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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
1 Kings 12
Something tells me the response Solomon’s elders gave young Rehoboam was more than just good advice. They told him, “Today if you will be a servant to this people and serve them, and if you respond to them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.” (1 Kings 12:7). It hit me when I read that this morning – that’s exactly what Jesus did for us. Though Jesus, being God, had the power, authority, and justification to rule with a harsh hand, He did not. Though He was, in fact, far superior to everyone around Him, He did not let pride rule Him. Instead, He came to serve and give Himself as a sacrifice for the people He had every right and authority to condemn.
Thus, I think that good advice was both a Messianic prophecy and part of a lesson on human nature and how it differs from God’s. Together with the rest of this story it confirms many truths that we see elsewhere in the Bible. For one, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matt. 23:12). Another is how we lose what we try too hard to keep. Yet another is Jesus’ and His apostles’ extensive teaching on authority and loving one another. As Jesus said, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matt. 20:26b). Our ways are not like God’s. Perhaps that’s one way to discern wisdom. If it goes against our pride, fear, and self-serving desires, there is a good chance it comes from God.
1 Kings 13
Just…wow. Jeroboam knew God and was benefitting from His promise to him. Yet when his hand withered and his altar miraculously ripped apart right in front of him after the man of God cursed it, all Jeroboam bothered to ask was for his hand to be restored! He completely failed to see where the restoration really needed to happen. Though God did mercifully restore his hand, Jeroboam did not repent but went right back to his own, rebellious way. Just…wow.
One other thing that hit me in this story this morning is the sin that caused the obliteration of Jeroboam’s house. According to this passage, his sin was that he ordained as priest of his high places whoever desired it. What I saw in that this morning is the false teaching that there are many roads to God and the sin of declaring things to be of God that aren’t.
The God ordained Old Testament priests were a representation of all those whom God redeems by grace, because of His mercy, to be His priests forever. And the thing is, there is only one way that happens. So when people think they can determine their own truth and find their own path to salvation, or say that anybody who wants to be called by God’s name can be, they are guilty of Jeorboam’s sin. Because the truth is that only those who surrender themselves to God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ can make that claim. Priests are not ordained by man, but by God alone.
1 Kings 14
Solomon spent his lifetime building up the treasuries of the LORD’s temple. Five years after his death, they were gone, seized by King Shishak of Egypt. It makes me think of the book of Ecclesiastes and that word, “hevel”. Of what use were all of Solomon’s efforts? The LORD gives and the LORD takes away, and we never know what those who follow us will do. Does this mean we shouldn’t even bother? No. But it does highlight the importance of doing things for the right reasons. It is not what we do, acquire, or achieve that matters. It is our obedience to God. The things we do to honor and glorify God, to love Him by loving others, and to point others to Him are the treasures we store up in heaven. These things no one can ever seize.