1 Kings 12:20-13:34, Acts 9:26-43, Psalm 132:1-18, Proverbs 17:6
Today is the 14th day of June welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian, it’s great to be here with you today like it is every day as we dive into this brand-new work week and continue to take steps forward together in life and through the scriptures. So, let’s dive in we’re reading from the New Living Translation this week. 1 Kings chapter 12 verse 20 through 13 verse 34 today.
Commentary:
Okay, let’s talk about 1 Kings. What we read in 1 Kings today because imbedded in that narrative that of the story of the cursing of the alter today, ah something so, so deeply vital in our own lives. So, let’s just first of all catch ourselves up because we have two kings and they have very similar names. We have King Rehoboam and we have King Jeroboam so super easy when you got all these really interesting names to begin with to keep everything straight. So, Rehoboam is the son of King Solomon so the rightful heir to descend his father upon the throne. Jeroboam worked for King Solomon, he was over the labor forces. But there was a prophecy about him and then Solomon tried to kill and so he had to flee Egypt. He came back after Solomon died when all of the tribes got together to crown Rehoboam as the king of all the united tribes of Israel and a negotiation took place in witch Rehoboam was stern and essentially told the people that he was going to be a more difficult king than his father had been. And so, 10 of the tribes of Israel decided not to re-up basically. They abandoned Rehoboam and they abandoned the house of David instead turning to Jeroboam and crowning him king. So, Rehoboam eventually has to get back to Israel he is the king of Judah along with the tribe of Benjamin. And so, he is king in Jerusalem and that is a pretty important thing. He has that, what had been known among the people as their capital city. So, that’s an important thing that’s where the temple of God is. So, once the tension, I was gonna say dies down but it doesn’t die down but once the tension is manageable and it’s pretty clear that Rehoboam he plans to go to war and take back his kingdom and then there’s a prophecy not to fight with their relatives so they don’t. And so, there’s sort of an understanding there. Jeroboam who is king of Israel now the ten tribes known as the Kingdom of Israel he’s up in the north. And so, he got his own capital going and there establishing basically a whole new set of governance. And he realizes that if he sends people to worship in Jerusalem their going to eventually return to the house of David and that will be the end of Jeroboam’s kingship, he’ll be killed. So, he leads Israel into idolatry by putting temples in the southern boundary and in the northern boundary of his kingdom. And then he starts appointing priests, etc., etc. Now, it won’t be long before Jeroboam moves his capital from Shechem and a new city is built called Samaria and this becomes the area the region of Samaria and so there’s this new way of appointing priests, new ways of worship, new festivals being ordained and of course the golden calves. And so, the worship of the Lord as the people had understand it is now being modified in such a way that eventually these people are known as Samaritans. And they don’t worship the same as they do down in Jerusalem. And by the time we get to the first century to the time of Jesus’ ministry we see that coming out and so this is kind of where that begins and continues forward from there but a prophet and this is sort of the point of all this, a prophet from Judah is sent across a border to the southern temple, the one in Bethel. And he was given instructions go, curse the alter, don’t eat, don’t drink, don’t go back the same way that you came, get in, get out, do your job, be done with it. And that’s….that’s what’s happening. So we saw, I mean when you read it, we don’t need to re-read it, we saw Jeroboam his arm gets stuck out like there’s miraculous signs here, the alter is split in two. The king want’s this prophet to come back to the palace and he’s like I can’t gotta go home, can’t eat, can’t drink, gotta go home a different way. And so, that’s what’s happening but news of this spreads rapidly and another old prophet, like an actual prophet of God goes and finds this guy before he can get back across the border. And this is where it gets really important for us. Because the prophet that cursed the alter heard from God and was given specific leading, specific instructions, a specific thing, a mission that he was to accomplish and a way that he was to do it. Another prophet came to that prophet and essentially told him God told me to tell you that you don’t have to obey him any, like your missions accomplished you can come back to my house and eat and drink. And the prophet who was basically in the home stretch of his mission diverted from his mission because somebody told him “God told me to tell you, you don’t have to complete this in way that you were originally told.” That cost the prophet his life because in the end he had heard clearly and directly from God and he was clearly and directly being obedient to God’s commands until somebody came and falsely spoke on behalf of the Lord and this prophet believed it even though he had heard from God himself to the contrary. It is not uncommon, it is not uncommon for people to say I’m really sensing that the Lord is telling me to tell you X, Y and Z. That kind of stuff happens to me all the time but it is common enough and we often look for those kinds of signs or oracles or messages or words of knowledge. We look for them for direction and maybe clarity and maybe conformation and that’s not bad like that’s fine. But if God has already spoken and we are already in the middle of the mission maybe even on the home stretch and then somebody says God told me to tell you something contrary to what he’s already spoken to you. Let’s just, rather than me kind of me landing this, how about we just, if that happens and when that happens how about we remember this story in the Book of 1 Kings about this prophet who listened to that kind of counsel and let’s just remember how the story ended up because this story gives us that halfway and where it goes and I don’t think it goes where we want it to go. And so, at some point we have to start growing up enough to own our relationship with God and be responsible. Everything can’t be hearsay. Like you can’t be in your marriage through a third party only right like, maybe if you’re split up or whatever you’re communicating through a mediator of some sort but if you’re in marriage and there is this other person that just keeps coming and saying yeah this is what she wants and we’re never hearing it directly from her well, it’s gonna get sideways. It’s gonna get messed up and the stakes are so much different with the Lord, our creator. More than ever we need to hear his voice and obey it, more than ever we need to pay attention and not just listen to everybody who says God told me to tell you this.
Prayer:
And so once again Father we come into Your presence asking for Your Holy Spirit to lead and guide our steps and that we would submit to your authority, that we would slow down and listen and not begin to move without clarity and not begin to search out clarity that is not from you. Come Holy Spirit. You said My sheep hear my voice, we are Your sheep. May we listen to Your voice and follow where You are leading. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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And that is it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Prayers and Encouragement:
Hi my name is Peggy. I am a first-time caller and a 3-year listener. First of all, Brian Hardin and family, God bless you. Thank you for this community that you’ve built. You are storing up and abundance of treasures in heaven you enrich my life every single morning when I listen to the Daily Audio Bible. Now for Carmen, I heard Carmen’s call a few days ago about her son had passed away. Carmen, I prayed and I cried and I prayed all day. And I’ll tell you that the Holy Spirit put something on my heart and directed me to call you. So Carmen your boy touched the hearts of people who would have never heard about Jesus in the place that he was in and perhaps, perhaps that is why he was there. Carmen your faith and the faith of your phone call it’s there it’s strong. I hope that this somehow helps you, I don’t know why it’s so strong on my heart but I know that I was to call and let you know that your boy made a difference. So, I pray for you I lift you and your family up and I pray that God comforts you and gets you through this very difficult time and know that your beautiful boy is with Jesus. I loved when you said “I am not gonna see him for a long time” because your faith showed right in that sentence. Thank you. God bless each and every one of you and Brian again thank you.
Hi, this is Sunshine again because I want to shine like the Son of God. I forgot to say where I was from, I’m based in Queens though I travel but locally for work and what have you. But I’m really grateful for this…for hearing Brian. Brian, thank you to you and your family, I mean truly may God just rain upon those blessings just because you’ve been faithful to this and what you sow you have to reap. I…I need connection, I’m someone who’s really in desperate need of connection. I’ve been very isolated because of COVID to some extent. But it’s also because I’ve really been ostracized by much of my family. And in a way it’s been a good thing that they can’t hurt me as much as they used to because they haven’t been family to me. I love them but I really need people I can be connected to and people I can trust. And I honestly don’t know where to turn to anymore. And I’m trying to find a church and I’m trying to find people I can trust and people I can build community with but I was having such the hardest of heart even to listen to Daily Audio Bible. It’s my own issues but I was listening just because I decided I didn’t want to get behind and listening to the word of God was softening my heart enough that I was gonna be…
Good morning this is To Be A Blessing in California. It’s been a while since I’ve connected but I’m still listening and praying for those requests that come through. This morning I heard Deja’s request and wanted to let her know that I’m praying for you as you walk on this journey that God would just strengthen you and give you comfort and peace for you as well as your siblings. I’m also praying for the mother who found out that her son had passed away who had been living on the streets. I’m so sorry for your loss and just praying that God would strengthen and comfort you and your family during this time. I’m asking for prayer personally for the revealing that happened over this time of isolation during the pandemic, living alone, missing family, having a lot of grief take place with the loss of people in my life. As well as just knowing that it was very challenging to be alone during this time. So, asking that you would pray for me and the healing as we come out of this time of isolation. Also asking that you would lift me up in prayer as I believe God is leading me to a new job. I’m not exactly sure what that is but I am applying to different places and asking that you would join me in prayer. Lastly, I’m asking for prayer for a companion. I’ve been single, divorced for a long time. And while I do have friends I just think it would be nice to have someone that I could connect with and just get to know. So, if you would pray with me on that, that would be awesome. God bless each and every one of you.
Hi family this is Dawn Rising from Michigan and I’m here with my son Ashton. Hi. And we just had a prayer for all school children. I just hope all school children have a fun and safe summer so that they can be safe and have fun. And blessings over all teachers that they can use this time to rejuvenate, grow in their faith and just have peace as this has been a really hard year. I myself am a teacher and I’m rejoicing in the time that I get to spend with my family, rest and relax and enjoy the beautiful weather. So blessings on all children and all teachers and school personnel. I love you family. Bye.
Hi friends this is Veronica calling in from Oklahoma. Today is Friday, June 11th and I just wanted to call in and ask for prayer for my sanity. We have 3 children ages 7, 9 and 13. I work from home, it is summer and they are home with me all day while I work. And suffice it to say that things are rough. I’m trying to be the fun mom as much as I can be and I’m the screaming, yelling get out of my hair mom. I mean, I’m that kind of mom all the time, I feel like. But definitely right now with all three of them home all day. I can be fine, perfectly fine, having a great day and then I get attitude from my oldest and its snapping my fingers and I’m freaking out, crazy mom, psycho mom. So, I could just really use some prayers please this for patience and grace. Thanks family.