#565 Sweet Nothings

Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. 2 After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?” He answered him, “I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.”

4 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord.” 5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” 6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?” 7 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, Micaiah the son of Imlah; but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.” 8 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.” 9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes. And they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” 11 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph. The Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

12 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 13 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak.” 14 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And he answered, “Go up and triumph; they will be given into your hand.” 15 But the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 16 And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’” 17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?” 18 And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. 19 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab the king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another.20 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ 21 And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ 22 Now therefore behold, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets. The Lord has declared disaster concerning you.”

23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “Which way did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” 24 And Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself.” 25 And the king of Israel said, “Seize Micaiah and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, 26 and say, ‘Thus says the king, Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.’” 27 And Micaiah said, “If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Hear, all you peoples!”

The Defeat and Death of Ahab

28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30 Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, “Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.” 31 As soon as the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel.” So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; God drew them away from him. 32 For as soon as the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33 But a certain man drew his bow at random[a] and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded.” 34 And the battle continued that day, and the king of Israel was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians until evening. Then at sunset he died. 2 Chronicles 18 ESV

1 Kings 22 Sister passage

Jehoshaphat was a good king in that he worshiped the true God, but has here applied a practice of the nations in an alliance sealed by marriage. There is a certain wisdom here in that if you are married to my daughter I should want you to do well, that you provide for my grandchildren and so forth. Likewise, if I have taken your daughter then she may be the token of influence and respect to you, but what if in this you have also become unequally yoked? What if you have married into destruction and against the law unto kings? This could be an influence against you and against the true God. Ahab's kingdom had gone from the apostate practices of Jeroboam to the outright acquisition and adherence to the god and prophets of Jezebel. Unity at any price is not what we are called to ever, but rather that we repent and be saved. That God calls us to love even our enemies, tells much, that they are still yet our enemies, no denying the truth of our position. We are called to tolerate our fellow humans not by adapting their beliefs, but by proclaiming the word of God in love and taking no offense. I think his marriage here is against the law of kings, that he has used the tradition of his fathers, David, Solomon etc.. as an appeal to liberty rather than look at the horrible outcome of their sins. In the end, what we count as liberty, is no liberty at all, for we have become slaves to our sin, refusing to be set free.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2: 15-17

Now your friend calls upon you, your father was warned already that the Syrian army had slipped from his hands, but Ahab wants his new partner to ride with him, against them. Ahab's ego left him slighted by the Syrians and now bruised, he would like an ally to silence the mockers. Jehoshaphat agrees to go with him but ask that they inquire of the Lord. Now 400 prophets testify with craft time and show and tell that this is a good thing, attack your enemies, the battle is yours. 400, and this is after the time of Elijah killing the prophets of Baal, but there is still something wrong here, Jehoshaphat is not satisfied, the drama, iron horns, story time, must have given him a sense of some strange fire. He asks for a second opinion. Ahab reluctantly volunteers Micaiah, but he can't stand him, for he is a prophet unto God, not unto the respect of kings, he will not tickle your ears. When I was young I loved people who accepted my view of God, it was the "yeah, I believe in God, but I don't think He cares about this, or this is not a sin if", but those who could not conform to my view or accept it as at least valid, well, I couldn't stand them. We hate God, but we can only lay hold of His messengers, until Christ came. They pull Micaiah out of jail, he answers with sarcasm but when pressed he tells the king what he does not want to hear, that he is heading down the wrong path. That is a sin, Calvin, you are not right with God because you say you are or because you have found 400 to agree with you. This is why I can't talk to this guy, he is unreasonable, steadfast, unyielding, I told you I like God well enough, but I like Him this way. Well then go up, face the Syrians, but if I said what God is already saying, then you will not return. Macaiah would not yield to this ecumenical movement, unity did not come before the truth, majority was not right or rule in his heart. What is God saying, what has He already said? The leader of the false prophets reacts in violence to him, and this to be expected, tantrums, screaming, rioting and all manner of disrespect. Ahab goes up and though he shouldn't unless he is confident in the words of the 400, but he does and yet still there is a doubt. So he relies yet again on earthly reasoning and sets Jehoshaphat out as the only king, the target in the battle. Jehoshaphat cries out to God for deliverance, but by some strange coincidence, Ahab is found by an uneducated arrow.  

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.
Jesus Pronounces Woes

24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.

“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. Luke 6: 22-26

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#564 Like the Giant Slayer

Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. 2 He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. 3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals,4 but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. 5 Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6 His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.

7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; 8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tobadonijah; and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. 9 And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

10 And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabians also brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats. 12 And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities, 13 and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. 14 This was the muster of them by fathers' houses: Of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, with 300,000 mighty men of valor; 15 and next to him Jehohanan the commander, with 280,000; 16 and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, a volunteer for the service of the Lord, with 200,000 mighty men of valor. 17 Of Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, with 200,000 men armed with bow and shield; 18 and next to him Jehozabad with 180,000 armed for war. 19 These were in the service of the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah. 2 Chronicles 17 ESV

Jehoshaphat walks in the earlier ways of David, and those early days were not only filled with lions, bears and giants, but also of standing even in the face of those whose eyes have fallen down. His father goes out the worse than he came in, but Jehoshaphat goes up against the high places, at least those that have been dedicated to other gods. Those early days we remember, when we went out to battle, when we tended the flock, and so there are those wolves to the north, our own brethren, who we must pray for and call to, but they have accepted and adhered to false doctrines. Like David, he must now shepherd and fortify himself to the protection of his country against those closest to them. David was not destroyed in battle but at home, from within. His was the temptation of all men, that fruit on someone else's tree, the broken comprehension of Who God is and what the image of God in others instructs us to their treatment. When you have done it unto the least of these my brethren you have done it unto me. If you love me, feed my sheep. Do not grow weary in well doing, do not lose sight of your first love, it is the same God going out as coming in. He wages the greatest war, not with the sound of crushing bones nor the spilling of enemy blood. It is the proclamation of the law, that your are sinners, it is the offense of the gospel, that you are guilty. This is the war against human ignorance and self esteem, the war against pride and it changes his nation. It changes his nation and places a mark of respect on them by the other surrounding nations. The truth is not suppressed but proclaimed. I hear whining supposed Christians every day, who cry that there is no prayer in schools or that the system is junk, but I ask you, what's it like at home? Children are given to their parents to bring up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Do you read the Bible to them every day, pray together, do they see you love your wife, do they see you growing closer to God and further from sin? There are no excuses, it all starts at home. You are the light of the world, not governments, not schools. No matter where you work, play, or do your hobbies, honor God. A preacher does his job, but you are the priest in your home, and you are the missionary at your work, live to the glory of God. No matter where you are at, you were called, so serve.

 

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:


“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,


“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”[a]

8 and


“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2: 4-12

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#563 A Pint of Conversation

In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the Lord and the king's house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying,3 “There is a covenant[a] between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 4 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali.5 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. 6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

7 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, he gave them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless[b]toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.

11 The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but sought help from physicians.13 And Asa slept with his fathers, dying in the forty-first year of his reign.14 They buried him in the tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer's art, and they made a very great fire in his honor. 2 Chronicles 16 ESV

We should take care what we teach our kids and who we make close to us before their eyes. If our dealings are shady or with those of questionable character, will not that be the condoning parentheses for young eyes? Dad did it this way, he was a friend and a partner with the king of Syria. Now also I think I see another problem here, maybe, for the north is still brother to the south. I think it is a grand thing that Asa would accomplish here, for there are probably so many that pass through Ramah to worship in Jerusalem, but Baasha has cut them off. However, should this stay between you and your brother and God? Is this an in house argument, a family quarrel? 

Suppose one of you wants to bring a charge against another believer. Should you take it to ungodly people to be judged? Why not take it to the Lord’s people? 2 Or don’t you know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? Since this is true, aren’t you able to judge small cases? 3 Don’t you know that we will judge angels? Then we should be able to judge the things of this life even more! 4 So suppose you disagree with one another in matters like this. Who do you ask to decide which of you is right? Do you ask people who live in a way the church disapproves of? Of course not! 5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that no one among you is wise enough to judge matters between believers? 6 Instead, one believer goes to court against another. And this happens in front of unbelievers! 1 Corinthians 6: 1-6

So Asa has started out as a great king, a reformer of the people, but now he goes to Syria in order to punish Israel. Israel is not innocent in this, but God is displeased with Asa's mode of correction. He takes the gold of the temple, robbing God to pay the godless. He seeks the aid of this king, when it has been God all along that made him great. There is a dangerous pattern here that started before him, did not Solomon sell the Syrians the weapons they would one day come to use against his own people? Friendship with the world comes at a high price, one we should not be willing to pay, the things of God should remain with the temple. This is the same with the call to righteousness, that many will throw away for a more pragmatic, user friendly gospel. Only if they ask God, He says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Asa, you have done so well these many years in this covenant with God, you have sought Him and He has favored you. Maybe when things are going well we write off the need to seek and inquire, and we see the world has an answer in these situations, it has it's own wisdom that we find appealing. You had to trust God when there was no deliverance in sight, when the Ethiopians were upon you, but now you have this other king and that which is sacred and refined in the temple will be the price. It worked and so you measure that it was good, you got the result you aimed for, so your method was true, but why is Hanani knocking at your door? Why is he saying the army has escaped you, does he not realize that this is my ally? You must be a fool and not a prophet, I am friends with Ben-hadad, so I have nothing to fear. I am the king and this is what I have decided and it was good. So he throws him in jail, for speaking out against the acts of the king; he punishes others who question him as well. When he becomes sick, he cuts off his own self from God, and he trusts men still more. God made men, made medicine and physicians, go to Him to ask that he aid the doctor, that He steers you clear of the witch doctor, but don't leave God out. Praise Him, lift Him up, for He is above all of it. A wise man takes correction, it is sad to see Asa's light go out this way. 

As that shadow soon approaches, I close my eyes to look once more
To search the halls and chambers behind the ticking door
There He sits again, still and true, upon His throne for sure
I like to come here often, I know His words are pure
And I should not like to falter now, this close to race's end
So everyday just like the last, here's where I will begin

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#562 While

The Spirit of God came[a] upon Azariah the son of Oded, 2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, 4 but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. 5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands.6 They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. 7 But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

8 As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the Lord.[b] 9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. 10 They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. 11 They sacrificed to the Lord on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. 12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, 13 but that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. 14 They swore an oath to the Lord with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. 15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.

16 Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron. 17 But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days. 18 And he brought into the house of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels. 19 And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa. 2 Chronicles 15 ESV

Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. The Bible tells us to seek Him while He may be found. He delivered them from the Ethiopians, but lest they should be satisfied with an instance, He sends His word to them by the mouth of the prophet. Don't be complaisant, tomorrow will have it's own test, and don't be delusional, thank God for what has occurred today, for your little army was not sufficient in itself. Do not go home as if it is separate from the battlefield, whatever you do and where ever you are, be about His business. Listen carefully, for a long time you had no teachers, do not forsake the means when it is with you. Look back at the law, bring it to the forefront, let it be so woven in your heart that it finds its way easily to your lips. Asa not only hears but becomes a doer of the Word, he sets about immediately to tear down every idol, for what good is it to add the one true God to the shelf of all others? Christ said, I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me. Take away those that are not the path, remove those that are no light, and taste the bread of life. Many came to Asa from all over when they knew the Lord was with him. They deserted the false temples of Israel, where the calves were held up, the priests were no priests and idolatry was rampant. Come out of her, she says she serves the living God, but she has left the law of God to writer her own way, she has abandoned the truth and that is no life. Come out and seek the Lord with us. Again it mentions his mother, Maacah, for she was an idolater, and there is no more difficult influence to shake than that of your mom, but Christ again said, who is my mother, who is my brother, but those who do the will of my father. If you choose anything over Him, He says you are not worthy of Him. He makes it clear that He did not come to destroy the law or the prophets, that He would pour out everything to do the will of His father, that He only did what He saw the Father doing. Who are you then to take such license, to make your own pseudo "Christianity", to make so light of His cross?

On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus[a] is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.[b] 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men[c] by which we must be saved.” Acts 4: 5-12

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#561 But She's Your Grandmother

Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years. 2 [b] And Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. 3 He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim 4 and commanded Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. 5 He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him.6 He built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest. He had no war in those years, for the Lord gave him peace. 7 And he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the Lord our God. We have sought him, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered. 8 And Asa had an army of 300,000 from Judah, armed with large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin that carried shields and drew bows. All these were mighty men of valor.

9 Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. 10 And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11 And Asa cried to the Lord his God, “O Lord, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” 12 So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah[c] carried away very much spoil. 14 And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the Lord was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. 15 And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 14 ESV

1 Kings 15

Asa is mentioned in 1 Kings 15. He was more like David than the others up until this point. Going out into battle his father was apt to carry the name of the Lord, but at home there was a great need of reform. He tore down the foreign altars and high places, in the books of the kings it says he also removed the state sanctioned male prostitutes. He not only stands up for God publicly, but also addresses the religious infidelity of his own house, standing up to his mother, who has lead the people in ways like a Jezebel. 

The land was given rest for 10 years and peace because they sought the Lord. Some will have it that they have sought by words, by a thought, donation or great deed, but always short of simple obedience. Asa truly seeks the Lord. When the king of Ethiopia comes against him with a much larger army, there is no use looking around, he looks up. He cries out to God, for there is none like Him. Help us Oh Lord, everyday, for we cannot exist except by Your might. Let us not grow weary in well doing, let us not fret for what we shall eat. Please let us not accept what is against you, or fear what has come against us. 

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

2 Corinthians 10: 4-6

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#560 Every Hour

In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors. 4 Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! 5 Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord, 7 and certain worthless scoundrels[b] gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and irresolute[c] and could not withstand them.

8 “And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. 9 Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes for ordination[d] with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods. 10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service. 11 They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening. For we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. 12 Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.”

13 Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops[e] were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. And they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. 17 Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. 18 Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. 19 And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron[f] with its villages. 20 Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down, and he died. 21 But Abijah grew mighty. And he took fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings, are written in the story of the prophet Iddo. 2 Chronicles 13 ESV


1 Kings 15

In 1 Kings we find that Abijah has a very short reign, he walks in the sins of his father before him and does not have a heart like David's. Here the Chronicler gives us a little more, for though the reign was short lived there was also this instance of deliverance, this battle where God answers the cry of a sinner. He comes to the field of contest, carrying with him a rather lopsided view of history. He tells only a part of it, this covenant of salt, between God and His chosen, David. Salt is a very valuable and consistent compound, it also preserves. Looking at the time and it's use in meals, it would also symbolize a relationship where you have eaten together, a friendship. This telling, Abijah's take on history, neglects the breaking of the covenant by his forefathers, Solomon and Rehoboam. He proceeds to call the current state of the Northern kingdom a rebellion against the Davidic rule, rather than acknowledge God's judgment against his family. Remember, God did not allow Rehoboam to go up after Jeroboam, He sent His prophet to tell Rehoboam that this thing is of  Me, I am Sovereign and the kingdom is divided. Now though his cause, he is correct in the spirit of which he argues against Jeroboam, for what is the fruit of Jeroboam's reign? He calls him a rebel, which though God has allowed this to Judah's disgrace, is also true of Jeroboam and those who follow him. They were not noble men, looking to God's honor, for they chased away God's true priest and set up idols against His true religion. The kingdom is divided though, and there is divisions that are necessary, those doctrines that divide as well, for we say, "false and true." It is our loving duty to try and persuade, let us leave this battle for the spiritual and look upon those things that truly keep us apart. I beg you to remember that those are not God's priest among you, that you have chosen to have your ears tickled. The price of unity cannot be the truth, and though I would so much prefer to be liked, God has not called out to me to make my own calf, but rather repent of those things which He has called sin. Jeroboam, you have allowed anyone to be a priest that pays your price. You still want to call it the religion of the true God, but you have not accepted His standard. All Jeroboam hears is another sinner talking to him, his priest have probably assured him, look, this son of David no longer has a right, didn't his grandfather sin? You have twice the army, take all of Israel, it is yours. He does not hear the wisdom of what Abijah is saying, he is the pope of his domain and cannot be implored. The assurance is numbers, just like the mega church, he has already laid out a plan to sneak in from behind, to climb in another way. He is not the true shepherd though and 500,000 of his sheep are destroyed. A king may try to tell you how to worship, a king may try to tell you how God can be approached, he may feel that God allowing him the title and the breath has also given breadth, but there is a Higher Power. What did God say? God, please help me in my ignorance, let me see through Your eyes. I ask that there be no unnecessary divisions among us, but in matters of the truth do not let me compromise. Let Your words be above my thoughts and desires, forgive me for the love of my own honor, the gossip and debate. Thank you for speaking into my life through Your word, through others who are coming after You, please give me patience and love for my fellow man. I praise You in all things, to thine be glory forever, Amen.

I hope my life is not marked by a single battle, a one time decision, but rather defined by a cross that I took up daily, and a Savior Who I honored in everything. Abijah seems to start out well and then fall off quickly.

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#559 Jewelry

When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. 2 In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem 3 with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people were without number who came with him from Egypt—Libyans, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians. 4 And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. 5 Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.’” 6 Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is righteous.” 7 When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. 8 Nevertheless, they shall be servants to him, that they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.”

9 So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house. He took away everything. He also took away the shields of gold that Solomon had made, 10 and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king's house. 11 And as often as the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard came and carried them and brought them back to the guardroom. 12 And when he humbled himself the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so as not to make a complete destruction. Moreover, conditions were good in Judah.

13 So King Rehoboam grew strong in Jerusalem and reigned. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite. 14 And he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.

15 Now the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are they not written in the chronicles of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer? There were continual wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. 16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, and Abijah his son reigned in his place. 2 Chronicles 12 ESV

Once Rehoboam established his borders, provided for his house and felt secure, he no longer needed the Lord who brought them there. The prosperity gospel is funny this way, for what idols of men's affections are not put upon that podium? Health, for men should be strong and virile. Wealth, for what gentiles could ever respect a meager existence or exalt the God Who would put His people in that place? The goal of his religion is to believe unto and until the acquisition of his heart's desires. Once he has what he wants, he is like those quick to forsake the wife of their youth and lead the rest of the kingdom into unfaithfulness. Have you left Egypt behind, or are you calling Pharaoh back to reign over you once more? He is at the door by your own invitation, for those that won't acknowledge God will be ruled by the tyranny of their idols. Those that hold their health above everything, will be terrified by death when he comes. Those that hold riches above all else, will parade their philanthropy, but despise the freedom of others, calling back to Egypt once again. 

Shemaiah steps onto the stage of this drama once again, but where did he come from? Are these men only materializing at these moments, is this the availability of God's word, only when Pharaoh has come to claim those who are acting as his children? So now we will hear what God has to say, you left Me, so I am returning you. But where was God then all this time? Look, there is a temple which is a light on the candelabra, there is the Pentateuch, there is the Passover, the Judges, the prophets and the priests. The light was there, but men love darkness, there was peace and so they found pride to replace wisdom as their guide. Their hearts were far from God, and so the prophets of God become useless, despised, even murdered at times. 

This time they humble themselves, "the Lord is righteous," they say, and as a sinner that's all you need to know. God is Holy, I am not. This is the separation, the necessity of an approach that is designed by the only One Who is Righteous, for among men there are none, no, not even one. Pharaoh stands outside the door and this is what God owes to them, this is what they have chosen, even worse than this, but God is gracious and shows them mercy. He sees their humility, which is also the light of wisdom, and he spares them the full weight of Pharaoh's wrath. You will get to serve Shishak in part, so that you may get a taste of what it is like to be a servant in the other countries. He takes the gold shields, the show of the court, the shiny, heavy and useless pride of kings. In all of this it is still good there, and Rehoboam is still allowed to rule Judah, but his heart is not like David's. Peace and prosperity are a dangerous concoction, we think we know just what to do with it, and right away we find ourselves drunk and belligerent. All along there were these many candles we could have lit, reading the law of kings, the history of our parents, the foolishness of idolatry, but I don't want to read these things for you anymore. I don't want to know them so that I may argue or have a deep thought. I read the words of God, study the word of God, seek out the true men of God, worship with others who belong to God and pray to God so that I might be changed. These are the means that He has provided and so much light has come to us in this day, but where is boasting in any of it? The prophets don't just appear out of thin air, the Word of God hasn't just arrived. If God wasn't real, then we would make him relevant. We trust more in the gold that can be taken away, more in our lives which are vapors, our feelings which change like the wind, our highs which are manufactured, and the idols that reflect our own hearts and motives back to us. God, You are Righteous.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Do Not Grow Weary

3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?


“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.
A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken

18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly[a] of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12

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#558 A Moment

When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 2 But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God: 3 “Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, 4 ‘Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives. Return every man to his home, for this thing is from me.’” So they listened to the word of the Lord and returned and did not go against Jeroboam.

5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built cities for defense in Judah.6 He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin. 11 He made the fortresses strong, and put commanders in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine. 12 And he put shields and spears in all the cities and made them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin.

Priests and Levites Come to Jerusalem

13 And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel presented themselves to him from all places where they lived. 14 For the Levites left their common lands and their holdings and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons cast them out from serving as priests of the Lord, 15 and he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for the calves that he had made. 16 And those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers. 17 They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehoboam the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.

Rehoboam's Family

18 Rehoboam took as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse, 19 and she bore him sons, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters). 22 And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. 23 And he dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons through all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities, and he gave them abundant provisions and procured wives for them.[a] 2 Chronicles 11 ESV


Rehoboam is not going to take this lying down. He pulls together an army of 180,000 warriors, he intends to keep the kingdom united. There may be speculation or doubt as to the claims of Jeroboam, like did God actually tell him this, were you there? Now there is this one man, who we have no prior history of that I recall, but his name is Shemaiah, meaning "heard of Jehovah". He enters the scene as we see at times, and I wonder in these Bible stories, what else? Why do these men appear for only a paragraph, a singular, simple and brief purpose? But I am an idiot when I think about it, for "what is man that thou art mindful of him?" It is actually quite a spectacle, men that are all born into a world that God's judgment is against, one of those men, stopping an army with words. It is also a marvel to me that God uses men, brings them in to His circle, through means that men cannot produce themselves. It is all brief, eternity has eclipsed the longest of lives and largest events. God truly mocks the strength of men, the weakness of God is stronger, one man, not interpreting the words of God, but proclaiming them. God says, "this thing is from me." There is no need for you to fight your brothers, I have caused this separation. We don't have to guess at why, but we will suppress the source of the answer rather than ask how. How can we fix this? Who can fix this? No one is really asking.

The priests and Levites, who live in the sanctuary cities of Israel, are no longer wanted up north. They have been replaced by those loyal to the new crown, and they cannot stay there for reason of a new religion. Jeroboam has made a Judaism after his own heart, toward his own honor and power, it is apostasy and God hates it. The Levites become defectors and come to Jerusalem to honor the only true God, and to seek to do it the way He says, in spirit and in truth.


The situation of Jeroboam 1 Kings 13


Rehoboam was wise at first to listen to God's prophet and not go to war. He seems to have his father's excesses but his pockets don't run as deep. He takes care of his families physical needs, but still finds the show to be more important than the substance and even after his defeat by the hand of Egypt he still likes to carry on the parade of shields. There are tensions and smaller wars between the north and south that mark his reign. Peace was taken for granted and peace is now gone.

1 Kings 14

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#557 Throw It Back That Shiny Thing

Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2 And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 3 And they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and said to Rehoboam, 4 “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.” 5 He said to them, “Come to me again in three days.” So the people went away.

6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men,[a] who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” 7 And they said to him, “If you will be good to this people and please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” 8 But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. 9 And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?” 10 And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to the people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us’; thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's thighs. 11 And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”

12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.” 13 And the king answered them harshly; and forsaking the counsel of the old men,14 King Rehoboam spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by God that the Lord might fulfill his word, which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

16 And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Each of you to your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So all Israel went to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram,[b] who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and the people of Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam quickly mounted his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. 2 Chronicles 10 ESV

Sister Passage 1 Kings 12 Scorpion

God had already told Jeroboam that he would reign over a part of the kingdom. This meeting actually takes place in the northern kingdom, and though Rehoboam is by the laws of primogeniture the natural successor to Solomon, the meeting is not in Jerusalem and they have called for Jeroboam. Their determination of fitness, their willingness to continue the Davidic rule across the tribes, hangs not in the issues of his father's character, the apostasy of the nation, but the tax. Lighten our load, your father's policies and pomp have become to heavy a burden. Now the prophet Samuel had warned of such, 

He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

The Lord Grants Israel’s Request

19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 1 Samuel 8: 11-19

Rehoboam is not his father, he is not that established as a leader, and it has already been decided in his heart that he deserves their allegiance without question. He just needs the resonance of his social bubble, his favorite news channel, someone to agree with him. The elders that have counselled his father for years do not say what he wants to hear, so he goes to his young friends. These may have been his half brothers, other princes as well, who lived off the fat of the land and the backs of others. Solomon had many wives, so his offspring were probably many as well. Whoever these men were they were yet boys in understanding, but they were the echo chamber he wanted. My father taxed you this much, his thigh is like my little finger, I will chastise you with scorpions. In other words, you don't have the right to be heard, to complain, and since you did, I will give you something to cry about. He wanted to rule without question, to be a tyrant, to sustain a large government, a ruling class that had no issues with the burdens of others but saw them as a necessary sacrifice to themselves. It was the worst sort of advice, and the family that justified forced labor would never turn down the idea of more slavery, more taxes or the unconditional worship of rulers. He doesn't see himself as a public servant, he sees the crown as the inauguration of a god. 

The people did not accept him, the kingdom split, and he was too delusional still to comprehend it. I know, I will send out my bull dog, my mastiff, the driver of the forced labor. If they didn't like the heavy hand of my father, who was three times the politician I am, they didn't like the sound or believe the weight of it in my own voice, then I will send out Hadoram. They will fear him for he is experienced in this, yeah that will work. The people answered. 

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,[c] 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,[d] 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20: 25-28

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#556 I Needed Steel

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. 2 And Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her. 3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 4 the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.

5 And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, 6 but I did not believe the[a]reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the report that I heard. 7 Happy are your wives![b] Happy are these your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 8 Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the Lord your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” 9 Then she gave the king 120 talents[c] of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There were no spices such as those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

10 Moreover, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones.11 And the king made from the algum wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king's house, lyres also and harps for the singers. There never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah.

12 And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what she had brought to the king. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.

Solomon's Wealth

13 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 14 besides that which the explorers and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels[d] of beaten gold went into each shield. 16 And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; 300 shekels of gold went into each shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 17 The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 The throne had six steps and a footstool of gold, which were attached to the throne, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, 19 while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. Nothing like it was ever made for any kingdom. 20 All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon.21 For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[e]

22 Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. 24 Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and of gold, garments, myrrh,[f] spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. 25 And Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.26 And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates[g] to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. 27 And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah. 28 And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

Solomon's Death

29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31 And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place. 2 Chronicles 9 ESV


Sister Passage 1 Kings 10


Some think she came from Yemen, maybe some 1500 miles of travel and she was not disappointed. She blesses the Lord his God and attributes God's love of Israel as to why Solomon reigns, for he was chosen above and passing over others. He was wise and able to answer all of her questions. She heard about him, knew of his fame, but she came to test it for herself. She stands in judgment over the generation that saw the coming of Christ, for a greater than Solomon was there. Yes, we know of his folly, that he chased it as much as he had the knowledge not to. But here, the wisdom he asked for and so freely received, he also freely gives. It is a good lesson for us, that because we read a thing we should not count it the same as obedience or righteousness. Because we know a thing is not an idol shall we not consider still him who is weak? Should a man be sound only in his doctrine, yet leave behind his first love? They enjoyed a long period of peace and prosperity. Solomon took in some 666 talents of gold to his person it seems, besides that which came in by merchants in trade. It is an interesting number which appears again in Revelation, but my eschatology is weak, so after several hours of chasing geese, I am still only comfortable with saying a little about it. It's here gold, and gold was not something that the king was supposed to acquire so much of for himself. This is in the law of kings already discussed. It moves away from trust and servitude to God, to the glory and wisdom of man, the love of money. He makes shields of gold, which are useless as shields, the metal is too heavy and too soft. It is all for show, and his is a kingdom of peace, he is not a warrior. This materialism is always impressive to the world, and he has the wisdom to know better, but he allows himself the knowledge of it that also brings grief. If this is the aim, to die with the most toys, then this is the pain that all you toiled over stays behind, and it may also end up in the hands of a fool. The land, the nation has a period of rest, but it is wise on the part of the Queen of Sheba to note it's source. Seven is the number of perfection, in six days He created the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day God rested. Six is the number of man, who does not exist without God, man's work and his wisdom will always fall short of God's glory. I think it's wise to look at both things here, that wisdom is that priceless pearl, and the wanting of it, the looking for it, the journey and humility of the queen in going so far and her willingness to pay so much is convicting. On the other hand, it can just as easily become a golden shield, a piece of paper, knowledge that is put a way from use and only brought out for show. Words to live by should be lived by.

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#555 Vanity and Slavery

At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, 2 Solomon rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given to him, and settled the people of Israel in them.

3 And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and took it. 4 He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities that he built in Hamath. 5 He also built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, 6 and Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had and all the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 7 All the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, 8 from their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed—these Solomon drafted as forced labor, and so they are to this day. 9 But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves for his work; they were soldiers, and his officers, the commanders of his chariots, and his horsemen. 10 And these were the chief officers of King Solomon, 250, who exercised authority over the people.

11 Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter up from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, for the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.”

12 Then Solomon offered up burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord that he had built before the vestibule, 13 as the duty of each day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the three annual feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.14 According to the ruling of David his father, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their offices of praise and ministry before the priests as the duty of each day required, and the gatekeepers in their divisions at each gate, for so David the man of God had commanded. 15 And they did not turn aside from what the king had commanded the priests and Levites concerning any matter and concerning the treasuries.

16 Thus was accomplished all the work of Solomon from[a] the day the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.

17 Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Eloth on the shore of the sea, in the land of Edom. 18 And Hiram sent to him by the hand of his servants ships and servants familiar with the sea, and they went to Ophir together with the servants of Solomon and brought from there 450 talents[b] of gold and brought it to King Solomon. 2 Chronicles 8

What can we say if we just pass through here, not knowing the law of kings? Let's look at it again to illuminate the significance of what is being said here. 

you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ 17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by[c] the Levitical priests.19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel. Deuteronomy 17: 15-20

In opposition to the law of kings and the Psalmist words in Ps. 20:7, Solomon does seem to separate himself more here from the words and wisdom of God, trusting more in his own wisdom as some trust in chariots and horses. He is also willing to justify forced labor, not indentured servitude, and within the context of this passage, it is most probable to amass, greed. This is even in the history of my own country as well, and it still goes on both condoned by government and in ways not. To have more, avoiding cost to self, reducing one's own effort or inconvenience, we call someone else less. In the earlier portion of U.S. history, the African and Asian populations were treated as less than made in the image of God. The Blacks and Indians were called savages, even animals were treated with more respect. Today, we call the children of inconvenience, less than human, fetus, using words like viability, they have become the real human rights issue, but lost amongst a sea of identity politics, choosing one group to have more priority or right over another. Words like "equality" are used but with no integrity. He goes back the way of Egypt though, for horses and also for turning the horses and slave labor into more silver and gold. What is human life after all compared to metal? He also marries a wife from Egypt and this passage gives more light on the matter than in Kings. He builds her a house of her own, and not just as a tribute to her, but it appears that this is the beginning of how we find him towards his end, unequally yoked. It is the first part or hint of his acquiring many wives, and the temptation to be turned away. He does not deem her fit to be in his father's house where the ark has been, yet he has prophetically prayed for the "foreigner who does not belong to Your people," those that hear of His great name and mighty hand. This appears to be a poor union, a marital divide on the thing that matters most, God, and Solomon has again resorted to his own wisdom and desire in the matter. I thought perhaps she may have been a proselyte in earlier books, but given this passage and the comparison to the law of kings, it seems to be an outline of his folly. The end does not justify the means, especially when it demeans another or the truth. His marriages probably helped him politically, the chariots and horses looked virile and also helped him as an arms dealer. He acquired more wealth with these things, but the support and amassing of stuff also carried a large bill of maintenance. Slavery is the cheapest labor available, so Solomon is always one move ahead and further slipping into vanity. It is a time of peace, but one day there will be a war, and the people will have to face the chariots you sold your neighbors. This is Solomon, a study in dualism, keeping separate, his God, his marriages, his politics and humanity. 

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24

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