1 KINGS 10-13: DAY 164 JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
June 13, 2023
1 KINGS 10-13
DAY 164 JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
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Focus Verses For Today: 1 King 11:1-6
King Solomon was the wisest man to ever live on the earth; yet, he wasn’t wise enough to obey the Lord God.
Ask God for His understanding of 1 Kings 10-13. Read 1 Kings 10-13. Let’s journey!
1 Kings 10-13: King Solomon bathed in admiration of others as he developed a taste for the finer things in life. Although Solomon was wise, the wisest man who ever lived, he lost his way and disobeyed God. This disobedience would result in a divided kingdom beginning with his son, Rehoboam’s, reign and continuing through the fall of Jerusalem. Solomon dies after ruling Judah for 40 years. Rehoboam had a heartless attitude toward the people, which allowed Jeroboam to take control of the 10 northern tribes, known as Israel. Rehoboam, King Solomon’s son, was left with only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. After God handed the northern kingdom over to Jeroboam, he feared the people would return to Rehoboam, so he made false gods, golden calfs, for them to worship, setting the stage for a kingdom ruled by kings who did not honor the true God. (1 Kings 10:1-13:34)
Our focus verses for today:
11 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. 2 They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.
(1 Kings 11:1-6, NIV)
Through Solomon’s disobedience, we can see why the Lord established the laws that He did amongst His people. We may not always understand why God gives the directions that He does, but we can take comfort in knowing that He always has our best interest at heart. From King Solomon, we can see the importance of carefully choosing those with whom we surround ourselves. Are you disobedient like Solomon? Do you follow the Lord, even when you don’t understand?
Godspeace!
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