1 KINGS
MOMENT – (16APR19) God had warned the Israelites when they came out of Egypt
that they were not to intermarry with foreign nations because their hearts
would be turned from God. The Lord appeared Himself to Solomon and told him
that if he was careful to follow His ways, not only would he be blessed, but
his descendants after him. Although God had given Solomon much wisdom, Solomon became
foolish. He defied God by not only intermarrying with foreign nations, but he
worshiped their heathen gods. The gods that required human sacrifices, orgies,
and things that God found to be detestable were worshiped by both Solomon and
his wives. Therefore, God told Solomon that his kingdom would be torn away from
him and that his son would be the one to experience this judgment. Solomon had brought
this judgment on himself because he knew the ways of the Lord, but chose to
defy God unlike his father David.
We as
Christians must be careful to never be wise in our own eyes and ignore the counsel
of the Lord. Solomon had been blessed tremendously and yet, he fell away from
the Lord while knowing what the consequences would be. We sometimes wonder why
God does not bless us in the time and manner that we desire, but sometimes, God
is protecting us from ourselves. If God was to give us all that we asked for
when we asked for it, we too may wonder after strange gods and forget about the
Giver of the gifts. When we have to wait on God to bless us with things, it is
not that God does not want to do so, it is His wisdom in knowing the timing of
when we are spiritually mature to handle what He gives us. Where we may that think
we are ready to handle more, God wants to see what we do with less. Something
to ponder…
QUESTION OF
THE DAY – (16APR19) God raised up adversaries against Solomon. Solomon could
have had the blessings of God to pour down not only on him, but on his descendants;
unfortunately, he chose the wrong path. For a long time, Israel had peace with its
neighbors, but God allowed Hadad, the Edomite and Rezon the capturer of Damascus
to become thorns in Solomon’s side. The Bible does not go specifically into
details concerning possible battles between the two adversaries and their armies,
but there must have been some type of military tension between the rivals. This
is why the Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death… Sin brings about all
kinds of trouble. When we choose to be disobedient to God, we can see its effects
in our lives. The enemy aims to have us enjoy temporary satisfaction, but his
pleasures can be sure to turn into a lifetime of pain. Yet, the gift of God is
eternal life for those who repent and turn from their wicked ways by allowing
Jesus to have His way in their lives. Satan is our adversary and he comes up
against us with all kinds of temptations. When we yield to his temptations, he
gains ground in our lives. This is why it is so important to stay near to God.
Whatever may hinder us from having a close relationship with the Lord, we need
to rid ourselves from it, so that we do not become bound to sin. Sin separates
us from Christ, but Jesus restores us to the Father. The devil is indeed our
adversary, but we have an Advocate who is constantly fighting on our behalf. Something
to ponder…
1 KINGS
MOMENT – (16APR19) God had the Prophet Ahijah to tell Jeroboam that he would be
king after Solomon, but over a divided Israel with only ten tribes under his
authority, and the other tribe would be given to Solomon’s son. This division
in Israel was due to idolatry, but Jeroboam was promised that if he would walk
in the ways of the Lord and follow His commands, God would establish a dynasty
for him, as he had promised David. Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but the
Bible does not specify as to the reason, Nevertheless, it was more than likely
due to the fact that he learned of God’s promise to make Jeroboam king, and
just as Saul tried to eliminate David, Solomon wished to do the same with
Jeroboam. Therefore, Jeroboam fled to Egypt until Solomon’s death, just as
David had to flee until Saul’s death. Isn’t it strange how we may know the
history of how God operated in times past and yet, we sometimes choose to
follow in the same destructive ways? Solomon should have been wise enough to
know that just as Saul had not been successful in killing his father David because
of the anointing God had on him, he also would not be successful as well. Once
God declares a thing, His Word will come to pass. Sin, however, makes you
foolish regardless of how much knowledge, education, money, or material
possessions one may have. When we do what is contrary to God, we choose to
become of a reprobate mind where logic is no longer logical and common sense is
no longer common. We see this taking place all throughout society today where
we are being told that men are not men and women are not women, and should you
point out the obvious, you are classified as a homophobe, xenophobe, racist,
sexist and bigot. Mental illness is the new norm and the normal are now
considered as being mentally ill. We are living in the sinful world of the
Twilight Zone. You may now go to your regularly scheduled program. Something to
ponder…
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