By virtually every ancient measure, Solomon is winning. Yet the narrator has slipped several tiny warning lights onto the dashboard.

A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Kings 4. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

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Everyone knows that Solomon asked God to grant him wisdom. You know what? It's not true. Wisdom is not what he asked for.

A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Kings 3. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

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Solomon doesn't begin with a clean slate. He inherits David's kingdom. But he also inherits David's relationships, promises, enemies, loyalties, compromises, deferred judgments, and unresolved problems. That's life.

A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Kings 2. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

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Who will ascend to David's throne? It comes down to two brothers. Adonijah is the eldest son. Solomon is the youngest son and the offspring of the scandalous Bathsheba.

A chapter-a-day podcast from 1 Kings 1. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com

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Today's chapter is the final chapter of 2 Samuel. Strangely enough, it abruptly ends with a census, a plague, and a sacrifice. For the casual modern reader, it's definitely a head scratcher. There's no "and all they lived happily ever after."

A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Samuel 24. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

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At the end of David's story, we're given an important truth. Grace neither denies the glory nor erases the scars.

A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Samuel 23. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

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You know the movie is over when the song begins and the ending credits roll. Our chapter-a-day journey has reached the end of David's story. How fitting that the narrator chooses to drop one of David's own songs into the text like a fitting End Theme to the movie.

A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Samuel 22. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

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To the ancient Hebrews, sin was not merely an isolated transaction between perpetrator and victim. Sin created ripples through communities, families, institutions, generations, and even the land itself.

A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Samuel 21. The text verision may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com

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An unnamed woman with no army, no office, no title, and no apparent authority saves an entire city with wisdom. Hers is an example I want to follow. A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Samuel 20. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

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As I meditated on both David and Barzillai this morning, it struck me that they have for me a beautiful lesson about what is required at different stages of this life journey.

A chapter-a-day podcast from 2 Samuel 19. The text version may always be found and shared at tomvanderwell.com.

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