~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
1 Kings 14:1-15:24 ~ Acts 10:1-23
Psalm 133:1-3 ~ Proverbs 17:7-8
Old Testament - Allright, now we are getting into the story of the Kings! I really like this portion of the Bible. I am fascinated by the back-and-forth stories and timelines of the Kings of Israel and the Kings of Judah. The one very unfortunate thing you will notice over and over are verses like 1 Kings 14 verse 22 - "During Rehoboam's reign, the people of Judah did what was evil in the LORD's sight, arousing his anger with their sin, for it was even worse than that of their ancestors." Or verses like 1 Kings 15 verse 3 - "Abijam committed the same sins as his father before him, and his heart was not right with the LORD his God, as the heart of his ancestor David had been." And we will read far too few verses like verse 11 as we read about the Kings of Judah and Israel - "Asa did what was pleasing in the LORD's sight, as his ancestor David had done." I think what is interesting to note in all of these verses - and in the verses to come about future Kings we will read about - is that it really didn't much matter what the Kings "did" in their reigns. Their wars or their building of cities or whatever really didn't matter compared to did they sin against God or not? Did they lead Israel or Judah into sin or not? Did they love God or not? And I think this is the same for our lives today. God does not so much care what our careers are or what our social status is or how many friends we have. God cares whether we love him with all of heart, mind, soul and strength. God cares whether we are sinning against him or not. As Jesus tells us - "seek first the kingdom of heaven, and all of these things will be yours as well." So, yes, God ultimately does care about our lives and careers and friends and such too - but he first wants us to seek a right relationship with Him - and then everything else will flow from our relationship with God. Someone should have let some of these Kings of Israel and Judah know this!
Okay, a good overview of the Divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah at this point in our readings in First Kings is this image below:
Below is an image for 1 Kings 14 verses 25 & 26 - "In the fifth year of King Rehoboam's reign, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace and stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made."
New Testament - I love it! Almost every time we see an angel visit someone the visited person is panic stricken by the angel! :) Verse 4 today - "Cornelius stared at him in terror. "What is it, sir?" he asked the angel."" Seriously, it's pretty consistent that people in the Bible get freaked out by angelic visitors. Probably because it's a pretty rare thing. Don't you think you'd get freaked out / scared if an angel visited you? I am pretty sure I would. Maybe that's why angels only show up in our human world visuals when something big needs to happen. Something big happens in today's (and tomorrow's) readings with Cornelius and Peter. I'm thinking if you or I were visited by an angel today, we might end up with an expression like this... :)
Before we get to the big thing that happens today with Peter, check the remainder of verse 4 - "And the angel replied, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have not gone unnoticed by God!" Hmmm... think God pays attention when we give gifts to the poor? Have you found a consistent way to give gifts to the poor? (If not, might I suggest one avenue? World Vision. Don't worry, I don't work for them and don't have relatives working there either. I just know they do amazing work caring for and creating self-sufficiency for the poorest of the poor worldwide. I've been sponsoring children with them for the past 5 years and volunteering with them the past two years. One very cool thing you can do with World Vision - in addition to sponsoring a child, which I think is the coolest - is that you can literally buy things like a goat or a cow or fruit trees for the poorest of the poor worldwide. And you can buy these things for someone you know, in their honor, as a gift. Really. So, next time you are struggling with what to buy the person who has plenty of stuff a wedding gift or a birthday gift or whatever, buy a goat in their honor at World Vision! It's a beautiful thing. All you'd ever want to know about the life-changing opportunity of sponsoring a child through World Vision is at this link - www.WorldVision.org - and click on Gift Catalog link for all the details on buying goats and cow and fruit trees. Thanks for considering. Oh - and feel free to tell me and others your favorite orgs that serve the poor in the Comments section below. Seriously, I'd love to hear orgs that you dig!)
Okay, back to today's readings and the big happenings. I think Tyndale's One Year Bible Companion answers the question well of "What was the meaning of the vision Peter saw?" as follows: "According to Jewish law, certain foods were forbidden to be eaten (see Leviticus 11). The food laws made it difficult for Jews to eat with Gentiles without risking defilement. In fact, the Gentiles themselves were often seen as 'unclean.' Peter's vision meant that he should not look upon the Gentiles as inferior people whom God would not redeem. Before having the vision, Peter would have thought that a Roman officer could not accept Christ. Afterward, he understood that it was his responsibility to go with the messengers into a Gentile home and tell Cornelius the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ."
Bible.org's commentary on today's Acts readings titled "Is Cleanliness Next to Godliness?" is at this link.
Psalms - Psalm 133 is a great short Davidic Psalm about harmony! Verse 1 sets the pace of this psalm nicely - "How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live together in harmony!" Do you consistently seek harmony in your interactions with others? Do you pray for peace?
Proverbs - Proverbs 17 verse 7 is a great reminder, once again, to not lie. One thing I've noticed that people do a lot these days is exaggerate... and I gotta say it makes me uncomfortable. Exaggerating feels like a lie to me. Why exaggerate? Why not just tell it like it is. I mean, I think it's okay to encourage or market or get excited about things truthfully. (hopefully my little World Vision goat sales pitch above doesn't go too far? :) But, why exaggerate? Particularly when it comes to factual numbers... why exaggerate those? How about you - do you exaggerate? Think this might be a very close cousin to a lie? If so, can you focus on just telling things straight, like they are?
Comments from you - What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
Grace,
Mike
Jeroboam had a son that caught God's attention...it is said he was the only one who God found anything good in.A thought just hit me....most of us get to become christians when we realise we can't go on in life without God...most times it's when we hear stories of how people got into trouble and prayed to God...not really even sure if He existed.Well if we're not really sure God existed,then why pray to Him....point is,we all know God exists...and He is a God who has shown us the way to worship Him.Most times we try to deny his existence because we want to rule our lives and have Him answer our beck and call.
Jeroboam was given quite a number of chances to correct his path(could it be because his son was praying to the true God?)but refused...When he did call on God for help,it was more like going to a fotune teller to find out the future,he had no plans to seek God earnestly and submit to Him....but He knew God was real and sovereign!
Twice it is written that Rehoboam's mother was an Ammonite,her name Naamah was also given..I guess there's something about her name....or maybe God wanted us to see what the consequences of Solomon's choices(foreign wives)were.
Asa was a man whose heart was fully after God:he got rid of ALL the idols his father made,removed his grandmother from the role of queen mother because of her gods....yet he didn't remove ALL the high places...I can't help wondering if his feet became diseased because he let the high places remain...
I have heard the story of Cornelius before but never thought of how God prepared Peter to meet him using Simon the tanner until John mentioned it yesterday....I have to say Cornelius is quite an encouragement.A roman who had it all...position,money...yet he chose to worship God.Not because it was popular nor convenient but because?....I have to say I'm pretty curious to know what his conversion story is....
I have to say Mike,I have a person who works for world vision in my church and it really is a good idea to be consistent in my giving.I know of an org I volunteered with in Nigeria a couple of times,its called Pro-Health international...it'a a medical team that goes into rural areas that have no health care and gives free health care for a week(including surgeries) as well as preach the gospel.It was a great experience for me and truly made me realise just how much we need to be like Cornelius.
God bless you all
Posted by: Anka | June 14, 2006 at 08:51 PM
Hi! I'm just reading 1 Kings and it also occurred to me that it's the heart that matters. And very often, it takes time before our hearts are right before the Lord!
Posted by: Mei | June 15, 2006 at 02:03 AM
1 Kings 14-15:24
I have read right through I Kings 14 regarding the account of Jeroboam’s son, Abijah; however, the last time I read this, last year, I commented that the wife, who remains nameless here, could have prevented her son from dying by not stepping foot back into the city. Although a possibility and something to make you go, “Hmmm!” The Prophet also told her to return home, which she did. Yet as I type this I’m thinking, “Well they didn’t listen to the prophet’s warnings before, why is Jeroboam now seeking it now now,” and, “Why is he now willing to listen and receive info. What is so different now?”
One of the things that the text doesn’t say is how old this son was. Was it a child younger then thirteen, was he a teenager? It just doesn’t say but I was lead to find a scripture in the book of Isaiah that would explain why God would allow him to die if the child/son was beloved by God.
THE RIGHTEOUS man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; and merciful and devout men are taken away, with no one considering that the uncompromisingly upright and godly person is taken away from the calamity and evil to come [even through wickedness]. He [in death] enters into peace; they rest in their beds, each one who walks straight and in his uprightness. (Isaiah 57:1-2 AMP)
Anka, if this son was a young man, old enough to know right from wrong and seeking the Lord the above passage explains why, “The Good die young.”
In the 15th chapter we learn that Asa remained faithful to God all of his life; however, like David, did he slip up by trusting his ability to buy allegiance against Israel’s King Baasha instead of relying on God? The Proverb reading for today seems to hint at the “appearance” of help/allegiance/a-leg-up so to speak, with the emphasis on the word, “seems” when a bribe is given. I’ll pay you to be my friend, yikes.
8 A bribe seems to work like magic for those who give it; they succeed in all they do.
Grace and peace,
Ramona
Regarding supporting ministries: I focus on supporting my church because we support ministries and causes worldwide. We are able to do that because of the size of the congregation and its centrality in the community, we are able to raise considerable amounts of funding in one day, over a quarter million, and that outside of the regular offering.
Posted by: Ramona | June 15, 2006 at 03:29 AM
In reference to Mike's question re organizations that do good work around the world for the poor in the name of Jesus, I would highly recommend two:
One is www.mercyships.org. These are ocean vessels that bring hope and healing to the poor. One of our young adults has just joined mercy ships for one year working in war infested Sierre Leone. Unbelievable needs, but also outrageous grace is being poured out through the Mercy Ship ministry.
My own involvement with Compassion Canada in Honduras has also opened my eyes and heart to the plight of poor children. Compassion is committed to helping release children from poverty in the name of Jesus. They are visibly focused on meeting material needs and are also very clear about their desire to introduce the children through the churches they work with, to Jesus. www.compassion.org
Posted by: luciano Del Monte | June 15, 2006 at 05:24 AM
I Kings 14 (NKJV)
16
And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin.”
Acts 10 (NKJV)
13
And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
15
And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”
20
Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”
Psalm 133 (Amplified)
1
BEHOLD, HOW good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2
It is like the precious ointment [i.e., for anointing] poured on the head, that ran down on the beard, even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest], that came down upon the collar and skirts of his garments [consecrating the whole body].
NOTE:
This morning on the way to work I heard Josh McDowell explain what is the single, most important reason which will determine if young people believe the Truth about Jesus or not. Keep in mind God’s Truth true, and there is clear evidence to support it.
Yet, the Truth being true is not enough to convince people. Josh McDowell said that the one, single most important factor that would determine if a young person believed the truth is LOVING RELATIONSHIP.
A 30 year study by Johns Hopkins showed that these two (2) reasons determine if a young person will adopt the values and beliefs of their parents:
1. a loving environment
2. parents modeling what they believe
You and I can speak to non-Christians and to other Christians precisely and accurately about truth—but without love, it is incomplete.
~~~
I share this because if Jeroboam had really meditated on the character and love of God, he would have never did the foolish thing he did in the sinful flesh to consolidate “his” power.
Psalm 103 (NKJV)
8
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
Romans 5 (NKJV)
8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
SECOND NOTE:
Then I heard on “Family Life Today” the importance of a man loving his wife. Wow! As a fairly new husband, it seems humanly impossible to obey the verse below in I Peter. However, as I wait on the Lord, that will go a long way in giving me authority to talk to our children and to others about Jesus. SPEAK THE TRUTH— IN LOVE.
I Peter 3 (NKJV)
7
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
GOD IS GOOD – ALL THE TIME!
May we be live God and be GIVERS of money, time, and love – trusting in and waiting on the Lord Jesus to release His ability of love to work through us.
Ephesians 5 (NKJV)
1
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
2
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Walking in love will normally create a very sweet and wonderful UNITY. UNITY allows for the anointing oil of God’s grace to flow over us and through us in deeper way.
When I think of oil, I also think of Psalm 23. See note below.
Psalm 23 (Amplified)
5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil [SEE FOOTNOTE]; my [brimming] cup runs over.
FOOTNOTE (in Amplified Bible):
It is difficult for those living in a temperate climate to appreciate, but it was customary in hot climates to anoint the body with oil to protect it from excessive perspiration. WHEN MIXED WITH PERFUME, THE OIL IMPARTED A DELIGHTFULLY REFRESHING AND INVIGORATING SENSATION. Athletes anointed their bodies as a matter of course before running a race.
As the body, therefore, anointed with oil was refreshed, invigorated, and better fitted for action, so the Lord would anoint His "sheep" with the Holy Spirit, Whom oil symbolizes, TO FIT THEM TO ENGAGE MORE FREELY IN HIS SERVICE AND RUN IN THE WAY HE DIRECTS--IN HEAVENLY FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM.
Vance
Posted by: Vance Brown | June 15, 2006 at 05:43 AM
1Kings14
[Sigh!] Well you can tell I have never read the whole Bible before this blog :( I posted yesterday about the northern tribes not protesting against idol worship, the Levites leaving for the south,...
And now today we read that the south did basically the same thing under Abijah (or Abijam) the King of Judah for three years.
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I could not figure out why, when the cloak was torn or God spoke it was ten tribes and one tribe. I knew the Benjamites had been decimated in "Judges", but they still existed.
[Later, when the Kingdom of Israel was divided, the Tribe of Benjamin joined with the Tribe of Judah to form the Kingdom of Judah, while the other tribes formed the reduced kingdom of Israel which was subsequently conquered and the people exiled. Benjamin was very much the minor partner, as the ruling House of David came from the far more numerous and powerful tribe of Judah. Thus it was the tribe of Judah who in time became identified with the entire people of the southerly Israelite kingdom, and gave their name to the Jews.]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribe_of_Benjamin
1Kings14:9
"..And have cast Me behind your back": This was a powerful description of intense contempt towards God, as in Ezekiel 23:35 - Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, therefore you shall bear the penalty Of your lewdness and your harlotry.
i. "The last reason implies a neglect, a scorning of God. It is the same figure of speech used to describe God's forgiveness of our sins. He puts them behind His back, or in other words, He forgets them. That is good news when it describes God's treatment of our sins [Isaiah 38:17], but it is tragically bad news when it describes a person's treatment of God." (Dilday)
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Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem:
"Sheshonq I (Shishak) had founded the Egyptian (Libyan) Dynasty XXII (945-924 b.c.) and his raid into Palestine in this year (925 b.c.) is well attested on the Amon temple reliefs at Thebes (Karnak). From the one hundred and fifty place-names recorded there, his aim seems to have been to reassert Egyptian control over the main trade routes throughout Palestine and the Negeb." (Wiseman)
He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made: 1 Kings 10:16-17 mentions these 500 shields, 200 large and 300 small. These shields made beautiful displays in the House of the Forest of Lebanon, but they were of no use in battle. Gold was too heavy and too soft to be used as a metal for effective shields. This was an example of the emphasis of image over substance that began in the days of Solomon and worsened in the days of Rehoboam.
i. According to Dilday, each large shield was worth about $120,000. The smaller shields were worth $30,000. $33 million was invested in gold ceremonial shields - and now in the hands of the Egyptians.
King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place:. The replacement of gold with bronze is a perfect picture of the decline under the days of Rehoboam. They dynasty of David went from gold to bronze in five years.
http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/1114.htm
Posted by: John | June 15, 2006 at 03:48 PM
Acts 10
vs.2
"He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly." NIV
"Cornelius was in the category of what the Jews called God-fearers (one who feared God). These were Gentiles who loved the God of Israel and were sympathetic to and supportive of the Jewish faith. Yet they stopped short of becoming full Jews in lifestyle and in circumcision."- David Guzik
The Three Kinds of Gentiles
Cornelius was "a devout man" (Ac. 10:2). That means he was pious and honestly religious--he feared God. The phrase "feared God" became a technical term for Gentiles. There were three kinds of Gentiles in the mind of a Jew.
1. A GENTILE
2. A GOD-FEARER
A Gentile who had become sick of his own religion--of its immoralities and idolatries--and had come to the conclusion that the God of Israel is the true God, was termed "a God- fearer. " This type of Gentile began to pray to God, and perhaps became involved in the worship at a synagogue (e. g. the eunuch whom Philip met in Acts 8:26-39). The God-fearer believed in the ethics of the Old Testament, but had never been circumcised. He was not a full proselyte.
3. A PROSELYTE
The third level of Gentile was the proselyte who had come all the way to Judaism. He had actually gone through the act of circumcision and become fully identified with Israel. He was considered a Jew in a spiritual sense.
a. Cornelius Was a God-Fearer
He was not a full Jew, so he was considered a Gentile. Cornelius was sick of the immorality and emptiness of his own religion, and had attached himself to the Jewish religion. He probably didn't accept the ceremonial laws and circumcision, but there is no doubt that he often attended worship. He believed in one God and in the ethics of the Old Testament.
When Paul went into the synagogues of the Gentile cities he journeyed to, he usually would lead the God-fearers to Christ first. They were the people who had lived up to the light that they had been given. When Paul arrived, they received more light and were saved. As Paul moved from city to city, small groups of God-fearers were saved. They became a terrible threat to the Jews in each city.
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I COULD NOT AGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT MORE:
"Cornelius was a very religious man, yet someone can be very religious and not be saved...."
In Acts 11:14 Peter later related that the angel in Cornelius's vision said this: " [Peter] shall tell thee [Cornelius] words, by which thou and all thy house shall be saved. " Cornelius was not saved--he was not a Christian. He did not know Jesus Christ. He did not belong to the body of Christ. But he was living up to the light that he did have, and God was moving to give him more light. Until he heard the gospel from Peter, he did not have enough information to be saved. There are many unsaved religious people involved in many religious activities who aren't seeking God. But Cornelius's religion was honest--He was seeking the true God with a true heart. God always honors that.
Unless otherwise noted - thoughts came from John MacArthur sermon.
http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/sg1734.htm
Posted by: John | June 15, 2006 at 04:05 PM
(Harvesthome.org) is a great outreach in Kansas City,Mo. for the poor and homeless in the city. And for the poor in spirit (spiritually poor in lacking Jesus and being bound by immoral strongholds) try pureliferevolution.net to see what the youth in Nashville are doing in standing for purity by peacefully praying blindfolded in front of a Hustler porn shop. Some customers have even been saved through it.
Posted by: Lisa | June 15, 2006 at 11:17 PM