Itching Ears
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 5 – 6; Proverbs 25; Psalms 121 – 125
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 51:11
Read the “0425 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “Shouldn’t We Be Different?”
“Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.” – (1 Kings 22:6-8)
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;” – (2 Timothy 4:3)
If you had a disease within your body that could be life threatening if left untreated, would you want a doctor who told you the truth, or would you want one who tells you what you want to hear? You would most certainly want to know the truth so that you could get the proper treatment in order to fix the problem. Why is it, however, that many people want a preacher that avoids the truth in order to “tickle the ears” of his people. In our text, this is exactly what Ahab does. He calls the 400 “prophets” who he knows will agree with him. He wants to go to war with Syria. His friend, King Jehosaphat of Judah, recommends that they get counsel from God, but instead of calling upon the one preacher that speaks the truth, he calls these other 400 who he knows will tell him what he wants to hear. The real man of God, Micaiah, when finally called upon at the insistence of Jehoshaphat, tells him the painful truth. Ahab rewards this preacher of truth by having him thrown in jail.
Christians, we need men of God that will tell us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear. The truth will set us free. If you are a church member, encourage your pastor by insisting that he gives you the Truth straight from the Word of God. Cheer him as he preaches difficult sermons. If you are a preacher, let me encourage you to be fearless, yet compassionate in your preaching. Tell them what God said, whether they appreciate it or not. Even if they don’t appreciate what you are telling them now, they probably will later. The truth is not pleasant sometimes, but it always gives the people what they need to make good decisions. You are not in a popularity contest, You are a messenger for God. The people cannot possibly make wise choices unless they have the Truth to help them.
There is also a lesson to be learned in this passage regarding separation. Jehoshaphat was a good man, but he had no business running with the likes of Ahab.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Kings by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Humility
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 20 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 3 – 4; Proverbs 24; Psalms 116 – 120
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 40:31
Read the “0424 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.” – (1 Kings 21:27-29)
Ahab was probably the worst king in Israel’s history. He tolerated all kinds of immorality and idolatry in his kingdom and even promoted it. He married Jezebel, a woman whose name had become synonomous with wickedness. Together, Ahab and Jezebel were responsible for the slaughter of many of the prophets of the Lord in Israel. These were bad people. Ahab was a bad man and an even worse king. Consider what today’s reading says about them:
“25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.” (1 Kings 21:25-26)
Notice, however, in the last part of chapter 21, Ahab humbled himself before the Lord. Why did Ahab humble himself? Because he had just been told by the prophet Elijah that God was going to kill him, his wife, Jezebel, and even his posterity because of the evil he and Jezebel had done in having Naboth put to death, just so they could steal his vineyard away from him. When confronted by the prophet and after the judgment was pronounced, Ahab was remorseful and humbled himself before God. He may have only been remorseful because he got caught and because of the sentence of judgment that was pronounced against him, but he did recognize the reality of God’s sovereignty over him and he humbled himself.
Now don’t misunderstand, this was not a complete turnaround. He didn’t surrender to go to the mission field or anything like that, but he did humble himself before the Lord, and as a result, God spared him some of the judgment that he had planned for him. Apparently, a little humility went a long way for Ahab.
I don’t think there are too many people reading this that are as guilty of as much wickedness as King Ahab, but it would do us well to follow his example in just this one instance. Let’s kill some of the pride in our lives and humble ourselves before the Lord. Let’s surrender to Him and submit ourselves to His will for our lives. Let’s allow him to correct us when necessary. It may just be that a little humility before the Lord will go a long way in our lives as well.
“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:10)
I would like to give one additional thought regarding Ahab’s humbling himself before God and how it may relate to us. God confronted Ahab about his sin through the prophet Elijah. Ahab already knew that what Jezebel had done was wrong and that he had gone along with it just so that he could get his precious vineyard that he was lusting after. The wrongfulness of his actions did not convict him, but God’s confronting him and His pronouncement of judgment did. Sometimes, it is only the judgment that follows a sinful action that will convince people of their need to turn around.
For believers today, God uses a similar process. He confronts us regarding our sin through the principles found in His word and through the presence of the indwelling Spirit of God. God confronts us and shows us that our actions and even our thoughts are against His will, which hopefully will cause us to repent. However, if that is not sufficient to get us to change, God will also allow negative consequences (or the threat of them) to come into our lives to bring us to the place of repentance.
[Edited and updated on 4/24/25]
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Kings by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
Battling Discouragement
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 18 – 19 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Luke 1 – 2; Proverbs 23; Psalms 111 – 115
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 27:15
Read the “0423 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” (1 Kings 19:4)
In our reading passage today we get to see one of the greatest recorded victories in the Bible of good over evil. Elijah, a mighty prophet of God who prophesied in Israel during a time of great apostasy, challenges the prophets of Baal (850 of the altogether) to come to Mt. Carmel to prove the power of their god. After many hours of crying out to Baal, and even after cutting themselves to please him, Baal never shows up. The God of Israel, however, does make an appearance and at the request of Elijah sends down fire from Heaven and consumes the sacrifice that Elijah had prepared. He also sent along some desperately needed rain, which hadn’t happened in a couple of years. The people of Israel very wisely choose the Lord’s side, crying out, “the LORD, He is the God,” and then they put to death all of the false prophets. All in all, it was a great day to be on the Lord’s side.
Something very strange happens immediately after this great victory, however. Queen Jezebel finds out about what happened to her prophets, and demands the death of Elijah. Elijah then runs for his life away from her. Why would he run? He just saw God do the impossible. The people just slaughtered all of the false prophets and I am quite sure they would have killed Ahab and Jezebel had Elijah asked them to. Instead, Elijah runs and then asks God to take his life. It just doesn’t make sense.
If you carefully examine the story, however, you begin to see some of the underlying reasons for Elijah’s despair. First of all, let me state from personal experience that discouragement can ironically come sometimes after a great victory. I am not sure why that is, it just is. There is almost a feeling of emptiness after the battle to achieve something is finally concluded. I’m told Alexander the Great was distraught to the point of suicide after he conquered all of the known world because there were no more cities to conquer. Elijah sure had more work to do; he could have conquered Jezebel but maybe he was just tired of fighting the battles. I know of a preacher right now who has resigned his church and is going into retirement. He has been fighting battles for over two decades in a very difficult place of ministry and he is simply just tired. Elijah seems to have been just tired of fighting. The battles just keep coming and his strength was depleted.
What can we do when battling discouragement:
1 Get Help – Elijah thought he was all alone, but God reminded him that there were 7000 men out there and I am sure there were some women, too, that were on his team. They could have and would have helped him. Get help fighting the battle and get somebody to help you with your discouragement. I am blessed to have many people in my life, seasoned men, that I can turn to for advice.
2 Get Rest – Elijah had run for days without rest and without food; his physical strength was completely depleted. He needed a good long rest, and some nourishment. That is exactly what the angel did for him:
“And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.” (1 Kings 19:5-6)
3 Get Up – Don’t quit. Elijah should have asked the Lord for help and strength but instead he asks the Lord to kill him. Quitting is never the answer. We may need to take some time out to replenish but we should never leave the battle completely.
There will come a time in my life when God will be through with me and at that time He will take me home to Heaven. Until that time comes, however, I need to stay encouraged and stay in the battle. If God still wants me to fight, then He will give me everything that I need to keep fighting, including strength and encouragement.
By the way, if you are saved and your are not in the battle with the Lord, you will also be very discouraged because God has not equipped you to sit on the sidelines. Find something to do for the Lord and you will be greatly encouraged as you fulfill God’s purpose for your life.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Kings by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
There – The Place of God’s Will
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 15 – 17 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 15 – 16; Proverbs 22; Psalms 106 – 110
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Proverbs 3:5 & 6
Read the “0422 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.” (1 Kings 17:2-4)
“And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.” (1 Kings 17:8-9)
There are many wonderful truths in today’s Bible reading, but I want to draw your attention to the word “there” found in vs. 4 and 9 above from chapter 17 of 1 Kings. “There” represented a place – a geographic location where God wanted Elijah to go. Actually, “there” was two places. The first place God wanted Elijah to go was to the Brook Cherith. In this place God was going to sustain the prophet through meals provided by ravens. Cherith was a specific location. Had Elijah decided that he was going to go to some other geographic location, I do not think that God would have fed him. God’s will involves more than a place, but it does include a place.
Next, God commanded Elijah to travel to Zarephath, which is outside of the borders of Israel. It is important to point out that Elijah did not leave the Brook Cherith because the brook dried up, he left because God commanded him to. Anyway, in Zarephath a widow woman was prepared by God to take care of the needs of Elijah. There is a lot that could be said about how God provided for the widow woman and her son as well, but the point being made here is that God guided Elijah to a specific place where he would be taken care of, and used for God’s purposes.
Many years ago, God directed my family to the place of His will – Galloway, New Jersey. I must confess that there have been times around here when I wanted to move on, times when the brook seemed to dry up, but I have never been told by God to move to another place. As much as I may desire at times to move to a place like Hawaii, that is simply not God’s will for my life. Galloway, NJ is my “there.” It is the place where God wants me; it is the place where God will provide for me and mine; and it is the place where God will use me.
Have you found the place of God’s will for your life? If you have, make the most of your time spent there. God may move you on to some other “there” someday, and if He does, He will make it crystal clear to you; but until that time comes, dig in, serve Him to the fullest, and enjoy your stay.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Kings by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Trust
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 12 – 14 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 13 – 14; Proverbs 21; Psalms 101 – 105
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 121
Read the “0421 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
My attention this morning is drawn to chapter thirteen and the account of the prophet that was sent from the southern kingdom of Judah with a message for Jeroboam, the king of the northern kingdom, Israel. He was sent with a message of judgment to Jeroboam:
“And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.” (1 Kings 13:2 & 3)
At the end of this unpleasant meeting with Jeroboam, this un-named prophet is asked to go back with Jeroboam to get something to eat and to receive a reward. The prophet flatly refuses to go with Jeroboam because he was given strict instructions by God not to eat in Israel. On the way home, however, another man claiming to be a prophet asks him to go with him and get something to eat. This man lies to him and tells him that God told him that it was OK. As a result, the prophet from Judah goes with him, but soon discovers that he was tricked into disobeying the clear commandment of God, and it cost him his life.
Christian, you and I need to be careful who we listen to. Sometimes people pretending to represent God will come to us and try to get us to do things that are clearly against the plain teaching of the Word of God. We are to trust the Bible, and we can trust the men and women that preach and teach the Bible correctly; but the Bible itself is always the final authority. Be careful who you trust.
By the way, we also saw in chapter twelve that Reheboam listened to the counsel of the young men, rather than the counsel of the old men. The result was that the kingdom of Israel was split into two kingdoms. Again, we see here that you have to be very careful about who you listen to. I am not saying that it is always unwise to listen to young men, but we should always include in our cabinet of counselors some older men (and ladies) who have demonstrated that they have godly wisdom.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Kings by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
What Happened?
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 10 – 11 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 11 – 12; Proverbs 20; Psalms 96 – 100
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105
Read the “0420 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.” – (1 Kings 11:4 )
Pastor Charlie Horton, a good friend of mine who is now with the Lord, once told me that there are three things that will take a preacher down: ladies, lucre, and liberalism; or maids, money, and modernism; or dames, dollars, and doctrine. That statement has proven to be true. In the thirty-plus years plus that I have been a Christian, I have seen many men of God wander out of the will of God; and in all of these cases it was one of those three things that caused them to veer off of the path. In our text, we see that Solomon’s problem primarily was the ladies. He had 1000 wives and concubines. Wow! How can it be that this man is known for his wisdom? Can you imagine having 1000 mother-in-laws? It would not have been so bad if all of these women shared the same love for the Lord that Solomon had; but, unfortunately, many of these women were heathen women that worshipped other “gods”. In order to please these women, Solomon accommodated for their false worship within the borders of Israel, and Solomon, himself, began to participate in the idolatry. Not very wise.
I do not think that women were the only attraction that lured Solomon out of the will of God. He was also very wealthy: wealthier than any man that ever lived. Jesus spoke about the difficulties that wealth imposes upon a right relationship with God. Wealth can certainly be a stumbling block also. The text also makes it clear that Solomon was also lured into doctrinal heresy. So, ultimately, Solomon fell prey to all three of the traps mentioned above. The tragedy is that Solomon was a very wise man, and should have seen the dangers ahead of time. I think he deliberately wandered off of the path. He chose to go astray with his eyes fully opened.
Passages of Scripture such as this scare me. Solomon was a much wiser man than I could ever be, yet he blew it. I have seen many others fall in my time that had a lot more on the ball than I do. It scares me, because I know that it could happen to me also. I hope it scares me enough to stay as far away from these traps (and others) so that I will finish my course inside the perfect will of God.
By the way, Solomon’s unwise decisions brought about unpleasant consequences:
“Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.” – (1 Kings 11:11)
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Kings by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Forgive
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 8 – 9 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 9 – 10; Proverbs 19; Psalms 91 – 95
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4
Read the “0419 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “When God Moves In.”
“And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.” (1 Kings 8:30)
“Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.” (1 Kings 8:34)
“Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk, and give rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for an inheritance.” (1 Kings 8:36)
“Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)” (1 Kings 8:39)
“And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:” (1 Kings 8:50)
Did you notice all the references in 1 Kings 8 to the word “forgive?” Five times in this chapter, in Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the newly constructed Temple, he prays that God would forgive His people when they sin against Him. Solomon understands well the human heart and the tendency that people have of messing up and turning away from God, but he also knows of the compassion and mercy of the Lord who is quick to forgive those who turn to Him in repentance and faith.
This is exactly what Jesus prayed when He was on the Cross. He also knew well that people often do things, evil things that don’t make any sense, and they need God’s forgiveness. Of course, forgiveness could only be given because Jesus went to that Cross and paid for the sins of mankind through His atoning shed blood.
“34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” (Luke 23:34)
Now here is the tough part. God expects us to forgive others who have wronged us, just as we expect God to forgive us. Just as we have our frequent moments of temporary insanity where we get away from God’s will and sin against Him, the people in our lives will also do things at times to hurt us. We must be willing to forgive them because God is willing to forgives us.
“4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” (Luke 11:4)
“32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Solomon’s Temple
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 6 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 7 – 8; Proverbs 18; Psalms 86 – 90)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4
Read the “0418 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read a previous post from this passage – “Use Your Gifts for the Lord.”
“11 And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying, 12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. 14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.” (1 Kings 6:11-14)
The Construction of the Temple is also found in 2 Chronicles 3.
The date is approximately 966 or 967 BC. The month “Zif” (later name was Iyyar), which is the second month and corresponds to April – May. This is 480 years after they came out of Egypt (1 Kings 6:1).
The temple is a wonderful picture of the grace of God and how God can work all things together for good. He can even take our worse sins and do something with them. What were the two worse sins that David committed? Numbering the people and his adultery with Bathsheba. Solomon was the child born out of David’s relationship with Bathsheba, a relationship that began in adultery (2 Samuel 11). And the Temple Mount, Mount Moriah, was what David purchased from Araunah the Jebusite so that he could build the altar and offer a sacrifice so that the Lord would be intreated and stay his hand from destroying the people of Israel (2 Samuel 24).
In today’s reading in 1 Kings 6 – 7, we are given the dimensions and construction details of the temple, which took seven years to build. Chapter seven also discusses the construction Solomon’s house, which took thirteen years to build, and also the “House of the Forest of Lebanon,” and the house that Solomon had built for Pharaoh’s daughter. See the images below to get an idea of what these building possibly may have looked like.
In the middle of these construction details, we are told that God appears to Solomon for the second time (1 King 6:11 – 14).
You will notice here that God makes a promise to Solomon, but it is a conditional promise. Some of God’s promises are unconditional, and some are based upon the performance of the person being promised. God promised Solomon and Israel that if they remained faithful to Him and continued to follow His commandments, then He would not forsake them.
God made a similar promise to Israel when they were about to enter the land of Canaan after their four hundred years of bondage in Egypt and their forty years of wandering in the wilderness (See Deuteronomy 28).
This is the second time that God spoke to Solomon. The first was when Solomon received wisdom back in chapter three. God will appear to Solomon again and warn him about turning away from God’s will (1 Kings 9:1 – 9). Unfortunately both Solomon and Israel do not heed God’s warnings and spend much of their history suffering from the consequences of their choice.
Also, in today’s reading, we learned about a man that was gifted and equipped by the Lord to help Solomon build the Temple and these other buildings:
“And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre. He was a widow’s son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.” – (1 Kings 7:13-14)
In this passage, we see Hiram, a man from Tyre, who was uniquely gifted by God to make all of the works of brass that were to be used in the Temple. Back in the Book of Exodus, we saw two other fellows. Bezaleel and Aholiab, who were also uniquely filled with wisdom (gifted) to build the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. As far as we know, these men never taught the Scriptures; they were not priests, or prophets; but they were greatly used of the Lord.
We have many people in our churches today who have also been uniquely crafted by the Lord to fulfill His purpose. They may be builders, like the men referenced above. They may be men or women that have a knack for cleaning, or landscaping. These are all very necessary and important jobs in the service of our churches today. As I read this passage today, I thought of a man in our church who was used of the Lord to build our platform in the auditorium along with the sound booth. He did a wonderful job, and our church building is much more beautiful and functional as a result of his using his gifts for the Lord. We also have some folks in our church that like to cook, and when we have a dinner of some kind, these people go to work, preparing delicious food for the rest of us to enjoy. They work mostly behind the scenes, but their work is very important to the Lord.
God tells us in 1 Corinthians 12: “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.” – (1 Corinthians 12:18)
Not every member is an eye or an ear: some are hands, some are feet. Not everybody is a preacher or teacher; and those that are gifted in areas other that teaching are just as important to the work of the ministry as those who teach or preach.
What is your gift? What is your sweet spot? The thing that you were born to do. Hiram was born to make brass, and he did it very well. God will be well pleased with your life if you find the thing that He has equipped you to do, and then do it for His glory.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Use It Or Lose It
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 3 – 5 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 5 – 6; Proverbs 17; Psalms 81 – 85)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 89:1
Read the “0417 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Read previous posts from this passage – “Wisdom” and “Almost Heaven.”
“1 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David. 2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, 3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent. 5 And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name. 6 Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.” (1 Kings 5:1-6)
These passages in 1st Kings are very familiar to the people of our church as we have been studying this book on Sunday evenings. I have previously written devotions on the subject of Solomon’s wisdom but for this blog I want to examine this topic again from a slightly different perspective. Studying King Solomon’s life has always been very frustrating to me because it is mind-boggling to think that somebody with so much divine wisdom and potential for success in leading God’s people could eventually get to the place where he is making very unwise decisions. By the time Solomon’s reign as king ends, the nation of Israel has enemies again, both from within and without, and they are on the brink of a civil war.
In the beginning of Solomon’s reign he wanted only to please the Lord and serve the people, which is how he got the wisdom in the first place. God gave it to him because Solomon’s main request in life was to be able better serve God’s people. He asked God to: “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?” (1 Kings 3:9). As long as Solomon was using God’s wisdom to fulfill God’s will, he continued to make good decisions. Unfortunately, we know that somewhere along the way Solomon veered off of the path.
As I was contemplating this passage, I wondered when exactly it was that Solomon strayed away from the will of God. Could it be that it was after he had completed the Temple? In the text above from chapter five, we see Solomon very busy coordinating the purchase and delivery of some of the necessary materials for constructing the Temple. During those negotiations, Hiram from Tyre commented on how wise Solomon was:
“And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.” (1 Kings 5:7)
As long as Solomon was fulfilling God’s will for his life, his wisdom was being put to good use. However, it is possible that Solomon’s unwise decisions began after he had completed the construction of the Temple. In other words, when he was no longer putting his wisdom to good use, doing something for the Lord, his godly wisdom went away. I am not saying that Solomon was no longer intelligent; he obviously was a brilliant guy, but he was no longer applying that intelligence to the service of God, and he became unwise. Since he was not using his wisdom for good, God took it away.
David also made a very unwise decision when he was out of the will of God, not staying busy doing what he should have been doing. 2 Samuel 11 records that the sin with Bathsheba took place while David was idle on his rooftop in Jerusalem, instead of being with his men on the battlefield. Some have argued that David was forbidden by his men to actually be on the front lines as he was too valuable a man to lose in a battle (2 Samuel 21:17). This may be true but David could have been behind the lines somewhere running his armies. He even could have been taking an active role in the battle from the capital of Jerusalem, but he should not have been hanging out seeking pleasure at his house. Even Uriah the Hittite knew better than that. When he was called home and had the opportunity to spend pleasurable time with his wife, he refused because Israel was at war.
Here is the application. You are less likely to make life-altering and unwise decisions when you are busy doing something productive for the Lord. You should be fighting something like David should have been doing, or you should be building something like Solomon was doing before he got himself into trouble. The summer is approaching, and summertime is a time, at least for me, when the schedule eases up a bit. I have a lot more time on my hands and have plans to do some pleasurable things with my wife and family. I will be taking some vacation time. This is all good and right, but I also need to be careful that when I am not doing some scheduled recreational or even restful things, that I still stay busy serving the Lord. There are a lot of good things that I could and should be doing; things that will advance the cause of Christ. My fear is that if I am not using the wisdom and energy that God has given me for His glory and for the good of God’s people, He may take it away.
Retirement is also a dangerous time. Retired people need to stay busy and productive. If you are retired, you should have more time to serve the Lord. You may not have the energy or health to be able to do all that you used to do, but you can certainly do something. Stay busy for the Lord. Use that wisdom, energy, and time that the Lord has given you in the twilight of your life for Him, or you may just lose them.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
I Will Be King
Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 1 – 2 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Mark 3 – 4 ; Proverbs 16; Psalms 76 – 80)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 61:1 – 3
Read the “0416 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.” – (1 Kings 1:5)
In our passage today, we have King David on his death bed, and the kingdom unsure about who will take his place after he passes on. God had made it clear to David that his son Solomon was to be his successor (1 Chronicles 22:9), but David had been very quiet about revealing the will of God to the people. As a result, one of the king’s other sons, Adonijah, saw an opportunity to seize power. He made a conspiracy with Joab and Abiathar to take control of the kingdom. With the backing of the military and the temple, it would be difficult to stop him. He called all the king’s sons (except Solomon), and all of the important men of Judah (except Nathan the prophet and Benaiah, one of David’s mighty men) to announce that he was king. Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba, finds out about the conspiracy and reveals it to the king. Now David has to act. He commands Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet to anoint Solomon to be king over Israel. Had David been clear to the people about the Lord’s will previously, the kingdom would have avoided all of this unnecessary turmoil.
My thought this morning is about the phrase spoken by Adonijah, “I will be king.” This is similar to what was stated about Lucifer’s thoughts when he rebelled against God:
“12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:12-15)
Isn’t it inside all of us to seize control of our lives away from the reign of God? God wants to be the King in our lives, but we constantly try to knock God off the throne and assume power. Recognizing that this little battle rages within us, we must daily acknowledge and submit to God’s authority in our lives. Every time self begins to elevate itself, we must consciously abase him, and yield our allegiance to the Holy Spirit of God. We are really no different than Adonijah. Our pride causes us to lust for the dominion and power that does not rightfully belong to us. The key to successful Christian living is submission to the will of God. He is the only King.
“For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” – (Luke 14:11)
“18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” (Romans 7:18)
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Kings by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.