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Isaiah 24-27 Perfect Plan and Perfect Peace

Isaiah 24-27 Perfect Plan and Perfect Peace

Psalm 75:1-10 God Exalts the Righteous

Ps 75:1 “We give thanks to you, God. We give thanks, for your Name is near. Men tell about your wondrous works. 2 (You say:) When I choose the appointed time, I will judge blamelessly. 3 The earth and all its inhabitants quake. I firmly hold its pillars. Selah. 4 I said to the fools, "Don’t boast!" I said to the wicked, "Don’t lift up the horn. 5 Don’t lift up your horn on high. Don’t speak with a stiff neck." 6 For neither from the east, nor from the west, nor yet from the south, comes exaltation/promotion. 7 But God is the judge. He puts down one, and lifts up another. 8 For in the hand of Yahweh there is a cup, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours it out. Indeed the wicked of the earth drink and drink it to its very dregs. 9 But I will declare this forever: I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. 10 (Who says:) I will cut off all the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”

Observations: 75:1-3 Asaph gives us three reasons to thank and praise God: His name/power is near to the needs of His people, as shown by the testimonies to how He's worked in their lives; He will judge perfectly, at the perfect time; He is the one who maintains and sustains our existence.

75:4-9 The future judgment of God gives Asaph confidence and hope: confidence to rebuke the wicked who trust in their strength (horn) for exaltation, since God's coming judgment will make them stagger like drunks; and hope in the exaltation of the righteous, since those are the ones God exalts.

Application: In unjust times caused by wicked fools, trust and praise God who will sustain, judge/vindicate and exalt/promote you.

Prayer: God, You are the judge who squashes the wicked and strength

Proverbs 19:13-14 Prince Charming Gets Sleeping Beauty

Pr 19:13 “A foolish son is the calamity of his father. A wife’s quarrels are a continual dripping. 14 House and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a wise wife is from Yahweh.“

Observations: 19:13-14 The first of these proverbs is a good incentive to work late and find a hobby that takes up all your weekends. A husband and father who doesn't follow God's instructions will reap fools for offspring, and a nagging headache of a wife. You may or may not get a house and riches as an inheritance, but if you want a wise and wonderful wife, God needs to entrust her to you. And to whom would God entrust a Sleeping Beauty (praiseworthy woman Pr 31)? Only to a Prince Charming, who has the characteristics of the praiseworthy man (Ps 112).

Application: Check out the resources for being a Biblical spouse and/or parent on Truthbase.net, and reap the blessings God intends.

Prayer: Lord, guide me in Your principles so I can have the kind of home life You intended for me. Thanks. Amen.

Isaiah 24-27 The book of Isaiah opened with God's judgment upon Israel for its sin (and promised future restoration); then in the previous section, God's judgment upon Israel's neighbors was described (with glimpses of God's return to rule); and in this section, God's judgment upon the whole earth is predicted, with promises of God's future redemption and just rule. Apparently Isaiah did not see the world getting better and better before the Messiah ruled, but so bad, that He had to overthrow it before a righteous and just rule could be established. Isaiah gives a poetic picture of a number of end time events, including evidence for the resurrection, and the regathering, revival, and fruitfulness of the nation of Israel under the Messiah.

Isaiah 24 Tribulation and Second Coming

24:1 Behold, Yahweh makes the earth empty, makes it waste, turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants. 3 The earth will be utterly emptied and utterly laid waste; for Yahweh has spoken this word. 4 The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish. 5 The earth also is polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left. 10 The confused city is broken down. Every house is shut up, that no man may come in. 11 The mirth of the land is gone. 12 The city is left in desolation, and the gate is struck with destruction.

13 For it will be so in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done. 14 These shall lift up their voice. They will shout for the majesty of Yahweh. They cry aloud from the sea. 15 Therefore glorify Yahweh in the east, even the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea! 16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs. Glory to the righteous! But I said, "I pine away! I pine away! woe is me!" The treacherous have dealt treacherously. Yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously. 17 Fear, the pit, and the snare 19 The earth is utterly broken. The earth is torn apart. The earth is shaken violently. 20 The earth will stagger like a drunken man, and will sway back and forth like a hammock. Its disobedience will be heavy on it, and it will fall and not rise again.

21 It shall happen in that day that Yahweh will punish the host of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on the earth. 22 They shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; and after many days shall they be visited. 23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Yahweh of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders will be glory.

Observations: 24:1-5 God's planned destruction of the earth and its inhabitants (and even the angels 24:21) is related to disobedience. The earth is polluted by the breaking of the Noahic covenant which prohibited the shedding of innocent blood (Genesis 9:4-17) as an everlasting covenant. The worldwide transgression and violation of God's moral law is also cited as justification for God's just judgment.

24:5-20 The tribulation that is poured out on the earth is similar to that in the Book of Revelation; mirth and merriment is replaced by mourning. A remnant of Israel will praise God despite experiencing discipline.

24:21-23 In that Day, God will punish both the host of heaven (fallen angels) and the kings of earth (their puppets) confining them in a pit for a while (cf. Revelation 20). The sun and moon will be darkened (cf. Revelation 6:12 8:12), Yahweh will take up residence on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, and display His glory/rule before the elders (cf. Revelation 19:4 et. al.)

Application: God will justly judge the wicked, but the righteous will rejoice when He returns to rule. Let's be in the righteous camp.

Prayer: God, You always keep Your promises, both terrible and terrific. May I live so that I enjoy the mirth and merriment of Your faithful ones. Amen.

Isaiah 25 Perfect Plan

25:1 Yahweh, you are my God. I will exalt you! I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago, in complete faithfulness and truth. 2 For you have made a city into a heap, a fortified city into a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city. It will never be built. 3 Therefore a strong people will glorify you. A city of awesome nations will fear you. 4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the dreaded ones is like a storm against the wall. 5 As the heat in a dry place will you bring down the noise of strangers; as the heat by the shade of a cloud, the song of the dreaded ones will be brought low.

6 In this mountain, Yahweh of Hosts will make all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of choice wines, of fat things full of marrow, of well refined choice wines. 7 He will destroy in this mountain the surface of the covering that covers all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away from off all the earth, for Yahweh has spoken it.

9 It shall be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God! We have waited for him, and he will save us! This is Yahweh! We have waited for him. We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation!" 10 For in this mountain the hand of Yahweh will rest. Moab will be trodden down in his place, even like straw is trodden down in the water of the dunghill. 11 He will spread out his hands in its midst, like one who swims spreads out hands to swim, but his pride will be humbled together with the craft of his hands. 12 He has brought the high fortress of your walls down, laid low, and brought to the ground, even to the dust.

Observations: 25:1-5 God is to be exalted and praised for His perfect plan done in faithfulness (commonly linked hesed) and truth (therefore trustworthy). He plans to display His awesome power in destroying the evil powers, so they too will glorify Him.

25:6-8 God has a joyful banquet planned for all peoples to celebrate His victory over death. Some see this as the inaugural banquet of the Messiah's kingdom who removes the curse of death that has hung over the world since Adam (Isaiah 53).

1Corinthians 15:54 But when this corruptible will have put on incorruption, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

25:9-12 God's enemies, typified by Moab, will be defeated.

Application: God has a perfect plan; if we don't see it, we just need to wait for it.

Prayer: Yahweh, You are the God of faithfulness and truth, who makes possible life everlasting and eternal joy. I praise You and thank You. I will trust in Your perfect plan for my world. Amen.

Isaiah 26 Perfect Peace

26:1 In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city. God appoints salvation for walls and bulwarks. 2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter: the one which keeps faith. 3 You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast/dependent on You in perfect peace, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in Yahweh forever; for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock/Strength.

5 For he has brought down those who dwell on high, the lofty city. He lays it low. He lays it low even to the ground. He brings it even to the dust. 6 The foot shall tread it down; Even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy." 7 The way of the just is uprightness. You who are upright make the path of the righteous level. 8 Yes, in the way of your judgments, Yahweh, have we waited for you. Your name and your renown are the desire of our soul. 9 With my soul have I desired you in the night. Yes, with my spirit within me will I seek you earnestly; for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 10 Let favor be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness. In the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully, and will not see Yahweh’s majesty. 11 Yahweh, your hand is lifted up, yet they don’t see; but they will see your zeal for the people, and be disappointed. Yes, fire will consume your adversaries.

12 Yahweh, you will ordain/appoint peace for us, for you have also worked all our works for us. 13 Yahweh our God, other lords besides you have had dominion over us, but by you only will we make mention of your name. 14 The dead shall not live. The deceased shall not rise. Therefore have you visited and destroyed them, and caused all memory of them to perish. 15 You have increased the nation, O Yahweh. You have increased the nation! You are glorified! You have enlarged all the borders of the land. 16 Yahweh, in trouble they have visited you. They poured out a prayer when your chastening was on them. 17 Like as a woman with child, who draws near the time of her delivery, is in pain and cries out in her pangs; so we have been before you, Yahweh. 18 We have been with child. We have been in pain. We gave birth, it seems, only to wind. We have not worked any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. 19 Your dead shall live. My dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast forth the dead.

20 Come, my people, enter into your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation is past. 21 For, behold, Yahweh comes forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also will disclose her blood, and will no longer cover her slain.

Observations: 26:1-4 The righteous nation is one that keeps exercising faith. The righteous person is the one who finds peace, because their mind is steadfastly fixed on God as revealed in His word (a characteristic of those who truly trust in God every day).

26:5-11 The righteous walk uprightly, desire God and His glory, and seek Him. The wicked (those who ignore the word -Ps 50) not only don't do what the righteous do, but they will even fail to recognize and respond to God's favor. They also refuse to see His majesty, but they will eventually recognize His judgment.

26:12-19 God is the one who gives peace, protection, and prosperity to those who are His people. In contrast to the dead nations, God will resurrect His people when He returns to share in His rule (another clear verse indicating an afterlife in the OT 26:19).

26:20-21 God will protect and hide His people from the wrath being poured out (Revelation 12). The earth will testify against the wicked, just like the blood of Able cried out to Him from the ground (Genesis 4). Sin cannot be hidden.

Application: For perfect peace, keep your mind in God's word, and your trust in His promises.

Prayer: God of perfect peace, thanks for being my source of help and hope regardless of how dire the circumstances may be. You can protect or resurrect Your people, so I have nothing to fear. Amen.

Isaiah 27 Grapes and Gathering

27:1 In that day, Yahweh with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan, the fleeing serpent, and leviathan the twisted serpent; and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea. 2 In that day, sing to her, "A pleasant vineyard! 3 I, Yahweh, am its keeper. I will water it every moment. Lest anyone damage it, I will keep it night and day. 4 Wrath is not in me, but if I should find briers and thorns, I would do battle! I would march on them and I would burn them together. 5 Or else let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me. Let him make peace with me." 6 In days to come, Jacob will take root. Israel will blossom and bud. They will fill the surface of the world with fruit.

7 Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them? Or are they killed like those who killed them were killed? 8 In measure, when you send them away, you contend with them. He has removed them with his rough blast in the day of the east wind. 9 Therefore, by this the iniquity of Jacob will be forgiven, and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: that he makes all the stones of the altar as chalk stones that are beaten in pieces, so that the Asherim and the incense altars shall rise no more. 10 For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness. The calf will feed there, and there he will lie down, and consume its branches. 11 When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off. The women will come and set them on fire, for they are a people of no understanding. Therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them, and he who formed them will show them no favor. 12 It will happen in that day, that Yahweh will thresh from the flowing stream of the Euphrates to the brook of Egypt; and you will be gathered one by one, children of Israel. 13 It will happen in that day that a great trumpet will be blown; and those who were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and those who were outcasts in the land of Egypt, shall come; and they will worship Yahweh in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

Observations: 27:1 In that day, the Lord will punish the evil forces who opposed Israel. Some see Assyria, Babylon and Egypt in the verse, or the powers behind them (which makes more sense since Assyria and Egypt will be worshiping Yahweh with Israel – 19:25). However Isaiah is not giving a strict historical chronology, but rather a poetic picture of events, so it's difficult to know some of the imagery with certainty.

27:2-6 In that day, God will protect Israel and cause her to take root, increase, and fill the earth. Clearly He will never abandon them.

27:7-13 God will not strike Israel as He did her (and His) enemies. In fact, He will not only forgive them, and cleanse them, but will regather them, one by one, to worship in Jerusalem.

Application: God forgives and restores so we can grow and yield fruit before Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thanks that You are the God who forgives, and that You want to use me; may I be a fruitful vine under Your care. Amen.

Digging Deeper:

God in a nutshell: God has a perfect plan to punish pride and bring about righteousness upon the earth. He will destroy evil angelic powers and wicked nations, and He will regather and revive the nation of Israel under the righteous rule of the Messiah. God's plan includes the punishment of those who shed innocent blood, the forgiveness of iniquity for those who seek it, and the destruction of death itself. Whatever the world attempts to do will be undone when the Messiah returns, indicating the futility of trying to bring in the kingdom without the King.

Us in a nutshell: We can experience the perfect peace of trusting God if we wholeheartedly fix our thoughts on Him. We can be forgiven and cleansed and used for God's purposes in bearing fruit pleasing to Him. We have a future beyond the grave.

Where to Go for More:

Truthbase.net

Isaiah complete text

Isaiah 24

24:1 Behold, Yahweh makes the earth empty, makes it waste, turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants. 2 It will be as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the creditor, so with the debtor; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest. 3 The earth will be utterly emptied and utterly laid waste; for Yahweh has spoken this word. 4 The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish. 5 The earth also is polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left. 7 The new wine mourns. The vine languishes. All the merry-hearted sigh. 8 The mirth of tambourines ceases. The sound of those who rejoice ends. The joy of the harp ceases. 9 They will not drink wine with a song. Strong drink will be bitter to those who drink it. 10 The confused city is broken down. Every house is shut up, that no man may come in. 11 There is a crying in the streets because of the wine. All joy is darkened. The mirth of the land is gone. 12 The city is left in desolation, and the gate is struck with destruction.

16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs. Glory to the righteous! But I said, "I pine away! I pine away! woe is me!" The treacherous have dealt treacherously. Yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously. 17 Fear, the pit, and the snare, are on you who inhabitant the earth. 18 It will happen that he who flees from the noise of the fear will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the midst of the pit will be taken in the snare; for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. 19 The earth is utterly broken. The earth is torn apart. The earth is shaken violently. 20 The earth will stagger like a drunken man, and will sway back and forth like a hammock. Its disobedience will be heavy on it, and it will fall and not rise again. 21 It shall happen in that day that Yahweh will punish the army of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on the earth. 22 They shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; and after many days shall they be visited. 23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Yahweh of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders will be glory.

Isaiah 25

Isaiah 26

26:1 In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city. God appoints salvation for walls and bulwarks. 2 Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter: the one which keeps faith. 3 You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in Yahweh forever; for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock.

5 For he has brought down those who dwell on high, the lofty city. He lays it low. He lays it low even to the ground. He brings it even to the dust. 6 The foot shall tread it down; Even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy." 7 The way of the just is uprightness. You who are upright make the path of the righteous level. 8 Yes, in the way of your judgments, Yahweh, have we waited for you. Your name and your renown are the desire of our soul. 9 With my soul have I desired you in the night. Yes, with my spirit within me will I seek you earnestly; for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. 10 Let favour be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness. In the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully, and will not see Yahweh’s majesty. 11 Yahweh, your hand is lifted up, yet they don’t see; but they will see your zeal for the people, and be disappointed. Yes, fire will consume your adversaries.

12 Yahweh, you will ordain peace for us, for you have also worked all our works for us. 13 Yahweh our God, other lords besides you have had dominion over us, but by you only will we make mention of your name. 14 The dead shall not live. The deceased shall not rise. Therefore have you visited and destroyed them, and caused all memory of them to perish. 15 You have increased the nation, O Yahweh. You have increased the nation! You are glorified! You have enlarged all the borders of the land. 16 Yahweh, in trouble they have visited you. They poured out a prayer when your chastening was on them. 17 Like as a woman with child, who draws near the time of her delivery, is in pain and cries out in her pangs; so we have been before you, Yahweh. 18 We have been with child. We have been in pain. We gave birth, it seems, only to wind. We have not worked any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. 19 Your dead shall live. My dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast forth the dead.

Isaiah 27

7 Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them? Or are they killed like those who killed them were killed? 8 In measure, when you send them away, you contend with them. He has removed them with his rough blast in the day of the east wind. 9 Therefore, by this the iniquity of Jacob will be forgiven, and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: that he makes all the stones of the altar as chalk stones that are beaten in pieces, so that the Asherim and the incense altars shall rise no more. 10 For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness. The calf will feed there, and there he will lie down, and consume its branches. 11 When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off. The women will come and set them on fire, for they are a people of no understanding. Therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them, and he who formed them will show them no favour. 12 It will happen in that day, that Yahweh will thresh from the flowing stream of the Euphrates to the brook of Egypt; and you will be gathered one by one, children of Israel. 13 It will happen in that day that a great trumpet will be blown; and those who were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and those who were outcasts in the land of Egypt, shall come; and they will worship Yahweh in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

1 Kings 1-3 Solomon Becomes King

Psalm 49:16-20 Trivial Pursuits

Ps 49:16 (15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.) 16 “Don’t be afraid/awe-struck when a man is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased. 17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away. His glory shall not descend after him. 18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul—and men praise you when you do well for yourself— 19 he shall go to the generation of his fathers. They shall never see the light. 20 A man who has riches without understanding, is like the animals that perish."

Observations: 48:1-15 See post on Deuteronomy 10 for vv 1-15, in which the psalmist noted that riches don't redeem from death, but God does.

48:16-20 The last section of the psalm reiterate the first part, emphasizing that glory we get for ourselves doesn't last (only that from God does, so it's infinitely more valuable). The last verse repeats the theme from verse 12, that a man with riches, who doesn't understand the purposes and ways of God, is no better than a brute animal (in the final analysis).

Application: Make sure you put as much effort into being rich toward God as you do toward accumulating temporal wealth (actually, should you put more effort into the spiritual?).

Prayer: God, help me have Your perspective and insight into my time here on earth, so I don't fritter away my life in trivial pursuits. Amen.

Proverbs 13:16-20 Wisdom Costs; Folly is Free (and more expensive)

Pr 13:16 “Every prudent man acts from knowledge, but a fool exposes folly. 17 A wicked/unfaithful messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy gains healing. 18 Poverty and shame come to him who refuses correction, but he who heeds reproof shall be honored. 19 Longing/desired fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil. 20 One who walks with wise men grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.“

Observations: 13:16-20 If you want to suffer the fate of fools: make rash decisions; be unfaithful in carrying out tasks; refuse to let anyone correct you or point out your sin; and never ever turn from doing what you think gives you pleasure. After all, you know best, so keep away from anyone who has Biblical wisdom and only hang around the fools setting themselves up for God's judgment. If on the other hand you want to be honored, prosperous, and one who pleases God: seek out wise people and walk through life with them; welcome correction and reproof; turn from evil and pursue godly goals that might take a while to accomplish (rather than wallowing in immediate gratification); be trustworthy of everything entrusted to you; and make your decisions prayerfully according to the will of God.

Application: Pay the costs to acquire wisdom, particularly doing whatever it takes to walk with the wise; it's worth it.

2 Timothy 2:21 If anyone therefore cleanses himself from these, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, and suitable for the master's use, prepared for every good work. 22 Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Prayer: God, thank You for marking out the way to wisdom; help me follow Your ways with those who call upon You out of a pure and wise heart.

1 Kings 1-3 The Books of 1 & 2 Kings highlight the importance of following the revealed will of God during the reigns of the forty kings of Judah and Israel (20 each). From the death of David and the rise of Solomon, until the exile, approximately 400 years, we'll see how God gives the promised consequences for His people's choices. He justly blesses when people obey, disciplines when they don't with curses, and graciously relents when they repent.

1 Kings 1 Solomon Becomes King

1:1 Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he couldn’t keep warm. 2 Therefore his servants said to him, "Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin. Let her stand before the king, and cherish him; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm." 3 So they sought for a beautiful young lady throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The young lady was very beautiful; and she cherished the king, and ministered to him; but the king didn’t know her intimately.

5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." Then he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6 His father had not displeased him at any time in saying, "Why have you done so?" and he was also a very handsome man; and he was born after Absalom. 7 He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him. 8 But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah. 9 Adonijah killed sheep and cattle and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En Rogel; and he called all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants: 10 but Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he didn’t call.

11 Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, "Haven’t you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns, and David our lord doesn’t know it? 12 Now therefore come, please let me give you counsel, that you may save your own life, and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in to king David, and tell him, ‘Didn’t you, my lord, king, swear to your handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? Why then does Adonijah reign?’ 14 Behold, while you yet talk there with the king, I also will come in after you, and confirm your words." 15 Bathsheba went in to the king into the room. The king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. 16 Bathsheba bowed, and showed respect to the king. The king said, "What would you like?" 17 She said to him, "My lord, you swore by Yahweh your God to your handmaid, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 Now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and you, my lord the king, don’t know it. 19 He has slain cattle and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the army; but he hasn’t called Solomon your servant. 20 You, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders." 22 Behold, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 They told the king, saying, "Behold, Nathan the prophet!" When he had come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. 24 Nathan said, "My lord, king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne?’ 25 For he is gone down this day, and has slain cattle and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king’s sons, and the captains of the army, and Abiathar the priest. Behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and say, ‘Long live king Adonijah!’ 26 But he hasn’t called me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon. 27 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and you haven’t shown to your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?" 28 Then king David answered, "Call to me Bathsheba." She came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king. 29 The king swore, and said, "As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 30 most certainly as I swore to you by Yahweh, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; most certainly so will I do this day." 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and showed respect to the king, and said, "Let my lord king David live forever!"

32 King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." They came before the king. 33 The king said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. 34 Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel. Blow the trumpet, and say, ‘Long live king Solomon!’ 35 Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne; for he shall be king in my place. I have appointed him to be prince over Israel and over Judah." 36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, "Amen. May Yahweh, the God of my lord the king, say so. 37 As Yahweh has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David." 38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride on king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the Tent, and anointed Solomon. They blew the trumpet; and all the people said, "Long live king Solomon!" 40 All the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth shook with their sound.

49 All the guests of Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and each man went his way. 50 Adonijah feared because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 51 It was told Solomon, saying, "Behold, Adonijah fears king Solomon; for, behold, he has laid hold on the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let king Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’" 52 Solomon said, "If he shows himself a worthy man, not a hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness be found in him, he shall die." 53 So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. He came and bowed down to king Solomon; and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."

Observations: 1:1-4 David is advancing in years and declining in vigor and in his ability to fulfill his responsibilities to rule. Abishag, in the days before electric blankets, is introduced to underscore that point, as well as set up future events. Stay tuned...

1:5-10 Next in line to rule, from the human perspective, is handsome and spoiled Adonijah (2Sam 3:4). Apparently David failed to discipline his kids, nor indicate God's choice for his successor. Abonijah confers with Joab, and Abiathar (the sole survivor of Saul's massacre of the priests at Nob), exalts himself (just like Satan did Isaiah 14:13), and hires 50 men to run before him, just like Absalom did. (We all know how that turned out.) He throws a banquet for everyone who would support his bid for the kingship. He doesn't invite Solomon and those most loyal to David, so he knew that what he was doing wasn't kosher.

1:11-31 God had promised David in 2Sam 7 (Davidic Covenant) that he would have son who would rule after him, but the son is not named in the text. Depending upon how one understands the verb tenses and chronology, it looks like the ruler would be a future son, but it's not clear. Nathan had delivered God's message that He loved Solomon, calling him Jedidiah (2Sam 12:25). 1Chronicles 22:9-10, written after the exile, reveals that Solomon was God's choice for David's successor. Nathan and Bathsheba were aware of David's oath, sworn before Yahweh, that Solomon would be king, and appeal to David to make it known. David's failure to be responsible for the succession plan, jeopardizes God's plan and national unity.

1:32-48 Better late than never, David calls Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah, the captain of his elite royal guard to take Solomon, on David's mule, to a public spring, Gihon, and anoint him as king, blowing the trumpet. The people and David's ministers acknowledge Solomon as God's choice.

1:49-53 When Adonijah's guests hear the people rejoicing over the anointing of Solomon as David's successor, they suddenly remember other appointments and flee. Adonijah flees to the altar hoping that Solomon won't kill him before the Lord. Solomon spares him on the condition that he be a worthy subject, promising death if wickedness be found in him.

Application: God's covenanted will, done God's way, might be a bumpy ride, but results in peace and rejoicing.

Prayer: God, I trust You to always fulfill Your promises, even though things might look bleak at times. Amen.

1 Kings 2 Just Desserts

5 "Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was about his waist, and in his shoes that were on his feet. 6 Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. 7 But show hesed/loyal covenantal love to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 "Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood." 10 David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. 11 The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

12 Solomon sat on the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was firmly established.

13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, "Peaceably. 14 He said moreover, I have something to tell you." She said, "Say on." 15 He said, "You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from Yahweh. 16 Now I ask one petition of you. Don’t deny me." She said to him, "Say on." 17 He said, "Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife." 18 Bathsheba said, "Alright. I will speak for you to the king." 19 Bathsheba therefore went to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. The king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself to her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand. 20 Then she said, "I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me." The king said to her, "Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny you." 21 She said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife." 22 King Solomon answered his mother, "Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah." 23 Then king Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, "God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life. 24 Now therefore as Yahweh lives, who has established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death this day." 25 King Solomon sent by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell on him, so that he died.

26 To Abiathar the priest the king said, "Go to Anathoth, to your own fields; for you are worthy of death. But I will not at this time put you to death, because you bore the ark of the Lord Yahweh before David my father, and because you were afflicted in all in which my father was afflicted." 27 So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest to Yahweh, that he might fulfil the word of Yahweh, which he spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. 28 The news came to Joab; for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he didn’t turn after Absalom. Joab fled to the Tent of Yahweh, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 29 It was told king Solomon, "Joab has fled to the Tent of Yahweh, and behold, he is by the altar." Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, "Go, fall on him." 30 Benaiah came to the Tent of Yahweh, and said to him, "Thus says the king, ‘Come forth!’" He said, "No; but I will die here." Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, "Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me." 31 The king said to him, "Do as he has said, and fall on him, and bury him; that you may take away the blood, which Joab shed without cause, from me and from my father’s house. 32 Yahweh will return his blood on his own head, because he fell on two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, and my father David didn’t know it: Abner the son of Ner, captain of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the army of Judah. 33 So shall their blood return on the head of Joab, and on the head of his seed forever. But to David, and to his seed, and to his house, and to his throne, there shall be peace forever from Yahweh." 34 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell on him, and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army; and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar. 36 The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and don’t go out from there anywhere. 37 For on the day you go out, and pass over the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall surely die: your blood shall be on your own head." 38 Shimei said to the king, "The saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so will your servant do." Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days. 39 It happened at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. They told Shimei, saying, "Behold, your servants are in Gath." 40 Shimei arose, and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish, to seek his servants; and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath. 41 It was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had come again. 42 The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, "Didn’t I adjure you by Yahweh, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain, that on the day you go out, and walk abroad any where, you shall surely die?’ You said to me, ‘The saying that I have heard is good.’ 43 Why then have you not kept the oath of Yahweh, and the commandment that I have instructed you with?" 44 The king said moreover to Shimei, "You know all the wickedness which your heart is privy to, that you did to David my father. Therefore Yahweh shall return your wickedness on your own head. 45 But king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before Yahweh forever." 46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell on him, so that he died. The kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

Observations: 2:1-4 David charges Solomon, as God did Joshua (1:8) to pay attention to what God said, so he can faithfully and wholeheartedly obey it; then God can fulfill His promises to prosper and bless him and his reign. Deuteronomy 17:18-20 says the same thing.

2:5-12 David's last instructions to Solomon are to pay back Joab for what “he did to“ David, and for shedding the “innocent” blood of Abner and Amasa. Although Joab was the most responsible, from a human perspective, for establishing David's throne, he misses out on continued blessing. It looks like he failed to demonstrate the kind of submissive trust in God that David had, and didn't seek God's will at some crucial junctures, the latest of which was backing Adonijah. The sons of Barzillai are to be blessed for their loyalty to David, and Shimei paid back for his cursings. Resisting God's anointed results in death, and assisting him results in blessing/life.

2:13-25 Adonijah seeks Bethsheba's assistance in getting Abishag as his wife. In ancient cultures, the former king's concubines became the property of the new king, so Solomon views this request as a wicked attempt to usurp the throne. Benaiah executes Adonijah as promised, if he should prove not to be worthy. Thus a major threat to the throne is eliminated.

2:26-46 Solomon continues to establish the throne by following David's instruction and executing justice. Abiathar, who backed Adonijah, gets banished from the priesthood in fulfillment of God's judgment against the house of Eli. Solomon carries out David's command regarding Joab, sending Benaiah to execute him, even at the altar. 2:32 elaborates the concern for the guilt of the murders not being upon David's house. Solomon let's Shimei live in Jerusalem under penalty of death for leaving, and when he does break the oath, he dies. Thus Solomon carries out all of David's directives, and establishes himself as king.

Application: Righteous rulership requires wisdom to know the right action, and the right timing of action.

Prayer: Lord, help me be sensitive to Your perspective on things, so I can do what is just and pleasing in Your sight. Amen.

1 Kings 3 Solomon Asks For Understanding

3:1 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of Yahweh, and the wall of Jerusalem all around. 2 Only the people sacrificed in the high places, because there was no house built for the name of Yahweh until those days. 3 Solomon loved Yahweh, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

5 In Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I shall give you." 6 Solomon said, "You have shown to your servant David my father great hesed/loyal covenantal love, according as he walked before you in truth/faithfulness, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you. You have kept for him this great hesed/loyal covenantal love, that you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father. I am but a little child. I don’t know how to go out or come in. 8 Your servant is in the midst of your people which you have chosen, a great people, that can’t be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an hearing/perceiving heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this your great people?" 10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, neither have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to hear/perceive justice; 12 behold, I have done according to your word. Behold, I have given you a wise and and discerning heart; so that there has been none like you before you, neither after you shall any arise like you. 13 I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you, all your days. 14 If you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days." 15 Solomon awoke; and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king, and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, "Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house. 19 This woman’s child died in the night, because she lay on it. 20 She arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while your handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I bore." 22 The other woman said, "No; but the living is my son, and the dead is your son." 24 The king said, "Get me a sword." They brought a sword before the king. 25 The king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other." 26 Then the woman whose the living child was spoke to the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, "Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill it!" But the other said, "It shall be neither mine nor yours. Divide it." 27 Then the king answered, "Give her the living child, and in no way kill it. She is its mother." 28 All Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared/respected the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice.

Observations: 3:1-4 Solomon makes an alliance with Pharaoh and marries one of his daughters, indicating the elevated status of Israel at this time. The Israelites were worshiping at the high places, where the pagans usually worshiped. God said that sacrifices were only to be offered where He specified, i.e., the tabernacle and then the temple (Dt 12:11-14). Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice since that's where the tabernacle was (2Chron 1:3).

3:5-15 God, pleased with Solomon's heart, appears to him in a dream offering to grant him whatever he desires. Solomon asks for an hearing/perceiving heart so that he can perceive justice to carry out his responsibilities as king, and judge God's people. Pleased with his selflessness, God gives him riches, honor, and wisdom as well, and promises a long life if Solomon walks in His ways, as David did. Our requests can be very pleasing to God if our heart is set on serving Him.

3:16-28 The wisdom/understanding God gave Solomon to give justice is applied in the famous case of a wronged prostitute, underscoring God's concern for all His people.

Application: If we set our heart on serving God, He will set His heart on pleasing us.

Prayer: God, You are so good; You equip and bless Your servants so they can serve You in blessing others. May Your praises resound. Amen.

Digging Deeper:

God in a nutshell: God blesses His people, providing all they need to do His will, so they can bless others. He delights to respond to faithful hearts, with even more than they ask or desire. He uses His servants to bring about justice for His people. He can easily reverse outward circumstances to bring about His purposes.

Us in a nutshell: We will eventually reap the consequences of our actions, for good, or bad.

When we fail to fulfill our responsibilities, we can make life difficult for others. Others can not cause us to miss the will of God, but we can through our disloyalty to Him. Seeking to humbly serve God in all we do is the path to greatest blessing.

Where to Go for More:

Truthbase.net

1Kings complete text

1 Kings 1

41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, "Why is this noise of the city being in an uproar?" 42 While he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said, "Come in; for you are a worthy man, and bring good news." 43 Jonathan answered Adonijah, "Most certainly our lord king David has made Solomon king. 44 The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and they have caused him to ride on the king’s mule. 45 Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon. They have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that you have heard. 46 Also, Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom. 47 Moreover the king’s servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne’; and the king bowed himself on the bed. 48 Also thus said the king, ‘Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, my eyes even seeing it.’" 49 All the guests of Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and each man went his way. 50 Adonijah feared because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 51 It was told Solomon, saying, "Behold, Adonijah fears king Solomon; for, behold, he has laid hold on the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let king Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’" 52 Solomon said, "If he shows himself a worthy man, not a hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness be found in him, he shall die." 53 So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. He came and bowed down to king Solomon; and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."

1 Kings 2

2:1 Now the days of David drew near that he should die; and he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 "I am going the way of all the earth. You be strong therefore, and show yourself a man; 3 and keep the instruction of Yahweh your God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, according to that which is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do, and wherever you turn yourself. 4 That Yahweh may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail you,’ he said, ‘a man on the throne of Israel.’ 5 "Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was about his waist, and in his shoes that were on his feet. 6 Do therefore according to your wisdom, and don’t let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace. 7 But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those who eat at your table; for so they came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 "Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by Yahweh, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood." 10 David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David. 11 The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

12 Solomon sat on the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was firmly established. 13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. She said, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, "Peaceably. 14 He said moreover, I have something to tell you." She said, "Say on." 15 He said, "You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from Yahweh. 16 Now I ask one petition of you. Don’t deny me." She said to him, "Say on." 17 He said, "Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife." 18 Bathsheba said, "Alright. I will speak for you to the king." 19 Bathsheba therefore went to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. The king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself to her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand. 20 Then she said, "I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me." The king said to her, "Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny you." 21 She said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife." 22 King Solomon answered his mother, "Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah." 23 Then king Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, "God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life. 24 Now therefore as Yahweh lives, who has established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death this day." 25 King Solomon sent by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell on him, so that he died.

35 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army; and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar. 36 The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and don’t go out from there anywhere. 37 For on the day you go out, and pass over the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall surely die: your blood shall be on your own head." 38 Shimei said to the king, "The saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so will your servant do." Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days. 39 It happened at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. They told Shimei, saying, "Behold, your servants are in Gath." 40 Shimei arose, and saddled his donkey, and went to Gath to Achish, to seek his servants; and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath. 41 It was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and had come again. 42 The king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, "Didn’t I adjure you by Yahweh, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain, that on the day you go out, and walk abroad any where, you shall surely die?’ You said to me, ‘The saying that I have heard is good.’ 43 Why then have you not kept the oath of Yahweh, and the commandment that I have instructed you with?" 44 The king said moreover to Shimei, "You know all the wickedness which your heart is privy to, that you did to David my father. Therefore Yahweh shall return your wickedness on your own head. 45 But king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before Yahweh forever." 46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell on him, so that he died. The kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

1 Kings 3

3:1 Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of Yahweh, and the wall of Jerusalem all around. 2 Only the people sacrificed in the high places, because there was no house built for the name of Yahweh until those days. 3 Solomon loved Yahweh, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

5 In Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I shall give you." 6 Solomon said, "You have shown to your servant David my father great loving kindness, according as he walked before you in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you. You have kept for him this great loving kindness, that you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father. I am but a little child. I don’t know how to go out or come in. 8 Your servant is in the midst of your people which you have chosen, a great people, that can’t be numbered nor counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this your great people?" 10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, neither have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice; 12 behold, I have done according to your word. Behold, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart; so that there has been none like you before you, neither after you shall any arise like you. 13 I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honour, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you, all your days. 14 If you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days." 15 Solomon awoke; and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

16 Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king, and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, "Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house. I delivered a child with her in the house. 18 It happened the third day after I delivered, that this woman delivered also. We were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, just us two in the house. 19 This woman’s child died in the night, because she lay on it. 20 She arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while your handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I bore." 22 The other woman said, "No; but the living is my son, and the dead is your son." This said, "No; but the dead is your son, and the living is my son." Thus they spoke before the king. 23 Then the king said, "The one says, ‘This is my son who lives, and your son is the dead’; and the other says, ‘No; but your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’" 24 The king said, "Get me a sword." They brought a sword before the king. 25 The king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other." 26 Then the woman whose the living child was spoke to the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, "Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill it!" But the other said, "It shall be neither mine nor yours. Divide it." 27 Then the king answered, "Give her the living child, and in no way kill it. She is its mother." 28 All Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice.

Leviticus 18-20 Soul, Spiritual, and Sexual Holiness

Psalm 18:28-50 Shielded and Saved

18:28 (24 Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.) “For you will light my lamp, Yahweh. My God will light up my darkness. 29 For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall. 30 As for God, his way is perfect. The word of Yahweh is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him. 31 For who is God, except Yahweh? Who is a rock, besides our God, 32 the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect? 33 He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places. 34 He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze. 35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness/willingness to help (NET) has made me great. 36 You have enlarged my steps under me, my feet have not slipped. 46 Yahweh lives; and blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation, 47 even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me. 48 He rescues me from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man. 49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name. 50 He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows hesed/loyal covenantal love to his anointed, to David and to his seed, forevermore.

Observations: 18:1-8 See post on Genesis 49 for vv 1-27

18:28-50 David depends upon God who not only provided defensive protection, but teaches and empowers David to triumph over his enemies. David knows God as the rock, but also the recompenser who executes vengeance in treading down his enemies. I edited out all the verses about beating up his enemies, because most of us don't need that kind of encouragement. David praises God for His salvation/deliverance, recognizing that is a function of His hesed as promised in the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7) to not just him, but his descendants as well.

Application: We should trust God for both His defensive and offensive help, and praise Him for loyally executing justice for us.

Prayer: Thanks God, that I can trust You to protect me, and teach me what You want me to do, so that Your name might be exalted in my life. Amen.

Proverbs 5:18-21 Antidote to Adultery

Pr 5:18 “(15 Drink water out of your own cistern, running water out of your own well.) 18 Let your spring be blessed. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. 19 A loving doe and a graceful deer—let her breasts satisfy you at all times. Be captivated/intoxicated always with her love. 20 For why should you, my son, be captivated with an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another? 21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of Yahweh. He examines all his paths.“

Observations: 5:18-21 One of the four sins frequently listed in the prophets, to which God attributes judgment and captivity, is adultery (unrighteousness, injustice, and idolatry/pagan worship are the others). The family unit was the building block of religious, economic, and political society. Adultery and immorality undermine the marriage relationship and family. Children who have only one parent are less wealthy, less healthy, and less wise, than their two parent counterparts. They are also a very high risk for criminal activity. The solution is to have a family and marriage as God intended, and it doesn't happen by accident. The underlying motivation is fearing and pleasing God (5:21) knowing He sees and judges all actions. The environment of the relationship needs to be such that each person's needs are mutually met, and delights mutually indulged, resulting in joy. Obviously marriage is not just for procreation. “Rejoice” in 5:18 is a command, which requires heart-mind-soul-strength obedience. The object of and companion in rejoicing is one's wife (not someone else's). The doe and deer imagery is that of sensual fertility in the Song of Solomon. “Satisfy” in 5:19 a Piel Imperfect (intentional and ongoing) verb meaning to “be drunk/saturated”. To be “ravished-captivated-intoxicated” describes the ongoing (Qal Imperfect) effect of the wife's love upon her husband. Such a relationship would render a man impervious to another woman's charms, but will only happen if he charms his wife. If tempted to stray (on a bad day) the author reminds the reader that God's watching and remembering all we do. See Marriage Resources on Truthbase.net for help in cultivating such a relationship. Like all things that are worthy, it's work, but worth it.

1 Corinthians 7:2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Application: We will reap what we sow. If we want a bed of strawberries, we can't plant radishes, and allow thistles and thorns to grow.

Prayer: Lord, thanks that You are sufficient for all my needs; may I draw upon Your grace to live as You intended, and reap the blessings of obedience. Amen.

Leviticus 18-20 These three chapters detail the daily holiness we need to receive the blessings God has planned for His people.

Leviticus 18 From Ritual to Sexual Purity

What about "No" do
you not understand?

18:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, I am Yahweh your God. 3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, in which you lived, you shall not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, where I bring you, you shall not do; neither shall you walk in their statutes. 4 My ordinances shall you do, and my statutes shall you keep, to walk therein: I am Yahweh your God. 5 You shall therefore keep my statutes, and my ordinances; which if a man obeys, he shall live by them (NIV): I am Yahweh. 6 None of you shall approach to any who are close relatives to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am Yahweh. 20 You shall not lie carnally with your neighbor`s wife, to defile yourself with her. 21 You shall not give any of your seed to make them pass through [~~fire~~] to Molech; neither shall you profane the name of your God: I am Yahweh. 22 You shall not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination...25 The land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity of it on it...26 You therefore shall keep my statutes and my ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the home-born, nor the stranger who sojourns among you; 27 (for all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. 29 For whoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 Therefore shall you keep my charge, that you not practice any of these abominable customs, which were practiced before you, and that you not defile yourselves therein: I am Yahweh your God.

Observations: 18:5 Obedience results in life in the Promised Land. Disobedience, in expulsion, and being cut off from blessings.

18:6 God is concerned about our sexuality and prohibits all manner of incest, and a few other things. An essential part of spirituality is not having our life governed by our natural passions, instincts, or desires, but sublimating them for a higher objective, living within holy/separate boundaries in obedience to God.

18:21 Molech was a Canaanite fertility deity. See under Digging Deeper.

18:22 This is a pretty clear prohibition against homosexuality. It is not about sex with male temple prostitutes, for that would not impregnate a pagan and pollute the name of Yahweh. See Digging Deeper.

18:26 With apologies to my libertarian friends, God regulates the sexuality of all people in the land.

18:25-30 As God promised Abe in Gen 15, He is punishing the inhabitants of the Promised Land for their iniquity. If Israel engages in the same practices, the Just God will be forced to punish them as well.

Application: Sexual purity or impurity starts in our soul (mind, will, emotions/values) before it manifests itself in our bodies.

1Thess 4:1 Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.3 For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, 4 that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don't know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and wrong a brother or sister in this matter; because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. 7 For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. 8 Therefore he who rejects this doesn't reject man, but God, who has also given his Holy Spirit to you.

Prayer: My Creator and Maker, You are infinitely wise and loving; You know what's best; thank You for creating me with desires and giving me grace to use or not use them as You desire. Amen.

Leviticus 19 Other-centered Holiness

19:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tell them, You shall be holy; for I Yahweh your God am holy. 3 You shall fear every man his mother, and his father; and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am Yahweh your God. 4 Don`t turn to idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am Yahweh your God. 5 When you offer a sacrifice of peace-offerings to Yahweh, you shall offer it that you may be accepted...8... and that soul shall be cut off from his people. 9 When you reap the harvest of your land...10 leave the corners for the poor and for the sojourner: I am Yahweh your God. 11 You shall not steal; neither shall you deal falsely, nor lie one to another. 12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of your God: I am Yahweh. 13 You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him: the wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning. 14 You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind; but you shall fear your God: I am Yahweh. 15 You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: you shall not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go up and down as a talebearer among your people: neither shall you stand against the blood of your neighbor: I am Yahweh. 17 You shall not hate your brother in your heart: you shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am Yahweh. 19 You shall keep my statutes.

23 When you shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then you shall count the fruit of it as their uncircumcision: three years shall they be as uncircumcised to you; it shall not be eaten. 24 But in the fourth year all the fruit of it shall be holy, for giving praise to Yahweh. 25 In the fifth year shall you eat of the fruit of it, that it may yield to you the increase of it: I am Yahweh your God. 26 You shall not eat anything with the blood: neither shall you use enchantments, nor practice sorcery/soothsaying. 31 Don`t turn to those who have familiar spirits/mediums, nor to the wizards; don`t seek them out, to be defiled by them: I am Yahweh your God. 37 You shall observe all my statutes, and all my ordinances, and do them: I am Yahweh.

Observations: Most of the commands in the first half of the chapter are foundational to any stable society and economy. The latter half has some more Israel-entering-the-Promised-Land specific commands, but some applicable to us today (and repeated in other places). Understanding the principles or purpose behind the commands helps us determine how they apply to us today.

19:5 Even offering a sacrifice to God must be done as He specified or it would not be accepted and you would be cut off from blessing. If that bothers you, remember that He is God and you're not. If that thought bothers you, you haven't quite grasped the whole Creator-creature thing. Satan didn't either.

19:9 God is concerned about both the greed, and the poor of His people. By leaving some of the harvest in the field one guarded against greed and gave the poor (and sojourners) an opportunity to work to gather it for themselves.

19:16-18 Loving your neighbor as yourself sums up the law according to Jesus and Paul, for it does the neighbor no harm (cx. 19:16 talebearer). Note that rebuking your neighbor is tied into loving him/her.

Mt 18:15 "If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother”

19:23-25 Is one of the Israel specific in practice, but in principle God owns it all and we show that by giving Him the first-fruits, trusting Him to give us what we need. A little self-control and delayed gratification would enable greater blessings.

19:26&31 Enchantments, sorcery, saying “sooth” and consulting the dead spirits or wizards (knowers of esoteric knowledge) cause defilement. All are demonically energized attempts to predict and control our reality apart from God's revelation. Don't go there; it's dark, because it's away from the Light.

Application: What would happen if you treated others the way you would want them to treat you?

Prayer: All Sufficient Meeter of All My Needs, thank You that all my needs can be met in my relationship with You, so I'm free to love rather than use others (to meet my needs). Amen.

Leviticus 20 Walk This Way or Get Whooped

20:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Moreover, you shall tell the children of Israel, Whoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, who gives of his seed to Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 I also will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he has given of his seed to Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name. 4 If the people at the land do at all hide their eyes from that man, when he gives of his seed to Molech, and don`t put him to death; 5 then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all who play the prostitute after him, to play the prostitute with Molech, from among their people.

6 The soul that turns to those who have familiar spirits, and to the wizards, to play the prostitute after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. 7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be you holy; for I am Yahweh your God. 8 You shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am Yahweh who sanctifies you. 9 For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death: he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be on him. 10 The man who commits adultery...13 If a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be on them. 23 You shall not walk in the customs of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they did all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. 24 But I have said to you, You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey: I am Yahweh your God, who has separated you from the peoples. 25 You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean: and you shall not make your souls abominable by animal, or by bird, or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have separated from you as unclean. 26 You shall be holy to me: for I, Yahweh, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine. 27 A man also or a woman that has a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be on them.

Observations: This chapter repeats FOR EMPHASIS a number of items from the previous chapter. The role of the community in maintaining holiness is highlighted.

20:1-5 The people had the responsibility to not turn a blind eye to defiling practices, because defilement affected the entire community. Either they did what was right or they would suffer the same fate of the wrong-doer. Stoning was communal justice. See Digging Deeper for more on Molech.

20:6-7 Failure to look to God for guidance by seeking mediums and wizards (see last chapter) resulted in God declaring Himself to be your enemy. Not good. Holiness on the other hand is good, because it keeps one from being cut off or disqualified from God's blessings.

10-27 Bans on adultery and homosexuality, and the Dark Arts are repeated as are the commands to be holy so you don't share the destiny of the defiled (v23).

1Pt 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, be sober and set your hope fully on the grace (praise, glory and honor v7) that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ 14 as children of obedience, not conforming yourselves according to your former lusts as in your ignorance, 15 but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior; 16 because it is written, "You shall be holy; for I am holy." 17 If you call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judges according to each man's work, pass the time of your living as sojourners here in fear.

Application: Do you use the Scriptures to guide your walk on this planet, or do you just follow the crowd or your desires?

Prayer: Holy God, guide me in the paths that lead to godliness, so that I may be holy as You are Holy. Amen.

Digging Deeper:

Deeper Understanding Through Bible Study
(or being a mole about Molech)

I'm including this blurb to give those of you who want an more accurate understanding of the Scriptures a little insight into how to attain that. In most, if not all, cases where the translators had a difficulty interpreting a verse, it doesn't really matter. You would not follow God any differently.

Lev 18:21 Molech was a Canaanite fertility deity. In other passages and archeological evidence, children were sacrificed to him by fire. However, most translations of Lev 18:21 indicating sacrificing children by fire are incorrect. The original text is inspired; translations are not.

First, the passage is clearly in the context of sex (most of the chapter, and the verses above and below). So why the reference to Molech? It seems out of place. Inquiring minds want to know.

Second, we notice that “fire” is not in the original text. Where did that come from? Cross-references. The translators added “fire” to the text to try to reflect their understanding of Molech from other references. Interpreting Scripture with Scripture can lead to error, if you don't first understand the Scriptures in their original context. Only then you can compare your understanding of one verse with other verses. Otherwise you're building a theology on the basis of hundreds of half understood verses, or half-truths. Shaky ground to stand upon.

Isaiah 24-27 Perfect Plan and Perfect Peace

1 Kings 1-3 Solomon Becomes King

Leviticus 18-20 Soul, Spiritual, and Sexual Holiness

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