RIGHT PLACE, WRONG HEART

by slpcenglish

(REFLECTIONS ON 1 Kings 14:21-31) 1 Kings 14 begins with the kingdom of Israel divided, split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Once united as one heart, with one king, and one God, now divided into two kingdoms with two kings. The northern kingdom of Israel under King Jeroboam was […]

WHAT CAN BE HIDDEN FROM THE LORD?

by slpcenglish

(REFLECTIONS ON 1 Kings 14:1-20) Abijah, the son of King Jeroboam, was sick, and Jeroboam asked his wife to disguise herself so that no one would know her identity. He then sent her to Shiloh to inquire of Ahijah the prophet concerning their son. Although Ahijah could not see because of his old age, the Lord […]

JEROBOAM, A MAN OF GOD, & AN OLD PROPHET

by slpcenglish

(REFLECTIONS ON 1 Kings 13:1-34) In today’s Scripture, we see a man of God from Judah who came to Bethel by the word of the Lord to speak a prophecy against the altar that Jeroboam used to burn incense. This was because Jeroboam, out of fear and insecurity regarding his kingship, had established alternative altars, priests, […]

INSECURITY, FEAR, AND LACK OF TRUST

by slpcenglish

(REFLECTIONS ON 1 Kings 12:25-33) 27 “If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” What led to the downfall […]

A TURN OF EVENTS FROM THE LORD

by slpcenglish

(REFLECTIONS ON 1 Kings 12:1-24) Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not follow the Lord fully, as David his father had done. The result was that the kingdom would be divided. However, as Solomon’s son Rehoboam sat on the throne, Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and […]

THE PRELUDE TO A DIVDED KINGDOM

by slpcenglish

(REFLECTIONS ON 1 Kings 11:14-43) The Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from Him. As a result, the Lord’s judgment on Solomon was that He would tear the kingdom away from him and give it to one of his servants. In today’s Scripture, the Lord raised up adversaries against Solomon. Two […]

WHAT WILL WE LOVE?

by slpcenglish

(REFLECTIONS ON 1 Kings 11:1-13) 1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will […]

THE WISDOM AND WEALTH OF 666

by slpcenglish

(REFLECTIONS ON 1 Kings 10:14-29) 14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold… Wait, 666? Isn’t that a number that we are familiar with? Isn’t that the number from Revelation 13:18 regarding the number of the beast? Is the Book of Revelation pulling the reader back […]

DIFFICULT QUESTIONS

by slpcenglish

(REFLECTIONS ON 1 Kings 10:1-13) 1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with difficult questions…4 When the queen of Sheba perceived all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5 the food of his table, the […]

CABUL “AS GOOD AS NOTHING”

by slpcenglish

(REFLECTIONS ON 1 Kings 9:10-28) Solomon was to walk with the Lord as David did, in integrity of heart and uprightness. However, in today’s Scripture, as we see Solomon giving Hiram king of Tyre twenty cities in the land of Galilee, Hiram’s response isn’t one of awe and glory for the beauty of the cities. Instead, […]