Devoted to Scripture

Day 114 of the podcast, reading 2 Kings 7-9 NET, read along at:

This is day 114 of our journey.

The king has threatened Elisha's life because of the siege of Syria, but Elisha prophecies a miraculous return to prosperity.  True to his promise, God strikes fear into the Syrian army and they flee for their lives abandoning food, treasure, horses, and every provision they possessed.  Israel plunders the camp...thus fulfilling Elisha's prophecy.

In Judah, Jehoshaphat died, so Jehoram, his son, became king.  Jehoram married a daughter of Ahab and led Judah in the wicked ways of King Ahab.  When he died, his son Ahaziah became king.  Ahaziah joined King Joram of Israel in battle.  While Ahaziah was with Joram, Elisha anointed Jehu to exact judgement on the line of Ahab and to take his place as king of Israel.  Jehu and his men assassinate King Joram, King Ahaziah, and Queen Jezebel, just as Elisha foretold.

Join me in 2 Kings 7-9 to see God moving in the land of Israel to judge the hearts of men.

Key verses:

2 Kings 7:6

2 Kings 8:18

2 Kings 9:22

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 113 of the podcast, reading 2 Kings 4-6 NET, read along at:

This is day 113 of our journey.

Today, we read about Elisha and the power that he was granted to perform miracles in the name of the Lord. These miracles were a blessing to all...whether rich or poor, Israelites or foreigners, individuals or even large groups of people.  Through the faithfulness of his servant Elisha, God overcame infertility, healed leprosy, raised the dead, removed poison, and even defied gravity.  In all these things, Elisha honored the Lord and recognized that it was God alone who did the work.

Despite the mighty works that God did through Elisha within the sight of the people, when Syria besieges Samaria and the food runs out across the land, Elisha is blamed.

Join me in 2 Kings 4-6 to hear story after story of Elisha's miracles.

Key verses:

2 Kings 4:35

2 Kings 5:14

2 Kings 6:16

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 112 of the podcast, reading 2 Kings 1-3 NET, read along at:

This is day 112 of our journey.

Second Kings continues the the story of Israel and Judah as they weather the rule of human kings. Ahaziah, king of Israel, was injured and sent messengers to seek Baal Zebub, god of Ekron, to ask if he would recover from his injuries. Elijah intercepts these messengers and tells Ahaziah that he will surely die from the injuries because he refused to acknowledge the God of Israel.  After dealing with Ahaziah, Elijah's ministry is complete. God calls him up to heaven and honors his faithful servant by ensuring that Elijah would never experience death. God sends a fiery chariot to pick him up and carry him away.  Before he goes, Elijah passes his blessing on to Elisha as his successor. Elisha receives the same power of God to perform miracles and speak the Word of the Lord.

Ahaziah is succeeded on the throne by his brother Jehoram because he had no son of his own.  Jehoram continues the ways of the kings of Israel, leading the people astray. Nevertheless, God uses him to punish Moab. Jehoram forms a military alliance with both King Jehoshaphat of Judah and the king of Edom before marching against Moab.  God provides a miraculous victory and they drive the Moabites back from their territory. Unfortunately, the anger of the Lord against the wickedness of Israel cuts the victory short.

Join me in 2 Kings 1-3 to continue the succession of kings and prophets.

Key verses:

2 Kings 1:3

2 Kings 2:9

2 Kings 3:7

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 111 of the podcast, reading 1 Kings 21-22 NET, read along at:

This is day 111 of our journey.

Ahab was the worst king in the history of Israel. As punishment for the king's wickedness, God enticed him to go to war with Syria. Ahab disguised himself for the battle to avoid being targeted by the Syrians, but he was killed during battle by a stray arrow.  He was succeeded by his son, Ahaziah, who followed his father's example and continued to do evil in the Lord's sight.

At the same time, in Judah, Jehoshaphat was crowned after the death of his father King Asa.  He continued his father's practice of seeking the Lord's approval in all he did, BUT he allowed himself to have associations with evil people.  As king, he chose to make peace with King Ahab of Israel.

Join me in 1 Kings 21-22 to see how God brings Ahab's ruin.

Key verses:

1 Kings 21:25

1 Kings 22:43

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 110 of the podcast, reading 1 Kings 18-20 NET, read along at:

This is day 110 of our journey.

After three years of drought and famine, Elijah returns to confront Ahab and the prophets of Baal. Elijah sets up a dramatic confrontation between God and Baal. Of course, God wins, and all the prophets of Baal are executed. The people of Israel cry out to the true God and he finally sends rain again. This great victory for God infuriates Jezebel and she seeks to execute Elijah. Elijah flees to the mountain of God where the Lord speaks encouragement to him in a soft whisper.

Meanwhile, Israel is assaulted by Ben Hadad of Syria.  The Lord intervenes and defends Israel, destroying the enemy army on two different occasions, but Ahab refuses to execute Ben Hadad and makes a covenant with the defeated king.  Because of this, the punishment that God had reserved for Syria and Ben Hadad would instead be visited upon Israel and Ahab.

Join me in 1 Kings 18-20 to see more evidence of the One True God.

Key verses:

1 Kings 18:39

1 Kings 19:12

1 Kings 20:42

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 109 of the podcast, reading 1 Kings 15-17 NET, read along at:

This is day 109 of our journey.

Today, we begin to study the long procession of kings in Judah and Israel.  Abijah, king of Judah, leads the Southern kingdom further astray, but his son Asa returns to the Lord and destroys many of the idols his father put up.  Meanwhile, in Israel, a chaotic and bloody progression of kings rise and fall from power. Nadab succeeds his father Jeroboam, but is assassinated by a man named Baasha who seizes the throne and wipes out the entire family of Jeroboam.  Baasha dies and leaves the throne to his son Elah, until Zimri, one of the kings most trusted military commanders, assassinates King Elah and purges his family line from Israel.  In response to the coup, a soldier named Omri takes control of the military and marches against Zimri only 7 days later. Upon seeing that he was defeated, King Zimri commits suicide and Omri claims the throne for himself.  Thus, the most evil dynasty in Israel begins. Our final king discussed in this chapter is Ahab, the son of Omri, who marries Jezebel from Sidon.

Though all these kings of Israel are walking away from God, God is NOT absent in Israel.  In the final part of our reading we are introduced to Elijah the prophet.  He foretells the coming of a drought and famine on the land as punishment for the evil, then he miraculously provides food for a Sidonian widow and her son, and even raises the son back to life after he dies.

Join me in 1 Kings 15-17 to see God at work in the lives of his people.

Key verses:

1 Kings 15:4

1 Kings 16:33

1 Kings 17:15

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 108 of the podcast, reading 1 Kings 12-14 NET, read along at:

This is day 108 of our journey.

After Solomon's death, his son Rehoboam became king.  Rehoboam was prideful and foolishly failed to listen to the requests of his people. As a result, the kingdom was split in two, with an Ephraimite named Jeroboam taking ten tribes to become the newly organized nation of Israel while the tribes of Judah and Benjamin maintained a separated kingdom that remained loyal to the Davidic line.  In Israel, Jeroboam feared that worshiping in Jerusalem would cause people to return to Rehoboam, so he erected two golden calves for the people to worship.  As a result of this idolatry, Jeroboam was told that his kingdom would be torn away from his family, and that eventually, Israel's sin would cause the whole nation to be taken into exile.  Jeroboam was in constant war with the house of Judah. While the southern kingdom made no serious effort militarily to regain power over the north, there was a long-lasting boundary dispute which lasted during the reigns of several kings.

Join me in 1 Kings 12-14 to hear about the dividing of the nation of Israel.

Key verses:

1 Kings 12:15

1 Kings 13:2

1 Kings 14:16

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 107 of the podcast, reading 1 Kings 10-11 NET, read along at:

This is day 107 of our journey.

News of the wealth and wisdom of Solomon spread rapidly throughout the world and many great kings and queens traveled to visit his kingdom to experience it for themselves.  Solomon never failed to exceed their expectations.  Solomon's wealth continued to grow to the point that even precious silver became commonplace and had very little value in Israel during Solomon's reign. Unfortunately, while Solomon had great wisdom, he didn't apply that wisdom in his own life.  He was driven by lust and was quick to become infatuated with women. Throughout his reign, he conducted himself like the pagan kings by building up a harem of 700 wives and 300 concubines!  Many of these women were from the surrounding nations and served other gods.  As God had warned Israel in ages past, marrying the daughters of foreign nations caused Solomon to lose sight of the true God as he began to worship their false idols as well.  For his idolatry, Solomon was told that the kingdom would be split in two and that his descendants would no longer rule the whole kingdom, but only a portion.

Join me in 1 Kings 10-11 to hear about Solomon's wealth & wisdom, his women & idolatry, and God's judgement on him.

Key verses:

1 Kings 10:23-24

1 Kings 11:9

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 106 of the podcast, reading 1 Kings 8-9 NET, read along at:

This is day 106 of our journey.

Upon the completion of the temple, Solomon arranges for the Ark of the Covenant and the other articles of worship to be brought to Jerusalem and put into their proper places within. It is a time of great rejoicing and celebrating. The number of sheep and cattle sacrificed was beyond measure. At the dedication of the temple, Solomon prays a prayer of blessing on the people, reminding them to always turn to God by way of this temple so that God will always look favorably on them. In turn, God speaks to Solomon and reestablishes his covenant to bless those that follow him fully, and curse those who reject him.

Join me in 1 Kings 8-9 to rejoice at the dedication of God's temple.

Key verses:

1 Kings 8:60

1 Kings 9:3

All Scriptures are from the NET.

Day 105 of the podcast, reading 1 Kings 6-7 NET, read along at:

This is day 105 of our journey.

Today we read of the major construction projects of King Solomon. First, Solomon took 7 years to build the Lord's temple. This was a great and beautiful building that was built by master craftsman and adorned with intricate carvings. At the end of this construction, Solomon began construction on his own royal palace. This construction took 13 years! The palace compound consisted of multiple buildings and was a much larger project than the temple. That being said, we also know (from 1 Chronicles 22) that David did much of the preparatory work for the temple and that his work helped to shorten the length of time required for its construction. May our dedication be first applied to building up Christ in our lives as the priority over building up ourselves.

Join me in 1 Kings 6-7 to see Solomon's great architectural wonders.

Key verses:

1 Kings 6:14

1 Kings 7:1

All Scriptures are from the NET.