1 Kings 12:20-13:34, Acts 9:26-43, Psalms 132:1-18, Proverbs 17:6
Today is the 14th day of June. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian and it’s great to be here with you as we’re moving into the end of the week now, another one of our weeks moving toward its conclusion. And we’re continuing to move forward. As we mentioned yesterday, we’re kinda headed into some new territory now because in the Old Testament the kingdom of Israel is not just one united group of people made up of 12 tribes. They’ve split into two different kingdoms, the northern kingdom of Israel in the southern kingdom of Judah. And in the book of Acts, this man, this Pharisee, this radical Pharisee named Saul has had a radical encounter with Jesus and he is becoming the apostle Paul. So, we’ll pick up with those stories. We’re reading from the English Standard Version this week. First Kings chapter 12 verse 20 through 13 verse 34.
Commentary:
Okay. So, in first kings we…I mean…it was the day before yesterday that we were reading of the apex. We were under Solomon’s reign and peace and prosperity unlike anything else the world had ever seen was what we are reading about and here we are two days later. The kingdom has split into two. The northern kingdom is being led by its King Jeroboam into full-blown idolatry. And, yeah, that’s just how fast things can turn and that’s how fast things can turn in our lives sometimes. I mean it could be the day before yesterday that we were rescued by God worshiping in His presence and we can find ourselves a couple days later, in the depths again. So, this King, Jeroboam…now it’s Rehoboam and Jeroboam and it’s easy to like get them kinda mixed up. Rehoboam is the king of Judah, and he reigns in Jerusalem and his father was King Solomon. Jeroboam is the King of the North, the 10 tribes of the north, the kingdom of Israel, and he became king in a…well…in a prophetic way, and also in a practical way. He had been in charge of the forced labor for Solomon. So, when the people came and asked Rehoboam to lighten the load and he wouldn’t lighten the load…well…Jeroboam was there, and he understood the workload. So, he’s the king, but he knows that if the people continue to go to Jerusalem to worship God, it won’t be long before their hearts are turned against Jeroboam and they’ll want to reunite. So, he’s got borders. The kingdom of Israel in ancient Israel was from Dan to Beersheba. Jeroboam’s kingdom was from Dan to Bethel, just a bit north of Jerusalem. And, so, that’s where he built these temples for these calves, one in Dan in the north and one in Bethel on his southern border. And there’s the story that we read of today of a prophet being sent to Bethel to curse the altar. And he does curse the altar and its dramatic, right? The Kings got his arm frozen in place and this…the whole thing. Now, the King, once he’s restored, and this is King Jeroboam that we’re talking about, once his arm is restored he wants to take the prophet home, he wants to reward the prophet, he wants to treat him well and the prophet tells him he can do it, “like…even if you give me half of your kingdom I wouldn’t do it. The Lord gave me specific instructions. Do not eat, do not drink, do not go back the way you came.” And, so, he says this to the Kings face and he leaves and he’s on his way home. So, final stretch of the assignment. Another profit hears about the incident, the things that had taken place, and he goes after this guy and he tells this guy, “come home with me” and the prophet repeats everything, “I can’t. I can’t eat or drink. I can’t go back the same way that I came.” And this this older prophet says, but an angel told me that you could, like God has given me word that you can come home with me. And, so, he does, disobeying God in the process and he loses his life for that. We can look at this story and go like, “what's…what’s in there for me? It’s just kinda weird. Like why? What’s with the importance of this?” This profit who had cursed the altar was willing to obey God in the face of the king of Israel and he departed. This other man, this other prophet comes to this guy and basically says, “God told me to tell you that you can do this.” And, so, the man disobeyed God completely. He ate, he drank, and he did not go back home the way he came and finish the mission. Friends, I get told God told me to tell you, often, very often in my line of work. I’m also…I grew up in a pastor’s home…so I’ve seen this kind of stuff my whole life but this one Scripture, this one little story in the book of first Kings really gives us some poignant things to think about. If God speaks to you specific instructions you should obey those instructions no matter what anybody else tells you that God told them to tell you because…because at the end of the day we are responsible to collaborate and be in obedience to the will of God in our lives. And, so, if God speaks something and we know, we sense, we understand, the Holy Spirit is leading and then somebody else comes to us at some later time, whether that be, you know, 15 seconds later or whether that be six months later or whether that be six years later and they come and say God told me to tell you, then the first thing that we should do is ask God instead of just trusting what anyone else might tell us. According to the Scriptures in this story, the prophet lied. So, kind of the moral of the story is, deferring blame isn’t gonna work with God. And we have kind of a nasty little habit of trying to defer, right? Everything that happens to us is somebody else’s fault, but until we can actually own our own lives, our own thoughts, and words, and deeds, we’re not really going anywhere. And until we can own our own relationships how are they supposed to grow. And if we can’t own our own relationship with God and we’re simply trying to run around looking for some sort of oracle, like for somebody who must hear from God, can tell me what God is saying, rather than pressing in into a personal, intimate relationship with God, then we’re not gonna get that far. It’s only going to ever be frustrating. So, let’s take a lesson. In fact, let’s take two lessons from what we read today. Let’s observe just how fast we went from a united kingdom completely prosperous to a divided kingdom and idolatry and understand that it can happen that fast for us especially…especially if we are not owning our own relationship with God and obeying what He says to do regardless.
Prayer:
Father, we invite You into that, into to all of that because we can find ourselves very easily in all of that. We have run around to everybody to everybody we can think of trying to find out what it is You might be doing in our lives and in no way are we trying to denigrate community, You have knit us together and we need each other, and we need each other continually, yet our communities are not our God, You are our God and when we only use our community experience to try to figure out what You may be saying then we’re missing You. So, come Holy Spirit into this we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.
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Community Prayer and Praise:
Yes. Good day DABbers it’s __ here from Brisbane Australia. I’d just…would really love your prayers. We’re going through, my family and I, are going through some financial hardship and it’s really coming to a halt now and we stand to lose the house and sell everything and start afresh. So, I really value your prayers. I’ve been a listener for…this is my 10th year…and even though I don’t call regularly I do…I do pray along with you and for you. I love you guys and thanks for your prayers. God, bless.
Good morning family this is, __ Michelle from Central Florida. Today is June the 11th, 2019 of course and I want to send my love to all of you and let you know I pray with you for your requests and stand with you and just appreciate all of you and appreciate Brian and Jill and China and all the people that make this podcast possible. It’s so easy for us to get swept into our day with all the things to do we have and the busyness of life. So, let’s just stop, take a moment to focus on the One who really matters. Heavenly Father, You are so good, You’re a good, good Father and we are loved, beloved treasured to children, that’s who we are, and we thank You God for Your mercies and Your kindness, which endures forever through generations. And Lord I pray for protection, traveling mercies over each of our family members today, not only our DAB family members but our children, and grandchildren, and relatives. Father, I just thank You God, just thank You so much for everything You’ve done for us. Everything You’re doing in us and everything that You’re doing through us. God, help us to be still and hear Your voice and I thank You God that You will create in us the desire and give us the power to do what pleases You as Your Word promises. Help our mind be stayed on You and therefore we will have the perfect peace which You promise and Your Word. God, we cast our cares upon You because You care for us and we’re not gonna pick them up again but if we’re tempted we’ll just be reminded…Holy Spirit, remind us to continue to cast our care and when the enemy tempts us to hold…
Hi, this call is for Toni from Germany. I heard your call at the end of the June 11th podcast, that’s when it played. And I just want to tell you that I’ll be praying for you Toni and I totally hear what you’re saying. I also have not been maintaining. So, I know what you mean. I even went to the More conference and I felt like God told me that I don’t need to work myself to death, that that is not his expectation but, yeah, I haven’t found a way to really apply that either. So, I’m working so much that I’m not spending enough time with my family and then on the weekend I’m cramming in all the things that I didn’t get done during the week at home and then I’m not as patient, not spending time with my aging parents, not exercising, and not sleeping enough. So, definitely not maintaining. So, I hear you and I will pray for you. It’s difficult, but I know that we can do this with God’s help. So, I’m thinking of you and it will be okay. Bye.
Hi everybody it’s Margo from Australia. I phoned yesterday, and my call got cut off so I’m not sure that it will get played but if I repeat myself please forgive me. Guess where I am? I’m in Liberia, finally. I’m so happy to be here. Just wanted to check in with you guys, let you know that we’re doing well, we are in good health. First impressions of Liberia, it’s very hot and humid, very rainy at the moment, very green. I think I’m gonna like it here. Our compound is quite near the beach and it’s very peaceful. So, I think that will be really good for us, very therapeutic. I think it is going to be some really, really hard things here and some really really good things here. So, please keep us in your prayers. I’m so happy to be following God’s call for my life. He’s just started something amazing here, I just know it. Our shipping of our household goods from Australia…well…actually…it’s still in Australia. I think I did already ask you to pray but please keep praying because it would be so nice to be able to just set up at home with my own things. There’s been a lot of problems and it hasn’t even left Australia…been there for five months. Anyway, just wanted to check in, tell you guys I love you. I think I’ve worked out how I can phone you from here. Hopefully this call quality is good. Still listening every day and praying. Love you all. Bye.