Nowata Methodists Podcast

Ahab and Jezebel continue to steal the scene today as Elijah and then Micaiah face off against the king. Jehoshaphat, despite his teaming up with Ahab, is given a good report. Ben-hadad, despite aligning against the Lord’s people, gets away with his life. But a prophet, in a similar way to how Nathan used a story to have King David condemn himself, gets Ahab to see himself as deserving judgment. What rich teaching and history!

Speaking of richness, Proverbs 5 is desperately needed among Americans. I wish this was required teaching for all children and youth. What a tragedy that people in our country are routinely told to follow their heart’s desires, rather than to seek wisdom through self-denial. Lord, bring about a new season of humility and repentance!

1 Kings 20

Now Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he marched up, besieged Samaria, and waged war against it.

Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and your best wives and children are mine!’ ”

And the king of Israel replied, “Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have.”

The messengers came back and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have sent to you to demand your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.

But about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to search your palace and the houses of your servants. They will seize and carry away all that is precious to you.’ ”

Then the king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said, “Please take note and see that this man is looking for trouble, for when he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, I did not deny him.”

And the elders and the people all said, “Do not listen to him or consent to his terms.”

So Ahab answered the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you demanded of your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’ ”

So the messengers departed and relayed the message to Ben-hadad.

Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”

And the king of Israel replied, “Tell him: ‘The one putting on his armor should not boast like one taking it off.’ ”

Ben-hadad received this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents, and he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they stationed themselves against the city.

Meanwhile a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do you see this entire great army? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this very day, and you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”

“By whom?” Ahab asked.

And the prophet replied, “This is what the LORD says: ‘By the young officers of the district governors.’ ”

“Who will start the battle?” asked Ahab.

“You will,” answered the prophet.

So Ahab assembled the young officers of the district governors, and there were 232 men. And after them, he assembled the rest of the Israelite troops, 7,000 in all.

They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk. And the young officers of the district governors marched out first.

Now Ben-hadad had sent out scouts, who reported to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”

“If they have marched out in peace,” he said, “take them alive. Even if they have marched out for war, take them alive.”

Meanwhile, these young officers of the district governors marched out of the city, with the army behind them,

and each one struck down his opponent. So the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with the cavalry.

Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the horses and chariots, inflicting a great slaughter on the Arameans.

Afterward, the prophet approached the king of Israel and said, “Go and strengthen your position, and take note what you must do, for in the spring the king of Aram will come up against you.”

Meanwhile, the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they prevailed over us. Instead, we should fight them on the plains; surely then we will prevail.

So do this: Dismiss all the kings from their positions and replace them with other officers.

And you must raise an army like the one you have lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight the Israelites on the plain, where we will surely prevail.”

And the king approved their plan and acted accordingly.

In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. The Israelites also mobilized, gathered supplies, and marched out to meet them.

The Israelites camped before them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.

Then the man of God approached the king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the valleys, I will deliver all this great army into your hand. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”

For seven days the armies camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle ensued, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans—a hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.

The rest of them fled into the city of Aphek, where the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled to the city and hid in an inner room.

Then the servants of Ben-hadad said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go out to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

So with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’ ”

And the king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, and they quickly grasped at this word and replied, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.”

“Go and get him!” said the king.

Then Ben-hadad came out, and Ahab had him come up into his chariot.

Ben-hadad said to him, “I will restore the cities my father took from your father; you may set up your own marketplaces in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”

“By this treaty I release you,” Ahab replied. So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.

Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!”

But the man refused to strike him.

Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.”

And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.

Then the prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please!”

So the man struck him and wounded him,

and the prophet went and waited on the road for the king, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.

As the king passed by, he cried out to the king: “Your servant had marched out into the middle of the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told me, ‘Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of silver.’

But while your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.”

And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you have pronounced it on yourself.”

Then the prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

And the prophet said to the king, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have let slip from your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, your life will be exchanged for his life, and your people for his people.’ ”

Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went home to Samaria.

1 Kings 21

Some time later, Naboth the Jezreelite happened to own a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place—or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.”

But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

So Ahab went to his palace, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had told him, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He lay down on his bed, turned his face away, and refused to eat.

Soon his wife Jezebel came in and asked, “Why are you so sullen that you refuse to eat?”

Ahab answered, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and told him, ‘Give me your vineyard for silver, or if you wish, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ And he replied, ‘I will not give you my vineyard!’ ”

But his wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you not reign over Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful, for I will get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

Then Jezebel wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. In the letters she wrote:

“Proclaim a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people.

But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify, ‘You have cursed both God and the king!’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”

So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel had instructed in the letters she had written to them.

They proclaimed a fast and gave Naboth a seat of honor among the people.

And the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!”

So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.

Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”

When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, who refused to give it to you for silver. For Naboth is no longer alive, but dead.”

And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

“Get up and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. See, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, of which he has gone to take possession.

Tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Have you not murdered a man and seized his land?’

Then tell him that this is also what the LORD says: ‘In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, there also the dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”

When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, “So you have found me out, my enemy.”

He replied, “I have found you out because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD.

This is what the LORD says:

‘I will bring calamity on you

and consume your descendants;

I will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel,

both slave and free.

I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat

and like that of Baasha son of Ahijah,

because you have provoked My anger

and caused Israel to sin.’

And the LORD also speaks concerning Jezebel:

‘The dogs will devour Jezebel

by the wall of Jezreel.’

Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city

will be eaten by dogs,

and anyone who dies in the field

will be eaten by the birds of the air.”

(Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel.

He committed the most detestable acts by going after idols, just like the Amorites whom the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.)

When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying:

“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity during his days, but I will bring it upon his house in the days of his son.”

1 Kings 22

Then three years passed without war between Aram and Israel.

However, in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel,

who said to his servants, “Do you not know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?”

So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth-gilead?”

Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, “I am like you, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.”

But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.”

So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?”

“Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can inquire?”

The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

“The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.

So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.”

Dressed in royal attire, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them.

Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are finished off.’ ”

And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold now, with one accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”

But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will speak whatever the LORD tells me.”

When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?”

“Go up and triumph,” Micaiah replied, “for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.”

But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?”

So Micaiah declared:

“I saw all Israel scattered on the hills

like sheep without a shepherd.

And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master;

let each one return home in peace.’ ”

Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?”

Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left.

And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’

And one suggested this, and another that.

Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’

‘By what means?’ asked the LORD.

And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’

‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’

So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”

Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me to speak with you?”

Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.”

And the king of Israel declared, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son,

and tell them that this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.’ ”

But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take heed, all you people!”

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.”

When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “Surely this is the king of Israel!” So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out.

And when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

However, a certain man drew his bow without taking special aim, and he struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So the king said to his charioteer, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!”

The battle raged throughout that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. And the blood from his wound ran out onto the floor of the chariot, and that evening he died.

As the sun was setting, the cry rang out in the army:

“Every man to his own city,

and every man to his own land!”

So the king died and was brought to Samaria, where they buried him.

And the chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria where the prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked up Ahab’s blood, according to the word that the LORD had spoken.

As for the rest of the acts of Ahab, along with all his accomplishments and the ivory palace and all the cities he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

And Ahab rested with his fathers, and his son Ahaziah reigned in his place.

In the fourth year of Ahab’s reign over Israel, Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah.

Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

And Jehoshaphat walked in all the ways of his father Asa; he did not turn away from them, but did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.

The high places, however, were not removed; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

As for the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, along with the might he exercised and how he waged war, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

He banished from the land the male shrine prostitutes who remained from the days of his father Asa. And there was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king.

Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail, because they were wrecked at Ezion-geber.

At that time Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants sail with your servants,” but Jehoshaphat refused.

And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his father David. And his son Jehoram reigned in his place.

In the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria two years.

And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father and mother and of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin.

Ahaziah served and worshiped Baal, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done.

Proverbs 4

Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;

pay attention and gain understanding.

For I give you sound teaching;

do not abandon my directive.

When I was a son to my father,

tender and the only child of my mother,

he taught me and said,

“Let your heart lay hold of my words;

keep my commands and you will live.

Get wisdom, get understanding;

do not forget my words or turn from them.

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you;

love her, and she will guard you.

Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom.

And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding.

Prize her, and she will exalt you;

if you embrace her, she will honor you.

She will set a garland of grace on your head;

she will present you with a crown of beauty.”

Listen, my son, and receive my words,

and the years of your life will be many.

I will guide you in the way of wisdom;

I will lead you on straight paths.

When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;

when you run, you will not stumble.

Hold on to instruction; do not let go.

Guard it, for it is your life.

Do not set foot on the path of the wicked

or walk in the way of evildoers.

Avoid it; do not travel on it.

Turn from it and pass on by.

For they cannot sleep

unless they do evil;

they are deprived of slumber

until they make someone fall.

For they eat the bread of wickedness

and drink the wine of violence.

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,

shining brighter and brighter until midday.

But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom;

they do not know what makes them stumble.

My son, pay attention to my words;

incline your ear to my sayings.

Do not lose sight of them;

keep them within your heart.

For they are life to those who find them,

and health to the whole body.

Guard your heart with all diligence,

for from it flow springs of life.

Put away deception from your mouth;

keep your lips from perverse speech.

Let your eyes look forward;

fix your gaze straight ahead.

Make a level path for your feet,

and all your ways will be sure.

Do not swerve to the right or to the left;

turn your feet away from evil.

Proverbs 5

My son, pay attention to my wisdom;

incline your ear to my insight,

that you may maintain discretion

and your lips may preserve knowledge.

Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey

and her speech is smoother than oil,

in the end she is bitter as wormwood,

sharp as a double-edged sword.

Her feet go down to death;

her steps lead straight to Sheol.

She does not consider the path of life;

she does not know that her ways are unstable.

So now, my sons, listen to me,

and do not turn aside from the words of my mouth.

Keep your path far from her;

do not go near the door of her house,

lest you concede your vigor to others,

and your years to one who is cruel;

lest strangers feast on your wealth,

and your labors enrich the house of a foreigner.

At the end of your life you will groan

when your flesh and your body are spent,

and you will say, “How I hated discipline,

and my heart despised reproof!

I did not listen to the voice of my teachers

or incline my ear to my mentors.

I am on the brink of utter ruin

in the midst of the whole assembly.”

Drink water from your own cistern,

and running water from your own well.

Why should your springs flow in the streets,

your streams of water in the public squares?

Let them be yours alone,

never to be shared with strangers.

May your fountain be blessed,

and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth:

A loving doe, a graceful fawn—

may her breasts satisfy you always;

may you be captivated by her love forever.

Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress,

or embrace the bosom of a stranger?

For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD,

and the LORD examines all his paths.

The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him;

the cords of his sin entangle him.

He dies for lack of discipline,

led astray by his own great folly.

Today we meet the prophet Elijah. But before that, it is important for you to know, if you don’t already, that at this point the people of God are separated into two kingdoms, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Each has its own kings, and the dates of the reigns of each are told us based on how many years the other king had been reigning. The Southern Kingdom proceeds down the lineage of David, while we see that the Northern Kingdom is plagued by constant overthrow due to the wickedness of their kings.

Elijah is raised up by the Lord to execute his justice upon the wicked King Ahab and his evil wife, Jezebel. His victory over the priests of Baal is then followed up by great depression, feeling as though he is the only one left to rightly serve the Lord. God gives him comfort, as he comforts us today.

The last two chapters of James recall the story of Elijah, whose powerful prayers were enough to affect the weather. We are likewise exhorted to use this power given us through prayer, but warned that it is only efficacious when done rightly. How do we pray rightly? Well, that’s a huge part of why we are reading through the scriptures. Let the Holy Spirit instruct you in these things as you dwell upon the Word.

1 Kings 16

Then the word of the LORD came to Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha, saying:

“Even though I lifted you out of the dust and made you ruler over My people Israel, you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have caused My people Israel to sin and to provoke Me to anger by their sins.

So now I will consume Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat:

Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city

will be eaten by dogs,

and anyone who dies in the field

will be eaten by the birds of the air.”

As for the rest of the acts of Baasha, along with his accomplishments and might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

And Baasha rested with his fathers and was buried in Tirzah, and his son Elah reigned in his place.

Moreover, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger with the work of his hands and becoming like the house of Jeroboam, and also because Baasha had struck down the house of Jeroboam.

In the twenty-sixth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah two years.

However, while Elah was in Tirzah getting drunk in the house of Arza the steward of his household there, Elah’s servant Zimri, the commander of half his chariots, conspired against him.

So in the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri went in, struck Elah down, and killed him. And Zimri reigned in his place.

As soon as Zimri began to reign and was seated on the throne, he struck down the entire household of Baasha. He did not leave a single male, whether a kinsman or friend.

So Zimri destroyed the entire household of Baasha, according to the word that the LORD had spoken against Baasha through Jehu the prophet.

This happened because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.

As for the rest of the acts of Elah, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

In the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah for seven days. Now the troops were encamped against Gibbethon of the Philistines,

and the people in the camp heard that Zimri had not only conspired but had also struck down the king. So there in the camp that very day, all Israel proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel.

Then Omri and all the Israelites marched up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah.

When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he entered the citadel of the royal palace and burned it down upon himself. So he died

because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the sight of the LORD and following the example of Jeroboam and the sin he had committed and had caused Israel to commit.

As for the rest of the acts of Zimri and the treason he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

At that time the people of Israel were divided: Half of the people supported Tibni son of Ginath as king, and half supported Omri.

But the followers of Omri proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.

In the thirty-first year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.

He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city there, calling it Samaria after the name of Shemer, who had owned the hill.

But Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD and acted more wickedly than all who were before him.

For he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sins, which he caused Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.

As for the rest of the acts of Omri, along with his accomplishments and the might he exercised, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

And Omri rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab reigned in his place.

In the thirty-eighth year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twenty-two years.

However, Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him.

And as if it were not enough for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he even married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and he then proceeded to serve and worship Baal.

First, Ahab set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he had built in Samaria.

Then he set up an Asherah pole. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.

In Ahab’s days, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his youngest he set up its gates, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.

1 Kings 17

Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”

Then a revelation from the LORD came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan.

And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

So Elijah did what the LORD had told him, and he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan.

The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook.

Some time later, however, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Get up and go to Zarephath of Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, so that I may drink.”

And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread.”

But she replied, “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die.”

“Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to her. “Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have, and bring it out to me. Afterward, make some for yourself and your son,

for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain upon the face of the earth.’ ”

So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and there was food every day for Elijah and the woman and her household.

The jar of flour was not exhausted and the jug of oil did not run dry, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Elijah.

Later, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill, and his sickness grew worse and worse, until no breath remained in him.

“O man of God,” said the woman to Elijah, “what have you done to me? Have you come to remind me of my iniquity and cause the death of my son?”

But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.”

So he took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.

Then he cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on this widow who has opened her home to me, by causing her son to die?”

Then he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, please let this boy’s life return to him!”

And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah, and the child’s life returned to him, and he lived.

Then Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. “Look, your son is alive,” Elijah declared.

Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is truth.”

1 Kings 18

After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.”

So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria, and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace.

(Now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD,

for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)

Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to every spring and every valley. Perhaps we will find grass to keep the horses and mules alive so that we will not have to destroy any livestock.”

So they divided the land to explore. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.

Now as Obadiah went on his way, Elijah suddenly met him. When Obadiah recognized him, he fell facedown and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”

“It is I,” he answered. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here!’ ”

But Obadiah replied, “How have I sinned, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to put me to death?

As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent someone to search for you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made that kingdom or nation swear that they had not found you.

And now you say, ‘Go tell your master that Elijah is here!’

I do not know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off when I leave you. Then when I go and tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. But I, your servant, have feared the LORD from my youth.

Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred prophets of the LORD, fifty men per cave, and I provided them with food and water.

And now you say, ‘Go tell your lord that Elijah is here!’ He will kill me!”

Then Elijah said, “As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will present myself to Ahab today.”

So Obadiah went to inform Ahab, who went to meet Elijah. When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”

“I have not troubled Israel,” Elijah replied, “but you and your father’s house have, for you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.

Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.

Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people did not answer a word.

Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.

Get two bulls for us. Let the prophets of Baal choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. And I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire.

Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.”

And all the people answered, “What you say is good.”

Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.”

And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!”

But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.

At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!”

So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed over them.

Midday passed, and they kept on raving until the time of the evening sacrifice. But there was no response; no one answered, no one paid attention.

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down.

And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come and said, “Israel shall be your name.”

And with the stones, Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.

Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots and pour the water on the offering and on the wood.”

“Do it a second time,” he said, and they did it a second time.

“Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time.

So the water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.

At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.

Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.”

Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.

When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”

Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.

And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”

So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees.

“Go and look toward the sea,” he said to his servant.

So the servant went and looked, and he said, “There is nothing there.”

Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”

On the seventh time the servant reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.”

And Elijah replied, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”

Meanwhile, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.

And the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

1 Kings 19

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.

So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the lives of those you killed!”

And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,

while he himself traveled on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep.

Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”

And he looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.

A second time the angel of the LORD returned and touched him, saying, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.”

So he got up and ate and drank. And strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

There Elijah entered a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

“I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.”

Then the LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by.”

And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.

After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.

And after the fire came a still, small voice.

When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

“I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.”

Then the LORD said to him, “Go back by the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram.

You are also to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah to succeed you as prophet.

Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu.

Nevertheless, I have reserved seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

So Elijah departed and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve teams of oxen, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah passed by him and threw his cloak around him.

So Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and then I will follow you.”

“Go on back,” Elijah replied, “for what have I done to you?”

So Elisha turned back from him, took his pair of oxen, and slaughtered them. With the oxen’s equipment, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow and serve Elijah.

James 4

What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?

You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.

And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.

You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.

Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy? But He gives us more grace. This is why it says:

“God opposes the proud,

but gives grace to the humble.”

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it.

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.”

You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.

Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.

James 5

Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes.

Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire.

You have hoarded treasure in the last days.

Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.

You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous, who did not resist you.

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.

You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!

Brothers, as an example of patience in affliction, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment.

Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.

Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.

Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.

Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.

My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,

consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

History starts moving a bit faster in today’s readings. Solomon’s reign, despite all this wisdom he had, gets marred by disobedience and willfulness on his part. The Northern Kingdom splits from Judah when Solomon’s son biffs his chance at holding the Israelites together. From there, political intrigue takes hold and dynasties collide across the Ancient Near East.

The wisdom of Proverbs is self-evident, but also worthy of much rumination and meditation. Take the time. It pays off in dividends, as the scripture makes quite explicit.

1 Kings 11

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women.

These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love.

He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart away.

For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been.

Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

So Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD; unlike his father David, he did not follow the LORD completely.

At that time on a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites.

He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

Now the LORD grew angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

Although He had warned Solomon explicitly not to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command.

Then the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.

Nevertheless, for the sake of your father David, I will not do it during your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

Then the LORD raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom.

Earlier, when David was in Edom, Joab the commander of the army had gone to bury the dead and had struck down every male in Edom.

Joab and all Israel had stayed there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom.

But Hadad, still just a young boy, had fled to Egypt, along with some Edomites who were servants of his father.

Hadad and his men set out from Midian and went to Paran. They took men from Paran with them and went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food.

There Hadad found such great favor in the sight of Pharaoh that he gave to him in marriage the sister of Queen Tahpenes, his own wife.

And the sister of Tahpenes bore Hadad a son named Genubath. Tahpenes herself weaned him in Pharaoh’s palace, and Genubath lived there among the sons of Pharaoh.

When Hadad heard in Egypt that David had rested with his fathers and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead, he said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, that I may return to my own country.”

But Pharaoh asked him, “What have you lacked here with me that you suddenly want to go back to your own country?”

“Nothing,” Hadad replied, “but please let me go.”

And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah,

and had gathered men to himself. When David killed the Zobaites, Rezon captained a band of raiders and went to Damascus, where they settled and gained control.

Rezon was Israel’s enemy throughout the days of Solomon, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled over Aram with hostility toward Israel.

Now Jeroboam son of Nebat was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon, but he rebelled against the king,

and this is the account of his rebellion against the king.

Solomon had built the supporting terraces and repaired the gap in the wall of the city of his father David.

Now Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. So when Solomon noticed that the young man was industrious, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph.

During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field.

And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces,

and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes.

But one tribe will remain for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.

For they have forsaken Me to worship Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in My ways, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept My statutes and judgments, as Solomon’s father David did.

Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David My servant, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and statutes.

But I will take ten tribes of the kingdom from the hand of his son and give them to you.

I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My Name.

But as for you, I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your heart desires, and you will be king over Israel.

If you listen to all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight in order to keep My statutes and commandments as My servant David did, then I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

Because of this, I will humble David’s descendants—but not forever.’ ”

Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, where he remained until the death of Solomon.

As for the rest of the acts of Solomon—all that he did, as well as his wisdom—are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon?

Thus the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. And his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.

1 Kings 12

Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king.

When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about this, he was still in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since.

So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel came to Rehoboam and said,

“Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you should lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people departed.

Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked.

They replied, “If you will be a servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will respond by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”

But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him.

He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”

The young men who had grown up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you should make it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist!

Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’ ”

After three days, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.”

And the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the elders

and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.”

So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.

When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king:

“What portion do we have in David,

and what inheritance in the son of Jesse?

To your tents, O Israel!

Look now to your own house, O David!”

So the Israelites went home,

but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.

Then King Rehoboam sent out Adoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Jerusalem.

So to this day Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David.

When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.

And when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against the house of Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.

But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: “Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people

that this is what the LORD says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you must return home, for this word is from Me.’ ”

So they listened to the word of the LORD and turned back according to the word of the LORD.

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And from there he went out and built Penuel.

Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom might revert to the house of David.

If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, their hearts will return to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah; then they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.

Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places and appointed from every class of people priests who were not Levites.

And Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had set up, and he installed priests in Bethel for the high places he had set up.

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had set up in Bethel. So he ordained a feast for the Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.

1 Kings 13

Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD.

And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David, and upon you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and human bones will be burned upon you.’ ”

That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’ ”

Now when King Jeroboam, who was at the altar in Bethel, heard the word that the man of God had cried out against it, he stretched out his hand and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward him withered, so that he could not pull it back.

And the altar was split apart, and the ashes poured out, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

Then the king responded to the man of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray that my hand may be restored.”

So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him as it was before.

Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”

But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your possessions, I still would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.

For this is what I was commanded by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’ ”

So the man of God went another way and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.

Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words that the man had spoken to the king.

“Which way did he go?” their father asked.

And his sons showed him the way taken by the man of God, who had come from Judah.

So the prophet said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.”

Then they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it

and went after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”

“I am,” he replied.

So the prophet said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some bread.”

But the man replied, “I cannot return with you or eat bread or drink water with you in this place.

For I have been told by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’ ”

Then the prophet replied, “I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ”

The old prophet was lying to him,

but the man of God went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.

While they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back,

and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God gave you,

but you went back and ate bread and drank water in the place where He told you not to do so, your body shall never reach the tomb of your fathers.’ ”

And after the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet who had brought him back saddled the donkey for him.

As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.

And there were men passing by who saw the body lying in the road with the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported this in the city where the old prophet lived.

When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard this, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the command of the LORD. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, and it has mauled him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to him.”

Then the old prophet instructed his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it,

and he went and found the body lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey.

So the old prophet lifted up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him.

Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they lamented over him, “Oh, my brother!”

After he had buried him, the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones,

for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass.”

Even after these events, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone who desired to be a priest of the high places.

And this was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its extermination and destruction from the face of the earth.

1 Kings 14

At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill,

and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Now get up, disguise yourself so they will not recognize you as my wife, and go to Shiloh. For Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who spoke about my kingship over this people.

Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will become of the boy.”

Jeroboam’s wife did as instructed; she arose and went to Shiloh and arrived at Ahijah’s house. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age.

But the LORD had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill. You are to say such and such to her, because when she arrives, she will be disguised.”

So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised? For I have been sent to you with bad news.

Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over My people Israel.

I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. But you were not like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes.

You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me, and you have flung Me behind your back.

Because of all this, behold, I am bringing disaster on the house of Jeroboam:

I will cut off from Jeroboam every male,

both slave and free,

in Israel;

I will burn up the house of Jeroboam

as one burns up dung until it is gone!

Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city

will be eaten by dogs,

and anyone who dies in the field

will be eaten by the birds of the air.’

For the LORD has spoken.

As for you, get up and go home. When your feet enter the city, the child will die.

All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. For this is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will receive a proper burial, because only in him has the LORD, the God of Israel, found any good in the house of Jeroboam.

Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day—yes, even today!

For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger.

So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.”

Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and departed for Tirzah, and as soon as she stepped over the threshold of the house, the boy died.

And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

As for the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he waged war and how he reigned, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

And the length of Jeroboam’s reign was twenty-two years, and he rested with his fathers, and his son Nadab reigned in his place.

Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon reigned in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel in which to put His Name. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.

And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and by the sins they committed they provoked Him to jealous anger more than all their fathers had done.

They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak king of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem.

He seized the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields that Solomon had made.

Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them to the care of the captains of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace.

And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would bear the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom.

As for the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, along with all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days.

And Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David; his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And his son Abijam reigned in his place.

1 Kings 15

In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

And Abijam walked in all the sins that his father before him had committed, and his heart was not as fully devoted to the LORD his God as the heart of David his forefather had been.

Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and to make Jerusalem strong.

For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from anything the LORD commanded all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

And there was war between the houses of Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Abijam’s life.

As for the rest of the acts of Abijam, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

And Abijam rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David, and his son Asa reigned in his place.

In the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Asa became king of Judah,

and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom.

And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done.

He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

He also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

The high places were not removed, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted to the LORD all his days.

And he brought into the house of the LORD the silver and gold and other articles that he and his father had dedicated.

Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their days.

Baasha king of Israel went to war against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace. He entrusted it to his servants and sent them with this message to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus:

“Let there be a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”

And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and the whole land of Naphtali, including the region of Chinnereth.

When Baasha learned of this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah.

Then King Asa summoned all the men of Judah, with no exceptions, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these materials King Asa built up Geba of Benjamin, as well as Mizpah.

Now the rest of the acts of Asa, along with all his might, all his accomplishments, and the cities he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? In his old age, however, he became diseased in his feet.

And Asa rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his father David, and his son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.

In the second year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel, and he reigned two years.

And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.

Then Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against Nadab, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon of the Philistines while Nadab and all Israel were besieging the city.

In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha killed Nadab and reigned in his place.

As soon as Baasha became king, he struck down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, but destroyed them all according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite,

because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he had provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.

As for the rest of the acts of Nadab, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

And there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their days.

In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel, and he reigned in Tirzah twenty-four years.

And Baasha did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.

Proverbs 3

My son, do not forget my teaching,

but let your heart keep my commandments;

for they will add length to your days,

years and peace to your life.

Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.

Then you will find favor and high regard

in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make your paths straight.

Be not wise in your own eyes;

fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

This will bring healing to your body

and refreshment to your bones.

Honor the LORD with your wealth

and with the firstfruits of all your harvest;

then your barns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will overflow with new wine.

My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD,

and do not loathe His rebuke;

for the LORD disciplines the one He loves,

as does a father the son in whom he delights.

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,

the man who acquires understanding,

for she is more profitable than silver,

and her gain is better than fine gold.

She is more precious than rubies;

nothing you desire compares with her.

Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

All her ways are pleasant,

and all her paths are peaceful.

She is a tree of life to those who embrace her,

and those who lay hold of her are blessed.

The LORD founded the earth by wisdom

and established the heavens by understanding.

By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open,

and the clouds dripped with dew.

My son, do not lose sight of this:

Preserve sound judgment and discernment.

They will be life to your soul

and adornment to your neck.

Then you will go on your way in safety,

and your foot will not stumble.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.

Do not fear sudden danger

or the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

for the LORD will be your confidence

and will keep your foot from the snare.

Do not withhold good from the deserving

when it is within your power to act.

Do not tell your neighbor,

“Come back tomorrow and I will provide”—

when you already have the means.

Do not devise evil against your neighbor,

for he trustfully dwells beside you.

Do not accuse a man without cause,

when he has done you no harm.

Do not envy a violent man

or choose any of his ways;

for the LORD detests the perverse,

but He is a friend to the upright.

The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,

but He blesses the home of the righteous.

He mocks the mockers,

but gives grace to the humble.

The wise will inherit honor,

but fools are held up to shame.

What was the high point of Israelite history? For many, it was the early days of Solomon’s reign. This time of great wealth and honor was quite impressive for the little Kingdom. Suddenly it seems to have been the center of the world, with the nations coming to give honor the LORD and his anointed king, just as prophecies laid out would be the fulfillment of God’s purposes in the world. The Temple was built and completed, and God promised to put his Name there forever.

Sadly, there have been many chapters since then. Lots of betrayal and abandonment towards the Lord. Lots of punishment from the Lord, successful only in bringing about small times of contrition.

While it is sad, it isn’t unfortunate. The insufficiency of Solomon’s reign resulted in a perfect man coming to fulfill what Solomon could not. It is only because of the failure of those who came before that the coming of Jesus accomplished what it did.

Don’t miss the former times, the times when things we easier, when you had more money and comfort, when you had more friends. These things do not save. It is God alone who saves. Put your trust in him rather than friends, family, or fortune. That is where true eternal joy lies.

1 Kings 6

In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt, in the month of Ziv, the second month of the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, he began to build the house of the LORD.

The house that King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high.

The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple was twenty cubits long, extending across the width of the temple and projecting out ten cubits in front of the temple.

He also had narrow windows framed high in the temple.

Against the walls of the temple and the inner sanctuary, Solomon built a chambered structure around the temple, in which he constructed the side rooms.

The bottom floor was five cubits wide, the middle floor six cubits, and the third floor seven cubits. He also placed offset ledges around the outside of the temple, so that nothing would be inserted into its walls.

The temple was constructed using finished stones cut at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any other iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.

The entrance to the bottom floor was on the south side of the temple. A stairway led up to the middle level, and from there to the third floor.

So Solomon built the temple and finished it, roofing it with beams and planks of cedar.

He built chambers all along the temple, each five cubits high and attached to the temple with beams of cedar.

Then the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying:

“As for this temple you are building, if you walk in My statutes, carry out My ordinances, and keep all My commandments by walking in them, I will fulfill through you the promise I made to your father David.

And I will dwell among the Israelites and will not abandon My people Israel.”

So Solomon built the temple and finished it.

He lined the interior walls with cedar paneling from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and he covered the floor with cypress boards.

He partitioned off the twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place.

And the main hall in front of this room was forty cubits long.

The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; not a stone could be seen.

Solomon also prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there.

The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.

So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold.

So he overlaid with gold the whole interior of the temple, until everything was completely finished. He also overlaid with gold the entire altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.

In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim, each ten cubits high, out of olive wood.

One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing was five cubits long as well. So the full wingspan was ten cubits.

The second cherub also measured ten cubits; both cherubim had the same size and shape, and the height of each cherub was ten cubits.

And he placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple. Since their wings were spread out, the wing of the first cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the second cherub touched the other wall, and in the middle of the room their wingtips touched.

He also overlaid the cherubim with gold.

Then he carved the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.

And he overlaid the temple floor with gold in both the inner and outer sanctuaries.

For the entrance to the inner sanctuary, Solomon constructed doors of olive wood with five-sided doorposts.

The double doors were made of olive wood, and he carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.

In the same way he made four-sided doorposts of olive wood for the sanctuary entrance. The two doors were made of cypress wood, and each had two folding panels.

He carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold, hammered evenly over the carvings.

Solomon built the inner courtyard with three rows of dressed stone and one row of trimmed cedar beams.

The foundation of the house of the LORD was laid in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, in the month of Ziv.

In his eleventh year and eighth month, the month of Bul, the temple was finished in every detail and according to every specification. So he built the temple in seven years.

1 Kings 7

Solomon, however, took thirteen years to complete the construction of his entire palace.

He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high, with four rows of cedar pillars supporting the cedar beams.

The house was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the pillars—forty-five beams, fifteen per row.

There were three rows of high windows facing one another in three tiers. All the doorways had rectangular frames, with the openings facing one another in three tiers.

Solomon made his colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide, with a portico in front of it and a canopy with pillars in front of the portico.

In addition, he built a hall for the throne, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge. It was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.

And the palace where Solomon would live, set further back, was of similar construction. He also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.

All these buildings were constructed with costly stones, cut to size and trimmed with saws inside and out from the foundation to the eaves, and from the outside to the great courtyard.

The foundations were laid with large, costly stones, some ten cubits long and some eight cubits long. Above these were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams.

The great courtyard was surrounded by three rows of dressed stone and a row of trimmed cedar beams, as were the inner courtyard and portico of the house of the LORD.

Now King Solomon sent to bring Huram from Tyre.

He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a craftsman in bronze. Huram had great skill, understanding, and knowledge for every kind of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and carried out all his work.

He cast two pillars of bronze, each eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.

He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on top of the pillars, each capital five cubits high.

For the capitals on top of the pillars he made a network of lattice, with wreaths of chainwork, seven for each capital.

Likewise, he made the pillars with two rows of pomegranates around each grating to cover each capital atop the pillars.

And the capitals atop the pillars in the portico were shaped like lilies, four cubits high.

On the capitals of both pillars, just above the rounded projection next to the network, were the two hundred pomegranates in rows encircling each capital.

Thus he set up the pillars at the portico of the temple. The pillar to the south he named Jachin, and the pillar to the north he named Boaz.

And the tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the work of the pillars was completed.

He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference.

Below the rim, ornamental buds encircled it, ten per cubit all the way around the Sea, cast in two rows as a part of the Sea.

The Sea stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea rested on them, with all their hindquarters toward the center.

It was a handbreadth thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold two thousand baths.

In addition, he made ten movable stands of bronze, each four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high.

This was the design of the stands: They had side panels attached to uprights,

and on the panels between the uprights were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the uprights was a pedestal above, and below the lions and oxen were wreaths of beveled work.

Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and a basin resting on four supports, with wreaths at each side.

The opening to each stand inside the crown at the top was one cubit deep, with a round opening like the design of a pedestal, a cubit and a half wide. And around its opening were engravings, but the panels of the stands were square, not round.

There were four wheels under the panels, and the axles of the wheels were attached to the stand; each wheel was a cubit and a half in diameter.

The wheels were made like chariot wheels; their axles, rims, spokes, and hubs were all of cast metal.

Each stand had four handles, one for each corner, projecting from the stand.

At the top of each stand was a circular band half a cubit high. The supports and panels were cast as a unit with the top of the stand.

He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and panels, wherever each had space, with wreaths all around.

In this way he made the ten stands, each with the same casting, dimensions, and shape.

He also made ten bronze basins, each holding forty baths and measuring four cubits across, one basin for each of the ten stands.

He set five stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north, and he put the Sea on the south side, at the southeast corner of the temple.

Additionally, Huram made the pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls.

So Huram finished all the work that he had undertaken for King Solomon in the house of the LORD:

the two pillars;

the two bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars;

the two sets of network covering both bowls of the capitals atop the pillars;

the four hundred pomegranates for the two sets of network (two rows of pomegranates for each network covering both the bowl-shaped capitals atop the pillars);

the ten stands;

the ten basins on the stands;

the Sea;

the twelve oxen underneath the Sea;

and the pots, shovels, and sprinkling bowls.

All the articles that Huram made for King Solomon in the house of the LORD were made of burnished bronze.

The king had them cast in clay molds in the plain of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan.

Solomon left all these articles unweighed, because there were so many. The weight of the bronze could not be determined.

Solomon also made all the furnishings for the house of the LORD:

the golden altar;

the golden table on which was placed the Bread of the Presence;

the lampstands of pure gold in front of the inner sanctuary, five on the right side and five on the left;

the gold flowers, lamps, and tongs;

the pure gold basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, ladles, and censers;

and the gold hinges for the doors of the inner temple (that is, the Most Holy Place ) as well as for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

So all the work that King Solomon had performed for the house of the LORD was completed.

Then Solomon brought in the items his father David had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.

1 Kings 8

At that time Solomon assembled before him in Jerusalem the elders of Israel—all the tribal heads and family leaders of the Israelites—to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Zion, the City of David.

And all the men of Israel came together to King Solomon at the feast in the seventh month, the month of Ethanim.

When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took up the ark,

and they brought up the ark of the LORD and the Tent of Meeting with all its sacred furnishings. So the priests and Levites carried them up.

There, before the ark, King Solomon and the whole congregation of Israel who had assembled with him sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.

Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, beneath the wings of the cherubim.

For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and overshadowed the ark and its poles.

The poles extended far enough that their ends were visible from the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are there to this day.

There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites after they had come out of the land of Egypt.

And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD

so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

Then Solomon declared:

“The LORD has said that He would dwell

in the thick cloud.

I have indeed built You an exalted house,

a place for You to dwell forever.”

And as the whole assembly of Israel stood there, the king turned around and blessed them all and said:

“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has fulfilled with His own hand what He spoke with His mouth to my father David, saying,

‘Since the day I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house so that My Name would be there. But I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’

Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Since it was in your heart to build a house for My Name, you have done well to have this in your heart.

Nevertheless, you are not the one to build it; but your son, your own offspring, will build the house for My Name.’

Now the LORD has fulfilled the word that He spoke. I have succeeded my father David, and I sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built the house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

And there I have provided a place for the ark, which contains the covenant of the LORD that He made with our fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven, and said:

“O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below, keeping Your covenant of loving devotion with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.

You have kept Your promise to Your servant, my father David. What You spoke with Your mouth You have fulfilled with Your hand this day.

Therefore now, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for Your servant, my father David, what You promised when You said: ‘You will never fail to have a man to sit before Me on the throne of Israel, if only your descendants guard their way to walk before Me as you have done.’

And now, O God of Israel, please confirm what You promised to Your servant, my father David.

But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.

Yet regard the prayer and plea of Your servant, O LORD my God, so that You may hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying before You today.

May Your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that You may hear the prayer that Your servant prays toward this place.

Hear the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. May You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place. May You hear and forgive.

When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple,

then may You hear from heaven and act. May You judge Your servants, condemning the wicked man by bringing down on his own head what he has done, and justifying the righteous man by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and they return to You and confess Your name, praying and pleading with You in this temple,

then may You hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel. May You restore them to the land You gave to their fathers.

When the skies are shut and there is no rain because Your people have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and they turn from their sins because You have afflicted them,

then may You hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, so that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk. May You send rain on the land that You gave Your people as an inheritance.

When famine or plague comes upon the land, or blight or mildew or locusts or grasshoppers, or when their enemy besieges them in their cities, whatever plague or sickness may come,

then may whatever prayer or petition Your people Israel make—each knowing his own afflictions and spreading out his hands toward this temple—

be heard by You from heaven, Your dwelling place. And may You forgive and act, and repay each man according to all his ways, since You know his heart—for You alone know the hearts of all men—

so that they may fear You all the days they live in the land that You gave to our fathers.

And as for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of Your name—

for they will hear of Your great name and mighty hand and outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple,

then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You. Then all the peoples of the earth will know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and they will know that this house I have built is called by Your Name.

When Your people go to war against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the LORD in the direction of the city You have chosen and the house I have built for Your Name,

then may You hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and may You uphold their cause.

When they sin against You—for there is no one who does not sin—and You become angry with them and deliver them to an enemy who takes them as captives to his own land, whether far or near,

and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’

and when they return to You with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them captive, and when they pray to You in the direction of the land that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house I have built for Your Name,

then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, their prayer and petition, and may You uphold their cause.

May You forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all the transgressions they have committed against You, and may You grant them compassion in the eyes of their captors to show them mercy.

For they are Your people and Your inheritance; You brought them out of Egypt, out of the furnace for iron.

May Your eyes be open to the pleas of Your servant and of Your people Israel, and may You listen to them whenever they call to You.

For You, O Lord GOD, as Your inheritance, have set them apart from all the peoples of the earth, as You spoke through Your servant Moses when You brought our fathers out of Egypt.”

Now when Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the LORD, he got up before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.

And he stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:

“Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel according to all that He promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises He made through His servant Moses.

May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He never leave us nor forsake us.

May He incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep the commandments and statutes and ordinances He commanded our fathers.

And may these words with which I have made my petition before the LORD be near to the LORD our God day and night, so that He may uphold the cause of His servant and of His people Israel as each day requires,

so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God. There is no other!

So let your heart be fully devoted to the LORD our God, as it is this day, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments.”

Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the LORD.

And Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the house of the LORD.

On that same day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard in front of the house of the LORD, and there he offered the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, since the bronze altar before the LORD was too small to contain all these offerings.

So at that time Solomon and all Israel with him—a great assembly of people from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt—kept the feast before the LORD our God for seven days and seven more days—fourteen days in all.

On the fifteenth day Solomon sent the people away. So they blessed the king and went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things that the LORD had done for His servant David and for His people Israel.

1 Kings 9

Now when Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all that he had desired to do, the LORD appeared to him a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon.

And the LORD said to him:

“I have heard your prayer and petition before Me. I have consecrated this temple you have built by putting My Name there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.

And as for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, with a heart of integrity and uprightness, doing all I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and ordinances,

then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised your father David when I said, ‘You will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’

But if indeed you or your sons turn away from following Me and do not keep the commandments and statutes I have set before you, and if you go off to serve and worship other gods,

then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. Then Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all peoples.

And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’

And others will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—because of this, the LORD has brought all this disaster upon them.’ ”

Now at the end of the twenty years during which Solomon built these two houses, the house of the LORD and the royal palace,

King Solomon gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, who had supplied him with cedar and cypress logs and gold for his every desire.

So Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the towns that Solomon had given him, but he was not pleased with them.

“What are these towns you have given me, my brother?” asked Hiram, and he called them the Land of Cabul, as they are called to this day.

And Hiram had sent the king 120 talents of gold.

This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.

So Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower Beth-horon, Baalath, and Tamar in the Wilderness of Judah,

as well as all the store cities that Solomon had for his chariots and horses —whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the land of his dominion.

As for all the people who remained of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (the people who were not Israelites)—

their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to devote to destruction —Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.

But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slavery, because they were his men of war, his servants, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.

They were also the chief officers over Solomon’s projects: 550 supervisors over the people who did the work.

As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her, he built the supporting terraces.

Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for the LORD, burning incense with them before the LORD. So he completed the temple.

King Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.

And Hiram sent his servants, men who knew the sea, to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s servants.

They sailed to Ophir and imported gold from there—420 talents —and delivered it to Solomon.

1 Kings 10

Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions.

She arrived in Jerusalem with a very large caravan—with camels bearing spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones.

So she came to Solomon and spoke to him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain.

When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the palace he had built,

the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants and cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.

She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and wisdom is true.

But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told to me. Your wisdom and prosperity have far exceeded the report I heard.

How blessed are your men! How blessed are these servants of yours who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!

Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, He has made you king to carry out justice and righteousness.”

Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again was such an abundance of spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

(The fleet of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir also brought from Ophir a great cargo of almug wood and precious stones.

The king made the almug wood into steps for the house of the LORD and for the king’s palace, and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before had such almug wood been brought in, nor has such been seen to this day.)

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired—whatever she asked—besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned to her own country, along with her servants.

The weight of gold that came to Solomon each year was 666 talents, not including the revenue from the merchants, traders, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.

King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield.

He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

Additionally, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold.

The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, with a lion standing beside each armrest.

Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like this had ever been made for any kingdom.

All King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.

For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. The whole world sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.

Year after year, each visitor would bring his tribute: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.

The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.

Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.

A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. Likewise, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram.

Proverbs 2

My son, if you accept my words

and hide my commandments within you,

if you incline your ear to wisdom

and direct your heart to understanding,

if you truly call out to insight

and lift your voice to understanding,

if you seek it like silver

and search it out like hidden treasure,

then you will discern the fear of the LORD

and discover the knowledge of God.

For the LORD gives wisdom;

from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,

to guard the paths of justice

and protect the way of His saints.

Then you will discern righteousness

and justice and equity—every good path.

For wisdom will enter your heart,

and knowledge will delight your soul.

Discretion will watch over you,

and understanding will guard you,

to deliver you from the way of evil,

from the man who speaks perversity,

from those who leave the straight paths

to walk in the ways of darkness,

from those who enjoy doing evil

and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,

whose paths are crooked

and whose ways are devious.

It will rescue you from the forbidden woman,

from the stranger with seductive words

who abandons the partner of her youth

and forgets the covenant of her God.

For her house sinks down to death,

and her tracks to the departed spirits.

None who go to her return

or negotiate the paths of life.

So you will follow in the ways of the good,

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

For the upright will inhabit the land,

and the blameless will remain in it;

but the wicked will be cut off from the land,

and the unfaithful will be uprooted.

Our reading today begins with the end of King David’s reign and the beginning of his son Solomon’s. What struck me as I read it this time is how mundane so much of this seems, with palace intrigue and political maneuverings. Yet when this history is recalled, what is quite clear is that God’s hand is in it all. Today we often have the notion that, if something is political, then it cannot be of God. Yet, if God is the God of history, then that means he is actively involved in political things.

It would be a mistake to think of America as the new Israel, somehow supplanting his promises to his chosen people. Even so, God works all things for the good of those who love him. He has protected his people and made a place for them even in the most hostile of kingdoms. Just today, I was watching a report on the state of Christians in the Sudan. God has been faithful.

And if God is faithful, then we should be, too. Solomon, in his first chapter of Proverbs, reminds us that it is never wise to give in to evildoers, or to join our hands with them in doing of evil. It doesn’t matter how common or rational it is. Don’t do it. We are called to be extremists for righteousness. The only way to figure out what that looks like is to do what you’re doing right now: reading your bible. Keep it up!

1 Kings 1

Now King David was old and well along in years, and though they covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.

So his servants said to him, “Let us search for a young virgin for our lord the king, to attend to him and care for him and lie by his side to keep him warm.”

Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.

The girl was unsurpassed in beauty; she cared for the king and served him, but he had no relations with her.

At that time Adonijah, David’s son by Haggith, began to exalt himself, saying, “I will be king!” And he acquired chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run ahead of him.

(His father had never once reprimanded him by saying, “Why do you act this way?” Adonijah was also very handsome, born next after Absalom.)

So Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, who supported him.

But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men would not join Adonijah.

And Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened calves near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah who were servants of the king.

But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother Solomon.

Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, and our lord David does not know it?

Now please, come and let me advise you. Save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.

Go at once to King David and say, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your maidservant, “Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’

Then, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”

So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. Since the king was very old, Abishag the Shunammite was serving him.

And Bathsheba bowed down in homage to the king, who asked, “What is your desire?”

“My lord,” she replied, “you yourself swore to your maidservant by the LORD your God: ‘Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.’

But now, behold, Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, did not know it.

And he has sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the other sons of the king, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army. But he did not invite your servant Solomon.

And as for you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be counted as criminals.”

And just then, while Bathsheba was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived.

So the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” And Nathan went in and bowed facedown before the king.

“My lord the king,” said Nathan, “did you say, ‘Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne’?

For today he has gone down and sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’

But me your servant he did not invite, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon.

Has my lord the king let this happen without informing your servant who should sit on the throne after my lord the king?”

Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba for me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.

And the king swore an oath, saying, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,

I will carry out this very day exactly what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

Bathsheba bowed facedown in homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

Then King David said, “Call in for me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king.

“Take my servants with you,” said the king. “Set my son Solomon on my own mule and take him down to Gihon.

There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him king over Israel. You are to blow the ram’s horn and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’

Then you shall go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. For I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”

“Amen,” replied Benaiah son of Jehoiada. “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare it.

Just as the LORD was with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon and make his throne even greater than that of my lord King David.”

Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, went down and set Solomon on King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon.

Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!”

All the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth was split by the sound.

Now Adonijah and all his guests were finishing their feast when they heard the sound of the ram’s horn. “Why is the city in such a loud uproar?” asked Joab.

As he was speaking, suddenly Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. “Come in,” said Adonijah, “for you are a man of valor. You must be bringing good news.”

“Not at all,” Jonathan replied. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king.

And with Solomon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with the Cherethites and Pelethites, and they have set him on the king’s mule.

Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there with rejoicing that rings out in the city. That is the noise you hear.

Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne.

The king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than your own name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’

And the king has bowed in worship on his bed,

saying, ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel! Today He has provided one to sit on my throne, and my eyes have seen it.’ ”

At this, all the guests of Adonijah arose in terror and scattered. But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar.

It was reported to Solomon: “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first swear to me not to put his servant to the sword.’ ”

And Solomon replied, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground. But if evil is found in him, he will die.”

So King Solomon summoned Adonijah down from the altar, and he came and bowed down before King Solomon, who said to him, “Go to your home.”

1 Kings 2

As the time drew near for David to die, he charged his son Solomon, “I am about to go the way of all the earth. So be strong and prove yourself a man.

And keep the charge of the LORD your God to walk in His ways and to keep His statutes, commandments, ordinances, and decrees, as is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you turn,

and so that the LORD may fulfill His promise to me: ‘If your descendants take heed to walk faithfully before Me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’

Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.

So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.

But show loving devotion to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, because they stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

Keep an eye on Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim who is with you. He called down bitter curses against me on the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: ‘I will never put you to the sword.’

Now therefore, do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You know what you ought to do to him to bring his gray head down to Sheol in blood.”

Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.

Now Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she asked, “Do you come in peace?”

“Yes, in peace,” he replied.

Then he said, “I have something to tell you.”

“Say it,” she answered.

“You know that the kingship was mine,” he said. “All Israel expected that I should reign, but the kingship has turned to my brother, for it has come to him from the LORD.

So now I have just one request of you; do not deny me.”

“State your request,” she told him.

Adonijah replied, “Please speak to King Solomon, since he will not turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

“Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”

So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. Then the king had a throne brought for his mother, who sat down at his right hand.

“I have just one small request of you,” she said. “Do not deny me.”

“Make your request, my mother,” the king replied, “for I will not deny you.”

So Bathsheba said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”

King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my older brother, you might as well request the kingdom for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.

And now, as surely as the LORD lives—the One who established me, who set me on the throne of my father David, and who founded for me a dynasty as He promised—surely Adonijah shall be put to death today!”

So King Solomon sent the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.

Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.”

So Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.

When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah but not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar.

It was reported to King Solomon: “Joab has fled to the tent of the LORD and is now beside the altar.”

So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down!”

And Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’ ”

But Joab replied, “No, I will die here.”

So Benaiah relayed the message to the king, saying, “This is how Joab answered me.”

And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed.

The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army.

Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.”

So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, struck down Joab, and killed him. He was buried at his own home in the wilderness.

And the king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada in Joab’s place over the army, and he appointed Zadok the priest in Abiathar’s place.

Then the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else.

On the day you go out and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”

“The sentence is fair,” Shimei replied. “Your servant will do as my lord the king has spoken.” And Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.

After three years, however, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And Shimei was told, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.”

So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves, and he brought them back from Gath.

When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned,

the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD and warn you, ‘On the day you leave and go elsewhere, know for sure that you will die’? And you told me, ‘The sentence is fair; I will comply.’

So why have you not kept your oath to the LORD and the command that I gave you?”

The king also said, “You know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore the LORD will bring your evil back upon your head.

But King Solomon will be blessed and David’s throne will remain secure before the LORD forever.”

Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon.

1 Kings 3

Later, Solomon formed an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. Solomon brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his palace and the house of the LORD, as well as the wall around Jerusalem.

The people, however, were still sacrificing on the high places because a house for the Name of the LORD had not yet been built.

And Solomon loved the LORD and walked in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for it was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar there.

One night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”

Solomon replied, “You have shown much loving devotion to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart. And You have maintained this loving devotion by giving him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. But I am only a little child, not knowing how to go out or come in.

Your servant is here among the people You have chosen, a people too numerous to count or number.

Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”

Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had made this request.

So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this instead of requesting long life or wealth for yourself or death for your enemies—but you have asked for discernment to administer justice—

behold, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has never been nor will ever be another like you.

Moreover, I will give you what you did not request—both riches and honor—so that during all your days no man in any kingdom will be your equal.

So if you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commandments, just as your father David did, I will prolong your days.”

Then Solomon awoke, and indeed it had been a dream. So he returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then he held a feast for all his servants.

At that time two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house.

On the third day after I gave birth, this woman also had a baby. We were alone, with no one in the house but the two of us.

During the night this woman’s son died because she rolled over on him.

So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She laid him in her bosom and put her dead son at my bosom.

The next morning, when I got up to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. But when I examined him, I realized that he was not the son I had borne.”

“No,” said the other woman, “the living one is my son and the dead one is your son.”

But the first woman insisted, “No, the dead one is yours and the living one is mine.” So they argued before the king.

Then the king replied, “This woman says, ‘My son is alive and yours is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead and mine is alive.’ ”

The king continued, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought him a sword, and the king declared, “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

Then the woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she yearned with compassion for her son. “Please, my lord,” she said, “give her the living baby. Do not kill him!”

But the other woman said, “He will be neither mine nor yours. Cut him in two!”

Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. By no means should you kill him; she is his mother.”

When all Israel heard of the judgment the king had given, they stood in awe of him, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

1 Kings 4

So King Solomon ruled over Israel, and these were his chief officials:

Azariah son of Zadok was the priest;

Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were secretaries;

Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the army;

Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

Azariah son of Nathan was in charge of the governors;

Zabud son of Nathan was a priest and adviser to the king;

Ahishar was in charge of the palace;

and Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.

Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year, and these were their names:

Ben-hur in the hill country of Ephraim;

Ben-deker in Makaz, in Shaalbim, in Beth-shemesh, and in Elon-beth-hanan;

Ben-hesed in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher belonged to him);

Ben-abinadab in Naphath-dor (Taphath, a daughter of Solomon, was his wife);

Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;

Ben-geber in Ramoth-gilead (the villages of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead belonged to him, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan with its sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars);

Ahinadab son of Iddo in Mahanaim;

Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he had married Basemath, a daughter of Solomon);

Baana son of Hushai in Asher and in Aloth;

Jehoshaphat son of Paruah in Issachar;

Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin;

Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead, including the territories of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan.

There was also one governor in the land of Judah.

The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and they were eating and drinking and rejoicing.

And Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These kingdoms offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

Solomon’s provisions for a single day were thirty cors of fine flour, sixty cors of meal,

ten fat oxen, twenty range oxen, and a hundred sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened poultry.

For Solomon had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates —over all the kingdoms from Tiphsah to Gaza—and he had peace on all sides.

Throughout the days of Solomon, Judah and Israel dwelt securely from Dan to Beersheba, each man under his own vine and his own fig tree.

Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses.

Each month the governors in turn provided food for King Solomon and all who came to his table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking.

Each one also brought to the required place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and other horses.

And God gave Solomon wisdom, exceedingly deep insight, and understanding beyond measure, like the sand on the seashore.

Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the men of the East, greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.

He was wiser than all men—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and wiser than Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread throughout the surrounding nations.

Solomon composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.

He spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.

So men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

1 Kings 5

Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David.

And Solomon relayed this message to Hiram:

“As you are well aware, due to the wars waged on all sides against my father David, he could not build a house for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD had put his enemies under his feet.

But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or crisis.

So behold, I plan to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD said to my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the house for My Name.’

Now therefore, order that cedars of Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, for you know that there are none among us as skilled in logging as the Sidonians.”

When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this day! He has given David a wise son over this great people!”

Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying:

“I have received your message; I will do all you desire regarding the cedar and cypress timber.

My servants will haul the logs from Lebanon to the Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”

So Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted,

and year after year Solomon would provide Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household, as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil.

And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.

Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel.

He sent them to Lebanon in monthly shifts of 10,000 men, so that they would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.

Solomon had 70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, not including his 3,300 foremen who supervised the workers.

And the king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones.

So Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the construction of the temple.

Proverbs 1

These are the proverbs of Solomon son of David,

king of Israel,

for gaining wisdom and discipline,

for comprehending words of insight,

and for receiving instruction in wise living

and in righteousness, justice, and equity.

To impart prudence to the simple

and knowledge and discretion to the young,

let the wise listen and gain instruction,

and the discerning acquire wise counsel

by understanding the proverbs and parables,

the sayings and riddles of the wise.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction,

and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.

For they are a garland of grace on your head

and a pendant around your neck.

My son, if sinners entice you,

do not yield to them.

If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood,

let us ambush the innocent without cause,

let us swallow them alive like Sheol,

and whole like those descending into the Pit.

We will find all manner of precious goods;

we will fill our houses with plunder.

Throw in your lot with us;

let us all share one purse”—

my son, do not walk the road with them

or set foot upon their path.

For their feet run to evil,

and they are swift to shed blood.

How futile it is to spread the net

where any bird can see it!

But they lie in wait for their own blood;

they ambush their own lives.

Such is the fate of all who are greedy,

whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.

Wisdom calls out in the street,

she lifts her voice in the square;

in the main concourse she cries aloud,

at the city gates she makes her speech:

“How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways?

How long will scoffers delight in their scorn

and fools hate knowledge?

If you had repented at my rebuke,

then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you;

I would have made my words known to you.

Because you refused my call,

and no one took my outstretched hand,

because you neglected all my counsel,

and wanted none of my correction,

in turn I will mock your calamity;

I will sneer when terror strikes you,

when your dread comes like a storm,

and your destruction like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish overwhelm you.

Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;

they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me.

For they hated knowledge

and chose not to fear the LORD.

They accepted none of my counsel;

they despised all my reproof.

So they will eat the fruit of their own way,

and be filled with their own devices.

For the waywardness of the simple will slay them,

and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

But whoever listens to me will dwell in safety,

secure from the fear of evil.”

"If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth." - Deuteronomy 23:21-23

Vows, commitments, & covenants. Things we make to one another and to organizations quite often. How important are these things and how should we view them as followers of Christ?

Episode 100! Man, this has been a good daily discipline.

Today we cover the last days of Jesus on earth. It goes by so quickly. It is by far my favorite account of the resurrection among the gospels. I would love to be able to go back in time and see it. It is also the only gospel account of certain holy people being raised from the dead, corresponding with this earthquake caused at Jesus’ death. Weird and beautiful stuff. God bless you as you take it in.

Matthew 26

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, He told His disciples, “You know that the Passover is two days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him. “But not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,

a woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He reclined at the table.

When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and asked, “Why this waste? This perfume could have been sold at a high price, and the money given to the poor.”

Aware of this, Jesus asked, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful deed to Me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me.

By pouring this perfume on Me, she has prepared My body for burial.

Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests

and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver.

So from then on Judas looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

He answered, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him that the Teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will keep the Passover with My disciples at your house.’ ”

So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

When evening came, Jesus was reclining with the twelve disciples. And while they were eating, He said to them, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”

They were deeply grieved and began to ask Him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”

Jesus answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with Me will betray Me.

The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

Then Judas, who would betray Him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?”

Jesus answered, “You have said it yourself.”

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”

Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Then Jesus said to them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of Me. For it is written:

‘I will strike the Shepherd,

and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

Peter said to Him, “Even if all fall away on account of You, I never will.”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus declared, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

Peter replied, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the other disciples said the same thing.

At that time Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.

Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”

Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter.

“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

A second time He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.”

And again Jesus returned and found them sleeping—for their eyes were heavy.

So He left them and went away once more and prayed a third time, saying the same thing.

Then He returned to the disciples and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Rise, let us go! See, My betrayer is approaching!”

While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and elders of the people.

Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him.” Going directly to Jesus, he said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

“Friend,” Jesus replied, “do what you came for.”

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus, and arrested Him.

At this, one of Jesus’ companions drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him. “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.

Are you not aware that I can call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”

At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw? Every day I sat teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest Me.

But this has all happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.”

Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.

Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered.

But Peter followed Him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. And he went in and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.

Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death.

But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.

Finally two came forward and declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ ”

So the high priest stood up and asked Him, “Have You no answer? What are these men testifying against You?”

But Jesus remained silent.

Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”

“You have said it yourself,” Jesus answered. “But I say to all of you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”

“He deserves to die,” they answered.

Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit You?”

Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said.

But he denied it before them all: “I do not know what you are talking about.”

When Peter had gone out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man!”

After a little while, those standing nearby came up to Peter. “Surely you are one of them,” they said, “for your accent gives you away.”

At that he began to curse and swear to them, “I do not know the man!”

And immediately a rooster crowed.

Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Matthew 27

When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death. They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.

When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.

“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said.

“What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”

So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.”

After conferring together, they used the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

“They took the thirty pieces of silver,

the price set on Him by the people of Israel,

and they gave them for the potter’s field,

as the Lord had commanded me.”

Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of the Jews?”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer.

Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not hear how many charges they are bringing against You?”

But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.

Now it was the governor’s custom at the feast to release to the crowd a prisoner of their choosing. At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner named Barabbas.

So when the crowd had assembled, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”

For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.

While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.”

But the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus put to death.

“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they replied.

“What then should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify Him!”

“Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?”

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”

When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”

All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

So Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.

And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand and knelt down before Him to mock Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

Then they spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head repeatedly.

After they had mocked Him, they removed the robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.

Along the way they found a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.

And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull, they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.

When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.

Above His head they posted the written charge against Him:

THIS IS JESUS,

THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right hand and the other on His left.

And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads

and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”

In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying,

“He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.

He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

In the same way, even the robbers who were crucified with Him berated Him.

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He is calling Elijah.”

One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed, and held it up for Jesus to drink.

But the others said, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him.”

When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit.

At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.

The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.

After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

And many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to minister to Him.

Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself was a disciple of Jesus.

He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,

and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate.

“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’

So give the order that the tomb be secured until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him away and tell the people He has risen from the dead. And this last deception would be worse than the first.”

“You have a guard,” Pilate said. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.

Matthew 28

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it.

His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards trembled in fear of him and became like dead men.

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay.

Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ See, I have told you.”

So they hurried away from the tomb in fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples.

Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him.

“Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened.

And after the chief priests had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money

and instructed them: “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’

If this report reaches the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”

So the guards took the money and did as they were instructed. And this account has been circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Meanwhile, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Proverbs 29

A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof

will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery.

When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice,

but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,

but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

By justice a king brings stability to the land,

but a man who exacts tribute demolishes it.

A man who flatters his neighbor

spreads a net for his feet.

An evil man is caught by his own sin,

but a righteous one sings and rejoices.

The righteous consider the cause of the poor,

but the wicked have no regard for such concerns.

Mockers inflame a city,

but the wise turn away anger.

If a wise man goes to court with a fool,

there will be raving and laughing with no resolution.

Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man,

but the upright care for his life.

A fool vents all his anger,

but a wise man holds it back.

If a ruler listens to lies,

all his officials will be wicked.

The poor man and the oppressor have this in common:

The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.

A king who judges the poor with fairness—

his throne will be established forever.

A rod of correction imparts wisdom,

but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

When the wicked thrive, rebellion increases;

but the righteous will see their downfall.

Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;

he will bring delight to your soul.

Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint;

but blessed is he who keeps the Law.

A servant cannot be corrected by words alone;

though he understands, he will not respond.

Do you see a man who speaks in haste?

There is more hope for a fool than for him.

A servant pampered from his youth

will bring grief in the end.

An angry man stirs up dissension,

and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.

A man’s pride will bring him low,

but a humble spirit will obtain honor.

A partner to a thief hates his own soul;

he receives the oath, but does not testify.

The fear of man is a snare,

but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.

Many seek the ruler’s favor,

but a man receives justice from the LORD.

An unjust man is detestable to the righteous,

and one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked.

We spend the entire time today in the Gospel of Matthew. Lots of rich stuff. Some apocalyptic stuff. Some stuff warning about different kinds of sin. Ways of thinking about how God’s justice is executed now and on the Day of Judgment. Why did Jesus condemn the Pharisees? Does this have any bearing on modern Judaism, which is an outgrowth of Pharisaic Judaism after the fall of Jerusalem. How much of Jesus’s apocalyptic prophecy was satisfied when the Second Temple was destroyed? All of these questions and many more are volunteered in this section. Ask the questions! Receive the answers.

Matthew 20

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’

So they went.

He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.

About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ he asked.

‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

So he told them, ‘You also go into my vineyard.’

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and moving on to the first.’

The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.

So when the original workers came, they assumed they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius.

On receiving their pay, they began to grumble against the landowner.

‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’

But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me on one denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you.

Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside and said,

“Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death

and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. And on the third day He will be raised to life.”

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him.

“What do you want?” He inquired.

She answered, “Declare that in Your kingdom one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right hand, and the other at Your left.”

“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” the brothers answered.

“You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.”

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.

But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them.

It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave—

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

And there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

The crowd admonished them to be silent, but they cried out all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want Me to do for you?” He asked.

“Lord,” they answered, “let our eyes be opened.”

Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and at once they received their sight and followed Him.

Matthew 21

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two disciples,

saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt beside her. Untie them and bring them to Me.

If anyone questions you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to the Daughter of Zion,

‘See, your King comes to you,

gentle and riding on a donkey,

on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”

So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.

A massive crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest!”

When Jesus had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds replied, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Then Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves.

And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them.

But the chief priests and scribes were indignant when they saw the wonders He performed and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked.

“Yes,” Jesus answered. “Have you never read:

‘From the mouths of children and infants

You have ordained praise’?”

Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night.

In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, He was hungry.

Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.

When the disciples saw this, they marveled and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

When Jesus returned to the temple courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?”

“I will also ask you one question,” Jesus replied, “and if you answer Me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

What was the source of John’s baptism? Was it from heaven or from men?”

They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered, “We do not know.”

And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went.

Then the man went to the second son and told him the same thing.

‘I will, sir,’ he said. But he did not go.

Which of the two did the will of his father?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.

For John came to you in a righteous way and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit. But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group. But the tenants did the same to them.

Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.’

So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard returns, what will he do to those tenants?”

“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and will rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the fruit at harvest time.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

‘The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

This is from the Lord,

and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

When the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that Jesus was speaking about them.

Although they wanted to arrest Him, they were afraid of the crowds, because the people regarded Him as a prophet.

Matthew 22

Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come.

Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.

The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.

Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’

So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’

But the man was speechless.

Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words.

They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance.

So tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

But Jesus knew their evil intent and said, “You hypocrites, why are you testing Me? Show Me the coin used for the tax.”

And they brought Him a denarius.

“Whose image is this,” He asked, “and whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they answered.

So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

And when they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.

That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.

“Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.

Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.

The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh. And last of all, the woman died.

In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For all of them were married to her.”

Jesus answered, “You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.

But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you:

‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question:

“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”

Jesus declared, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus questioned them: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?”

“David’s,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’? For he says:

‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at My right hand

until I put Your enemies

under Your feet.” ’

So if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be David’s son?”

No one was able to answer a word, and from that day on no one dared to question Him any further.

Matthew 23

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: “The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.

So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,

the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.

But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.

Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant.

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’

You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?

And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’

You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred? So then, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the One who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the One who sits on it.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity.

In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.

And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’

So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers.

You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?

Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute in town after town.

And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Matthew 24

As Jesus left the temple and was walking away, His disciples came up to Him to point out its buildings.

“Do you see all these things?” He replied. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus answered, “See to it that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come.

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Then they will deliver you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another,

and many false prophets will arise and mislead many.

Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand),

then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve anything from his house. And let no one in the field return for his cloak.

How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not occur in the winter or on the Sabbath.

For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.

If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it.

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.

So if they tell you, ‘There He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.

For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

Immediately after the tribulation of those days:

‘The sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light;

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’

At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.

And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near.

So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.

For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.

And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.

Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.

But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.

For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.

Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time?

Blessed is that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

But suppose that servant is wicked and says in his heart, ‘My master will be away a long time.’ And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.

The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate.

Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil. But the wise ones took oil in flasks along with their lamps. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

‘No,’ said the wise ones, ‘or there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.

Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord, lord, open the door for us!’

But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions.

To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey.

The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more. Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more.

But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants returned to settle accounts with them.

The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’

Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’

‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed.

Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest.

Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents.

For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne.

All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,

I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’

Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink?

When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’

And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’

Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,

I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

And they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’

Then the King will answer, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’

And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

It has been a good season in Isaiah. Today we conclude with the final two chapters. God helps us reckon with the fact that, despite his many mercies, his covenant people largely continue to be faithless in upholding their side. It is only a righteous remnant that he vows to protect and uphold, rather than the entire chosen people. If Christians do not meditate on their own covenant faithfulness in light of their elect status, then they aren’t reading it right. We also stand warned, as those ancient Jews were warned, that we should not assume we are pleasing to the Lord just because we are pleased with ourselves. He warns that, when we are being disobedient in our hearts, our prayers and sacrifices are an insult to him.

The psalms of comfort and trust in the Lord are needed medicine. The proverbs covered give an appreciated change of pace. Nothing like ancient Hebrew wisdom to engage the mind. In particular, some of these proverbs have things to say about worldly rulers and worldly wealth. This wisdom holds up. Why? Because it is of the Lord, and he doesn’t change. So let these things take deep root in you!

Isaiah 65

“I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me;

I was found by those who did not seek Me.

To a nation that did not call My name,

I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’

All day long I have held out My hands

to an obstinate people

who walk in the wrong path,

who follow their own imaginations,

to a people who continually provoke Me to My face,

sacrificing in the gardens

and burning incense on altars of brick,

sitting among the graves,

spending nights in secret places,

eating the meat of pigs

and polluted broth from their bowls.

They say, ‘Keep to yourself;

do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’

Such people are smoke in My nostrils,

a fire that burns all day long.

Behold, it is written before Me:

I will not keep silent, but I will repay;

I will pay it back into their laps,

both for your iniquities

and for those of your fathers,”

says the LORD.

“Because they burned incense on the mountains

and scorned Me on the hills,

I will measure into their laps

full payment for their former deeds.”

This is what the LORD says:

“As the new wine is found in a cluster of grapes,

and men say, ‘Do not destroy it, for it contains a blessing,’

so I will act on behalf of My servants;

I will not destroy them all.

And I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,

and heirs from Judah;

My elect will possess My mountains,

and My servants will dwell there.

Sharon will become a pasture for flocks,

and the Valley of Achor a resting place for herds,

for My people who seek Me.

But you who forsake the LORD,

who forget My holy mountain,

who set a table for Fortune

and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny,

I will destine you for the sword,

and you will all kneel down to be slaughtered,

because I called and you did not answer,

I spoke and you did not listen;

you did evil in My sight

and chose that in which I did not delight.”

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says:

“My servants will eat,

but you will go hungry;

My servants will drink,

but you will go thirsty;

My servants will rejoice,

but you will be put to shame.

My servants will shout for joy with a glad heart,

but you will cry out with a heavy heart

and wail with a broken spirit.

You will leave behind your name

as a curse for My chosen ones,

and the Lord GOD will slay you;

but to His servants He will give another name.

Whoever invokes a blessing in the land

will do so by the God of truth,

and whoever takes an oath in the land

will swear by the God of truth.

For the former troubles will be forgotten

and hidden from My sight.

For behold, I will create

new heavens and a new earth.

The former things will not be remembered,

nor will they come to mind.

But be glad and rejoice forever

in what I create;

for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy

and its people to be a delight.

I will rejoice in Jerusalem

and take delight in My people.

The sounds of weeping and crying

will no longer be heard in her.

No longer will a nursing infant live but a few days,

or an old man fail to live out his years.

For the youth will die at a hundred years,

and he who fails to reach a hundred

will be considered accursed.

They will build houses and dwell in them;

they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

No longer will they build houses for others to inhabit,

nor plant for others to eat.

For as is the lifetime of a tree,

so will be the days of My people,

and My chosen ones will fully enjoy

the work of their hands.

They will not labor in vain

or bear children doomed to disaster;

for they will be a people blessed by the LORD—

they and their descendants with them.

Even before they call, I will answer,

and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

The wolf and the lamb will feed together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox,

but the food of the serpent will be dust.

They will neither harm nor destroy

on all My holy mountain,”

says the LORD.

Isaiah 66

This is what the LORD says:

“Heaven is My throne,

and earth is My footstool.

What kind of house will you build for Me?

Or where will My place of repose be?

Has not My hand made all these things?

And so they came into being,”

declares the LORD.

“This is the one I will esteem:

he who is humble and contrite in spirit,

who trembles at My word.

Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who slays a man;

whoever sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;

whoever presents a grain offering is like one who offers pig’s blood;

whoever offers frankincense is like one who blesses an idol.

Indeed, they have chosen their own ways

and delighted in their abominations.

So I will choose their punishment

and I will bring terror upon them,

because I called and no one answered,

I spoke and no one listened.

But they did evil in My sight

and chose that in which I did not delight.”

You who tremble at His word,

hear the word of the LORD:

“Your brothers who hate you

and exclude you because of My name

have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified

that we may see your joy!’

But they will be put to shame.”

Hear the uproar from the city;

listen to the voice from the temple!

It is the voice of the LORD,

repaying His enemies what they deserve!

“Before she was in labor, she gave birth;

before she was in pain, she delivered a boy.

Who has heard of such as this?

Who has seen such things?

Can a country be born in a day

or a nation be delivered in an instant?

Yet as soon as Zion was in labor,

she gave birth to her children.

Shall I bring a baby to the point of birth and not deliver it?”

says the LORD.

“Or will I who deliver close the womb?”

says your God.

Be glad for Jerusalem and rejoice over her,

all who love her.

Rejoice greatly with her,

all who mourn over her,

so that you may nurse and be satisfied

at her comforting breasts;

you may drink deeply and delight yourselves

in her glorious abundance.

For this is what the LORD says:

“I will extend peace to her like a river,

and the wealth of nations like a flowing stream;

you will nurse and be carried on her arm,

and bounced upon her knees.

As a mother comforts her son,

so will I comfort you,

and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”

When you see, you will rejoice,

and you will flourish like grass;

then the hand of the LORD will be revealed to His servants,

but His wrath will be shown to His enemies.

For behold, the LORD will come with fire—

His chariots are like a whirlwind—

to execute His anger with fury

and His rebuke with flames of fire.

For by fire and by His sword,

the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh,

and many will be slain by the LORD.

“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to enter the groves—to follow one in the center of those who eat the flesh of swine and vermin and rats—will perish together,” declares the LORD.

“And I, knowing their deeds and thoughts, am coming to gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see My glory.

I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islands far away who have not heard of My fame or seen My glory.

So they will proclaim My glory among the nations.

And they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as a gift to the LORD on horses and chariots and wagons, on mules and camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “just as the Israelites bring an offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD.”

“And I will select some of them as priests and Levites,” says the LORD.

“For just as the new heavens and the new earth,

which I will make, will endure before Me,”

declares the LORD,

“so your descendants and your name will endure.

From one New Moon to another

and from one Sabbath to another,

all mankind will come to worship before Me,”

says the LORD.

“As they go forth, they will see the corpses

of the men who have rebelled against Me;

for their worm will never die,

their fire will never be quenched,

and they will be a horror

to all mankind.”

Psalm 141

I call upon You, O LORD; come quickly to me.

Hear my voice when I call to You.

May my prayer be set before You like incense,

my uplifted hands like the evening offering.

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;

keep watch at the door of my lips.

Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil thing

or take part in works of wickedness

with men who do iniquity;

let me not feast on their delicacies.

Let the righteous man strike me;

let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion.

It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it.

For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked.

When their rulers are thrown down from the cliffs,

the people will listen to my words,

for they are pleasant.

As when one plows and breaks up the soil,

so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

But my eyes are fixed on You,

O GOD the Lord.

In You I seek refuge;

do not leave my soul defenseless.

Keep me from the snares they have laid for me,

and from the lures of evildoers.

Let the wicked fall into their own nets,

while I pass by in safety.

Psalm 142

I cry aloud to the LORD;

I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.

I pour out my complaint before Him;

I reveal my trouble to Him.

Although my spirit grows faint within me,

You know my way.

Along the path I travel

they have hidden a snare for me.

Look to my right and see;

no one attends to me.

There is no refuge for me;

no one cares for my soul.

I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge,

my portion in the land of the living.”

Listen to my cry,

for I am brought quite low.

Rescue me from my pursuers,

for they are too strong for me.

Free my soul from prison,

that I may praise Your name.

The righteous will gather around me

because of Your goodness to me.

Proverbs 28

The wicked flee when no one pursues,

but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

A land in rebellion has many rulers,

but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.

A destitute leader who oppresses the poor

is like a driving rain that leaves no food.

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,

but those who keep the law resist them.

Evil men do not understand justice,

but those who seek the LORD comprehend fully.

Better a poor man who walks with integrity

than a rich man whose ways are perverse.

A discerning son keeps the law,

but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

He who increases his wealth by interest and usury

lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.

Whoever turns his ear away from hearing the law,

even his prayer is detestable.

He who leads the upright along the path of evil will fall into his own pit,

but the blameless will inherit what is good.

A rich man is wise in his own eyes,

but a poor man with discernment sees through him.

When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,

but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.

He who conceals his sins will not prosper,

but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.

Blessed is the man who is always reverent,

but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear

is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

A leader who lacks judgment is also a great oppressor,

but he who hates dishonest profit will prolong his days.

A man burdened by bloodguilt will flee into the Pit;

let no one support him.

He who walks with integrity will be kept safe,

but whoever is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.

The one who works his land will have plenty of food,

but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

A faithful man will abound with blessings,

but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished.

To show partiality is not good,

yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

A stingy man hastens after wealth

and does not know that poverty awaits him.

He who rebukes a man will later find more favor

than one who flatters with his tongue.

He who robs his father or mother, saying, “It is not wrong,”

is a companion to the man who destroys.

A greedy man stirs up strife,

but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

He who trusts in himself is a fool,

but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.

Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need,

but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.

When the wicked come to power, people hide themselves;

but when they perish, the righteous flourish.

We are nearing the end of the prophecies of Isaiah. In the context of the Babylonian Exile, where Jews were estranged from their homeland after the destruction of the Temple, Isaiah’s words were both a comfort and a warning. God was far from his people because of their sin, but his promise was to draw near again, restoring what had been lost.

God has been faithful to his promise in ways that are astounding. The Israelites should never have been restored to their homeland. Or rather, such a thing hasn’t been seen much in history. Usually people groups conform to the people around them and gradually assimilate. When persecuted, they eventually, like the Zoroastrians, just give in and sell out. Or they, like the Kurds or the Roma, become debased and ignoble. Only the Jews have persisted through every pogrom and persecution, being blessed by the Lord wherever planted, eventually returning again to the Holy Land.

God has been faithful, working his miraculous deeds in our sight. While being faithful to the Jews, he has also raised us up, people grafted into his tree. He has been faithful to us, as well. He has shown us, time and again, his loving faithfulness. I hope that is what comes through as you meditate upon his many promises.

Isaiah 59

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,

nor His ear too dull to hear.

But your iniquities have built barriers

between you and your God,

and your sins have hidden His face from you,

so that He does not hear.

For your hands are stained with blood,

and your fingers with iniquity;

your lips have spoken lies,

and your tongue mutters injustice.

No one calls for justice;

no one pleads his case honestly.

They rely on empty pleas; they tell lies;

they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.

They hatch the eggs of vipers

and weave a spider’s web.

Whoever eats their eggs will die;

crack one open, and a viper is hatched.

Their cobwebs cannot be made into clothing,

and they cannot cover themselves with their works.

Their deeds are sinful deeds,

and acts of violence are in their hands.

Their feet run to evil;

they are swift to shed innocent blood.

Their thoughts are sinful thoughts;

ruin and destruction lie in their wake.

The way of peace they have not known,

and there is no justice in their tracks.

They have turned them into crooked paths;

no one who treads on them will know peace.

Therefore justice is far from us,

and righteousness does not reach us.

We hope for light, but there is darkness;

for brightness, but we walk in gloom.

Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall,

groping like those without eyes.

We stumble at midday as in the twilight;

among the vigorous we are like the dead.

We all growl like bears

and moan like doves.

We hope for justice, but find none,

for salvation, but it is far from us.

For our transgressions are multiplied before You,

and our sins testify against us.

Our transgressions are indeed with us,

and we know our iniquities:

rebelling and denying the LORD,

turning away from our God,

speaking oppression and revolt,

conceiving and uttering lies from the heart.

So justice is turned away,

and righteousness stands at a distance.

For truth has stumbled in the public square,

and honesty cannot enter.

Truth is missing,

and whoever turns from evil becomes prey.

The LORD looked and was displeased

that there was no justice.

He saw that there was no man;

He was amazed that there was no one to intercede.

So His own arm brought salvation,

and His own righteousness sustained Him.

He put on righteousness like a breastplate,

and the helmet of salvation on His head;

He put on garments of vengeance

and wrapped Himself in a cloak of zeal.

So He will repay according to their deeds:

fury to His enemies,

retribution to His foes,

and recompense to the islands.

So shall they fear the name of the LORD

where the sun sets,

and His glory where it rises.

For He will come like a raging flood,

driven by the breath of the LORD.

“The Redeemer will come to Zion,

to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,”

declares the LORD.

“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit will not depart from you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and grandchildren, from now on and forevermore,” says the LORD.

Isaiah 60

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

For behold, darkness covers the earth,

and thick darkness is over the peoples;

but the LORD will rise upon you,

and His glory will appear over you.

Nations will come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around:

They all gather and come to you;

your sons will come from afar,

and your daughters will be carried on the arm.

Then you will look and be radiant,

and your heart will tremble and swell with joy,

because the riches of the sea will be brought to you,

and the wealth of the nations will come to you.

Caravans of camels will cover your land,

young camels of Midian and Ephah,

and all from Sheba will come,

bearing gold and frankincense

and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will serve you

and go up on My altar with acceptance;

I will adorn My glorious house.

Who are these who fly like clouds,

like doves to their shelters?

Surely the islands will wait for Me,

with the ships of Tarshish in the lead,

to bring your children from afar,

with their silver and gold,

to the honor of the LORD your God,

the Holy One of Israel,

for He has glorified you.

Foreigners will rebuild your walls,

and their kings will serve you.

Although I struck you in anger,

yet in favor I will show you mercy.

Your gates will always stand open;

they will never be shut, day or night,

so that the wealth of the nations may be brought into you,

with their kings being led in procession.

For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish;

it will be utterly destroyed.

The glory of Lebanon will come to you—

its cypress, elm, and boxwood together—

to adorn the place of My sanctuary,

and I will glorify the place of My feet.

The sons of your oppressors

will come and bow down to you;

all who reviled you

will fall facedown at your feet

and call you the City of the LORD,

Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Whereas you have been forsaken and despised,

with no one passing through,

I will make you an everlasting pride,

a joy from age to age.

You will drink the milk of nations

and nurse at the breasts of royalty;

you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior

and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

Instead of bronze I will bring you gold;

I will bring silver in place of iron,

bronze instead of wood,

and iron instead of stones.

I will appoint peace as your governor

and righteousness as your ruler.

No longer will violence be heard in your land,

nor ruin or destruction within your borders.

But you will name your walls Salvation

and your gates Praise.

No longer will the sun be your light by day,

nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night;

for the LORD will be your everlasting light,

and your God will be your splendor.

Your sun will no longer set,

and your moon will not wane;

for the LORD will be your everlasting light,

and the days of your sorrow will cease.

Then all your people will be righteous;

they will possess the land forever;

they are the branch of My planting,

the work of My hands,

so that I may be glorified.

The least of you will become a thousand,

and the smallest a mighty nation.

I am the LORD;

in its time I will accomplish it quickly.

Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me,

because the LORD has anointed Me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives

and freedom to the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor

and the day of our God’s vengeance,

to comfort all who mourn,

to console the mourners in Zion—

to give them a crown of beauty for ashes,

the oil of joy for mourning,

and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair.

So they will be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins;

they will restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities,

the desolations of many generations.

Strangers will stand and feed your flocks,

and foreigners will be your plowmen and vinedressers.

But you will be called the priests of the LORD;

they will speak of you as ministers of our God;

you will feed on the wealth of nations,

and you will boast in their riches.

Instead of shame, My people will have a double portion,

and instead of humiliation, they will rejoice in their share;

and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,

and everlasting joy will be theirs.

For I, the LORD, love justice;

I hate robbery and iniquity;

in My faithfulness I will give them their recompense

and make an everlasting covenant with them.

Their descendants will be known among the nations,

and their offspring among the peoples.

All who see them will acknowledge

that they are a people the LORD has blessed.

I will rejoice greatly in the LORD,

my soul will exult in my God;

for He has clothed me with garments of salvation

and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress,

as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its growth,

and as a garden enables seed to spring up,

so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise

to spring up before all the nations.

Isaiah 62

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,

and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep still,

until her righteousness shines like a bright light,

her salvation like a blazing torch.

Nations will see your righteousness,

and all kings your glory.

You will be called by a new name

that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.

You will be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD,

a royal diadem in the palm of your God.

No longer will you be called Forsaken,

nor your land named Desolate;

but you will be called Hephzibah,

and your land Beulah;

for the LORD will take delight in you,

and your land will be His bride.

For as a young man marries a young woman,

so your sons will marry you;

and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,

so your God will rejoice over you.

On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen;

they will never be silent day or night.

You who call on the LORD

shall take no rest for yourselves,

nor give Him any rest

until He establishes Jerusalem

and makes her the praise of the earth.

The LORD has sworn by His right hand

and by His mighty arm:

“Never again will I give your grain

to your enemies for food,

nor will foreigners drink the new wine

for which you have toiled.

For those who harvest grain

will eat it and praise the LORD,

and those who gather grapes

will drink the wine in My holy courts.”

Go out, go out through the gates;

prepare the way for the people!

Build it up, build up the highway;

clear away the stones;

raise a banner for the nations!

Behold, the LORD has proclaimed

to the ends of the earth,

“Say to Daughter Zion:

See, your Savior comes!

Look, His reward is with Him,

and His recompense goes before Him.”

And they will be called the Holy People,

the Redeemed of The LORD;

and you will be called Sought Out,

A City Not Forsaken.

Isaiah 63

Who is this coming from Edom,

from Bozrah with crimson-stained garments?

Who is this robed in splendor,

marching in the greatness of His strength?

“It is I, proclaiming vindication,

mighty to save.”

Why are Your clothes red,

and Your garments like one who treads the winepress?

“I have trodden the winepress alone,

and no one from the nations was with Me.

I trampled them in My anger

and trod them down in My fury;

their blood spattered My garments,

and all My clothes were stained.

For the day of vengeance was in My heart,

and the year of My redemption had come.

I looked, but there was no one to help;

I was appalled that no one assisted.

So My arm brought Me salvation,

and My own wrath upheld Me.

I trampled the nations in My anger;

in My wrath I made them drunk

and poured out their blood on the ground.”

I will make known the LORD’s loving devotion

and His praiseworthy acts,

because of all that the LORD has done for us—

the many good things for the house of Israel

according to His great compassion and loving devotion.

For He said, “They are surely My people,

sons who will not be disloyal.”

So He became their Savior.

In all their distress, He too was afflicted,

and the Angel of His Presence saved them.

In His love and compassion He redeemed them;

He lifted them up and carried them

all the days of old.

But they rebelled

and grieved His Holy Spirit.

So He turned and became their enemy,

and He Himself fought against them.

Then His people remembered the days of old,

the days of Moses.

Where is He who brought them through the sea

with the shepherds of His flock?

Where is the One who set

His Holy Spirit among them,

who sent His glorious arm

to lead them by the right hand of Moses,

who divided the waters before them

to gain for Himself everlasting renown,

who led them through the depths

like a horse in the wilderness,

so that they did not stumble?

Like cattle going down to the valley,

the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest.

You led Your people this way

to make for Yourself a glorious name.

Look down from heaven and see,

from Your holy and glorious habitation.

Where are Your zeal and might?

Your yearning and compassion for me are restrained.

Yet You are our Father,

though Abraham does not know us

and Israel does not acknowledge us.

You, O LORD, are our Father;

our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.

Why, O LORD, do You make us stray from Your ways

and harden our hearts from fearing You?

Return, for the sake of Your servants,

the tribes of Your heritage.

For a short while Your people possessed Your holy place,

but our enemies have trampled Your sanctuary.

We have become like those You never ruled,

like those not called by Your name.

Isaiah 64

If only You would rend the heavens and come down,

so that mountains would quake at Your presence,

as fire kindles the brushwood

and causes the water to boil,

to make Your name known to Your enemies,

so that the nations will tremble at Your presence!

When You did awesome works that we did not expect,

You came down, and the mountains trembled at Your presence.

From ancient times no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides You,

who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

You welcome those who gladly do right,

who remember Your ways.

Surely You were angry, for we sinned.

How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?

Each of us has become like something unclean,

and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;

we all wither like a leaf,

and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

No one calls on Your name

or strives to take hold of You.

For You have hidden Your face from us

and delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.

But now, O LORD, You are our Father;

we are the clay, and You are the potter;

we are all the work of Your hand.

Do not be angry, O LORD, beyond measure;

do not remember our iniquity forever.

Oh, look upon us, we pray;

we are all Your people!

Your holy cities have become a wilderness.

Zion has become a wasteland and Jerusalem a desolation.

Our holy and beautiful temple,

where our fathers praised You,

has been burned with fire,

and all that was dear to us lies in ruins.

After all this, O LORD,

will You restrain Yourself?

Will You keep silent

and afflict us beyond measure?