Hey all!
NOTE: This is the last prayer request for the summer break. Please leave your prayers here so we can continue to pray!
You can also email me your requests at: atozmom.wordpress@gmail.com or post them in the comments below.
Mine: Have a wonderful summer with my kids and family.
Have a great summer!
God bless!
1) I learned how God is faithful no matter what. His mercy is unfathomable as we constantly sin. His grace has no boundaries. His forgiveness is never-ending. His love is infinite. He wants to bless His people, and He will as long as you obey His commands. Knowing this gives me confidence moving forward with His plans for me.
2) I learned I need Him more, I need to stay in His word and stay close to Him, and that I need to depend on Him more, pray more, and listen for Him more. I draw closer to God as I implement all this.
3) I was more cognizant of other people in my life and of their needs. I thought of helping others more. I tried to do His will more. He was definitely in my thoughts more this year.
4) I value the sacrifice Jesus made for me more, especially as I understand OT life more. What Jesus did for us on the cross is integral to who we are as Christians, and it needs to be impressed upon us more at church. When you finally grasp his sacrifice, your faith will grow accordingly. I’m more forgiving of others.
5) I don’t speculate too far in the future because only God knows His ultimate plans for me. Right now, I’m just sticking to my current job until it’s time to move on. I’m sticking to my writings. I’m sticking to my hobbies. I’m raising my kids. Taking care of my husband, cats, and dogs. Living life according to His will.
6) God is faithful. Everything happens in His timing. God does not forsake you. God has your life under control, even if you don’t. Everyone needs that encouragement.
I enjoyed BSF’s People of the Promised Land 1. In church, we don’t spend a lot of time in the Old Testament, especially Joshua. It seems Moses is always central, but if it weren’t for Joshua, God’s people never would have made it to the Promised Land. It was wonderful to read all about Joshua, study some of the minor characters around him, such as Joab and Jeroboam — all of whom played a role in God’s history. Women of the Old Testament, such as Ruth and Abigail, were my favorite parts — probably because they were women and were intriguing characters. I just wish were were doing BSF’s People of the Promised Land 2 next year. I never understood the need to switch from Old Testament to New Testament every year. To me, do what makes sense no matter where in the Bible it is.
Thank you to all who shared with me this study. I love reading your comments, answering your questions, and learning what you’re learning. This forum gives me great joy and to see God grow it has been a blessing.
This summer, I’ve decided to change the format again. Last summer, I did devotionals and prayers. This summer, I want to focus on the basics and will be writing more traditional blog posts on topics such as how to study the bible, who is God, who is Jesus, and is the Bible true. I will also be writing articles for those who are further along in their walk with God, such as how to go deeper in the Bible, what is the Bible telling me, and what is my responsibility as a believer. I am unsure how many times these will be posted as I intend to enjoy my break as well, spend time outside, and spend time with family. Furthermore, these articles will take me longer to write. The goal, however, will be 2-3 a week.
I wish everyone one a blessed and relaxing summer, full of memories and recharging, and I look forward to the Book of Acts next year!
2019-20: Acts of the Apostles
2020-21: Genesis
2021-22: People of the Promised Land II
2022-beyond: To be determined
Side Note: Acts will be the first study I will be repeating. I have the old Acts questions still on my website, and as of now, am unsure if I will remove them. Here’s the dilemma: some of you may want to compare notes from the last time we did Acts (as I’m sure BSF will change the questions to fit their new format). However, for those searching for my updated questions, I don’t want to cause confusion. Input would be greatly appreciated!
Hey all!
Happy Easter!
Please leave your prayer requests here and praises if you have some. There is power in prayer so the more the merrier! You can also email me your requests at: atozmom.wordpress@gmail.com or post them in the comments below.
Mine: Christians suffering and being persecuted around the world, Notre Dame Cathedral to be rebuilt, and weight loss for my husband and for myself.
God bless!
Jeroboam was in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph. He ran into Ahijah, a prophet of Shiloh. Ahijah tore his new cloak into 12 pieces and gave Jeroboam 10 pieces, telling him God is going to give him 10 tribes, but allow Solomon to keep one tribe because of Solomon’s failure to walk in God’s ways, keep His commands and statues, and worship other gods. He will do this during Solomon’s son’s reign, who will be allowed to keep one tribe so David will always have a lamp in Jerusalem. If Jeroboam follows God’s commands and statues and obeys God, God will establish a dynasty for him and humble David’s descendants. Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt until Solomon died. Solomon reigned 40 years and then died. His son, Rehoboam, succeeded him.
No one knows when they will die. Remember God for everything in the world is meaningless. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment.
12) God is going to give him 10 tribes during Solomon’s son’s reign. If Jeroboam follows God’s commands and statues and obeys God, God will establish a dynasty for him and humble David’s descendants.
13) His last months were probably empty, devoid of God, and meaning nothing to him. He had everything except God. Thus, Solomon had nothing. He probably realizes he needed to have kept God’s commandments all the days of his life.
14) Personal Question. My answer: You can have all the blessings in the world, have everything the world had to offer, but without God, you have nothing. You are alone, and you’ll die feeling unfulfilled. It’s important to remember to obey God and not to allow little sins in your life and excuse them away. The little sins are as big as the big sins, and they all matter to God.
I’m struck by how little is recorded of Solomon’s death; whereas, we have all the details of David’s death. We know Solomon must have had a huge funeral celebration of life like David, but it’s not in the Bible. Solomon seemed to have died empty inside, having sold his soul with idol worship. A man surrounds himself with 1000 women and still dies alone. Sad, very sad.
The name Jeroboam means, “may the people be great.” We are not told why Jeroboam rebelled against Solomon .Jewish traditions say Jeroboam opposed the oppressive use of forced labor in Solomon’s building projects. Since he was the officer over all the labor force, this tradition makes some sense.
God promised to divide Israel and put ten of the twelve tribes under Jeroboam as judgment for the sin and idolatry of Solomon. God would still keep one tribe under the house of David in faithfulness to His promise to David.
Fun Fact: This is the first we hear of the divided kingdom, which became Israel’s history for hundreds of years after the death of Solomon. We would expect that the ten tribes under Jeroboam would be larger, greater, and more enduring than the one tribe left unto the House of David. As it turned out, just the opposite happened because the ten tribes forsook the Lord, while the one tribe was more obedient. God is more powerful than numbers.
Both Jeroboam and David were appointed by God to follow after disobedient kings. David waited upon the Lord to make the throne clear, and God blessed his reign. Jeroboam did not wait on the Lord but made his own way to the throne, and God did not bless his reign.
Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam. Solomon thought he could defeat God’s will, but he was unsuccessful. God’s word through Ahijah proved true.
Many commentators believe that Solomon began his reign when he was about 20 years old. This means that Solomon did not live a particularly long life. The promise made in 1 Kings 3:14 was not fulfilled to Solomon because of his disobedience.
“Then Solomon rested with his fathers” is a familiar phrase used in 1 and 2 Kings (used 25 times) and was used of such wicked kings as Ahab (1 Kings 22:40). It means that Solomon passed to the world beyond. We cannot say with certainty that he is in heaven.
Based on this chapter, there is no hope or cheer at the end, which leads many commentators to conclude that Solomon died in apostasy.
However, it may be that Solomon was shown special mercy for the sake of David his father (as in 2 Samuel 7:14-15, if that promise also applies to Solomon as well as the Messiah). Some also believe that Solomon wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes at the very end of his life as a renunciation of his fall into vanity.
When there is more to life than what we can see – there is an eternity and an eternal God to reckon with – then the legitimate pleasures of life can be enjoyed in the best sense. One doesn’t try to find meaning in those pleasures, but simply some good seasoning for a life that finds its meaning in eternity and the eternal God.
One may live according to their heart and by what they see; but they should not think that their own heart or eyes will be their judge.
Theme of Ecclesiastes 12:Life is lived not only for this life but also for eternity, knowing that good will be rewarded and evil will be condemned perfectly by the God who will bring you into judgment. Literally, Solomon spoke of the judgment, referring to our great accountability before God.
Knowing there is an eternity, we can:
Apostle Paul later wrote, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58)
The Apostle Paul: If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable (1 Corinthians 15:19)
Fun Fact: This is the first mention of God as Creator. To this point the Preacher worked hard to ignore the eternal God one must stand before in the future; yet he also refused to think about the Creator God who existed before he did. This self-imposed ignorance relieved the sense of accountability before the Creator, which still must be accounted for in the life to come.
“Creator is a plural form in Hebrew, suggesting greatness of majesty.” (Eaton)
Most agree that what follows here is a poetic description of the effects of advancing age.
At the end of advancing age is eternity. Remember God before this life is over. Life is meaningless without God.
Don’t believe everything you read.
Obey God and live for eternity and prepare for judgment.
Fun fact: This is the only place in Ecclesiastes where the commands of God are mentioned.
When there is an eternal accounting, everything has meaning and importance, both for the present and for eternity.
Paul explained: For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven. (2 Corinthians 4:17-5:2)
Hadad the Edomite survived Joab’s attempt to destroy the Edomites by fleeing to Egypt and found favor with Pharaoh. However, he heard both David and Joab had died, so he returned to Israel against Solomon. Another enemy, Rezon son of Eliada rose up against Solomon as well. He ruled in Aram. Jeroboam, one of Solomon’s officials, rebels as well against King Solomon.
9) Hadad the Edomite survived Joab’s attempt to destroy the Edomites by fleeing to Egypt and found favor with Pharaoh. However, he heard both David and Joab had died, so he returned to Israel against Solomon. Another enemy, Rezon son of Eliada rose up against Solomon as well. He ruled in Aram. Jeroboam, one of Solomon’s officials, rebels as well against King Solomon. All Solomon had to do was follow God’s rules, laws, and decrees, and he’d receive all the promises God gave to David. He didn’t; thus, God will cut off Israel from the land He has given them, abandon the temple, and become an object of ridicule.
10) The world opposes Christians and persecutes them. They face the powers of the dark and spiritual forces of evil. All are tempted by sin. Everything of the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and has done — comes from the world.
11) Personal Question. My answer: I pray to God and read His word in an effort to understand what He is trying to teach me. Oppositions and hardships keep you humble, keep you on His path, and make you buckle down even more to accomplish His will in this world.
God is fulfilling His plans by having enemies come against Solomon. Consequences from sin are never fun.
Hadad sought to avenge his conquered people. He found refuge and support in Egypt. We are not told specifically how Hadad troubled or was an adversary to Solomon, only that he returned to bother Solomon with the permission of Pharaoh.
As God allowed an adversary from the south (Hadad, 1 Kings 11:14-22), so God also allowed adversaries to come against Solomon from the north. In some ways, men and women are shaped by their adversaries, and especially by their response to those adversaries.
Jeroboam was different from the two previously mentioned adversaries of Solomon because he was a fellow Israelite.
The Lord became angry at Solomon for his heart had turned away from God and promised Solomon to tear away his kingdom and give it to one of his subordinates, but not during Solomon’s lifetime out of respect for his father, David. God would take the kingdom away from Solomon’s son instead — and not the whole tribe but just one tribe away from Solomon’s son (here we see the split in Israel happening).
6) God was angry because Solomon’s heart had turned away from Him. He had built altars to other gods and worshipped them. Our God is a jealous God. Following God leads to eternal life and joy in God’s presence. Everything is meaningless of this world without God. God is the only One, True God. God carries His people and sustains them/us and rescues us. God’s plans prevail. God is our creator and gives us life.
7) Part personal Question. My answer: People worship others, celebrities, material items, careers, kids, hobbies, or pets. An idol is anything you put above God or something your worship. I don’t worship anything really. I have passions and hobbies, but nothing I can’t live without.
8 ) God and promised Solomon to tear away his kingdom and give it to one of his subordinates, but not during Solomon’s lifetime out of respect for his father, David. God would take the kingdom away from Solomon’s son instead — and not the whole tribe but just one tribe away from Solomon’s son (here we see the split in Israel happening). God has mercy on His people by not punishing Solomon out of respect for David and not taking away the entire kingdom. God is just, and He does things with others in mind (like His people whom He knows needs a leader right now and not to be in foreign hands.
It’s sad to read about Solomon’s downfall, but instructive to us. We see the consequences Solomon could not, and we can learn from his mistakes.
God had good reason to be displeased with Solomon: He had appeared to him twice, and Solomon still turned to other gods. Solomon’s sin was base ingratitude and a waste of great spiritual privilege.
We sometimes think that great spiritual experiences (like praying for a miracle or a sign) will keep us from sin and will keep us faithful to God. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, saw God and turned. What would be our reaction?
God promised the entire kingdom of Israel to the descendants of David forever, if they only remained obedient. David reminded Solomon of this promise shortly before his death (1 Kings 2:4). Yet they could not remain faithful even one generation.
Solomon’s kingdom had outstanding wealth, military power, and prestige. Yet the true security of Israel was in the blessing of God and in the obedience and faithfulness of their king.
Even in this great judgment, God shows undeserved mercy with deserved judgment. God announces that the kingdom will be divided, and part of it will be loyal to the descendants of David and part of it will be under a different dynasty.
Many other passages in the Old Testament (such as 2 Chronicles 11:12) tell us that the southern kingdom was made up of two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. Several times in this chapter the southern kingdom is referred to as one tribe. This is because either Benjamin is swallowed up in Judah, or the idea was one tribe in addition to Judah.
Solomon had a weakness — women. He married foreign women against God’s commands (700 total and 300 concubines). As he grew older, his wives turned his heart to other gods and his heart was not fully devoted to God like David’s was. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, built shrines to foreign gods to appease his wives, and encouraged the Israelites to follow these gods.
3) Solomon worshipped other gods, made treaties with pagans, made cast idols, and married foreign women. He acquired large amounts of horses and accumulated large amounts of silver and gold.
4) Marriage is a sacred institution, designed by God, for His glory, meant to be between one man and one woman. He tells us not to marry unbelievers (foreigners at the time of Solomon) because they can unduly influence us, corrupt our hearts, and turn us from Him. This is for our good; otherwise, we can stray from God and never return, and we can influence our children and those around us to do the same.
5) Personal Question. My answer: I don’t do it. It’s not that simple, but it can be. I try to live a Godly life and be close to God. With that, I rely on the Holy Spirit and prayer to guide me to make good decisions. Sometimes I don’t and, luckily, God forgives.
Solomon is a good example of just how powerful those around us can be. Parents are correct to monitor who their children hang out with. We all need to be aware of those around us and surround us with Godly people who lift us up in this broken world.
Solomon makes two mistakes:
For all of Solomon’s wisdom, he messes this one up big time. Solomon loved these women more than he loved God.
This is an almost unbelievable number of marriage partners. His wives were considered princesses, but his concubines were legal partners without the same standing as wives. All said, Solomon had far more marriage partners than any man could possibly give attention to.
Many prominent men in the Old Testament had concubines. Examples include Abraham (Genesis 25:6), Jacob (Genesis 35:22), Caleb (1 Chronicles 2:46), Saul (2 Samuel 3:7), David (2 Samuel 5:13), and Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 11:21). Significantly, the Bible never shows this kind of family life blessed by God.
If one wife is not enough to satisfy a man, then 1,000 wives will not be enough. When a man is unsatisfied with the woman God gave to him, the problem is with him, not with his wife. Solomon should have listened to Proverbs 27:20: Hell and Destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Solomon’s desire for worldly prestige led him to ungodly marriages.
Based upon the Song of Solomon, Solomon seemed to know what true love was with one woman.
We don’t know when Solomon added his second wife. When he did, it was easy for him to rationalize it – after all, the greatest King of Israel, his father David, had several wives and concubines. Once he began, (Matthew 19:4-6 and Genesis 2:23-24), it was easy for him to keep adding wives, breaking God’s commandment in Deuteronomy 17:17: Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away.
Age did not make Solomon wiser. Age and experience should make us more godly and wise, but they do not automatically do so.
His heart was not loyal to the LORD his God: Solomon is a contrast to those who did fully follow the LORD. This phrase is used in a positive sense of three men in the Old Testament: Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 32:11-12, Deuteronomy 1:36, Joshua 14:8-9, 14), and here of David.
Solomon had more than one wife and David had more than one wife (fifteen, according to 1 Chronicles 3:1-9). David spiritually survived this failing, while Solomon did not.
David was probably not yet in heaven (Luke 16:19-31), but in a place of blessing and comfort known as Abraham’s bosom. If it were possible for someone in Abraham’s bosom to see life on the earth and be sorry, David was very sorry when he saw Solomon and his sin. David no doubt hoped that his children would be better than he, and find more victory in the areas of life that troubled him. Sadly, David’s sons found less victory in controlling the lust of the flesh, and especially sexual lust.
Yet David’s sin did not turn his heart away from the LORD. It is possible for a particular sin in one person to be a hindrance to someone else’s life. David’s lack of romantic and sexual restraint hindered him; it destroyed Solomon. This is one reason why we must be so careful with the sin of stumbling another brother or sister (Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 8).
Probably Solomon did not see his building of altars to other gods as a denial of the Lord God of Israel. In his mind, he probably thought that he still honored the LORD; he simply added the honor of these other gods to his honor of the LORD. But this is never acceptable to God. He demands to be the only God in our life.
Because of lust, Solomon found himself in a place where he never thought he would find himself. He found himself burning incense at the altars of depraved pagan gods and at the altar of child sacrifice unto the god Molech. This is the power of sin – it can capture us in a spell, in a fog of spiritual confusion until we do things we never thought we would do.
If this was the case with the wisest man who ever lived, then what hope do you have apart from constant dependence upon Jesus Christ? Let the example of Solomon drive you to greater dependence upon and abiding with Jesus.
