Archive | June 2024

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 181

Jun29

   Day 181—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading and continue with the history of Israel.

 Day 181 – 2 Chronicles 19 – 23. (Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, and Joash reign in Judah.)

2 Chronicles 19 picks up just before 1 Kings ends with more about Jehoshaphat. Just as he returned to his southern kingdom of Judah after fighting the Syrians, the prophet Jehu came to visit him, scolding him for partnering with King Ahab in the Syrian battle. (He COULD have gotten himself killed!) However, God WAS happy with him, because he had set his heart to seek God. 

After that, Jehoshaphat stayed home and helped to lead the people of Judah back to the LORD, the God of their fathers. He appointed judges, special Levites, and priests and told them to remember that they would judge and hear cases for the LORD and not for man. “Let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with Him or with taking bribes.”

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In 2 Chronicles 20, war threatened Judah from the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites in the form of a great multitude from the east. Jehoshaphat was afraid.  Unlike Ahab, who called for human help, Jehoshaphat sought the LORD. He proclaimed a fast and asked the people of Judah to seek the LORD.  (This is part of the prayer Jehoshaphat prayed.)

“O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven?

You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations.

In your hand are power and might so that none is able to withstand you.”   

“O our God, will you not execute judgment on them?

For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us.

WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT OUR EYES ARE ON YOU.”

Then came the word of God through the Levite, Jahaziel.  “Do not be afraid. Do not be dismayed at this great horde. The battle is not yours but God’s.”  “You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm. Hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.  Do not be afraid or dismayed.”

The next day, the army went out, and Jehoshaphat encouraged them, “Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” Then he told those who he’d appointed to sing to the LORD to go before the army, singing, “Give thanks to the LORD, for his mercy endures forever.”

And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men who had come against Judah so that they were routed and destroyed each other. Judah did no fighting, only picked up the spoil.  And the armies and singers of Judah came home with joy, blessing, and praising their God. 

Unfortunately, Jehoshaphat’s last act was to make an alliance with Ahab’s son, Ahaziah, to build ships so they could trade in Tarshish (Spain). The LORD disapproved and sank them all. 

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2 Chronicles 21 describes the reign of Jehoram, Jehoshaphat’s son, whom he married to one of Ahab & Jezebel’s daughters.  Not surprisingly, he “did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”  First thing, he killed all his brothers and some princes in Israel as well. In his days, he made high places in the hills where the people could worship false Gods.  

Elijah, the prophet for Israel in the north, sent him a letter telling him how the LORD would bring a plague on his people, and Jehoram would get a severe sickness in his bowels (colon cancer??) and die. The LORD stirred the Philistines to invade. They carried away all his possessions, wives, and sons (except the youngest, Jehoahaz). Then he got the incurable bowel disease and died in great agony. They buried him, but not in the tombs of the kings. He departed with no one’s regret…… 

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2 Chronicles 22 describes Ahaziah’s reign. His mother was Athaliah (Ahab’s daughter). Ahaziah “walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in doing wickedly. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. Ahaziah helped his uncle, the king of Israel, fight against Syria and visited him when he was wounded.

The LORD ordained that the downfall of Ahaziah would come through that visit to his wounded uncle.  Jehu, whom the LORD had appointed to destroy the house of Ahab, was busy doing that when Ahaziah arrived.  He, and his brothers attending him, were all killed as well.  AND….. the house of Ahaziah had no one able to rule the kingdom of Judah.

Guess what?  His mom, the evil daughter of Ahab, who was Ahaziah’s chief counselor, saw her son dead, so she destroyed all the royal family of the house of Judah and became the FAKE QUEEN of Judah. 

However…. one very young boy, a toddler, was saved by Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada, the priest. She took him and hid him from the murdering Athaliah.  

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2 Chronicles 23.  In the seventh year, the priest staged a coup with the commanders of the army, the Levites, and heads of houses, and they crowned young Joash King of Judah. “Long live the king!”  When queen Athaliah heard the ruckus, she knew her end had come. Although she screamed, “TREASON! TREASON!” no one listened. The captains of the army, instructed by the priest, killed her with a sword at the horse gate. 

And, under the priest’s direction, Judah cleaned up their act. They tore down the house of Baal that was built and killed its priest, then began sacrifices and worship of the LORD. And they took 7-year-old Joash to the king’s house and set him on the royal throne. And all the people rejoiced.

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 180

Jun28
   Day 180—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading and continue with the history of Israel.

 Day 180 – 1 Kings 22, 2 Chronicles 18. (Both of these chapters tell of the end of King Ahab.)

Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, the southern kingdom, made a marriage pact with Ahab, king of Israel, the northern kingdom.

(Big mistake! 2 Kings 8:18 says that the son Jehoshaphat married off to Ahab’s daughter, “walked in the ways of Ahab, doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”)

In-laws now, Jehoshaphat visited Ahab and agreed to go to war with Syria with him. But first, the godly Jehoshaphat wanted to inquire of the LORD concerning the battle.  Ahab brought out his 400 prophets.

(These could have been the 400 prophets of Asherah that “ate at Jezebel’s table,” who were on Mt. Carmel when Elijah showed who was the REAL God by fire from heaven, but who escaped being killed when Elijah slaughtered the prophets of Baal. See 1 Kings 18:17-18 and 40.)

These 400 prophets all said Ahab should go to battle because he would be victorious. However, Jehoshaphat was suspicious of all the duplicate messages and asked if there was ANOTHER prophet. Ahab said there was, but he didn’t like Micaiah because that prophet always had terrible news for him. Nevertheless, the prophet of the LORD was brought, and he said that Ahab WOULD DIE in battle.

400 to 1?  Nope. Ahab wouldn’t listen to Micaiah and put him in jail “till I return safely.” Ha!

And off the two kings went to fight the Syrian despot. Just before entering the fray, Ahab told Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but YOU wear your robes.”

What?? Surely Jehoshaphat saw through that ploy!  But no, the southern king rode out in his royal chariot in his royal robes and crown. Then he wondered why all the enemy chariots and arrows were aimed at HIM!  “Help, LORD!” he cried, and God drew them away.

Then, a random soldier shot a random arrow in a random direction… and it struck the disguised King Ahab between his breastplate and his shoulder chainmail and mortally wounded him. As his chariot driver raced him out of the war zone, Ahab’s blood poured out on the chariot floor…until he died.

As Micaiah, the prophet of the LORD, said.

And as had been prophesied by Elijah, when the workers washed Ahab’s blood from the chariot by the pool of Samaria, dogs came and licked it up. (1 Kings 21:19)

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AHAZIAH, son of Ahab, began to reign in Samaria in the 17th year of Jehoshaphat’s reign.  He reigned for TWO YEARS. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of this father and mother, Jezebel, who walked in the way of Jeroboam. Ahaziah served and worshiped Baal and provoked the LORD to anger in every way.

Jehoshaphat reigned for 25 years, walking in the way of his father, Asa, and doing what was right in the sight of the LORD. He died and was buried in the city of David. JEHORAM, his son (married to a daughter of Ahab), reigned in his place.

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 179

Jun27

   Day 179—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading and continue in the History of Israel.

 Day 179 – 1 Kings 20 – 21. (More about King Ahab, Jezebel, and Elijah)

In 1 Kings 20, Ben-Hadad II, king of Syria, Israel’s enemy to the north-east, along with thirty-two of his chieftains, attacked the Northern kingdom’s capital city and demanded surrender.  King Ahab agreed to their taking tribute in general but refused to allow Ben-Hadad to ransack his palace.

There were “fighting words,” and the two nations prepared for war. Then, an unnamed prophet of God came to Ahab and told him Israel would succeed, but he was to attack immediately.  It was lunchtime, and Ben-Hadad was drinking himself drunk, as were his 32 chieftains. Ahab attacked, and all the Syrians ran away.

The prophet told Ahab they would return in the Spring, so prepare. He did, and although Israel’s army looked like two little flocks of goats, they fought the Syrian army and struck down 100K men! Twenty-seven thousand escaped to the city of Aphek, but a wall fell on them and killed them all.

Ben-Hadad got away, then dressed in sackcloth and begged for mercy from King Ahab.  INSTEAD OF KILLING HIM, as the LORD wanted, Ahab made friends with the defeated king and even sealed some business deals with him between Samaria and Damascus.  The prophet returned to Ahab and condemned his actions, saying that now Ahab and Israel would pay for it with their lives.

“And the king of Israel went to his house vexed and sullen.” 20:43

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1 Kings 21.  Still moping around the house, one day, King Ahab looked out his window at his neighbor’s beautiful vineyard. He coveted it for a veggie garden that would be so near his kitchen.

“Give me your vineyard…. and I will give you a better vineyard, or, if you like, I will give you its value in money.” the king said to neighbor Naboth.

“Nope. It’s my inheritance from my fathers.” (land allotted to tribes and families upon conquering the promised land), said Naboth (entirely in his right).

So Ahab went to bed, turned his face to the wall, and sulked.  He would not even eat!  What a spoiled brat!

Then, along comes the baby-spoiler, the queen herself.  Maybe patting his back, she says, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you don’t eat?”

“Because Naboth won’t give me his vineyard, sniff, sniff.”

“Aren’t you the KING? Get up and eat,” commanded the wicked Jezebel. “I’ll get that vineyard for you,”  

And she does, by falsely accusing Naboth of cursing God and King and condemning him to death by stoning. (She was devious and had a couple worthless men do the accusing.)  Regardless, she got the vineyard for Ahab.  Ahab was gleeful and immediately went outside to look over “his” vineyard.

Meanwhile, God had instructed Elijah to go to Ahab in the vineyard and give him this curse, “Thus says the LORD, ‘In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick YOUR own blood.'”

“You have found me, O my enemy,” said Ahab.

“I have found you because you do what is evil in the sight of the LORD.” He says, “Behold, I will bring disaster on you. I will utterly burn you up and will cut off from you, Ahab, every male in Israel….”   “And about Jezebel, the dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.”

Shock of all shocks!!! Ahab repents. He tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, fasts, and mourns. Wow.

And Israel’s omnipotent, Almighty, and Holy God shows mercy to this wicked king.  “Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the disaster in his days, but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster to his house.’  Double-wow!

James 4:6b.  “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 178

Jun26

   Day 178—We are in the sixth month of reading the Bible and continue with the History of Israel. Today, we meet the prophet Elijah. 

 Day 178 – 1 Kings 17 – 19. (Elijah and a drought, King Ahab, a contest, and a runaway)

In 1 Kings 17, we meet Israel’s great prophet, Elijah, from Tishbe in Gilead (East of the Jordan River). The LORD came to him and said there would be no dew or rain for years except by His word.

Elijah was to go a little way eastward to the Cherith Brook and hide out there. He could get water from that stream, and God would send him meat and bread morning and night via Ravens. Elijah immediately obeyed.

After a while, as the drought took hold, the Cherith dried up. Before Elijah had time to wonder, the LORD told him to go to Zarephath, a far north-west town in Sidon on the Mediterranean Sea, and stay there. God had provided a Sidonian widow to feed him. Elijah immediately obeyed.

When he reached the city gate, he saw “the widow” and spoke to her. Would she bring him water and a little “morsel of bread?”  She told him she had only enough flour and oil to make herself and her son one last pita, and then they would die of starvation.

Elijah told her that if she fed him first, God would supply her needs until it rained again.  She believed, and God honored her faith. Her flour and oil were replenished every day as she used them. Later, when her young son got sick and maybe even died, Elijah went to the boy and prayed and he was revived.  

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1 Kings 18.  Much later, God told Elijah to go to Ahab, and God would then send rain on the earth. Elijah immediately obeyed. He met Obadiah, a servant of Ahab and a secret prophet of the LORD who had been hiding and feeding 100 prophets so Queen Jezebel couldn’t kill them. With Elijah’s assurances that he wouldn’t disappear, Obadiah told King Ahab where to find Elijah.

At the meeting, there was a bit of angry wordplay. “It is YOU, you troubler of Israel!” Ahab cried. “No, I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah responded. “YOU have, and your father’s house.” 

Elijah then gave Ahab an ultimatum. “Send and gather all Israel to me at Mt. Carmel, plus the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah – who eat at your wife’s table!”  Interestingly, Ahab did not quibble but obeyed. (The king was desperate for rain!)

Then came that great contest between good and evil, using two sacrificed bulls.  The 850 false prophets prayed and cried, cut themselves, and flailed away until exhausted, but no god came to light their fire (and burn their bull). Elijah mocked them. “Perhaps your god is sleeping, going potty, angry, traveling somewhere…or dead.”  No matter how those false prophets tortured themselves, “No one answered; no one paid attention.”

And then it was Elijah’s turn.  He set up the sacrifice and drenched it three times with some very “dear” water brought to the top of the mountain. Then Elijah prayed to the living God. “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that YOU are God in Israel…..”

And WHHOOOOSSSH!! Elijah’s sacrifice exploded into holy flames that consumed the bull, the wood, the stones, the water in the ditch, and even the dust.  And the people fell to the ground proclaiming,  THE LORD is God.

“Seize those prophets of Baal, let none escape!” cried Elijah, then he took them down to the brook Kishon and systematically slaughtered them all.   Whoa!

Then Elijah told Ahab, Go up, eat, and drink, for “There is a sound of the rushing of rain.” Then Elijah went up to the top of Mt Carmel again with his servant and bowed down to pray.

(James 5:16b-18, “The prayer of a righteous man has great power…. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months, it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”)

Three times, Elijah prayed and had his servant go and look toward the west. On the third time, he returned and said, “Behold a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”

The servant was sent to Ahab with the message, “Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.”  And in just minutes, the sky became black, the wind started howling, and a GREAT RAIN began. 

Ahab whipped his horses towards Jezreel (his winter capital, about 20 miles away).  Elijah gathered up his garment and RAN AHEAD OF AHAB TO THE ENTRANCE OF JEZREEL!  (Man, that prophet was flying!!)

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1 Kings 19. When Jezebel heard how Elijah had killed all her hand-picked prophets, she was enraged and vowed to kill him by the next day.  Elijah heard the threat, and this mighty man of God was afraid. He got up and ran for his life, all the way to Beersheba, ONE HUNDRED MILES south, and then another day into the desert. He sat down under a bush and asked God that he might die.  Then he fell asleep. 

God sent an angel with food, which he ate, and then fell back asleep. Later, the angel brought more food and then sent him on a less hectic journey even further south, all the way to Mount Sinai. It took forty days and forty nights. 

There, on the Mount of God, Elijah rested in a cave.

“What are you doing here, Elijah?” asked the LORD.

“I’m the only one left, and they all seek my life,” Elijah answered.

“Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD,” came the command.  And the LORD passed by.

A great and strong wind tore the mount and broke rocks in pieces…but the LORD was not in the wind.

An earthquake came, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

A fire came next, but the LORD was not in the fire.

A sound of a low whisper came next. This time, it WAS the LORD, and He comforted Elijah.  YOU are not alone. I have 7,000 others who are faithful to me. 

I want you to go; anoint Elisha to be a prophet after you. 

You are also to go anoint Jehu to be king over Israel. 

And you are to go to Damascus and anoint Hazel to be king of Syria. 

See, I have work for you yet, Elijah. 

Elijah left Mount Sinai and found Elisha plowing a field. He threw his cloak on the young man. After Elisha made a sacrifice and kissed his mom and dad goodbye, he went after Elijah and assisted him. 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 177

Jun25

   Day 177—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading and reading the history of Israel. All the kings in the north were evil in the sight of the LORD, while in the south, a few were pleasing to him, but most also did evil.

 Day 177 – 1 Kings 16, 2 Chronicles 17. (FIVE kings in the northern kingdom; ONE king in the south)

1 Kings 16 describes five kings of Israel in rapid succession, each worse than the former. Baasha became king after killing King Nadab and the entire “house of Jeroboam,” which fulfilled prophecy. Baasha was from the tribe of Issachar and reigned wickedly for 24 years. 

The prophet Jehu came to King Baasha and said that God would wipe him and his entire family off the map because of his sins. Baasha died, and his son Elah reigned for two years. One day, when Elah was drunk, Zimri, the commander of half his army, came in and killed him and became king in his place. As soon as Zimri began to reign, he killed all of Baasha’s family AND all of his friends, fulfilling the word of the LORD via Jehu. 

Zimri must have done a quick job of it because he reigned only seven days. The rest of the troops and all of Israel made Omri king in his place.  When Zimri saw this, he went into the king’s house, set it afire while he was inside, and died.  Suicide. 

King Omri reigned twelve years, fortified a few cities, and made Samaria the capital of Israel. But he did evil in the sight of the LORD even MORE than those before him. When Omri died, his son Ahab became King.  Ahab did more to provoke the LORD than all the kings before him, but his wife, Jezebel, far outdid him in wickedness. 

Side note:  A fulfillment of prophecy is mentioned in 16:34. It says that the city of Jericho was rebuilt during Ahab’s reign but that Hiel, the builder, lost both his oldest and his youngest sons in the construction. This fulfilled the prophecy of Joshua 6:26 to the letter.

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2 Chronicles 17 describes the godly king Jehoshaphat, who reigned 25 years in Judah (the southern kingdom).

After his father Asa (diseased severely in his feet) died and was cremated, Jehoshaphat came to the throne. Verses 3-6 say, “The LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek Baals but sought the God of his father and walked in His commandments, not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore, the LORD established his kingdom in his hand.”  “His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD.”

In King Jehoshaphat’s third year of reign, he sent his officials and the Levites around Judah to teach “the book of the Law of the LORD.” “And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat.”

(This reminds me of Proverbs 16:7. “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”)

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 175 & 176

Jun24

    Day 175 & 176—We are in our 6th month of Bible reading. What have you learned so far about God and his purposes with His people?

(Note: SUNDAY’s and MONDAY’s readings are combined.)

    Day 175 – 2 Chronicles 10 – 12. (A repeat of 2 Kings, but with more details about King Rehoboam.)

2 Chronicles 10. It’s interesting that Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, went to Shechem. Verse 1 says that all Israel had come there to make him King. Undoubtedly, he was solidly installed in that office in Jerusalem where his father reigned.

These northern folks wanted to know how Rehoboam would reign. Would it be as harsh as Solomon all during that building and expansion period?

As we saw yesterday, King Rehoboam consulted both the elder and younger advisors. At 41, he wasn’t a young man to begin his reign, but he went with the youthful advice and came down hard on the people of the North. And they rebelled. “Sayonara, Ray,” they called as they left, and Rehoboam hi-tailed it back to Jerusalem.

From 1 Kings 12-13, we know that Jeroboam was waiting for these northern tribes with open arms.

2 Chronicles 11 describes how Rehoboam strengthened his two-tribe kingdom by building and fortifying fifteen defense cities throughout Judah, placing commanders, weapons, and food provisions in them.

Remember in 1 Kings 12 how Jeroboam turned the hearts of his people away from God by proclaiming Bethel and Dan as cities of worship (instead of Jerusalem) and setting up golden calves in these places for the people to worship instead of the LORD their God. He also gave the office of priest to anyone who wanted it.

In 2 Chronicles 11:13-17, we see the northern priests and Levites leaving their homes, lands, and positions in Israel and coming into Judah and Jerusalem. “And those who had set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers.  They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years, they made Rehoboam, the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.

But, when Rehoboam was established and strong, he abandoned the law of the LORD and all the country with him. 2 Chronicles 12:1.

Because they were unfaithful to the LORD, King Shishak of Egypt came with hoards of soldiers and chariots and took those fortified cities all the way to Jerusalem.  YIKES!

God told Rehoboam through the prophet Shemaiah that the reason for the invasion was because they had abandoned Him, so He abandoned them.

Surprisingly, the king and his leaders humbled themselves  and said, “The LORD is righteous.”  When God saw this, He relented. He would not destroy them. He would grant them SOME deliverance. But they would be servants to Egypt’s king. (Yesterday, we saw that Shishak took all the treasures of the Temple and the king’s palace as “tribute.”)

So, Rehoboam reigned in Judah for 17 years and then died. His son, Abijah/Abijam*, reigned in his place.

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    Day 176 – 1 Kings 15, 2 Chronicles 13 – 16. (From here on until the invasion of Assyria, the history of the Jews will track both the northern kingdom of Israel/Ephraim along with the southern kingdom of Judah. All northern kings were wicked; most of the southern kings were also wicked. Kings were either compared to the wicked King Jeroboam or to the righteous King David.)

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1 Kings 15 covers the end of King Jeroboam’s reign, the brief reign of his son Nadab (evil), and the reign of the usurper, Baasha (evil), who killed the former king and ALL of the house of Jeroboam, as was prophesied in chapter 14:9-11.

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2 Chronicles 13 describes King Rehoboam’s son, Abijah’s reign in Jerusalem.  He was “a great sinner” according to 1 Kings 15:3, but here he is described as standing for the principles of the LORD God of Israel as David did…. at least when he was at war.

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2 Chronicles 14.  In this chapter, Abijah’s son, Asa, becomes king. He did what was “good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.”   “And the kingdom had rest under him.”  “He had no war in those years, for the LORD gave him peace.” 

When Zerah, the Ethiopian, with his MILLION soldiers and 300 chariots, came against Judah, King Asa cried to the LORD. “O LORD, there is none like You to help between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in Your name we have come against this multitude.”  “So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled.” 

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2 Chronicles 15 describes King Asa’s religious reforms, removing the detestable idols from the land and repairing the altar of the LORD. He even removed his mother from being the Queen Mum because she had made an image for Asherah. He cut down that image, crushed it, and burned it.

King Asa then gathered all the people and sacrificed and worshiped the LORD, entering into a covenant with Him “to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul.”

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2 Chronicles 16.  However, in King Asa’s later years (he reigned 41 years), he strayed from that wonderful commitment.  Instead of trusting the LORD for victory over his enemies, he “paid” the army of Syria to fight with him against King Baasha in the north. As a result, his campaign failed.

The prophet Hanani came to him and said, “The eyes of the LORD run ‘to and fro’ throughout the whole earth to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward Him.  YOU have done foolishly in this, for from now on, you will have wars.”

The aging King “was angry with the prophet and put him in stocks in the prison.” (Asa was in a rage because of this…!  Asa inflicted cruelties upon some … at the same time.”)

WATCH OUT, senior citizens!  Stay steady and faithful even in your old age!! (I’m talking to myself here too!)

Two years before King Asa died, he became diseased in his feet, and it became very severe. (Gangrene from diabetes???)  “Yet, even in his disease, he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians.”  (Not saying doctors are wrong, just that seeking the LORD is good.)

(After King Asa died, they laid him on a bier that had been filled with various spices prepared by the perfumer’s art (curious!), and they made a very great fire in his honor.) (Cremation is RARELY used by Hebrews, although King Saul & his sons were also burned. 1 Samuel 31:13)

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*Abijah (my father is the LORD) perhaps had his name changed when he forsook God.

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 174

Jun22

   Day 174—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading.

 Day 174 – 1 Kings 12-14. (Rehoboam, the Royal vs. Jeroboam, the Jerk)

2 Kings 11:41-43 describes the last days of Solomon, claiming that even more about him and his wisdom are written in an unknown book, The Acts of Solomon.  King Solomon reigned for 40 years, as did his father, David.

Then, as all kings and paupers do, the king died. He was buried in “the City of David.”  And his son Rehoboam began his reign, heralding the beginning of the downfall of mighty and glorious Israel. 

1 Kings 12 tells of Rehoboam’s “folly.”

Obviously, he inherited NONE of his father’s wisdom and did not ask God for any.  At least he inquired of his father’s experienced advisors about how to rule the people. But he also asked the young men who’d been raised in the palace with him and who knew nothing about living as a common person in the labor force. Basically, it was either ‘be kind to the people and serve them’ or ‘be nasty to them, like a tyrant.’ 

Rehoboam chose tyranny, and the people rebelled.

Waiting in the wings was Jeroboam (the man about whom the prophet Ahijah said would rip ten of the tribes away from the kingdom and rule them).  He easily led the discontented ten northern tribes away from Rehoboam.  Rip-p-p-p-p!  Rehoboam immediately assembled 180K soldiers together to fight the departing tribes, but God said through the prophet Shemaiah. “NO! You shall NOT fight your relatives.”  And (incredibly) they listened to the words of God.

So the kingdom of Israel is now two parts, “Israel” (ten tribes in the north) ruled by Jeroboam, the Jerk, and “Judah” (two tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the south) ruled by Rehoboam, the Royal.  The northern tribes are also sometimes called “Ephraim.”

Here’s why I call Jeroboam “the Jerk.”  God had given him (and his offspring) the northern part of Israel to reign. He set up his capital in Shechem (about the middle of the northern tribes).  BUT he did not trust God and feared that the people – when they went to Jerusalem to worship three times per year – would want to go back to Rehoboam. He didn’t like that possibility, so he built TWO places for Israel to worship; one in Bethel and the other way at the northern tip of the land, in Dan. 

These were not approved worship places for the LORD. No, Jeroboam the Jerk followed the example of ole Aaron and made two calves of gold for the people, saying THESE were what brought you out of slavery in Egypt. WHAT????  He also made priests of anyone who wanted to be one. AND… chose another Feast Day from his own heart to sacrifice to these two idols.   JERK!

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1 Kings 13 is kind of a weird chapter about some prophets of God. 

One (Prophet A) appeared and cried out against Jeroboam at the altar in Bethel while the Jerk was making sacrifices. This prophet said that a future Southern king named Josiah would tear the altar down after sacrificing the false priests upon it!  Whoa!

Jeroboam did NOT like this and tried to waylay the prophet.  But God had told him that under no circumstances was he to stop there, so he slipped away. 

Then another old prophet (Prophet B) stopped the first one who was heading back to Judah. And with a false prophecy, tempted Prophet A to come in for a snack. He did, but God was angry about his disobedience, and when he was finally on his way again, a lion killed him. (Didn’t eat him, just killed him and stood there along with the prophet’s donkey in the middle of the road!)

Well, Prophet B now got an actual word from God: “Prophet A died because he disobeyed Me and listened to you!” Well this prophet went, brought back the dead one and buried him. The town mourned him too. THEN, Prophet B made his sons promise to bury him when he died, in the grave with Prophet A, saying he was a true prophet.) I told you chapter 13 was weird.

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Chapter 14 describes a young son of King Jeroboam the Jerk getting sick.

The king told his wife to disguise herself and go to another prophet, Ahijah, to learn what would happen to the boy. The disguise did not fool Abijah, even though he was nearly blind, and he immediately told the Jerk’s wife that the boy was going to die.

But there was WORSE news. God (through Abijah) told the woman a message to tell her husband. It was also the end of the house of Jeroboam – all the males would be cut off and his house burned up as a man burns up a dung pile. Why?

Because when God “exalted him from among the people and made him leader over His people, Israel, and tore it from the house of David (who kept God’s commandments and followed Him with all his heart) ….. he did evil and made for himself other gods and metal images, provoking God to anger, and he cast God behind his back.”

And, as the woman came to the threshold of her house… the boy died “because in him there was found something pleasing to the LORD, the God of Israel.” (He would not suffer his father’s judgment.)

Eventually, the Jerk died after a 22-year reign.

Rehoboam the Royal reigned for 17 years, and in his fifth year, the king of Egypt came up and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king’s house.

Eventually, the Royal died too, and was buried in the City of David. His mother was an Ammonite, and during Rehoboam’s reign, high places and pillars and Asherim were built on every high hill and under every green tree. And there were male cult prostitutes in the land, and they did all the abominations of the nations living there before Israel.

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 173

Jun21

   Day 173—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading.  Today, we finish the book of Proverbs.

 Day 173 – Proverbs 30-31. (Humble words of wisdom, a mom’s advice, the godly wife)

Proverbs 30 is written by Agur, son of Jakeh. This is the only mention of him in the Bible. He’s a humble sage.

Verse 2-3 say, “Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One…”

And yet he speaks wisdom in Verses 5-6. “Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words lest He rebuke you and you be found a liar.”

He likes to make lists.

15-16.  “Four things never say ‘enough!’….”

18-19. “Four things are too wonderful for me to understand…..”

21-23. “Under four things the earth cannot bear up….”

24-28. “Four things on earth are small but exceedingly wise….”

29-31. “Four things are stately in their stride…”

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Chapter 31 are the “words of King Lemuel, as his mother taught him.” Many believe this is Solomon writing the words of his mother, Bathsheba. (They were close, as seen in 1 Kings 1.) 

In verses 2-9, she seems to be scolding the King. Don’t give your strength to women (he has 1,000) or your brains to wine (it’s for the dying and grieving). Speak up for the poor, defend their rights!

(Young and old men alike…  this is good advice!)

Chapter 31:10-31 contains very familiar verses about a godly, strong, industrious, and loving wife.  “She is an excellent wife, far more precious than jewels.”   She treats her husband with honor and respect, “doing good for him all the days of our life.”

She’s a strong and willing worker. She rises before the sun to make breakfast for her household and works late into the night.

She shops, bargains, makes deals, sews clothing and household goods to wear and sell. 

“She opens her HAND to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.”   “She opens her MOUTH with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”  Verses 20, 26.“

“Her CHILDREN rise up and call her blessed; her HUSBAND also, and he praises her, ‘Many women have done excellently, but YOU surpass them all.'” Verse 28-29.

“Charm is deceitful,

and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the LORD

is to be praised.”

Proverbs 31:30

 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 172

Jun20

   Day 172—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading and continue in the History of Israel.

 Day 172 – 1 Kings 10-11, 2 Chronicles 9. (The Queen of Sheba pays a visit to Solomon, his great wealth, and his gradual turning from the LORD.)

News of Solomon’s wisdom and wealth had spread to Sheba (probably Ethiopia) and the Queen wanted to see for herself. She traveled about 1,200 miles to visit Solomon.  She came to hear about “the name of the LORD” and to test his wisdom with hard riddles.

The queen brought Solomon a ton-load of gifts (a hard task, for he had EVERYTHING!)  A very great quantity of mid-eastern spices (“never again came such an abundance of spices”) seemed to top the list, plus “very much” gold (about 4.5 tons) and precious stones. 

The queen told Israel’s king everything on her mind (nice that he let her speak first), and he answered all her questions.  These were riddles, trick questions, to “test” his advertised wisdom.  “There was nothing hidden to Solomon that he could not explain to her.” And she exclaims, 

“The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and your wisdom,
but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it.
And behold, the half was not told me.
Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard.
Happy are your men!
Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!
Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel!
Because the LORD loved Israel forever, He has made you king,
that you may execute justice and righteousness.”

I Kings 10:6-9

Besides what he got from the Queen of Sheba, King Hiram of Tyre brought Solomon gold from Ophir. The weight of the gold in one year was 666 talents (about 25 tons). He made and covered everything with gold, from his 600+ ceremonial shields to his own drinking cups. None were made of silver because silver was considered “nothing” in those days, “as common as stone in Jerusalem.”

Solomon also gathered 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen he stationed in his “chariot cities.”  “Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt… A chariot could be imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver and a horse for 150, so, through the king’s traders,, they were exported.” 1 Kings 10:28-29

And Solomon built for himself a magnificent throne. It was made of ivory and overlaid with pure gold. It had six wide steps and a footstool of gold. On each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, while twelve more lions stood there, one on each end of the steps. “Nothing like it was ever made for any kingdom.”  “Thus, King Solomon excelled over all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.”

This reminds me of God’s promise to Solomon the night he asked God for wisdom to rule His people. (1 Kings 3:10-13) “Behold, I give you a discerning mind so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.”

Unfortunately Solomon was not wise for himself.  i Kings 11:1  says that King Solomon loved many foreign women (Egyptian, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, Hittite) from the nations which the LORD had said Israel was NOT to intermarry with BECAUSE THEY WOULD SURELY TURN AWAY THEIR HEARTS AFTER THEIR PAGAN GODS. 

“Solomon clung to these in love (700 wives and 300 concubines), and they TURNED AWAY HIS HEART. For in his old age, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God…..

……as was the heart of David, his father.

(Read Deuteronomy 17:14-17 for God’s rule for Israel’s kings, about riches, horses, and wives.)

Solomon built high places for the gods of Moab and Ammon on the mountain east of Jerusalem.  And the LORD was angry with him and said to him, (1 Kings 11:10b-11) “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I WILL SURELY TEAR THE KINGDOM FROM YOU AND GIVE IT TO ANOTHER.

And the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon. Hadad the Edomite, and then Jeroboam from Ephraim.  One of God’s prophets told Jeroboam that he would tear 10 tribes from Solomon’s son, and reign in the North. 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 171

Jun19

   Day 171—We are in the sixth month of Bible reading.  We are reading in the book of ECCLESIASTES, the last of the books of “wisdom.”

 Day 171 – Ecclesiastes 7 – 12. (More wisdom, parables, & truth from Solomon.)

Chapters 7 and 10 are full of sayings that are reminiscent of the book of Proverbs. 

7:1 – A good name is better than precious ointment…

7:9 – Be not quick in your spirit to become angry…

7:20 reminds me of Romans 3:10-23: “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.”

In his old age, Solomon seems increasingly concerned with death. 8:8 “No man has the power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death.”  8:4-5 “…a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward…”

Solomon almost seems bitter in his advice to the young. 9:7-10.  “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that He has given you under the sun because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the grave), to which you are going.”

I chuckle at 10:20 about “a little birdy told me.”  “Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature will tell the matter.” 

Then, so very WISE advice to the young men that Solomon now seems to envy. 11:9 – “REJOICE, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all theses things God will bring you to judgment.”

Instead, 12:1 says, “REMEMBER also your Creator in the days of your youth…”

Then Solomon writes a beautiful but humorous allegory of extreme old age in 12:1b-7 See if you can see how he has pictured:

weak muscles and bones,

loose teeth,

dimmed eyesight,

hearing loss,

poor sleep,

fear of heights,

graying hair,

loss of desire,

a broken, bent back,

mind and heart failure,

and final death.

THEN, it seems as if he shakes himself from all this melancholy and writes an epilogue… and THE final word of wisdom.

He enjoyed teaching people knowledge, and studying and arranging many proverbs. He sought out words of delight and wrote words of truth. He cautions his son about seeking MORE than all this he has written and of “making many books of which there is no end.” You can almost hear Solomon sigh, “Much study is a weariness of the flesh.”

BUT the truth to remember in all this folly, vanity, and meaninglessness IS: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”