"I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments." - PSALM 119:60
Live for God!
"I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments." - PSALM 119:60
Live for God!
1Ki 1:6 (And his father had not rebuked [displeased, KJV, ASV, ESV] him at any time by saying, "Why have you done so?" He was also very good-looking. His mother had borne him after Absalom.)
The Hebrew word displease/rebuke means to cause to grieve, or to give pain, or to make sorrowful. In other words, David’s parenting mistake was that he had failed to provide painful consequences when Adonijah did something wrong. Life itself is filled with natural painful consequences that result from wrong/foolish behaviour. This is a great teacher; and wise parents do not shield their children from the painful consequences of their actions (unless it would be dangerous for the child). However, parents who are even wiser, will actually manufacture (so to speak) painful consequences when necessary to teach their children that crime doesn’t pay. Furthermore, they do this consistently; otherwise they teach their children that crime sometimes is worthwhile! It takes a lot of self-discipline for parents to do this when busy, tired or stressed. It takes a lot of self-control for parents to be sure that their child understands that when the parent causes the child grief or pain, it is to lovingly teach and help, not to vent their anger. Finally, it takes a lot of effort on the part of parents to find and address the root cause of their child’s disobedience – the “why” behind their actions.
Today Lord, we bring before You all those who are raising children and pray that You will bless them as they strive to raise them to be adults who will make wise choices.
1Ki 2:46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
When David dies, there are several threats to Solomon’s kingdom. First, there is the threat of men who were disloyal to David, and thus will also be disloyal to Solomon: his half-brother Adonijah who tried to usurp the throne, Joab and the priest Abiathar who aided him, and Shimei who cursed David when he fled from Absalom. Secondly there is the threat of blood-guilt that will be upon Solomon’s kingdom if he does not execute justice regarding the murders of Abner and Amasa. Solomon acts with the commendable restraint of righteous humility, giving Adonijah a chance to live if he conducts himself righteously, and Shimei a chance to live as long as he does not leave Jerusalem. He also exiles Abiathar instead of executing him, and puts Zadok as high priest in his place. (Abiathar was the last priest of the line of Eli, and so the prophecy of 1 Sam.2:35 was fulfilled.) When Adonijah was executed, Joab realized his life was in danger and fled to take hold of the horns of the altar at the tabernacle. This action initially worked for Adonijah, but, according to the Law of Moses, which Solomon seems to know, it does not work for Joab. “But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbour, to kill him by treachery, you shall take him from My altar, that he may die,” Ex.21:14. Joab was replaced as captain by Benaiah, captain of David’s palace guard and in the top six of David’s mightiest men, 2 Sam.23.
Lord, we thank you for this picture of the heart of the man that You loved and chose to succeed David. Help us to handle conflict with righteousness and humility, but also be willing to take a firm stand against anyone who rebels against Your authority.
1Ki 3:7 Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray by addressing God as “our Father.” As a child we totally trust and depend on our earthly fathers, looking to them for guidance and comfort, as well as for our physical necessities. Here Solomon is humbling himself before the Lord, asking Him to be that Person in his life. He did not do this with lip-service only; he offered 1000 burnt offerings. He did not make this commitment lightly or privately; he called all the leaders of Israel to Gibeon to witness his commitment to God, 2 Chr.1:2-3.
Dear Father, whatever we have received in the way of physical blessings & abilities or position in life, we recognize that it is not by our own achievement or because of our own worth that we have these things, but they are gifts from You. Today we humble our hearts before You, recognizing that we are but little children and need Your wisdom, dear Father, to use these blessings for You and not for ourselves. Thank You for being our Father! Help us to live so that the world can see whose children we are!
Gen 15:18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—
1Ki 4:21 So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
God always keeps His promises. Although the Israelites up to this time had failed in their God-given mission, causing God to withhold the promised extent of their land, it took just one good leader that God could use to turn things around! In just fifty years, God has brought the nation of Israel from a distressed people, to unimaginable wealth and power. This means, of course, that at the same time, God has brought Israel’s neighbours down from being powerful oppressors to becoming Israel’s servants.
Dear Almighty God, as we look around at nations of the world today, help us to realize that nations stand and fall according to their righteousness – and that their rise or fall can come about quickly! Similarly, today, as we consider your kingdom and as we see ourselves struggling to convert others, help us to never limit Your power in our minds, but rather go out and fight the good fight, as David did, so that You can give the increase!
1Ki 5:13 Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was 30,000 men.
The construction of the temple was very costly. It took more than 180,000 men seven years to build the temple. Thirty thousand of these men were conscripted Israelites who worked 4 months per year. The rest were forced laborers from the descendants of the Canaanites that the Israelites had previously failed to conquer, 1 Ki.9:20-21. The gold used in the temple was at least 100,000 talents (approximately 7,500,000 lbs) and the bronze used was too much to weigh. These precious metals came from war booty and the continuing tribute of foreign, conquered nations which the Israelites had battled against. The spoils of these battles had not all gone to the soldiers, but much of them, at least, were collected by David to be used for the temple, 1 Chronicles 22:14.
Today I want us to imagine ourselves as one of these conscripted Israelites or part of David’s army. What would our attitude have been? Would we have labored begrudgingly or complained about how much of the battle spoils were given to the Lord, or would we have served with a sense of being privileged to do this great task of building a house for our great God? How much did their worship cost them – not just in time and effort and hard labor and suffering, but in tithes and offerings? And how much does my worship cost me? !
1Ki 6:29 Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. 30 And the floor of the temple he overlaid with gold, both the inner and outer sanctuaries.22 The whole temple he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the temple.
Imagine the light from the lampstands flickering over and being reflected off of all that gold! The inside of the temple must have been extraordinarily beautiful! But relatively few people ever saw it – it was something that the common Israelite could only imagine when reading the description given to them by the Holy Spirit – the same description we read today. This reminds me of heaven – an awesome place of worship that we can only imagine when reading about it, but must be even more spectacular! Today, on earth, God’s temple is likened to two things: the church of Christ (Eph.2:21-22) and the body (heart) of a Christian, 1 Cor.6:19. Just like the inside of the temple, my heart is something that cannot be seen by ordinary men. But they can “read,” so to speak, descriptions of what the inside of my heart must look like by my actions. Peter tells us women that our chaste and reverent conduct, and even our outward clothing, should be a reflection, or “description” of the inner beauty we (hopefully) possess.
Dear Lord, help me to honestly search my heart and repent of all ugliness or filthiness I find. I want my “house” to be a beautiful dwelling for You, reflecting the light of Your glory to others around me!
1Ki 7:21 Then he set up the pillars by the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the right and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name Boaz.
Jachin = “He shall establish,” and Boaz = “In it is strength.” In chapter 8 Solomon gives a long list of scenarios for which he prays that the children of Israel might be strengthened/saved if they turn from sin and pray to God “in this temple,” or, even if in captivity, “towards the temple.” However, the reason why “in it is strength” was because GOD was there! HE is the One who “established” the temple: He designed the structure, He designed the worship, and He filled it with His glory to show that He was present with His people. Jachin and Boaz were two landmarks so that the Israelites would never forget the true source of their strength.
Lord, help us not to put our confidence in external things like the largeness of the congregation where we worship, or the place we worship, but in You and Your words which tell us how You wish to be worshipped in the church established by Your Son and our Savior. To You be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
1Ki 8:10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.
Without God, that amazingly beautiful and costly temple would have had no purpose or meaning. And so today, no matter how loving, sacrificial, talented, hard-working, or serving I am, or how “beautiful” my character appears to be – without God, I am nothing and my labor is meaningless.
Dear merciful God, there are so many good-hearted people in this world who go about doing good, but are ignorant of how to be saved – and so their labor will be of no eternal benefit. We pray for open doors of opportunity, that we may make Your word manifest as we ought to speak, and that our speech will be with grace, seasoned with salt so that we may know how to answer each one. (Col.4:2-6)
1Ki 9:1 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he wanted to do, 2 that the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon.
The first time the Lord appeared to Solomon, it was in response to Solomon specifically seeking the favour of God by making 1000 sacrifices to Him. At that time Solomon was at a point in life when he was inexperienced and facing a monumental task. Now Solomon has completed building the temple and several other difficult building programs. He has “arrived” as a king and has unlimited resources and opportunity to indulge in the things of the flesh. God sees danger ahead – and, because of His great love for Solomon, He appears to him personally yet again, renewing the promise He made to David – and the warning!
Dear God of love and righteousness, thank you for this warning, given to Solomon, but which so aptly applies also to us. Help us to so highly value Your promise of eternal life so that, in times of ease, we never allow ourselves to become complacent and lose our focus on living for You.
1Ki 10:1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 … she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. 3 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. …
6 Then she said to the king: … 8 Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness."
Notice that the fame of Solomon that went out to far-away lands was “concerning the name of the LORD.” The queen noticed that Solomon used his wisdom to bless those around him by giving them wisdom and by ruling with justice and righteousness. When the queen saw the wisdom of Solomon, she was moved to glorify the Giver of that wisdom! Solomon wrote this wisdom down for us in the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes so that we can bless those around us, especially our families! Not only that, but someone greater than Solomon came to bless us, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” Col.2:3.
We praise You, O God, the source of all wisdom, and we thank You for revealing Your wisdom to us. We pray that we will search for Your wisdom like hidden treasure and live according to it so that those around us will be blessed by it and be motivated to glorify YOU!
1Ki 11:4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.
Our mate most probably has the greatest influence on our hearts of any person we interact with. God, in His wisdom, prohibited marriage between Israelites and foreigners, Dt.7:3-4. And Christians are prohibited from becoming unequally yoked together with unbelievers, 2 Cor.6:14. (However, once married, Christians are to remain faithful to the covenant they made, 1 Cor.7:12-13.) For those who are not married, I want to encourage them to think: if Solomon, in all his wisdom, was drawn away from the Lord by his wives, why would I think that I would fare better? Why would I choose to marry someone who will hinder me in achieving my goal/ of heaven, especially a goal that is so vital to my eternal state? Today I also want to encourage those of us who are already married to think seriously about the influence we have on our mate and how we are using that influence. For those whose spouses are not Christians, take heart! Live 100% committed to the Lord. Read, study, and apply 1 Peter 3:1-7 to your marriage. Then take comfort in knowing that God is working with you to bring your mate to Him. Don’t give up! I know of spouses who have turned to the Lord after over 40 years of being married to a Christian. For those who are married to Christians, thank God, and daily think of ways that will encourage them in their journey to heaven!
Dear Lord, thank You for Your beautiful gift of marriage. Help us to follow Your plan so that our marriages build each other and our children up to greater and greater heights of service to You.
1Ki 12:24 'Thus says the LORD: "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."
This helpful chart is from II Kings with Chronicles by Irving Jenson. Read it from bottom to top. The northern kings (Israel) are in the left column and the southern kings (Judah) are on the right. Bad kings have a shaded background. Vertical rectangles contain the names of prophets. Dotted lines indicate that it is also a book of the Bible. The handwritten names in the center are names of foreign kings who interacted with the kings of Israel and Judah. In order to mesh the number of years that the kings of Judah reigned with the years given for the kings of Israel as well as with historical dates, it is obvious that at times some of the kings of Judah must have been co-regents, eg. like Solomon began reigning before David died. This is indicated on the chart by a zig-zag line, eg. between Asa and Jehoshaphat.
1Ki 12:24 'Thus says the LORD: "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."
At this point in time, Solomon’s kingdom split into two factions. The northern tribes were loyal to Jeroboam and continued to be known as Israel. The southern kingdom was named after the tribe that remained loyal to Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, and was known as Judah. This part of Bible history can become very confusing, but it will help you, as you read to refer to the following chart: http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-maps-timeline-chronology-kings-prophets-assyrians-babylonians-egyptians-tisri-nisan-inclusive-accession-reckoning-divided-kingdom-dates-931-587bc.htm. This chart not only gives you a list of the northern and southern kings side-by-side, but the names of the prophets who prophesied during their reigns as well as the foreign rulers who fought against them. The little red icon next to the name of a king indicates that the king departed from God and practiced idolatry.
1Ki 13:21 and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD, and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, 22 but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the LORD said to you, "Eat no bread and drink no water," your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.' "
There are many strange things that happen in this chapter. Jeroboam gets two amazing signs and healing from God, but still doesn’t repent. The man of God names a man who will only be born about 300 years later. Why does the old prophet lie to the man of God? The lion who kills the man of God just stands around, and the Israelite prophet, who is deserving of death, is not afraid of it! It may also seem strange to us that God punishes the prophet who was deceived rather than the prophet who deceived him. It is a lesson to us that God holds us responsible to listen to HIM, not to what people say He says.
O holy Lord, thank You for providing us with all things that pertain to life and godliness in written form, and preserving it throughout the centuries to this present time! I pray that none of us will ever blindly accept what any preacher or teacher says but will search the Scriptures daily so we can know Your will. I also pray that these readings we are doing will help us with a good overview of Your word so that we will be able to better understand it and be less likely to be led into error.
NB. The books of 1 & 2 Kings focus more on the northern kingdom and God’s prophets. The book of 2 Chronicles focuses more on the southern kingdom, and prophets are rarely mentioned. Therefore, the daily Bible reading comments will focus on the northern kingdom and prophets for now, and the southern kingdom later.
1Ki 14:13 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.
Ahijah proved that he was a prophet by recognizing Jeroboam’s disguised wife, even though he was blind. He then gave three prophecies, one of which included the answer to the question she had been sent to ask but never asked: 1) Abijah will die, 2) God will totally cut off Jeroboam’s descendants, 3) Israel will be conquered and scattered “beyond the River” (Euphrates). What I found comforting in this reading is verse 13, which lets us know that sometimes God removes a person from this earth in order to prevent something worse befalling him.
O God of compassion, when we are grieved at the loss of loved ones, especially loved ones who are faithful to You, or when we are facing our own mortality, help us to remember that You are good all the time, and that there are worse things than death.
1Ki 15:29 And it was so, when he [Baasha] became king, that he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite,
If you can, I suggest that you print out the chart mentioned in Wednesday’s reading. I actually keep a similar this chart in my Bible bag and refer to it when someone teaches or preaches from the kings or prophets. I suggest that you take a colored pencil (I used red) and underline or highlight Jeroboam and Nadab. (I used red.) Doing this will help you to see the different dynasties in the northern kingdom. Jeroboam’s dynasty did not last long because of his disobedience.
Dear Lord, help me to always remember that you are just and righteous all the time and that you will not leave sin unpunished – that Your promise of hell-fire is just as sure as Your promise of heaven. May this motivate me, not only to live a holy life, but to daily encourage others, even strangers, to do the same.
1Ki 15:29 And it was so, when he [Baasha] became king, that he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite,
I suggest that you print out the chart from Wednesday’s reading. It is page 1 of 2 charts on the divided kingdom. I actually keep this chart in my Bible bag and refer to it when someone teaches or preaches from the kings or prophets. I suggest that you take a colored pencil (I used red) and color in the blocks that correspond to Jeroboam and Nadab. I also colored Nadab’s name in red, just to make it easier for me to see at a glance that he is a king and Jeroboam’s son.
Dear Lord, help me to always remember that you are just and righteous all the time and that you will not leave sin unpunished – that Your promise of hell-fire is just as sure as Your promise of heaven. May this motivate me, not only to live a holy life, but to daily encourage others, even strangers, to do the same.
This was one of the curses in the chapter of blessings and curses, Dt.28:26, and it was repeated to three of Israel’s kings – men who had access to the Law of God and thus had no excuse for their pagan worship. To the people of that time, 1 Ki 16:4 was the most disgraceful way to die – showing that such a person was despised by both God and men. I suggest you take another colored pencil (I used green) and color Baasha and Elah. After two men fail to establish their leadership over the kingdom, Omri, the popular choice of the army, was able to prevail over all opposition and establish a 3rd dynasty in Israel. Interestingly, Omri’s name is mentioned on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser. The Obelisk records that Jehu (an Israelite king who reigned 45 years after Omri died) paid tribute to Shalmanezer, king of Assyria. https://theosophical.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/biblical-archaeology-8-the-black-obelisk-of-shalmaneser/. It is also interesting that Joshua’s prophecy concerning the rebuilding of Jericho (Josh.6:26) is fulfilled in 1 Kings 16:34.
Today, Lord, we praise You for giving men of all ages proof of who You are and the veracity of Your words. You confirmed that writers of old, such as Joshua, were Your true spokesmen. And You confirm the accuracy of the Sacred Scriptures to this day by fulfilled prophecy as well as by archaeological discoveries. May we never be ashamed of You or Your word!
Luk 4:24 Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
What is so special about this woman? She was chosen above the thousands of widows of Israel to receive the grace of God. However, in order to benefit from God’s grace, she needed a certain kind of heart – a heart that would receive the word of God. Her heart was loving and sacrificial – she shared what she had with her son. She was willing to serve others, (bring water to a stranger & foreigner), even when she had enough problems of her own! She also recognized that she was a sinner and therefore did not deserve the goodness of God, v.17. BUT, she had received a command from God, v.9. When Elijah came to her, she knew he was an Israelite, perhaps by his speech, and she knew Jehovah by name, “as the LORD your God lives,” v.12. Based on the command of “the LORD God of Israel,” she was willing to obey it, even when it made no sense to her, even when it meant sacrificing her all.
Dear merciful God, I marvel that we have been so blessed to receive Your grace – to hear Your gospel, when millions of others on this earth have not. May we value this blessing above all and serve You with gratitude and joy.
1Ki 18:36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."
Elijah was undoubtedly a great man in the eyes of God. As we shall learn later, he was one of two men who never tasted death, and he was one of two men who were sent to encourage Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. In the two verses above we learn one of the things that made Elijah so great – his humility. Here Elijah lets all the people know that he takes no credit for the wonderful things that are about to happen. We often talk about those whom “so-and-so” converted, but actually, it is the LORD God who converted them; we only teach others “at His word.”
O LORD God, You know the hearts of those around us – we do not. Please help us to sow the seed of Your word “at Your word,” without fear, without analysing whether or not they will listen, and without discouragement, so that You can use us to turn their hearts to You.
1Ki 19:15 Then the LORD said to him: "Go…
Everything Elijah dreamed of, worked for, and expected to happen now seems to him to have come to nothing. He feels so alone. This great man of God, so recently on the heights, has now spiraled into a deep depression. Gently and quietly God gives Elijah (and us) the way out of depression. (NB. I am not talking here about bi-polar type depressions caused by chemical imbalances in the body, but depression caused by stress, trauma and/or grief.) 1) Get the facts & stop exaggerating, v.14&18. 2) Force yourself to perform your responsibilities, v.15-16. 3) Remember that God is powerful and in control, v.11&17. 4) Look for, acknowledge, and be thankful for the blessings God has given us, v.19. God gave Elijah work (purpose), companionship (joy), food (strength) and reality (facts) to help his depression. He has done and will do the same for us!
Lord, we are fearfully and wonderfully made by You – even our emotions are given to us by You for a purpose. When we feel “down,” help us to realize that we can use that emotion to motivate us to reflect on our thought-habits and humbly tune our hearts to Your will and do it, knowing that You will lift us up.
1Ki 20:13 Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, "Thus says the LORD: 'Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.' "
Ahab did more to provoke the Lord to anger than any Israelite king before him, 1 Ki.16:33. He, because of his wife Jezebel, introduced Baal worship in Israel. (Baal was the god of Sidon, Jezebel’s country.) Yet God gave Ahab three demonstrations of His superiority over Baal so that Ahab would “know that I am the LORD.” The first demonstration of God’s power was on Mt. Carmel, and the second two are in this chapter. God has never expected men to serve Him by blind faith. He has always provided evidence. However, God knows when a person has had enough evidence and opportunity to exercise obedient faith – and He then holds that person accountable. We have two such accounts in this chapter: Ahab’s sparing of Ben-Hadad, and the neighbour of the prophet who refused to strike him.
Dear awesome God, help us to fear You so that we will walk in Your wisdom. As we reap the blessings of Your wisdom, may our love for You and appreciation for Your righteousness fill our hearts and motivate us to serve You in greater ways and glorify You to greater heights.
1Ki 21:4 So Ahab went into his house sullen and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no food.
When you read this verse what did you think? I thought, “Wow, he is acting like a spoiled 2-year-old!” And then I thought, “There are times when I act like that as well!” Sulking, the silent treatment, tears of self-pity, slamming a door or slamming something down in anger, shouting, corrupt speech, shirking responsibilities, exaggerating a headache – whatever form of manipulation we use, or whatever kind of pity-party we hold, we are, in that moment, just like Ahab! We might consider a bit of the sulks to be a minor thing, but sowing the wind in this case certainly reaped a whirlwind! This chapter teaches us all that we need to grow up!
Dear Lord our very present strength, I pray for us all today as we struggle to put our various fleshly emotions to death and walk by Your Spirit, especially when things do not go the way we feel they should. Help us to realize what we might view as a disappointment could be the path to an even greater blessing. Help us to handle our emotions in a godly manner because we value developing an inner person that is beautiful in Your sight and a light that leads others to trust in You.
1Ki 22:5 Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire for the word of the LORD today."
The book of 1 Kings ends by giving us several lessons about TRUTH. 1) Truth = the word of the LORD, v.5, 14. 2) Having large numbers of proponents on your side does not determine truth, v.6. 3) Promoters of truth are often hated, v.8. 4) Effective presentation does not determine truth, v.11. 5) Truth will not always make you feel good when you hear it, v.17. 6) God allows deceivers so that only those who really seek truth will find it, v.19-23. 7) Those who speak truth are often persecuted, v.27. 8) Failing to heed the truth will destroy us, v.34-37. Pro_23:23 Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.
O Lord God of truth, all of mankind is so thankful for the unbendingness of Your scientific truth; for without the scientific laws You established, we could not live. Help us be equally thankful for the unbendingness of Your spiritual truth and for Your revelation of that truth, for without it we would not be able to know how to live with You eternally. May we work to always live by Your truth and speak truth with one