OT: The First Book of Kings, Chapter 16

1 Kings 16:1-34

16:1-7 King Baasha receives a word from God through Jehu, son of Hanani: I lifted you from the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam. To each king, and person, God presents two things: what we were are offered and what we have done with it.

Regardless who we are, around us lie materials. Materials like opportunities, relationships, motivations and other such things which prompt us to choose what kind of person to be. Our materials are different and therefore our potential is different. We are not all kings but we all hold prominent positions according to God; the kingly and confident and the meek and humble.

God offers this commitment, the same He gives to Jeroboam and the kings in these chapters, to each of us: "if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you."

Baasha chooses not to heed God's commands, walk in His ways, do what is right in His sight or keep His commandments. As a result, a result not a punishment, his life crumbles around him. God does not expect perfection, He is well aware of our inability to be perfect. He is willing to accommodate our inefficiencies. But outright rejection and neglect of righteousness leaves those voids empty and liable to widen and deepen. 

Baasha's entire life and posterity is swallowed by the void he allowed to fester. 

16:8-14 Elah replaces his father as king. The prophecy against Baasha's posterity continues to be fulfilled. Elah is overthrown by his servant Zimri, commander of his chariots. It is easy for Zimri to dethrone and kill Elah because he is found inebriated in his home. 1 Peter 4:3 and Proverbs 20:1 speak of the laziness and non-productivity of inebriation. Elah inherited a broken people; he had the opportunity to restore but instead chose to do nothing. 

Zimri kills the entirety of Baasha's household, relatives and friends. 

16:15-20 Zimri is not a good man or king either. He is challenged by the people who instead choose to elect Omri, commander of the army as king. When Zimri realizes his imminent defeat, he burns down the king's house while inside of it and dies.

16:21-28 Israel continues to divide: half choose to support Tibni and the other half Omri. But Omri has a stronger force and eliminates Tibni. Omri reigns as king for twelve years. Omri is described to have done worse than the kings before him. Omri dies and his son Ahab becomes king. 

16:29-33 Ahab reigns for twenty-two years, another evil king. None of these kings are able to lead the way God's prophets were able to. Their corrupt leadership continues to fray the tribes and tempt them further away from righteousness. Ahab marries Jezebel, a Sidonian and worships a false god, Baal.

16:34 Ahab endeavors to rebuilt Jericho. This is fulfillment of a caution-prophesy from Joshua 6:26 Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, “Cursed be the man before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.”

Utter disregard of God causes the tribes of Israel to continue to destruct.

OT: The First Book of Kings, Chapter 15

1 Kings 15:1-34

Nearly every chapter of the Book of Kings could be prefaced by the prophet Samuel's warning about kings:

 1 Samuel 8:10-22 

10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

Thus Israel and Judah find themselves at the mercy of the nature of the king ruling over them. They had God's perfect leadership but requested to replace Him with an inadequate system. God allows our freedom of choice, therefore the succession of these corrupted kings is allowed.

19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”

Israel and Judah wanted to be like everyone else, separate from God, and we now read the subsequent results of that request. In our generation, kingdoms around the world have changed and evolved from monarchies to democracies and oligarchies, dictatorships, republics and other forms of government. Still, each of those governments stemmed from humanity's decision not to acknowledge God as the rightful king. 

Jesus and the New Testament invited intimacy into faith. Now, an individual within a government in the world, can choose God as King of their heart and soul and King over their lives. While we exist in the social organizations of our country, God orchestrates His will over our lives and it supersedes another other power or institution. 

1:1-3 Abijam, son of Rehoboam and Maachah, becomes king over Judah (the tribes of Judah and Benjamin recently split from the other ten named Israel). Like his father, Abijam does not love or listen to God. He rules selfishly rather than righteously. Though Solomon once loved and followed God, he abandoned his faith. He create a corrupt and God-less culture within the tribes of Israel.  Solomon's descendants, Rehoboam and now Abijam, continue to let corruption fester. 

Leadership is a demanding responsibility. It requires one to often act and be better than they are naturally inclined. The only One qualified for a job so demanding of perfection is God. 1 John 1:8 tells us frankly that none of us are perfect. Therefore, when we accept positions of leadership, it is prudent to listen to God's counsel. Without Him, our selfish motivations and noxious desires grow and cause us to neglect and corrupt what we are responsible for.

1:4-5 Despite their inadequacy, David's family retain the kingship because David's faith earned it. David is described by God as a man after His own heart. Because of David's ardent and stalwart faith, he was able to work with God through his own imperfection and mistakes. Though at times David allowed temptations to control his actions, David continued to love God and therefore no corruption was ever able to take permanent control. This is not so for Abijam. 

1:6-7 The friction between Judah and Israel remains. The war between king Jeroboam and Rehoboam is inherited by Abijam. The peace once established by David has crumbled into tumult. 

1:8 Abijam dies and is buried in the city of David. He is succeeded by his son Asa. 

15:9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam's reign, Asa becomes king over Judah.

15:10 Asa will reign a total of forty-one years in Jerusalem. He is the grandchild of Maachah, granddaughter of Abishalom.

15:11 Asa's most defining characteristic is that unlike his father, his life exemplifies the philosophy of God. Asa is righteous like his ancestor, David. 

15:12-13 Without hesitation, Asa removes the corruption and idolatry from Judah. He even removes his grandmother from a position of power because of her idol worship. These a bold moves, meant to please God rather than men. 

15:14-15 With his best effort, Asa seeks to cleanse what has been corrupted by the previous leadership of Judah. He removes the high places of the false gods, 2 Chronicles 14:3. He restores the silver and gold to the house of the Lord.

15:16-17 Israel, the kingdom established in the north by ten of the tribes continues to war against the southern kingdom of Judah. The king in Israel, Baasha, attempts a strategic move to cut Judah off from its main route and force their reliance on the northern kingdom.

15:18-19 In response, Asa purchases an alliance with the king of Syria. Syria was helping Baasha cut them off but this offer dissolved their agreement. In 2 Chronicles 16:7-10 we learned of God's displeasure that Asa would drain the treasure from the house of the Lord instead of consulted God to guide him through his dispute. Like Asa should have, we must realize that God is willing and able to counsel us and guide us through our tribulations. Desperate times do not have force desperate measures; God has an effective and redeeming plan for us. 

15:20-21 Ben-Hadad of Syria indeed sends his armies against Israel instead of Judah. Attacks against several cities in Israel cause Baasha to halt his efforts against Judah. We can imagine the pain and frustration this causes God. These tribes are siblings but choose to live as enemies. Even now, humanity creates discord for selfish and cruel reasons when peace is a more simple solution. It is truly a waste of life, time and potential to sow discord rather than peace.

15:22 King Asa re-purposes the materials Baasha intended to stifle Judah with; he builds Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah, power cities in place of what Baasha intended.

15:23-24 Asa passes away due to an affliction in his feet which he does not consult God about, 2 Chronicles 16:24. It is written that more can be learned about Asa's reign in 2 Chronicles 14-16. His son Jehoshaphat becomes king.

15:25-26 Nadab, the son of Jeroboam becomes king over Israel and reigns for two years. He rules without righteousness like his father.

15:27-30 Baasha conspires against Ahijah and kills him. Through the prophet Abijah, God told Jeroboam that his house would not last because of unrighteousness and indeed Baasha kills all descendants of Jeroboam, 1 Kings 14:10-11. Only the righteous inherit everlasting life and strength because only they are responsible enough to receive it.

"10 Therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. 11 The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the Lord has spoken!”’

15:31-32 Nadab and Baasha had constant enmity between them during his life.

15:33-34 Baasha reigns in Israel for twenty-two years, a corrupt king. 

OT: The First Book of Kings, Chapter 14

1 Kings 14:1-31

14:1 Jeroboam's son, Abijah becomes sick. Jeroboam has made a life based on idol worship, but none of his false gods are able to heal his son. The symbolic ailments of his life have no balm or cure because his lifestyle has not sourced from the true God.

14:2 Jeroboam's relationship with God and his fellow workers is poor. His outright defiance of God's word has ruined his connection with the prophet Ahijah. In 1 Kings 11, it was this prophet who told Jeroboam that he would become king over Israel. The opportunity was a gift from God, a chance to lead as an obedient child of God. Instead, Jeroboam immediately went a wayward way. It is only in his desperation that he seeks the help of God.

Jeroboam instructs his wife to bring the boy to Ahijah, but to disguise herself. Jeroboam knows that he is unlikely to receive help from a God he rejected because he is not repentant about it.

14:3 He tells his wife to bring provision and perhaps payment, but God does not require enticement to be moved into action. For the figurative illnesses of Jeroboam's life, he needs to change his lifestyle. Idols do not provide for what truly matters.

14:4 The wife arrives at the house of Ahijah. We find out that at this time, Ahijah has aged and can no longer see.

14:5 Ahijah's poor eyesight might have benefited Jeroboam's scheme but because Ahijah is true child of God, he has been prepared by God for this visit. He has already been informed that Jeroboam's son is ill and that his wife has traveled to have him seen under a guise.

14:6 Ahijah welcomes Jeroboam's wife the moment she enters the home.

14:7-16 Without preamble, Ahijah also already has God's response for Jeroboam and he delivers it to the wife. With this message, God confronts Jeroboam in the decisions he has made in his life to reject God's presence and counsel. God explains why Jeroboam's life has yielded such unsatisfactory results. The message from God is this:

‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, 8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; 9 but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back— 

The tribes of Israel inherited Jeroboam as king partly because of Solomon's failure and partly because of their own. Had they been a faithful people, they would have received a faithful king. We create the atmosphere in which we live through the way that we live. A corrupt body of people raised a corrupt king. But it did not have to remain corrupt; in 1 Kings 11:37-38, God promised Jeroboam a blessed and everlasting kinship if he would heed the voice of God. But Jeroboam does not heed the voice of God, and now his son is ill. His family's reign will not last forever. 

10 therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. 11 The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the Lord has spoken!”’ 

The idol worship cut off the source of God. God provides peace and wisdom, love and provision. Having abandoned him, Israel has left itself vulnerable to the figurative dogs. It is vulnerable to corruption because it allowed corruption in. 

12 Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. 13 And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.

Jeroboam's child will die. God explains that the reason for the child's death will be his goodness. That only seems backward when we forget what a blessing it is to be with God. God disallows this good child to inherit such a corrupt kingdom because he deserves better than to be responsible for such a mess.

This is one small example of how sometimes, we do not realize God is blessing us. Sometimes the no or the closed door is God's way of being perceptive and generous. Sometimes the no is temporary, sometimes it is final. But it is always wisely given. God's timing and decisions are precious to our benefit. God feels that this child deserves to enter into heaven early, but all of Israel mourns because they do not understand God. They do not understand that they did not deserve the goodness of this child's heart.

14 “Moreover the Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam; this is the day. What? Even now! 15 For the Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their wooden images, provoking the Lord to anger. 16 And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin.”

Instead, Israel will receive a different king. A king separate from Jeroboam's line. But Jeroboam is not the only guilty one. Israel has abandoned God, and thus their values. God explains that he has discipline planned for Israel. This is a tool any loving parent would implement. He is going to uproot Israel and scatter them. But these people have already rejected God's soil, and that is why they do not benefit from its glory and power. 

In scripture and in life, realize that people only return to God once they experience how different life is when they are away from Him. It is both God's hope and intention that they will return. And the only reason He plans to uproot and scatter them is because they have already made moves to leave. So He allows it. He allows them, and us, to explore life away from Him. He is confident that we will realize how barren and cold it is and return to His warmth and abundance. 

14:17 When Jeroboam's wife returns home and their child immediately passes away. His goodness cannot survive in that corrupted atmosphere. And for all of the worship and celebration of the false idols, none of them were able to respond to Jeroboam's prayers.

14:18 The boy is buried and Israel mourns for him. But heaven opens it arms in celebration for the child's arrival.

14:19-20 It is explained that we learn more about Jeroboam in the Book of Chronicles, 2 Chronicles 13. He reigned for twenty-two years and then passed away. Nadab, his son reigned after him.

14:21 Meanwhile, Solomon's son Rehoboam reigns over Judah (the remained two tribes). We learn that Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he inherited the kingship. He reigns in Jerusalem for seventeen years. His mother's name is Naamah.

14:22-24 The people of Judah are just as bad as the people of Israel. They are living evil and perverted lifestyles. They are worshiping idols and building sacred places in their honor. They have no love or gratitude for the God who provided everything they have, we led their ancestors out of slavery. 

14:25-26 In the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign, a king of Egypt came and stole treasures from the house of the Lord. Because Judah abandoned God, they discarded the defense He provided. 

14:27-28 Rehoboam replaces the stolen gold with bronze. It is symbolic: the greater was replaced by the lesser.

14:29 Rehbooam and Jeroboam reigned with tension between Israel and Judah their entire lives. These once united tribes lived as blessed children of God. The rift in their relationship is as complicated and unnecessary as humanity's inability to live cohesively is.

Rehoboam passes away and is replaced by his son Abijah. God promised that David's line would continue because of his faith (if not for David, Rehoboam's line would have been extinguished like Jeroboam's).

OT: The First Book of Kings, Chapter 13

1 Kings 13:1-34

13:1 A man from Judah receives instruction from God to go from Judah to Bethel where Jeroboam is burning incense by an altar.

Jeroboam has been given the kingship over Israel (10 of the 12 tribes, the other two are referred to now as Judah). And though Jeroboam might have begun as a king for the people, having sought the laborers rights, he is not a king for God. Early in his reign, he begins to worship false idols as well as lead his people to do so. He continues to break customs established by God; we find him here burning incense on the altar. Typically only spiritual leaders and elders performed the customs of the temple, an attempt to keep the faith un-corrupted. 

13:2-3 The man of God delivers his message, which turns out to be a prophecy from God. The promise is that a descendant of David named Josiah will be born, become king and will remove the rampant idolatry which Jeroboam is currently allowing to infiltrate. We see this fulfilled 330 years later in 2 Kings 23.

13:4 Jeroboam immediately commands that the messenger be arrested. Though this message is personal to Jeroboam, it is pertinent to all of Israel. The reason God is vehement about our rejected of false idols is because placing value in inanimate objects is detrimental to our lives and character. Only God is able to provide the provision, counsel and leadership that we so need to navigate and thrive on the earth. 

Jeroboam stretches out his arm to point at the man he wants arrested. As he does so, his arm withers and freezes in the extended position. 

13:5 As Jeroboam's arm freezes, the altar splits and spills its contents. This detail is specific to the prophesy the man of God has just delivered. It's precision is evidence that the message is indeed from God.

13:6 Such immediate fulfillment of the prophesy causes Jeroboam to change his stance with the man of God. Instead of having him arrested, he asks the man to pray for the healing of his arm. The man of God does so and Jeroboam's arm is healed. 

13:7 Jeroboam invites the man to his home and offers a reward. A moment ago, Jeroboam wanted him arrested. But because he has realized God sent the message, his entire perspective changes. Jeroboam is practicing idolatry, he is not a good kingly influence over God's people; but neither is he about to arrest a man of God. 

13:8 The man of God declines the offer, stating that no reward could persuade him to accept. Jeroboam does not have a change in heart or spirit, he still continues to corrupt the faith. There is no repentance and therefore the invitation is insignificant. 

13:9 The man of God explains that God instructed him not to eat bread or drink water with Jeroboam, and also not to return the way he came. 

13:10 The (unnamed) man of God therefore leaves as God directed. We know that if God gave specific information about his departure, it was for good reason. In many ways, Jeroboam is not a man of God. He does not follow God's advice. Yet this man of God is so described because he listens to God's commandments.

13:11-14 An older man in Bethel hears about the man of God who delivered Jeroboam a message. After inquiring about which way the man of God went, this man travels after him on a donkey. He finds the man of God sitting under an oak. 

13:15 The older man offers the man of God an invitation to come and eat bread with him.

13:16-17 The man of God explains that he cannot because God told him not to.

13:18 The old man lies and tries to persuade the man of God that he is a prophet and has been spoken to by an angel. He tells the man of God that he was told by the angel that God has allowed them to eat together. 

13:19 The man of God falls for the lie and goes against God's original commandment given personally to him. None of us can be men or women of God when we do not listen to God.

13:20-22 At the table, both men are confronted by God for their actions. The man of God was specifically told not to turn back or to eat bread or drink water with others on his journey. The symbolism is that bread is the word of God and God is the living water. Partaking in others' "bread" and "water" will corrupt us. Only God provides the pure and nutritious spiritual sustenance we need. By neglecting God, we leave ourselves to be devoured by corruption.

13:23-25 Sure enough, the man is killed by a lion. The lion kills but does not eat the man. He was not killed by the predator as food. The symbolism is that is soul was corrupted by disobeying God's commandment. Not as a punishment but as a result. It is imperative that learn to continue walking when God professes to us that there is nothing worth stopping for. On our spiritual journey, our sole focus must be on the direction God gives us. Not on second hand knowledge or convincing offers.

13:26-32 The old man finds out about the death and is distraught. He has the man buried. He also asks his sons to bury him near the man when he dies. He might even feel shame and regret for his actions, having deliberately led the man astray. 

13:33-34 Jeroboam continues to pollute the faith. He allows any person, regardless of their spiritual qualification into the high places. Because of Jeroboam's leadership, Israel devolved into faithlessness. 

OT: The First Book of Kings, Chapter 12

1 Kings 12:1-33

12:1 Rehoboam is poised to become king now that his father has died. However, Solomon has left his son a divided and frustrated kingdom. Rehoboam travels to Shechem for his coronation. 

12:2 Meanwhile, Jeroboam (son of Nebat) is still in Egypt. Solomon threatened Jeroboam's life when he found out that God chose Jeroboam to lead ten of the tribes.

12:3 The people call Jeroboam and inform him of Rehoboam's plans to become king. It is their hope that Jeroboam will serve as a representative for them. 

12:4 Jeroboam thus communicates the plight of the people to the new king: Solomon created a large labor force to build all of his grand buildings. But the laborers are not treated well, the pressure of their duty is too high. Jeroboam asks Rehoboam to modify the system in order to accommodate more satisfactory conditions for the workers.

12:5 Rehoboam does not immediately respond; instead, he tells Jeroboam to depart for three days while he considers. 

12:6 Rehoboam convenes with the men of his father's administration and asks them how he should proceed. In the contemplation of what will be his first decree, he does not ask counsel from God. Moreover, though the people have expressed their distress, Rehoboam's mind is focused on the ramifications of modifying a system that is reaping grand rewards for his father's kingdom.

12:7-8 Rehoboam's disregard for the people is evident: he rejects the advice to respond emphatically. 

12:9 Rather than consult God or follow the advice of these experienced and sage elders, Rehoboam looks to his friends.

12:10-11 The advice of Rehoboam's cohorts is to respond with cruelty. To enforce a stricter policy through physical punishment. The is once humble and spiritual kingdom suddenly faces a regime focused on power and production. This is a subsequent result of Solomon raising his children and his kingdom without the principles of God's word. Their values are corrupt and their motives are selfish. 

12:12-14 Jeroboam returns to Rehoboam after three days and receives the declaration that the king will not lesson the pressure on the laborers. Rehoboam ignored God, rejected the advice of righteous men and followed the advice of corrupt ones. Worse, he has no spiritual backbone of his own. No sense of empathy. No ability to solve his own problems. 

12:15 None of this is a surprise to God, Who allowed it to happen because He allows free will. The deterioration of the kingdom is precisely why God made a plan beforehand and placed Jeroboam in a place of leadership.

12:16-17 The tribes of Israel (comprising 10 of the whole) reject Rehoboam as king, as well as David's lineage. This fracturing is in line with God's prophesy in the previous chapter: Jeroboam would lead ten of the tribes.

12:18-19 Rehoboam tries to ignore their rejection by sending a man, Adoram (head of revenue) in their land. But Adoram is stoned to death by them, as the made a rather gruesome, physical declaration of their intention to secede. Rehoboam flees to Jerusalem. 

12:20 The ten tribes of Israel make Jeroboam their king. Only the tribe of Judah (combined with Benjamin) accept Rehoboam as king. The reunification of the tribes will only happen at God's hands:

Ezekiel 37:15-23

15 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 16 “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ 17 Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand. 

18 “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’— 19 say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.”’ 20 And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. 

21 “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. 23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

The tribes of Israel are representative of a larger group than one might initially think. After all, over thousands of years, these people spread throughout the world. Ezekiel is God's declaration that He will unite His humanity as only divine intervention can.

12:21 Rehoboam establishes his kingdom in Jerusalem, reigning over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He also assembles and army will full intentions to take the rest of the tribes back by force.

12:22-24 But God sends a messenger named Shemaiah to Rehoboam, commanding him to disassemble his efforts against Israel (now to be understood as the 10 seceded tribes): “You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.”

Rehoboam wisely follows God's command and turns back. Rehoboam should feel lucky to have even a fraction of the kingdom; it is because of David's faith that he has been able to retain it.

12:25 Meanwhile, Jeroboam reminds us that all of us humans are a bit of a sorry lot sometimes. For even though Jeroboam is a more righteous man than Rehoboam; he makes an initial grave mistake.

12:26-27 Jeroboam's fear is that now Israel will be unable to sacrifice in the house of God. He fears that if the people return to Jerusalem to do so, they will also turn back to Rehoboam.

12:28-30 So Jeroboam erects two golden calves (Exodus 32 flackbacks)! He tells the people to let the calves be their gods, setting one up in Dan and another in Bethel.

12:31 He also declares priests that are not of the priest-line, the Levites. God is specific about who the leaders of His philosophy are because He knows how many corrupt people would ruin the faith.

12:30-33 In an effort to replicate the feasts in Jerusalem for God, Jeroboam tells the people to worship and celebrate the calves. God has warned of false idols since the beginning of scripture and continues to do so until the end. Keeping God as our beacon keeps us in line with righteousness. False idols lead us away from righteousness, and then we harm others and ourselves.

OT: The First Book of Kings, Chapter 11

1 Kings 11:1-43

11:1-3 Solomon is like his father, David, in that he is unable (or unwilling, depending on how you look at it) to stifle the temptation of his lust for women. This is representative of that one (or several) thing in our life which competes with our faith. Each person has something that pollutes our ability to live as God has instructed. Something that calls to us from outside of the kingdom that we still give our ear to, even when God has taught us to know better. 

Solomon procures wives from many other nations. Not only did God advise monogamy (Deuteronomy 17:17), he also warned that marrying outside of the faith would taint the faith (Deuteronomy 7:3). When we surround ourselves, or tether our lives to, people who are committed to God, we surround ourselves with righteousness. But Solomon married women who did not love or even know God, they never made the effort. And thus Solomon surrounded himself by faithlessness, and it drained away his own faith.

When we marry someone who has a personal relationship with God, we marry a soul who knows how to commit to righteousness. When two people with faith in God marry, they each and together have God as a marriage counselor, a life coach. Two people with faith in God are on the same journey, to the same place with the same values. One does not tug the other to a different path because they share the same one. 

But Solomon's intrigue in the beauty and abundance of his wives derails him. Through Solomon we learn to starve the intrigue that serenades us away from our faith. It isn't that God's love is only offered exclusively; any of Solomon's wives would have been welcomed into God's house if they abandoned corruption. Solomon's wives did not show interest in the God who meant and did so much to Solomon. With his wisdom, Solomon should have let that statement alone deter him from these marriages. But lust and temptation mute the voice of reason when we give them too much power. 

Solomon was once known for his wisdom, but we can now appreciate this written account of his life for giving us the wisdom not to make the same mistakes.

11:4 After spending so much of his life with wives who served other gods, fake gods, Solomon forgets his own true God. Little by little, his wives lifestyles leeched monotheism out of Solomon's heart. He might not have even noticed it happened. Corruption is stealthy and cunning, in little bites and moments and requests it ruptures our faith. 

God's advise: do not even put yourself in a position to fight the stealth and cunning. But Solomon does. We all do, with something. We give power to our anger or attention to our lust.

Solomon's father, David, had a fascination with women as well. But David loved the Lord his entire life. Solomon's heart turns away; the beauty and abundance of his kingdom will suffer and suffocate as Solomon cuts off its source. Because our faith is a channel through which blessings flow and are delivered. Through faith God is receptive to our prayers. A corrupt kingdom will not stand, not when it is supposed to represent God. Solomon's behavior could turn the entire population against God and therefore discipline becomes necessary. 

11:5-8 Solomon erects places of worship for his wives' corrupt gods. He has the audacity to worship gods who did nothing for him, in the land of the God who has done everything for him.

11:9 God becomes angry because Solomon is dangerously close to leading the entire kingdom away from Him. God becomes angry because He loves to provide for His children, but cannot do so if they choose other, false gods. God has declared that we are free; in the Garden of Evil He offered free will. If we choose to worship something other than Him, so be it. But if we plug our faith into another source, we cut ourselves off from the one which can actually (and abundantly) provide.

11:10 Solomon disregarded God's advice. When he became king, God visited Him. God gave him guidelines, instructions and suggestions (just as He gives us here in scripture!) He does not leave Solomon (or us) to fend for ourselves. But if we will not take His advice, we become vulnerable to everything He tried to protect us from. 

11:11-12 God does not punish someone for another person's mistake, Ezekiel 18:20. Therefore, from God's declaration we learn that the tribes of Israel have also gone astray. God tells Solomon that the kingdom will crumble and fragment. Out of love for David's efforts in faith, God promises that this will not happened until after Solomon's death. 

God promises the future kingdom to Solomon's servant. 

11:13 Solomon's son will inherit the broken nation, but God promises to provide that son one tribe (again, out of love for David and magnanimous love for His people).

11:14-20 God destabilizes our enemies, Psalm 21:11. With God as our adversary, our enemies clever plans are thwarted, Job 5:12. But Solomon's enemies are not thwarted because Solomon has disregarded his best and efficient defense: God. Therefore, a man named Hadad is able to rebuild his life with the inevitable goal of retaliating against the children of Israel (Joab and the army killed the males in Edom).

It is unnecessary to have corruption build in our periphery. God stifles the plans of the wicked we cannot see. That which builds against us in the background is torn down by Him (so effectively that we often do not even realize how much He is doing for us in places and situations we cannot see).

11:21-22 This enemy had resolution. He had a home, he was provided for by Egypt. He had been content. But that protection was upheld by God's strength and generosity. Without it, the contentment comes crumble down. The pursuers are re-inspired to attack their prey. The blanket of peace is torn off and with it, the resolution it provided.

11:23-25 Enemies start seeping into the cracks God defense once filled. Another man: Rezon, abhors the tribes of Israel and causes them trouble. From several sides, Solomon's kingdom begins experiencing tribulation. 

11:26-28 Solomon's kingdom begins to fracture from within; his servant Jeroboam rebels against him. The word servant means that Jeroboam served the kingdom in some way. Jeroboam is the officer of the labor force of the house of Joseph. Although we do not know the specifics, Jeroboam's complaint against Solomon had to do with the labor.

11:29-31 A prophet, Ahijah, meets Jeroboam on his way out of Jerusalem. The prophet tears Jeroboam's garment into twelve pieces and begins to prophesy through illustration: God has decided to give him ten of the twelve tribes of Israel to lead.

11:32 One of the tribes will be reserved for Solomon's lineage. 

11:33 God is upfront in His explanation of the fragmentation of Israel: they "have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments...". They have forsaken Him. A house divided cannot stand, without mutual commitment, the relationship is ruined. 

11:34 The reason why Jeroboam does not receive all of the tribes to lead is because God promised David that Solomon would reign as king over the tribes. Imperfect though he was, David loved the Lord fiercely; he dedicated his entire life to serving Him, establishing and defending the kingdom. Out of respect for that effort, God keeps His promise to David. 

11:35-36 Solomon's son will inherit a fractured kingdom, but will retain a piece of it. For it is God's love for David's faith that will carry David's line throughout generations. God explains that David will always have a lamp before God; manifestation of all that his faith accomplished.  

11:37 God finds Jeroboam to be a righteous man, otherwise he would not receive this gift of leadership. 

11:38 God explains to Jeroboam that if he is willing to live in accordance with God's will, He will remain with Him. God promises to build him an enduring house, with the same love that inspired Him to do for David. 

11:39 The descendants of David (Solomon) will receive their discipline "but not forever."

11:40 Heart turned away from God and therefore righteousness, Solomon seeks Jeroboam's life. We see just how far Solomon has fallen and we begin to understand how capable this powerful and influence man is of corrupted the people under him. Solomon had many nations attention, their eyes and eyes and feet traveled to observe. Solomon's corruption would have caused serious damage not just to the reputation of God but also to the lifestyles of his, and surrounding people.

It is imperative that we each remain aware of our own impact on the people around us. Especially if we claim to be followers of God. Our behavior represents God's kingdom. What we do matters and speaks more than thousands of words. That can be amazing and powerful: by just living righteously, we can boldly and eloquently lead people to God. But if we do not live righteously, we poison the waters; we lead people further away from God. And the world suffers because of that. 

Solomon is unable to harm Jeroboam because Jeroboam has the defense of God that Solomon discarded. Solomon is so removed from his faith that he seems to have forgotten than the plans of the wicked are thwarted by God. He seems not to realize that he has become the wicked. 

11:41 While he was faithful, Solomon's wisdom contributed much to the world. Unfortunately, that scripture is lost to us. However, the Book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon and provides a visceral discourse on what wisdom truly is.

11:42 Solomon reigned a total of forty years. 

11:43 Solomon passes away and is buried with his ancestors. His son, Rehoboam reigns in after him. The beginning of God's most recent prophesy takes place.

Take a moment to appreciate our loyal and equable God. Although Solomon hurt Him, left Him, opposed Him, God retained His promises. Though there is so much in life we cannot rely on, He is the one Thing and Entity in whom we can place our trust. Anger does not cause Him to go back on His word. Solomon's heart turned away from such reliability and love, will yours?

OT: The First Book of Kings, Chapter 10

1 Kings 10:1-29

10:1 Stories of the blessings God provided to Solomon and His people began to pique the interest of the nations around them. As we read about ancient kings and queens and divine wisdom, it can be easy to believe this an antiquated circumstance. But our faith transcends our individual sphere of life. The people are us are on the same journey on earth; for them to witness someone just like them prospering in a way they cannot fathom, it quietly leads them toward the Lord. Toward their own personal relationship with Him.

The Queen of Sheba hears of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord. She hears about what the Lord is doing and it all sounds amazing, but she doubts that it is true. But the Queen of Sheba is so intrigued by Solomon and his God that she travels to meet him. Her plan is to test Solomon's wisdom with difficult questions, thinking that she will reveal him as a charlatan. 

10:2 She arrives in Jerusalem with her council of people as well as camels, spices, gold, precious stones and her questions for Solomon. She speaks all that is in her heart to Solomon. While we are not privy to the specifics of her questions, they were likely important and very personal to her. Perhaps she had a broken spirit or felt lost in a tumultuous sea. Perhaps even though Solomon's God seemed too good to be true, she needed Him badly enough to make this massive journey. 

10:3 So the queen asks her questions and Solomon's earnest answers convince her of his truly God-given wisdom. As God's faithful children, we are often instruments through which His compassion can read another soul. God prepared Solomon for the queen's questions; God provided answers that would provide her rest, answers that would calm her ceaseless sea of chaos. 

And are we not just like this? Do we not become overwhelmed by all that is expected of us by the world, all that is required to survive in it? Questions of the heart are often deep and complex and revolve around the emotions that punch into us while we are here. God is the only one with the empathy and wisdom to counsel us. 

No matter what she asked, Solomon answered and answered wisely. Her answers satisfied her but more importantly, they likely brought her peace. This is a reminder to us that no matter how intricate or impossible our problem, God easily and swiftly untangles it. With an expert and deft hand, God frees us from the snare of darkness.

10:4-5 The queen continues to observe this kingdom established by God. She finds beauty and abundance and her spirit of doubt disintegrates into nothing. It is clear to her that divine intervention has blessed this people.

10:6-7 The queen admits her initial suspicion. She tells Solomon that she did not believe all that was told to her about him and his kingdom. She also admits that now that she has seen it, she can no longer deny its truth. It's interesting, we often cannot adequately explain God, but in the midst of all His blessings, He's impossible to deny. 

As she experiences the wonder of God, she reveals that what she sees and feels exceeds the descriptions she heard. 

10:8 Perhaps what is most marvelous to the queen is how happiness abounds. Every person, from king to servant, is filled with joy. Remarkable is the source which can animate so many people with His love. 

10:9 The queen declares her own wonder for God. It is apparent to her that God loves His people and fiercely provides for them. In her discussion with Solomon, he likely started by telling her the promises God made: this is what he said He would do, this is what He has done. As you walk around, you will see that He has been loyal to each specific detail.

God makes a lot of promises throughout scripture (and to each individual through prayer) and none of those promises are empty. Stalwart faith connects a person to the manifestation of those promises. God fully intents to provide and sustain this miraculous joy and prosperity we are reading about. He doesn't just have good intentions; He follows through. He is able. Willing. It gives Him joy to take care of His children, Luke 12:32.

10:10-13 It is beautiful that God is able to transform this queen's doubting and broken heart into one filled with wonder. The queen presents her gifts to this people of Israel, to their God: gold, spices, and precious stones in abundance. God's revelations of truth to her inspired generosity: this God worth giving my best to. And Solomon provides an abundance of gifts to her nation.

Our comfort in God teaches us that we do not have to horde or hide provisions to survive or even thrive; He is generous in abundance with each of us so that we are comfortable living in such a manner: living generosity. Because the supply never empties. It is easy to hand over large quantities of gold, rare spices, and precious stones. It is easy to give our livelihood away because we know that God constantly replenishes. 

10:14-23 The great wealth of Solomon's kingdom is described: everything is covered in gold. This should be symbolically inspiring. God's love permeates our lives, covering every aspect.

10:24-25 People continue to travel to Solomon with their awe and questions. Each time they do, Solomon responds with the wisdom God had put into his heart. It is God's plan to reach each of his children through Solomon, through us, through His children, He provides what they are looking for if they are willing to seek.

10:26-27 The wealth of this land is tremendous: silver as common as stones! The land is fertile, cedar trees and sycamores covering the region. Strong, massive trees which thrive throughout the seasons. When we create a space for God, He transforms that place for us. 

10:28-29 Solomon began importing horses from Egypt. In doing this, he began to acquire wealth outside of the ways God instructed. Perhaps the wealth thrilled him and his desire grew too large, by trading with Egypt, Solomon breaks a law given in Deuteronomy 17:16. They are not supposed to trade with Egypt, the country which enslaved them. 

The message here is that God does not want us to regress. Once He has removed us from a situation, we should not return to it. We cannot profit from doing so. God brought strategic upheaval to that land because of their corruption; Israel are not supposed to mine from corruption. Everything God provides is provision given to keep us from relying on, or falling back to that which is bad for us.