Keeping Focus

When people look purely to their national rulers for spiritual leadership, true religion can easily fade into the background.

over time, Solomon grew in power and forgot God and put his trust in his accomplishments and his focus changed to women. The problem was that God had told Solomon not to marry foreign women. He did, and then compromised and allowed them to worship false God’s.

The kings who followed also allowed the building of altars to false God’s. Because of this, they were not blessed. It was only by God’s grace, based upon his promise that the Savior would come in the lineage of David, that God rose up leaders and prophets that would sustain Israel.

Almost all northern rulers are condemned as evil (except Jehu, see 2 Kgs 10:30) since they follow in the sins of Jeroboam I, who set up shrines to a golden calf at both Dan and Bethel (1 Kgs 12:25–33). While southern rulers fare better than their northern counterparts, only three Judaean kings receive unqualified positive spiritual evaluations (David, Hezekiah, and Josiah), and Manasseh is blamed for the eventual destruction and exile of Judah (2 Kgs 21:11–15; 24:3–4).

Throughout 1 and 2 Kings God would send prophets who would be His voice to the Kings and the people. At first, the voice of the prophets played a pivotal role in the decision making of the kings, but over time, their voices faded.

The job of prophet was to point the kings and people back to YHWH

Matthew 12:25–30 (ESV)

25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

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Jeremiah 23

Today, we likewise must refocus on Yahweh—we need to hear God’s voice and react, as he instructs. We need to look away from political leadership to get us through and find hope in God instead. Our world can have direct access to Yahweh, via the work of Jesus, but we must show everyone who Jesus is and what he is all about.

Proverbs 28:13–14 (ESV)

13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,

but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

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“You are the only Jesus people might see, make sure they get the right story.” - Nathan Cothen

We must give people the opportunity to hear the good news of his saving message and work. We must place full faith in Jesus and his power—for Jesus is the rightful king of our world.

Barry, J. D., Mailhot, J., Bomar, D., Ritzema, E., & Sinclair-Wolcott, C., eds. (2014). DIY Bible Study. Lexham Press.

John 14:6–14 (ESV)

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

The great irony of 1 Kings is that the wisest man does not learn one of life’s most valuable lessons—to relent from his own ego and submit to the God who gave him more than he desired. All of the earthly wisdom and tangible blessings could not bring the correct perspective to Solomon’s eyes. Had he truly listened when God said—“If you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father” (1 Kgs 9:4–5)—then perhaps we would be reading a different story.

The story of Solomon—and the kings of God’s people—leaves us with a choice: Will we live a divided life for the sake of looking good before our peers or will we walk with God in humility, as a whole person?

1 Peter 1:1–8 (ESV)

Greeting

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Born Again to a Living Hope

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

Barry, J. D., Mailhot, J., Bomar, D., Ritzema, E., & Sinclair-Wolcott, C., eds. (2014). DIY Bible Study. Lexham Press.

2 Chronicles 7:11–22 (ESV)

If My People Pray

11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 17 And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, 18 then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.’

19 “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 21 And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 22 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’ ”

Acts 3:11–26 (ESV)

Peter Speaks in Solomon’s Portico

11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. 12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”