1 Chronicles 29:1-22; 1 Kings 1:1-53
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I love David's prayer of praise to God today in 1 Chronicles 29 verses 10 through 12: "O LORD, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Riches and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is at your discretion that people are made great and given strength." Have you ever prayed a prayer of praise like this to God? Would you like to? You could do so right now!
Today we begin First Kings! First Kings is an amazing book of the Bible. We’ll be diving into David’s son Solomon’s reign and the building of the First Temple in Jerusalem. You’ll recall that Solomon wrote many of the Proverbs, and in chapter 3 of First Kings we will learn why Solomon had the wisdom to be able to write such amazing proverbs that have stood the test of time for some 3,000 years! Below is an image of King Solomon dictating his wise Proverbs:
Book: First Kings
Author: Unknown
Date: Sixth century B.C.
Content: First and Second Kings form one book in the Hebrew Bible and are considered to be prophetic literature, probably because a prophet put the books together. The two books cover a period of approximately 350 years, when kings ruled the land, hence the name of the book. First Kings begins with the death of David, followed by a description of Solomon’s reign, including the building of the first Temple in Jerusalem. The split of the kingdom into Israel (North) and Judah (South) is described, ending with the great conflict between Elijah the prophet, and Ahab, the king of Israel.
Theme: The fact that a history book is considered to be prophetic is important. It shows that God speaks to us from the past, as well as from the present experience of others. These events are recorded so that we will not make the same mistakes again. The conflict between Elijah and Ahab shows God’s immediate involvement in human life and his concern for human affairs. First Kings particularly shows the disastrous effects of social evil upon the spiritual life of a nation. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 6) More commentary on First Kings is at these 3 links –
http://bible.org/page.php?page_id=1489
http://bible.org/page.php?page_id=1490 (Introduction to Solomon)
http://bible.org/page.php?page_id=752 (Introduction to Elijah)
First Kings chapter 1 is quite a chapter today! David is old! Adonijah claims the throne! David makes Solomon King! Quite a dramatic chapter, eh? Adonijah was David's 4th oldest son, and probably the eldest son living at this time. First son Amnon was killed by Absalom. Second son Daniel was probably not living at this time. Third son Absalom was killed in his rebellion. So, fourth son Adonijah thought now was his moment to shine. Well, as Paul Harvey would say, "now for the rest of the story..." The chapter tells us the story well. Solomon was clearly God and David's choice for the kingship. Below is the artist Raphael's take on verses 39 & 40 today: "There Zadok the priest took a flask of olive oil from the sacred tent and poured it on Solomon's head. Then the trumpets were blown, and all the people shouted, "Long live King Solomon!" And all the people returned with Solomon to Jerusalem, playing flutes and shouting for joy. The celebration was so joyous and noisy that the earth shook with the sound."
Worship God: David's prayer in 1 Chronicles 29 today reminded me of Casting Crowns song "Glorious Day:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqrqPGt11bA
Is today a glorious day? Click here for Glory!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all." 1 Chronicles 29:11 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you worship God throughout each and every day.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless,
Mike
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