Tag: I Kings

Reflections on I Kings 19-22

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Elijah flees to the desert, and God shows his power.

  • Depression – Elijah is depressed. He has fought hard, and won the battle, but one opponent knocks him down.  Now he is weary and ready to give up.  How does God restore him?  With rest, food, exercise, the presence of God, a renewed purpose, and companionship.  How might these things help you when you are depressed?
  • God over all – The Syrian king thinks God is a God of the hills, but not of the valleys and plains. God shows himself God over all places.  He cannot be contained or limited to one place.  You can never go outside of his sphere of activity.  What struggles are you facing?  God is still God even in your place of struggle.  Trust in him and wait for him to act.

Reflections on I Kings 17-18

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

God raises up Elijah.  Observe:

  • Provision – God provides for Elijah during the drought through a brook and ravens. But then the brook dried up.  Are you trusting in God or the brooks that he gives you?  God then provided for Elijah through a widow in Sidon, the center of Ball worship.  How has God provided for you in unlikely ways?
  • Battle of the Gods – Baal is the god of rain, but God’s prophet Elijah says it won’t rain, and it doesn’t. Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a contest, and Baal again loses.  There is only one true all-powerful God.  Are you trusting in him or limping between God and something else?

Reflections on I Kings 15-16

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

We see here a contrast between several kings in Judah and Israel.  Consider:

  • Heart – Abijam’s heart was not wholly true to the Lord (15:3), but Asa’s heart was (15:14). How would you describe your heart?  What other things compete for your heart?  What would it look like to have a heart wholly true to God?
  • Right and Wrong – Asa did what was right in God’s sight (15:11), but Israel’s kings did what was evil in God’s sight (15:26, 34; 16:25, 30). Where do you see this contrast in our world today?  In your own life?

Reflections on I Kings 11-14

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

The kingdom splits into two, and both parts walk away from God.  Observe:

  • Folly – Rehoboam has the opportunity to reign as king over all of Israel, but he accepts bad advice and loses most of the people. Compare the advice from his two sets of counselors.  Why is one set of advice good and the other bad?  How can you know good advice from bad?  Where do you seek advice?  Where should you seek advice?  Why might you seek advice from older godly people?
  • Idolatry – God gives Jeroboam an opportunity to lead the northern kingdom, but Jeroboam leads the kingdom into idolatry. Judah, the southern kingdom, also enters into idolatry. Is someone leading you to live for or trust in something other than God?  Are you wandering from God into idolatry?  What idols are calling your name?

Reflections on I Kings 8-10

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Solomon dedicates the temple for the Lord.  Note:

  • The Glory of the Lord – After Solomon moves the ark into the temple, the glory of the Lord fills the temple – just as it filled the tabernacle earlier. Yet the temple can’t contain God, for God is greater.  Ponder the glory of the Lord and praise him!
  • Prayer – Solomon prays that God would hear the peoples’ prayers and forgive their sins that the people of the earth would know that the Lord is the one true God. What do you need to pray about?  What sins do you need to confess?  Are you seeking to spread the name of the Lord?

Reflections on I Kings 6-7

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Solomon builds the temple for the Lord.  Note:

  • God’s Presence – God chooses to dwell in the temple Solomon built (6:13). He chooses to dwell among the people of Israel.  Today the church is God’s temple, and he dwells among us.  What a privilege we have!  What a responsibility!
  • Obedience – Part of that responsibility is to walk in the ways of the Lord and obey his commands (6:12). Are you taking that responsibility seriously?

Reflections on I Kings 3-5

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Solomon asks for wisdom and prepares to build the temple.

  • Love the Lord – Solomon loves the Lord and walks in the ways of the Lord like David did (3:3). How is your love for the Lord?  How does your love motivate your obedience?
  • Wisdom – God offers to give Solomon whatever he wants. Solomon chooses wisdom.  What would you choose?  What does that say about your heart?

Reflections on I Kings 1-2

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

David makes Solomon the next king and charges him to be faithful to God.

  • Exalting Oneself – Adonijah exalted himself as the next king only to be humbled when David made Solomon king. Later Adonijah tried a new scheme to exalt himself as king, and it cost him his life.  Are you seeking to exalt yourself?  Will you humble yourself before the Lord and let him exalt you in his own way and time (James 4:10)?
  • Faithful to God – David charges Solomon to faithfully follow the ways of the Lord with all of his heart and soul (2:1-4). Are you faithfully following the ways of the Lord?  Does your heart desire to be faithful?  In what ways are you tempted to be unfaithful?

I Kings 1-5: The Call to Faithfulness

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(2) God wanted David’s descendants to walk before Him in faithfulness with all their heart and soul (v4).  What does faithfulness to God look like in the context of v3?

Why does faithfulness require us to pay close attention to ourselves (v4a)?  Do you?

Why is the phrase “with all their heart and soul” so significant to being faithful?  How would you describe your heart?

(2) David charged Solomon to be strong (v2).  Why is being strong essential to being faithful to God?

In what specific situations in your life do you need to be strong?

What hinders you from being strong?

Where does strength ultimately come from (Ephesians 6:10)?

(3) Solomon answered the call to faithfulness – loving the Lord and walking in His ways (v3).  How do “loving” and “walking” relate to each other (see also John 14:15)?

(3) God offered Solomon anything he wanted, and Solomon asked for wisdom.  Why is wisdom essential for faithfulness to God?

(3-4) Despite Solomon’s overall faithfulness, he followed the way of the world in two ways – he married Pharaoh’s daughter as part of a treaty (3:1) and amassed many horses for his army (4:26, see Deuteronomy 17:16).  From the world’s point of view, why do both of these things make sense?  What spiritual dangers do they bring?

In what ways are we tempted to follow the way of the world today instead of being faithful to God?

What principles from this study do we need to apply to our lives to help us overcome these temptations?