When In Doubt, Bring Out Your Sword

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 3:16-28.  Let’s go!

On verses 16-28:  As proof that God had answered Solomon’s prayer for a wise and discerning heart, here we see Solomon displaying superior wisdom in dealing with a difficult situation where two prostitutes argue over who is the true mother of a new born baby boy.  Since neither side would budge, Solomon asks for a sword and orders that the child be cut in two.  One of the women cannot bear to see the baby boy cut in two and asks the king to give the baby to the other woman.  King Solomon rules that the surrendering woman is the real mother.

What can we learn from this?  When Solomon did not know which side to listen to, he asks for a sword.  Similarly, when you face a question where you’re not sure what the answer is, ask for a sword; that is, look to the Word of God.  Over and over the Bible is likened to a sword.  Paul calls the Word of God the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18). 

Ask God for a Wise and Discerning Heart

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 3:1-15.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 3:7-9 (NIV) 
7 “Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 
8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 
9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 

On verses 1-15:  Instead of asking for wealth or honor, Solomon asks for a wise and discerning heart so that he can govern the people of Israel (v.9).  The fact that in verse 9 Solomon says, “For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” shows that at this stage Solomon did not see the people of Israel as his own, but God’s.  

Don’t Think “God Will Let Me Get Away With Anything”

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 2:28-46. Let’s go!

On verses 28-35:  For many years Joab was the ruthless commander of King David’s army.  Joab’s ruthlessness was never more manifest than when he unsuspectingly murdered two high ranking Israelite officials, Abner (in 2 Samuel 3) and Amasa (in 2 Samuel 20:9-10), possibly for fear that they would one day replace him.  Joab also killed Absalom, David’s son, specifically against David’s orders.  Yet for some reason David always spared Joab’s life.  David literally let Joab get away with murder.  (Why?  Some scholars believe it’s because Joab was one of the few who knew the secret that David had ordered the murder of one of his own brave soldiers, Uriah the Hittite, and that David was scared that Joab would expose him.) 

Be Alert Against The Enemy’s Underhanded Tactics

Hi GAMErs,

There are many lessons we can learn from today’s passage, 1 Kings 2:13-27.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 2:17 (NIV) 
17 So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon–he will not refuse you–to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.” 

On verses 13-18:  Here Adonijah goes to Bathsheba the king’s mother with a request: he asks for Abishag the Shunammite as his wife.  Why?  It’s not because Adonijah was in love with Abishag, as beautiful as she was.  Rather it was a political move.  Remember that Abishag was effectively David’s last concubine.  Abishag lived with David, took care of David, slept in the same bed as David, though she never had sexual relations with David (see 1 Kings 1:3-4). Back in David’s time, whoever controlled the king’s harem was viewed as controlling the kingdom.

Setting Up Your Next Generation for Success

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 2:1-12.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 2:2-3 (NIV) 
2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, show yourself a man,
3 and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, 

On verses 1-3:  Here David is on his deathbed.  David’s last words to King Solomon his son are “be courageous, be a man, and obey God’s commands.” (v2-3)  After all the experiences David had accumulated over his lifetime — his unprecedented victories, his heartbreaking losses, and all the lessons he learned from both his successes and his mistakes — the most important lesson David could tell Solomon is: trust and obey God.  “Do this,” David says, “so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go” (v3).

How Do You Know Who Your True Friends Are

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 1:41-53.  How Do You Know Who Your True Friends Are (Plus, Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep)   Let’s go!

On verses 41-49:  Having heard that King David has officially made Solomon king instead of Adonijah, all of Adonijah’s guests — who were supposedly Adonijah’s closest friends and supporters — disperse and flee from Adonijah.

What can we learn from this?  It’s in the tough times when you can especially tell who your real friends are.  When things are going well for you, everyone is happy to be your friend.  But it’s in the tough times that you tend to notice which of your friends are truly loyal and truly love you for you, and which friends are friendly toward you for a more selfish reason.  

You Got the King on Your Side

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 1:28-40.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 1:28-31 (NIV) 
28 Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. 
29 The king then took an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 
30 I will surely carry out today what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.” 
31 Then Bathsheba bowed low with her face to the ground and, kneeling before the king, said, “May my lord King David live forever!” 

The Best Thing You Can Do When You’re In A Tough Situation

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 1:15-27.  Let’s go!

On verses 15-27:  In response to Adonijah’s actions to exalt himself as the next king, Bathsheba the mother of Solomon boldly gets into David’s presence (v15-16).  Bathsheba reminds David of his previous promise to make Solomon the next king (v17).  She explains how Adonijah has usurped the throne (v18-19), and she looks to David for an answer (v20).  Nathan enters while David and Bathsheba are talking (v22-23).  Nathan similarly lets David know about Adonijah’s actions and looks to the king for clarification on what’s going on (v24-27).
What can we learn from this?  There are three lessons I believe Holy Spirit taught me from this passage:

1. When you’re facing a tough situation, don’t declare war right away or try to solve things by yourself. 

Whoever Exalts Himself Will Be Humbled

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of 1 Kings.  1 Kings and 2 Kings together chronicle the history of Israel’s monarchs.  The books cover 400 years of history, beginning with Solomon’s ascent to the throne in place of his father David (in approximately 971 B.C.) and ending with the Babylonians’ invasion of Jerusalem and the release of Judah’s king Jehoiachin from prison (in approximately 560 B.C.)  1 Kings and 2 Kings contain some powerful life lessons and leadership insights for us today. 

When People Let You Down

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Timothy 4:9-22.  Let’s go!

On verses 9-15:  Ministry is about serving God but it’s also about working with people.  Because none of us is perfect, you and those you serve with are bound to encounter tension, disagreement and conflict from time to time.  So what should you do?  From these verses we see how a mature leader in God’s kingdom deals with hurt and conflict with fellow servants of God.  In particular here are 3 things I learn from Paul’s example:

1. In all cases, when you have been wronged by someone, you need to extend forgiveness to that person (see verse 16: “may it not be held against them”).  Forgiving that person is not just for that person’s sake. Even more, it’s for your sake, to enable you to move on and not live in the past.  Otherwise, bitterness will start to rob you of peace and poison your life.