Maranatha Grace Church

An Outline

David's Decease, 1:1 - 2:11

Solomon's Reign, 2:12 - 11:43

The Kingdom Divided, 12:1 - 16:34

Elijah's Ministry, 17:1 - 22:53

Hello:

Book of 1 King Challenge – Day 15 1 Kings 1 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁵ Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. ⁶ (His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)

⁷ Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. ⁸ But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah.

⁹ Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, ¹⁰ but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon. (1 King 1:5-10)

In many places the Bible warns us about being too eager for high visibility position. Because God is in control of the circumstances of our lives, we don’t have to be disturbed about what is happening in the world and around us. We don’t need to get involved in negative office politics to advance ourselves by putting someone else down.

We should all remember the advice of Psalms 75:5-7, “Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. ⁶ For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. ⁷ But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”

Adonijah made a big mistake by setting himself King against the will of the Lord. It seems naturally that the kingdom should have been his, the oldest living son of the King, but God’s choice was Solomon who was just a boy when he became King.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 King Challenge – Day 15 1 Kings 2 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.

² “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, ³ and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go ⁴ and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ (1 Kings 2:1-4)

The last words of a person are very important for him and for the person receiving those last words. In his last words, David passed on to his son Salomon the secret of his own success, “Walk in obedience to God, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses (v. 4).” Obedience to God was the key for success then, and is still the key for success now.

Solomon -- also called Jedidiah (beloved of God) – was twenty years old when he was anointed king by the prophet Nathan and the High Priest Zadok. For the first two years of his reign, he shared the throne with his increasingly father. During that time, he discreetly refrained from major exercise of his royal prerogatives.

Patience is a virtue, all young person needs to learn to be patient. Salomon waited for the right moment to make the decisions that would consolidate his reign. Right after his father's death, he commanded the execution of his half-brother Adonijah who was still aspiring to the throne, and the execution of Joab, who had supported Adonijah’s claim to the throne.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 17 1 Kings 3 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁴ The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”  (1 Kings 3:4-5)

What would your answer be if the Lord ask you, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” There is a story in Greek mythology about King Midas who wished that everything he touches would turn into gold. His wish became true, happy at first for all the gold that his touch generated, he came to regret it later when his touch turned his food into gold and even his daughter into a statue of gold.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). In order for us to avoid problems in our prayer life we need to delight in the Lord first, to put God’s interest first, and then we can ask for the desires of our heart.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 18 1 Kings 4 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

²⁹ God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹ He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. ³² He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. ³³ He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. ³⁴ From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom. (1 Kings 4:29-34)

God is a God of abundance. When he gives, he gives a lot. “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore (v. 29). God is more willing to give than we are willing to ask. He “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).

The Lord Jesus speaks of the Father who is willing to give us the Holy Spirit. He said to his followers “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13). God gave the Spirit without limit to Jesus (John 3:34). Have you asked the Lord to give you the Holy Spirit without limit? All of us should.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 19 1 Kings 5 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

When Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. ² Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:

³ “You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the Lord his God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet. ⁴ But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster. ⁵ I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’ (1 Kings 5:1-5)

Some dreams that the Lord puts in our hearts will be realized by us. Our children, our spiritual children, will have to fulfill those dream. So it is very important to leave to our children a spiritual foundation to build upon. In the case of David, the foundation was the desire to build a temple for the Lord, and a wise relationship that he forged with the people around him while he was still alive.

Though David was not able to build the Lord a temple because that temple could not be built by a man of war, but by a man of peace, nevertheless he made great provision so that his dream can become a reality through his son Solomon. We all need to leave a spiritual legacy to our children. Younger people, or newly converted people need our prayers and our constant encouragement.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 20 1 Kings 6 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

¹¹ The word of the Lord came to Solomon: ¹² “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. ¹³ And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”

¹⁴ So Solomon built the temple and completed it. (1 Kings 6:11-14)

No expense has been spared to build the finest building for the Lord. In Psalm 132:13-14 we read, “For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling, saying, “This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.” The temple was magnificent, but that temple would eventually be destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC.

The dwelling of God is the church. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Indeed, we were bought at great price, the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What do we offer to God? “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1). Our lives are worth more than all the riches of the world.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 24 1 Kings 10 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

²³ King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. ²⁴ The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. ²⁵ Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules. (1 Kings 10:23-25)

God is faithful, he made a promise to Solomon (1 Kings 3:10-15), and he kept his promise, “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.  The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart (v23-24).” God will keep all his promises to every one of us.  

His best promise to us is eternal life in Christ Jesus. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 20 1 Kings 11 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. ² They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. ³ He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. ⁴ As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. ⁵ He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁶ So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done. (1 Kings 11:1-6)

Speaking of the disobedience of some of the Israelites in the wilderness, and the judgment that fell on them, the Apostle Paul wrote, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come (1 Corinthians 10:11).” And as we read the sad final of Solomon’s life, a man so highly blessed by God, we recoil in horror.

What lessons do we learn? Christians should not play with sin, or the opportunity to sin. “King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites (v. 1).” His love for foreign women was his undoing. He might have reasoned, as many young Christians nowadays think concerning non-Christians partners, I will convert them. Big mistake then, big mistake now.

But God is always faithful and gracious. For David’s sake he protected Solomon throughout his life, in spite of his many sins. May our walk with the Lord be a good spiritual legacy to our children and to our children’s children from generation to generation!

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 26 1 Kings 12 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁸ But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. ⁹ He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”

¹⁰ The young men who had grown up with him replied, “These people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. ¹¹ My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’”(1 Kings 12:8-11)

Young people should read good books and listen to older folks for wisdom and sound advices. One of the biggest problems of the youths is that they lack true friends who can confront them with the truth about God and about themselves. King Rehoboam listened to the advice of his young friends instead of the advice of the elders with disastrous consequences for his kingdom (v. 8).

Our greatest counselor is the Holy Spirit. Jesus told his disciples, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). Always trust the Holy Spirit, one cannot go wrong with his advices.

The psalmist inspired by the Holy Spirit writes in Psalms 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” We can always count on his directions, they are infinitely better than the ones from a human GPS.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 27 1 Kings 13 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

¹⁵ So the prophet said to him, “Come home with me and eat.”

¹⁶ The man of God said, “I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. ¹⁷ 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.’”

¹⁸ The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (But he was lying to him.) ¹⁹ So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house.”(1 Kings 12:8-11)

 
Bondye di’m.  Some brothers or sisters seem always to have a word for someone else from God. Bondye di’m. The above story is a warning to us not to trust everyone who comes to us saying “Bondye di’m.”  Sometimes the person is not telling the truth.  “The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he was lying to him” (v. 18).

We should never be intimidated by someone’s title or position when it comes to checking out the veracity of what he is saying or preaching. God gave us a mind, and he is happy when we use it. That explains the commendation received by the Berean Jews for checking the truthfulness of what the great Apostle Paul was preaching to them.

We read, “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11).” Jesus told us, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).  We do well listening to the Master.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 28 1 Kings 14 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill, ² and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go, disguise yourself, so you won’t be recognized as the wife of Jeroboam. Then go to Shiloh. Ahijah the prophet is there—the one who told me I would be king over this people. ³ Take ten loaves of bread with you, some cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.” ⁴ So Jeroboam’s wife did what he said and went to Ahijah’s house in Shiloh.

Now Ahijah could not see; his sight was gone because of his age. ⁵ But the Lord had told Ahijah, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill, and you are to give her such and such an answer. When she arrives, she will pretend to be someone else.” (1 Kings 14:1-5)

If you carry a cellphone, your phone carrier can pinpoint your exactly location and your movement at any time.  People know that they cannot get away from being under the scrutiny of telephone companies, but have hard time understanding that God is watching all their activities. Jeroboam thought he could do things in secret. This is impossible, we are living in God’s world.

“For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). The Lord heard the whole conversation between Jeroboam and his wife, and he told on them to the prophet Abijah. “The Lord had told Ahijah (v. 5).” Bondye kon pale. God used to talk, and he is still talking to whoever would listen. Sometimes what he says is sweet and pleasant to the ears, at other times they are difficult to hear.

God had given multiple opportunities to Jeroboam to repent, to change his way. But his heart had become callous, he could not humble himself and repent as David did whenever he sinned. Let’s ask of the Lord a teachable spirit, an obedient heart always willing to repent.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 29 1 Kings 15 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah, ¹⁰ and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maakah daughter of Abishalom.

¹¹ Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done. ¹² He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made. ¹³ He even deposed his grandmother Maakah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive image for the worship of Asherah. Asa cut it down and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁴ Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. ¹⁵ He brought into the temple of the Lord the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated. (1 Kings 15:9-15)

 
“Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done (v.11). How did that happen? His father Abijah was a very sinful king. His grandmother’s influence was not good either. Yet, King Asa is counted as a good king of Judah, who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Asa’s life story shows that no matter the environment that a person comes from, the way to the Lord is open to him.  

In 2 Chronicles 14:4, Asa commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. He sought the Lord and found him. He thus found everything that he ever needed. Asa was a very successful and prosperous king because his heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life. He started well and finished well.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 30 1 Kings 16 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

²⁹ In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. ³⁰ Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. ³¹ He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. ³² He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. ³³ Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.

³⁴ In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun. (1 Kings 16:29-34)

After the destruction of Jericho by the Israelites, Joshua cursed the city. “At that time Joshua pronounced this solemn oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the one who undertakes to rebuild this city, Jericho: “At the cost of his firstborn son he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates (Joshua 6:26).”” We note that these were “the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun (v. 34).”

But Hiel went ahead anyway, and rebuilt Jericho.  A Jewish scholar commenting on the passage said, “with Abiram his firstborn he laid its foundation: When he laid its foundation, his firstborn son died, and he buried him and continued to bury all his sons until the last one died when he erected the portals.” What kind of father would do such a thing, for wealth or glory?

We must be vigilant not to fall into the trap of neglecting our family and our children for the sake of success and possession.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 31 1 Kings 17 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe^[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”

² Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: ³ “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. ⁴ You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”

⁵ So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. ⁶ The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. (1 Kings 17:1-6)

We are at the dawn of a new year with a lot of political, social and economic uncertainties. The story of 1 Kings 17 is reminder for all us that God is in control of the situation of our lives. The president is not our source, our job is not our source, our bank account is not our source of security, but the Lord himself is our source. God will use any means necessary to take care of his children in the years to come.  His name is Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide; Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord who heals; Jehovah-Nisi, the Lord our banner, our protector.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 2 1 Kings 19 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

¹⁹ So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. ²⁰ Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”

“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”

²¹ So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant. (1 Kings 19:19-21)

I was very happy to see so many people rededicated their lives to the Lord in the last few weeks of 2016. I know there was great joy in heaven because of those reconciled children to their Father in heaven. The Lord Jesus gave us a glimpse of heaven in Luke 15:10, “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The call of God in our lives is a radically call. It demands that we leave behind everything that could encumber our walk with the Lord. “So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant (v.21).

When it comes to serving the Lord, burning the bridges of the past is often necessary. ”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17)

 Happy New Year 2017!

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 3 1 Kings 20 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

²⁶ In the spring, Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. ²⁷ And the people of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went against them. The people of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the country. ²⁸ And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys,” therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” ²⁹ And they encamped opposite one another seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle was joined. And the people of Israel struck down of the Syrians 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. ³⁰ And the rest fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell upon 27,000 men who were left.  (1 Kings 19:19-21)

There is a battle we cannot avoid, the adversary is always looking for the opportunity to attack and to defeat us. Apostle Peter warns us in these words, ^“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). However, we must always remember that the battle is the Lord’s.

God is not a god of the hills nor a god of the valleys. He is the creator of the universe, he is the LORD (v. 29). No matter what we face, God is bigger than it. It could be sickness, family crisis, financial difficulties, all we need to do is to surrender them to God. God is fighting on our behalf. He wants to manifest his glory in our lives, so everyone can know that the Lord is God.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of 1 Kings Challenge – Day 5 1 Kings 22 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

²⁴ Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. “Which way did the spirit from^[a] the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?” he asked.

²⁵ Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room.”

²⁶ The king of Israel then ordered, “Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king’s son ²⁷ and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.’”

²⁸ Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!” (1 Kings 22:24-28)

The Prophet Micaiah at the peril of his life delivered the word of the Lord to the kings of Israel and of Judah. It was not easy, but the fear of the Lord takes away the fear of men. Preachers, pastors, Sunday schools teachers, all know the pressure there is to be politically correct when they preach the word of the Lord. Sin is no longer sin, but mistake.

That is why we hear a lot of intellectual messages, feel good messages, but not “Thus says the Lord” messages. Do the people of the Lord come to church to hear a message of the intellect of the preacher?  The king of Israel wanted to hear a feel good message, and he got one, ““Attack and be victorious,” he answered, “ for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand (v. 15).””

The true message of the Lord from the prophet of the Lord, King Achab despised, “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you (v. 23).” Often times it is the bitter pill which produces the cure. Had the King paid attention to those painful words he would have lived. Lets’ encourage our preachers to preach the true word of God, there is life in the word of the Lord.

May the Lord richly bless you!