1 KINGS

Have been reading a Donald Wiseman commentary on 1 and 2 Kings and thought I would post a few scattered thoughts on the former book.

Chapter 1

v50: Adonijah, the son of king David, didn't even know the law of God, namely that someone guilty of a crime couldn't use the tabernacle for sanctuary as one could in other eastern countries. Much like most people today, Adonihjah thought the world's way was also God's way. 

Chapter 2

v5-9: Imagine how differently the history of the next several hundred years would have unfolded if David's last words to Solomon had been about marriage and how to resist the temptation to run after false gods rather than whom Solomon should and shouldn't seek vengeance upon.

v15: Adonijah says "... all Israel set their faces on me" when in actuality Adonijah only had his three buddies and fifty other hangers-on. This reminds me how politicians today will make it look as if there's a huge crowd attending a speech they're making when its really only a few people, most of whom are probably paid to be there. Similarly, you'll get a few people to a protest in favour of some abomination such as homosexuality and the media will focus on those people, making their side seem big, imposing and threatening. Meanwhile, the people who are protesting against the measure favouring homosexuals is actually a whole lot bigger than those who are for it.

Note that Hiram didn’t have a degree. He learned everything from his father.

 I think there is some significance to Solomon being paid 666 talents of gold, seeing as how materialistic the new world order is.

 Solomon got horses from Egypt, something the king was expressly forbidden from doing in Deuteronomy.

Chapter 11 

v11: The dynasty that was promised to David's descendants forever if they would keep God's commandments lasted one generation.

Chapter 12

v4: The people in ancient Israel are much like their descendants today: only caring about what the government will do for their financial situation.

v24: After the death of Solomon, the kingdom was divided. God hates it when His Israel people are divided. I’ve been reading about the Boer War and one of the things that strikes you when you read about that conflict is the remarkable amount of humanity both sides showed toward each other (except of course toward the end.) This is because both the English and the Dutch Afrikaners were of the tribes of true Israel.

v26-27: Jeroboam was typical of the politicians we see in our land today. His poll numbers were more important than the promises God had made to Jeroboam if Jeroboam would be obedient.

v28: Jeroboam was apparently ignorant of his people's history

v30: Jeroboam was like many ministers today in that to him, it was all right for the people to worship God in the way they saw fit instead of going to the temple in Jerusalem as God had commanded.

v31: With many Christians, it doesn't matter how despicable or lacking in character a minister is, so long as he talks a good game and makes the congregation feel happy.

v33: Man-ordained "feasts of God" today include Christmas and Easter.

Chapter 13

v4-6: Much like so many unbelievers, they mock and gnash their teeth at God and His prophets one minute, then pray to God and ask Christians to pray for them the next when they are in times of trouble and distress.

v18: This verse reminds me of the presumptuous way in which a lot of Christians act. They think God told or lead them to do something when it was really their own thoughts.

Chapter 14

v27: This verse makes me think how, nowadays, everybody from politicians, to people in the media industry, to people in high positions in many other areas of life are putting a brave face on the deteriorating nature of society when, in fact, the bloom has gone from the rose.

v28: The more ungodly a country gets, the more security is needed.

Chapter 15

v12: The good kings always kicked the sodomites out of the land. This of course included male temple prostitutes, but I think it extended to all homosexuals, or at least that’s what the text seems to indicate. Prime Ministers, premiers, presidents, and other leaders who truly want to follow God would be right in doing the same thing. The bottom line for dealing with the homosexuals in your country in a godly manner is one of three choices: either work on your homosexuality, repenting and forsaking that abomination; get out of the land; or get under the land.

v13-24: Though Asa was a good king, you don't get the sense of him having a deep personal relationship with the Lord the way David did. Evidence for this can be found in Asa's not tearing down the high places that were being used for godly worship as well as Asa's appeal for help from Ben-Hadad instead of his seeking God's guidance. 

Many so-called Christians today are like Asa. They may hate the idolatry and ungodliness taking place in our land today and may even speak out vehemently against it. They may even take action against it if they are in aposition to. However, they still put up with pagan festivals such as Christmas and Easter which society has converted to observances of things to do with Christ.

Additionally, just as Asa bribed Ben-Hadad to switch his allegiance from Israel to Judah, so to do these so-called Christians think the way to remove all the abominations currently infecting our nation is to petition our antichrist government.

Chapter 16

Read this chapter and note how, when a nation is ungodly, political instability results.

Chapter 21

v4: Ahab was truly an idiot and a big baby, another George W. Bush. His way of dealing with Naboth’s refusal to sell his vineyard was to lie on his bed, sulking and refusing all food.

Chapter 22

v8: Ahab also basically said, “I hate that prophet because he doesn’t say good things are going to happen.”

 A Jezebel spirit and an Ahab spirit are difficult to fight. A Jezebel-Ahab type couple is no couple I want to spend my time around.

v24: Zedekiah reminds me of the kind of arrogant preachers we have in the church today.