Happy New Year dear listeners! Please join us as we dive into 1 & 2 Kings. Kate called this a roller coaster ride and that is spot on! We see the rise and fall of God’s Kingdom through the rise and fall of His kings. These two books were originally one,  written in Israel’s exile to show WHY Israel was there.

From his deathbed, David tells Solomon, “... keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in His ways and keeping His statutes, His commandments, his rules, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses…” This connects with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” We must remember to put God first and keep Him there!

Solomon asks God for wisdom to rule His people. The Lord was pleased with his prayer. 

Sadly, that undivided focus on God changed, after he married 700 wives. Solomon was led into idol worship. His divided heart reminds us how important it is to guard ours.

There are a few righteous kings and many unrighteous, this goes with the narrow and wide gates Jesus talked about. Kate mentioned that we do not drift to the top. We must be intentional in order to live in a way pleasing to God, it doesn’t just happen. A few kings were focused on the Lord but many more were focused on themselves. 

The message of repent, renew, restore is how God gives us all hope. We realize He was with them long ago and He is with us today. What an awesome God we serve! We must trust Him and recognize the joy that we receive when we seek to please Him. May 2026 bring you into a deeper relationship with our wondrous Creator!