After experiencing two personal appearances of the Lord, Solomon still turned away from obeying Him, so the Lord told him, “Since you have not kept My covenant and have disobeyed My decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son” (I Kings 11:11-12, NLT).
But what else had the Lord told Solomon? “Even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, My chosen city” (I Kings 11:13).
Even before Solomon’s death, the trouble began as “the Lord raised up Hadad the Edomite, a member of Edom’s royal family, to be Solomon’s adversary. God also raised up Rezon son of Eliada as Solomon’s adversary” (I Kings 11:14, 23a).
Who had God said would end up with the kingdom? “I will… give it to one of your servants.” And just how did that change come about?
“Another rebel leader was Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon’s own officials” (I Kings 11:26a).
Before Solomon realized what Jeroboam was up to, “Solomon saw how industrious he was (and) put him in charge of the labor force from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph” (I Kings 11:28b).
“One day as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh met him along the way. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone in a field, and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. Then he said to Jeroboam, ‘Take ten of these pieces, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I will give ten of the tribes to you! But I will leave him one tribe for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. For Solomon has abandoned Me… He has not followed My ways and done what is pleasing in My sight’” (I Kings 11:29-33a, c).
The kingdom of Israel was about to be torn apart and just as God had said, Jeroboam, “one of Solomon’s own officials,” would wind up with the lion’s share. From governing all the tribes of Israel, Solomon’s heir would be diminished to leading only a small portion.
Through the prophet Ahijah the Lord’s message to Jeroboam continued: “But I will not take the entire kingdom from Solomon at this time. For the sake of My servant David, the one whom I chose and who obeyed My commands and decrees, I will keep Solomon as leader for the rest of his life. But I will take the kingdom away from his son and give ten of the tribes to you. His son will have one tribe so that the descendants of David My servant will continue to reign, shining like a lamp in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be the place for My name” (I Kings 11:34-36).
“Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to King Shishak of Egypt and stayed there until Solomon died. When he (Solomon) died, he was buried in the City of David, named for his father. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king” (I Kings 11:40, 43).
Rehoboam, most likely having lived privileged and spoiled, was in no way prepared to step into his father’s role as leader. Too, he’d learned a lot from watching the last years of his father’s life.
Brothers and sisters, finish well. If today was your last day on Planet Earth, how would you be remembered?
Copyright © 2013
Judy Woodward Bates
Friday, December 13, 2013
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Thursday, December 12, 2013
THURSDAY'S BARGAINOMICS BIBLE PASSAGE
Solomon went from faithfully living for the Lord to bowing down to the gods of all the wives and concubines he’d brought into his life. “So now the Lord said to him, ‘Since you have not kept My covenant and have disobeyed My decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, My chosen city” (I Kings 11:11-13, NLT).
Twice God had appeared to Solomon! He’d specifically warned him of the consequences of not remaining faithful. Yet here Solomon is, older, but instead of wiser, a foolish old man. Solomon became more concerned with impressing the chicks than honoring the Lord. And this decision cost him dearly.
“I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive.” Despite Solomon’s great sin, the Lord would allow him to live out his lifetime as ruler – not because of Solomon’s track record, but because of David’s. David sinned, yes, but he also repented and sought to honor the Lord.
“I will take the kingdom away from your son. And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom… for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, My chosen city.” Once Solomon was gone, things were going to change drastically. Meanwhile, the peaceful times for Solomon had come to an end:
“Then the Lord raised up Hadad the Edomite, a member of Edom’s royal family, to be Solomon’s adversary. God also raised up Rezon son of Eliada as Solomon’s adversary. Rezon had fled from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah, and had become the leader of a gang of rebels. After David conquered Hadadezer, Rezon and his men fled to Damascus, where he became king. Rezon was Israel’s bitter adversary for the rest of Solomon’s reign, and he made trouble, just as Hadad did. Rezon hated Israel intensely and continued to reign in Aram” (I Kings 11:14, 23-25).
You’ve heard the expression “looking for trouble.” Solomon’s unfaithfulness to the Lord brought enormous troubles to Israel. Troubles that could have been avoided. Troubles that should have been avoided.
A parent tells a child, “Don’t do that; you’re going to get hurt.” The child persists and, sure enough, he ends up with a smashed finger or some other injury that could have been avoided. The parent had clearly warned the child that he was putting himself in unnecessary danger. Why didn’t he stop? Because he didn’t believe what his parent told him.
Folks, we’ve been blessed with an entire book, the Living Word, who tells us precisely what happened to countless people who failed to obey the Lord’s commands. We have the indwelling Holy Spirit warning us each time we start getting sidetracked. So why do we so often do it anyway and wind up suffering the consequences? Because we don’t believe our Parent.
“A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.” (C. S. Lewis)
Copyright © 2013
Judy Woodward Bates
Twice God had appeared to Solomon! He’d specifically warned him of the consequences of not remaining faithful. Yet here Solomon is, older, but instead of wiser, a foolish old man. Solomon became more concerned with impressing the chicks than honoring the Lord. And this decision cost him dearly.
“I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive.” Despite Solomon’s great sin, the Lord would allow him to live out his lifetime as ruler – not because of Solomon’s track record, but because of David’s. David sinned, yes, but he also repented and sought to honor the Lord.
“I will take the kingdom away from your son. And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom… for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, My chosen city.” Once Solomon was gone, things were going to change drastically. Meanwhile, the peaceful times for Solomon had come to an end:
“Then the Lord raised up Hadad the Edomite, a member of Edom’s royal family, to be Solomon’s adversary. God also raised up Rezon son of Eliada as Solomon’s adversary. Rezon had fled from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah, and had become the leader of a gang of rebels. After David conquered Hadadezer, Rezon and his men fled to Damascus, where he became king. Rezon was Israel’s bitter adversary for the rest of Solomon’s reign, and he made trouble, just as Hadad did. Rezon hated Israel intensely and continued to reign in Aram” (I Kings 11:14, 23-25).
You’ve heard the expression “looking for trouble.” Solomon’s unfaithfulness to the Lord brought enormous troubles to Israel. Troubles that could have been avoided. Troubles that should have been avoided.
A parent tells a child, “Don’t do that; you’re going to get hurt.” The child persists and, sure enough, he ends up with a smashed finger or some other injury that could have been avoided. The parent had clearly warned the child that he was putting himself in unnecessary danger. Why didn’t he stop? Because he didn’t believe what his parent told him.
Folks, we’ve been blessed with an entire book, the Living Word, who tells us precisely what happened to countless people who failed to obey the Lord’s commands. We have the indwelling Holy Spirit warning us each time we start getting sidetracked. So why do we so often do it anyway and wind up suffering the consequences? Because we don’t believe our Parent.
“A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.” (C. S. Lewis)
Copyright © 2013
Judy Woodward Bates
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
WEDNESDAY'S BARGAINOMICS BIBLE PASSAGE
The Lord has warned Solomon and all the people of Israel that “if you or your descendants abandon Me and disobey the commands and decrees I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor My Name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations” (I Kings 9:6-7, NLT).
As we saw yesterday, Solomon had finished the big projects that had kept his life focused on God. Now Solomon would have to be very careful not to allow his loyalty to the Lord to diminish.
Likewise for believers today, we must determine in our hearts, minds and spirits to remain faithful to God. As many of us can personally attest, we are so often drawn closer to the Lord through tragedy while, when things are going along smoothly, we find ourselves more self-centered and stuff-oriented.
And that’s precisely where Solomon found himself. He was rich. He was famous. He was powerful. Even the queen of Sheba came to visit:
“When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, she was overwhelmed” (I Kings 10:2b-5a).
Solomon became more and more impressed with himself. And, to his and his people’s detriment, he indulged himself thoroughly in his greatest weakness: non-Jewish women.
“Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, ‘You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.’ He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.
In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been. Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.
On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.
The Lord was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command” (I Kings 11:1-2a, 3-5,-6a, 7-10).
“They turned his heart to worship other gods.” Folks, if Jesus Christ isn’t first in your life, He isn’t your God. In His message to the church at Ephesus, Jesus declared, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4, NASB). In Matthew 6:33, He said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” And in Luke 12:34 He cautioned: “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
Have you allowed “other gods” to come between you and “your first love?” Be sure nothing is more important to you than your commitment to Jesus.
Copyright © 2013
Judy Woodward Bates
As we saw yesterday, Solomon had finished the big projects that had kept his life focused on God. Now Solomon would have to be very careful not to allow his loyalty to the Lord to diminish.
Likewise for believers today, we must determine in our hearts, minds and spirits to remain faithful to God. As many of us can personally attest, we are so often drawn closer to the Lord through tragedy while, when things are going along smoothly, we find ourselves more self-centered and stuff-oriented.
And that’s precisely where Solomon found himself. He was rich. He was famous. He was powerful. Even the queen of Sheba came to visit:
“When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, she was overwhelmed” (I Kings 10:2b-5a).
Solomon became more and more impressed with himself. And, to his and his people’s detriment, he indulged himself thoroughly in his greatest weakness: non-Jewish women.
“Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, ‘You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.’ He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.
In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been. Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.
On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.
The Lord was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command” (I Kings 11:1-2a, 3-5,-6a, 7-10).
“They turned his heart to worship other gods.” Folks, if Jesus Christ isn’t first in your life, He isn’t your God. In His message to the church at Ephesus, Jesus declared, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4, NASB). In Matthew 6:33, He said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” And in Luke 12:34 He cautioned: “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
Have you allowed “other gods” to come between you and “your first love?” Be sure nothing is more important to you than your commitment to Jesus.
Copyright © 2013
Judy Woodward Bates
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Tuesday, December 10, 2013
TUESDAY'S BARGAINOMICS BIBLE PASSAGE
“So Solomon finished building the Temple of the Lord, as well as the royal palace. He completed everything he had planned to do. Then the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had done before at Gibeon. The Lord said to him, ‘I have heard your prayer and your petition. I have set this Temple apart to be holy – this place you have built where My Name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to My heart.
As for you, if you will follow Me with integrity and godliness, as David your father did, obeying all My commands, decrees, and regulations, then I will establish the throne of your dynasty over Israel forever. For I made this promise to your father, David: ‘One of your descendants will always sit on the throne of Israel.’
But if you or your descendants abandon Me and disobey the commands and decrees I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor My Name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled and will shake their heads in amazement. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’
And the answer will be, ‘Because His people abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why the Lord has brought all these disasters on them’” (I Kings 9:1-9, NLT).
Solomon had been king over Israel for 24 years by the time “the Temple of the Lord” and “the royal palace” were completed. He had settled into his role as leader of Israel and, at this point, had achieved the greatest undertaking of his lifetime. And this was the time the Lord chose to appear “to Solomon a second time.” Why?
Solomon had reached the pinnacle of his glory days. His life had been focused on completing these projects. Now he’d have time on his hands and the Lord knew that Solomon needed to be very careful about where he next placed his focus.
Thus the “ifs” we see here: (1) “If you will follow Me with integrity and godliness…” (2) “If you or your descendants abandon Me and disobey the commands and decrees I have given you;” and (3) “If you serve and worship other gods…”
First we see the blessing “if.” God would bless Solomon IF he remained faithful. Next, we see the cursing “ifs.” Should Solomon or his own descendants or the people of Israel or their descendants fail to remain faithful to God, nothing would go well for them. God’s blessings were conditional on His people’s obedience. They still are.
Jesus Himself warned: “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows” (John 16:33b). He also said: “But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33c).
To be centered in the will of Jesus Christ is to live with His strength to overcome temptation and walk in obedience to His teaching. To be centered in the will of Jesus Christ is to have His strength to endure the “trials and sorrows” we all must face from time to time. Being centered in the will of Christ also means missing out on unnecessary difficulties that come to those who choose to disobey God’s teaching.
Copyright © 2013
Judy Woodward Bates
As for you, if you will follow Me with integrity and godliness, as David your father did, obeying all My commands, decrees, and regulations, then I will establish the throne of your dynasty over Israel forever. For I made this promise to your father, David: ‘One of your descendants will always sit on the throne of Israel.’
But if you or your descendants abandon Me and disobey the commands and decrees I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor My Name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled and will shake their heads in amazement. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’
And the answer will be, ‘Because His people abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why the Lord has brought all these disasters on them’” (I Kings 9:1-9, NLT).
Solomon had been king over Israel for 24 years by the time “the Temple of the Lord” and “the royal palace” were completed. He had settled into his role as leader of Israel and, at this point, had achieved the greatest undertaking of his lifetime. And this was the time the Lord chose to appear “to Solomon a second time.” Why?
Solomon had reached the pinnacle of his glory days. His life had been focused on completing these projects. Now he’d have time on his hands and the Lord knew that Solomon needed to be very careful about where he next placed his focus.
Thus the “ifs” we see here: (1) “If you will follow Me with integrity and godliness…” (2) “If you or your descendants abandon Me and disobey the commands and decrees I have given you;” and (3) “If you serve and worship other gods…”
First we see the blessing “if.” God would bless Solomon IF he remained faithful. Next, we see the cursing “ifs.” Should Solomon or his own descendants or the people of Israel or their descendants fail to remain faithful to God, nothing would go well for them. God’s blessings were conditional on His people’s obedience. They still are.
Jesus Himself warned: “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows” (John 16:33b). He also said: “But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33c).
To be centered in the will of Jesus Christ is to live with His strength to overcome temptation and walk in obedience to His teaching. To be centered in the will of Jesus Christ is to have His strength to endure the “trials and sorrows” we all must face from time to time. Being centered in the will of Christ also means missing out on unnecessary difficulties that come to those who choose to disobey God’s teaching.
Copyright © 2013
Judy Woodward Bates
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