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JUNE 15
1 Kings 14:1-15:24
There is something that happens when you read the Bible year after
year. I'm trying not to "ruin" this for you, but it is hard to resist
not mentioning it. When you read this information in Kings, it might be
completely new for you. Later, you'll notice that much of what you read here
will be mentioned again in Chronicles, but in some cases there will be more
detail or explanation. Then, when you look at these records and events in Kings
next year, you'll read these stories and go, "Wait, there's more to what
happened. He did this or that and it's not here." You will naturally begin
to compare the records of Kings and Chronicles and it will add another
dimension to the lives of these men. It will also show you a lot about God, in
how He dealt with them and how He works with us. The way God designed the Bible
sparks connections and provides interesting clues that inspire curiosity and
learning, but you have to stay in the Bible year after year to have this take
place. And the point of all of this is knowing, following and loving the Lord.
1 Kings 14
Vs. 1-20 Since this event is recorded for us by God, the death of
Jeroboam's son must have become a sign for Israel. This event was common
knowledge. When the son died, Jeroboam and everyone else should have turned to
God, but no one turned to follow God. Signs don't necessarily make people
believe. Notice that the fulfillment of this judgment came in two parts, years
apart. You would think that if they had responded properly after the first
part, God might have had mercy on them for the second part. God gave chances,
but there was no repentance.
V. 2 So what is all this about? There are a lot of things happening
here. First, why didn't Jeroboam ask for guidance from the calves and priests
and other stuff he had set up? Obviously they didn't work. Second, in this time
of need, even Jeroboam knew that the religious system he had set up wasn't
real, but was there to keep the people from leaving him as king. Third, even in
his need, Jeroboam didn't want anyone to see him send his wife to where the
tabernacle had been to inquire of a real prophet of the Lord. This was an
example of the total human irrationality that is so commonly caused by sin. We
just get used to it. It is also interesting that Jeroboam sent his wife to the
prophet whom God had used to tell him he would be king. Jeroboam knew how to
pursue the Lord. He just didn't want to.
V. 8 David was a man after God's own heart because he never worshiped
anyone or anything other than the Lord. David fell, but David always loved God
and never bowed the knee to an idol. Yet even here, there is a sense of the
blessing God had given to Jeroboam. Even though God made an everlasting
covenant with David, He still gave Jeroboam the kingship of northern Israel
because of the idolatry of Solomon.
V. 9 The only ones who came before Jeroboam were Saul, David and
Solomon, yet Jeroboam was worse than even Solomon. Solomon did not force Israel
to sin in worshiping other gods. This had been Solomon's personal sin, fueled
by his passion for his foreign wives. You can see that Jeroboam made a very
forceful and calculated political decision to lead Israel into idolatry to keep
them from returning to Jerusalem. Solomon didn't force the nation into
idolatry. He just modeled it. Jeroboam led Israel into ruin and punishment.
V. 11 Keep the wording of this curse in mind. You'll hear it again.
V. 13 Isn't this interesting? God not only used the death of this son
for judgment on Jeroboam and as a sign for the nation, but there was an element
of compassion in God taking the child out of this situation.
V. 14 Notice that God would appoint
this king, but this king will also receive the curse mentioned in v. 11.
Vs. 15-16 Here, the exile is promised to the northern kingdom.
Vs. 17-18 I wonder why she went home.
V. 20 God allowed this ungodly king to reign 22 years. That ought to be
astounding and tell us something about God.
Vs. 21-31 Rehoboam was also evil before the Lord. Note that his mother
was an Ammonite.
V. 21 When you read about the awful and foolish decision that Rehoboam
made at the beginning of his reign that split the kingdom, you think that maybe
he was in his teens or early twenties and the guys he listened to were his
drinking buddies. Look how old he was.
Vs. 25-28 This happened as a result of the evil that Rehoboam allowed
to grow in Judah. For all the disobedience and sacrifice involved in making
treaties with Egypt, Egypt still took everything. Very ironic. Shishak was the
guy who had kept Jeroboam safe from Solomon (1 Kings 11:40).
V. 28 Notice the showmanship when Rehoboam went to the temple after
this humbling. He still felt he needed to save face. I'll bet his worship in
the temple was just as sincere. There will be more said about Rehoboam in
Chronicles.
This is like another parallel between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. Both were
spoken to by a man of God. They responded differently. Both were insincere in
seeking the Lord and used theatrics.
1 Kings 15:1-24
Vs. 1-8 In 2 Chronicles 13, we'll hear more about Abijam, spelled
Abijah in Chronicles. There are three things noted here about Abijam's short,
three-year reign.
First, his mother (Rehoboam's wife) was related to Absalom.
Second, vs. 4-5 testify to God's grace, mercy and faithfulness in light
of the ungodliness of these kings in David's lineage.
Third, Asa, Abijam's son, became king.
Vs. 9-24 Asa is the first of the godly kings of Judah after Solomon.
When we get to 2 Chronicles 14-16, you'll learn more about Asa. What is written
here is just a very brief summary of his reign.
Vs. 9-15 summarize some of what he did well in leading the people.
V. 13 Asa meant business, even removing his grandmother from any place
of influence. It may be that his mother had died and he made his grandmother
the queen mother.
V. 14 Notice what it says about Asa. This is said in the context of
remaining true to the worship of Yahweh. It is good to remember the context of
how this statement is made, because we'll see that Asa will have his troubles;
yet in all of them, he never worshiped anyone other than Yahweh. That is
important.
Vs. 16-22 So, what do you think Asa did wrong? You'll have to read
about Asa in 2 Chronicles to figure out the real depth of what he did here. It
was a very human thing to do, but we'll see that Asa should have known better.
Each king had something that ate through his faith when he grew older or more
secure. As disciples, we all have this kind of "faith-destroying"
element in us. The ultimate question for us as we follow Christ in this life in
the harvest is, "Who is our Lord and our help?"
V. 23 The disease in his feet is an important thing, but you won't
understand it yet. It is actually a little bit mind-blowing.
Acts 10:1-23
This event will open the door for the church to reach the Gentile
world.
Vs. 1-8 It is important to understand that Cornelius worshiped the God
of the Jews. He was a "God Fearer," but he wasn't a circumcised
convert. Notice what it says about him in v. 2. Cornelius wasn't just a nice
guy worshiping anything.
Rome enlisted soldiers from every land, but the Italian Cohort were
true-blue Italians who were used in places where loyalty to Rome couldn't be
risked. Caesarea was important to Rome. Years later, Paul would be imprisoned
in a Roman palace/fortress in Caesarea.
V. 4 I find it amazing that his prayers had become a memorial before
God. God promises that if unbelievers seek Him, they will find Him. It is true
that none of us would seek God, if God didn't add things to our lives that
encourage us to seek Him. Still, after that encouragement on God's part, there
seems to be an element of seeking that is up to us and God honors it.
V. 7 Not only did Cornelius waste no time in obeying, he sent two
servants and a soldier. These servants would have been stewards, and the
soldier would have been their protection. All of them must have been loyal and
devoted to Cornelius. They probably were influenced by his life and love for
God.
V. 8 This is funny. Literally, Cornelius exegeted (explained)
everything to his men.
Vs. 9-23 God was coordinating this entire event.
Vs. 12-16 Now, Peter was a true-blue Jew. In spite of the fact that the
law was no longer binding, he had still not had his first pork chop, and
lobster tail was foreign to his lips. God waited until Peter was hungry. That
this vision was repeated three times meant that God had to overwhelm Peter's
ingrained way of thinking. But the real test was not about food, it was about
another ethnicity. What is also interesting here and may have had an effect on
Peter, as he thought over his refusal and emotional difficulty in obeying, was
that Peter had denied the Lord and then promised to serve His sheep three times
also.
Vs. 17-23 Enter the Gentiles.
Vs. 19-20 This event was so important, and Peter's anti-Gentile
upbringing was so ingrained, that the Spirit had to command Peter to obey without hesitation. Notice
how often the Spirit is speaking. Who says He is not a person?
V. 22 Notice that God selected a centurion who was in excellent
standing with the Jews. In the Gospels and Acts, you never find a bad
centurion. That's kind of interesting. The Jews begged Jesus to heal the
centurion’s slave in Capernaum (Luke 7) because he was not only a "God
fearer," but because he loved Israel and built them their synagogue. God
was going to use this godly Roman Gentile to break down a huge wall for the
Jewish church in Jerusalem.
V. 23 We'll see later, that in spite of Cornelius' good reputation,
this event didn't sit well with some Christians.
Psalm 133
The worship in Jerusalem three times a year was what kept Israel
unified as a nation, focused on God's love for them. Unity is a true blessing
and a sign of God's presence.
V. 1 David knew of disunity and hatred. He ran from Saul for ten years
and then fought a civil war for seven years. Later David ran from Absalom and
faced another, almost, civil war. Here, David is saying that unity is found in
Zion, serving and worshiping God.
V. 2 Frankly, having olive oil poured on my head, running down my beard
onto my clothes doesn't feel like blessing to me. I think the images must
represent unity as covering and consecrating the people and the land. In that
sense, the unity God gives is what makes us able to come before Him.
V. 3 This unity is also what gives life to us just as that covering dew
gave life to the land. Without God's provision of unity, there is only dryness
and a lack of fruit.
You would think in
the church, with Christ and our salvation and our mission, that unity would be
a given. It wasn't in Acts; it wasn't in the New Testament letters and it isn't
now. Unity in Christ is something that must be worked at and sought for from
God. Sometimes I think unity in the harvest is almost a miracle in itself. It
is the gift that allows a group to come together in Him and to bear fruit
together. For me, biblical unity happens in Christ in the harvest. That was the
kind of unity Paul had with the Philippians, and I think he points to the mission
also in his prayer for the Romans in Romans 15:5-6, May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such
harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may
with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 17:7-8
It is interesting that one of the pieces of the armor of the Spirit is
truth. It protects us. I had a thought as I read this today. The power to hold
to the truth and resist a bribe comes from our hope in God. Money can provide
comfort or an answer to a need, but if our hope is fixed on God, our comfort
isn't important and He is the answer to our needs. Yet how do you learn this
hope unless you are led by God into troubled times and learn to hope in Christ
alone. We don't need to tap the "human resources" department,
especially if those resources come with an agenda. We learn to rely on our
resources as if they were magic and open doors for us. Better to have
unfulfilled needs and to be wholly focused on the Lord, than to look to our own
magical ways to meet our needs, but to deny Christ by our actions. I would
rather remain in need and have to cling to my hope in Him, than be satisfied in
anything else. Even if it means looking like a fool, I'd rather be satisfied
with waiting on Him than developing the skill to open doors and not need Him.
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are 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, that is, 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 and important discipleship manual we have and it is the 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, or whom we are to be following. 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, as disciples, 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, 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 (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
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. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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