but the prophets are ignored or killed.
V. 2 This will not happen for another 290 years. Josiah will be (in my opinion) the godliest king the nation ever had. He will be a brilliant light before the storm hits Israel.
V. 3 This translation by the ESV is unfortunate. As the prophet was speaking, the altar would not be "torn down," but would burst apart and spew the ashes that were on it.
Vs. 4-10 So, in spite of all of these signs, Jeroboam didn't change. What does that say to you? I thought "seeing is believing." We will observe this more and more. Signs will most often result in showing the deep controlling sin in people, thus giving a basis for judgment, rather than moving people to repentance and obedience.
Vs. 11-34 Your guess is as good as anyone's regarding the meaning of this story of the man of God and the prophet of Bethel. Go nuts making observations and applications.
Verses 30-32 give the message of the story. The thing God had prophesied would surely happen. Judgment was determined. Every word would be fulfilled. Remember that this guy would be buried next to the man of God. We'll revisit this event when we read about Josiah.
Acts 9:26-43
One of the challenges in understanding how Paul's testimony in Galatians fits here, is that he says it was 3 years after his conversion that he went to Jerusalem. Ok, it is presumed that he left Damascus, went to the Arabia, returned to Damascus and then went to Jerusalem. The challenge is that in verse 26, they are still terribly afraid of Paul. If this is all accurate, then Paul must have been a terrible guy who had left wreckage and scars and bad memories all over the place.
V. 27 Paul was trying to find the apostles, but it was like a wacky cartoon. He would come into a room and they would sneak away behind him. As everyone else was avoiding Paul, Barnabas actively laid hold of Paul and took him to the apostles. Now, in Galatians 1:17, Paul says he only saw the apostles Peter and James (the brother of Jesus); but it should be noted, that the group of apostles was growing. Barnabas would be called an apostle as well as others. Apparently Paul meant that he didn't see the twelve.
V. 29 That old Paul magic was working again. How do you know Paul was involved in effective ministry? People were trying to kill him.
V. 30 Caesarea was the main seaport. Philip lived there now and so did Cornelius. Peter would be there soon. Although Caesarea was northwest of Jerusalem, all directions from Jerusalem are "down." Paul was from Tarsus, in what would be modern day Turkey. Today, Paul would have been a Turk by birth. According to Paul, in Galatians, it would be fourteen years until he would return to Jerusalem.
Notice that when Paul left, they had peace. :)
Can you imagine the change in Paul's identity? Jerusalem and those three feasts each year had been his world. Now Jerusalem was the scene of his crimes, but also the place where his new found savior had bought his forgiveness.
Even for us as disciples, radical change is to be expected as we follow Christ on this planet. Times, places and people come and go; but for us, Jesus, his love and his mission, remain our focus and lead us into new seasons of growth, friendship, service, and joy.
Vs. 32-43 This account of Peter's travels is an important setup to a very important event in the early church.
V. 32 Peter was visiting believers who had been forced to flee Jerusalem. Of course, some of those who came to Christ in Jerusalem lived in other towns and cities. The network was spreading throughout Judea and Samaria.
V. 36 Joppa would have been one of those cities where Phillip preached as he walked from Azotus to Caesarea.
V. 42 It is interesting that Peter was staying with a tanner. Jews regarded them as unclean because they were always dealing with dead animals.
There is a reason why God is using Peter like this. Obviously, He wanted people healed, but it also had to do with a purpose He had for Peter to knock down one huge wall. God is giving Peter a great deal of esteem among the Jewish Christians. This respect will come in handy in chapter 11.
As Christians, we are often personality oriented. We read the books and try to figure out the talent and faith and abilities that made a person great. It is still God who does that. There are many more talented, faithful, able people running around and serving Christ without renown, than those who do. God just doesn't lift them up. It isn't for a lack on their part. It just isn't the Lord's plan for them. Faithfulness in loving and following Christ in the harvest is the goal, not renown or respect. God gives those to people publicly, if and when they are necessary.
Psalm 132
Whenever this psalm of ascent was written, it has a tone of distress. I would have suggested that this was written after the exile except for the reference to the ark in verse 8. The ark was lost after the exile.
There were plenty of revivals under godly kings, but during very unstable and threatening times. The prayer of this song is for God to remember his promise to David.
Verses 11-18 take on a prophetic note, referring to the final king in David's line. See how many references you find that make sense to you.
Proverbs 17:6
This is an interesting verse the week before Father's Day. I guess my "crowns" are all living in Germany (and at this writing, on vacation in England). But I really, really love all of my kids and I'm honored to be married to such a wonderful wife.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
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