The Simple Life

Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more evil than all who were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in the sins that he made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols. 1 Kings 16:25-26 (ESV) Why do we think that history will not repeat itself? Kings who ignore God and live for themselves destroy the nations they serve. It is a consistent pattern that can be easily seen. Yet, time and time again, the king begins to reign, inhales the opiate of the lying praise of the people, and puts himself against God and His plans and purposes. Few kings understood their responsibility to follow God and lead the people to God. If you remember, these monarchies were a position the people insisted on having. God's original plan was to have the nation ruled by the priests whom God ruled. This plan was rejected, and the results were devastating. Those who know God's plan and ignore it because they have...

Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more evil than all who were before him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in the sins that he made Israel to sin, provoking the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger by their idols. 1 Kings 16:25-26 (ESV) Why do we think that history will not repeat itself? Kings who ignore God and live for themselves destroy the nations they serve. It is a consistent pattern that can be easily seen. Yet, time and time again, the king begins to reign, inhales the opiate of the lying praise of the people, and puts himself against God and His plans and purposes. Few kings understood their responsibility to follow God and lead the people to God. If you remember, these monarchies were a position the people insisted on having. God's original plan was to have the nation ruled by the priests whom God ruled. This plan was rejected, and the results were devastating. Those who know God's plan and ignore it because they have...

And the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, "Since I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens shall eat." 1 Kings 16:1-4 (ESV) Leaders have responsibility. They cannot shun it. They cannot pass it off. They cannot ignore it. If they do, there are dire consequences for both the people they were supposed to lead and themselves. The flesh loves to be fed the praise of the flesh, and finds a hollow satisfaction in the feeding process. This hollow satisfaction cannot last and leaves the finder desiring more and more praise, which eventually ...

When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying, "Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us." 2 Kings  22:11-13  (ESV)   The king not only had God's Word read to him, but he also responded to it. So often, pride causes us to hear but not listen. We know what God's Word says, yet it does not apply to us, for if it did apply to us, we would be repenting and changing our ways.   Many young people will not change because they have never se...

And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 1 Kings 14:22 (ESV) The pattern of ignoring God, doing evil, and seeing your potential lost is clearly seen in the history of God's people. God is God, and nothing we do or say will or can change that. Those who recognize this and live in accordance with this will live significant lives, and those who do not will live meaningless lives. Without God, we have no meaning, context, purpose, or understanding. A generation that grows up observing those who have ignored God is often condemned to repeat this ignorance, and the tragedy of such actions begins to travel through the generations, gaining compounding troubles as fortunes gain compounding interest. Change is both complicated and easy. It is hard because we need to admit we are wrong. It is easy because acknowledging that we are wrong is not that hard. We should not...

"And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin." 1 Kings 14:16 (ESV) We do not want to believe that innocent people suffer because of another's actions, yet we can see that they do. Because God has given us a choice, which is not meaningless, our choices matter. Our choices will affect our lives and the lives of all those with whom we connect. For some reason, we want this different. We want a system where the innocent can remain unscarred, and the individual's sin would only affect that individual. This can only happen in a world without relationships, which does not exist. Jesus made it clear in Scripture that if my actions cause a little one to stumble, and they can, it might be better to have a millstone tied around my neck and have me thrown into an abyss. My choices affect others, and I will be accountable for how that works out. I need to live each day with this in mind. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Go, tell Jeroboam, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: "Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes, but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back, therefore behold, I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone." 1 Kings 14:7-10 (ESV) God only asks us to obey Him and to love others. We can expect our lives to be most troublesome when we refuse to do both. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, "Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people. Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child." 1 Kings 14:1-3 (ESV) Sometimes we don't think clearly. To have someone disguise themselves so the man of God would not recognize them would be a waste of time and energy, for if he were of God, he would be able to see through the disguise, and he did. Leaders who should be depending on God but do not will eventually try drastic measures to control what has become uncontrollable. Their sadness is magnified in that it contrasts with their opulent lifestyle and habits. Jeroboam had everything, yet only controlled the unimportant. He was powerless over what mattered. This mirrors m...

Then he said to him, "Come home with me and eat bread." And he said, "I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, 'You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.'" And he said to him, "I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, 'Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.'" But he lied to him. So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water. 1 Kings  13:15-19  (ESV) One "man of God" lied to another. We must be careful to whom we listen. If God's Word is clear, no man should be able to persuade us to disobey. The "man of God" who was used by God was now unfaithful, and no matter the reason, unfaithfulness is unfaithfulness. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

And the king said to the man of God, "Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward." And the man of God said to the king, "If you give me half your house, I will not go in with you. And I will not eat bread or drink water in this place, for so was it commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, 'You shall neither eat bread nor drink water nor return by the way that you came.'" So he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel. 1 Kings 13:7-10 (ESV) Those who follow God are often put in challenging situations. He did not take advantage of the opportunity. Instead, he listened to God, left the reward behind, and did his work. Our commitment must be to God and what He commands, not to us and what we can command.   https://www.podbean.com/relate365

So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, "Come to me again the third day." And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions." 1 Kings  12:12-14  (ESV) Fool. Those who are given little authority love to grab more authority. It is easy for us to begin to believe the clippings written about us while forgetting that we control the press. In this instance, a leader, or a king, keeps their power out of respect, fear, or structure. What begins as a position given by structure must turn into one maintained by respect, or a collapse is inevitable. The structure gave Rehoboam his position, and he worked at maintaining it through fear. It did not work then, and it does not work toda...

Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, "How do you advise me to answer this people?" And they said to him, "If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever." But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. 1 Kings 12:6-8 (ESV) We all choose to whom we listen. The choice is often predicated on what we want to hear rather than to what we should listen. We tend to shut out the voices of the opposition and elevate those with similar thoughts and ideas until we have created a new "species of thought" brought about by being highly influenced by those most like ourselves. Power and authority can never be used to create truth. Instead, they must be used to implement truth. https://www.podbe...

And the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, "Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant." 1 Kings 11:9-11 (ESV) God does not lie. When He says "If… then," he means, "If… then." God is patient but not tolerant. He will never tolerate sin because He loves the sinner. Only those who do not love others will accept the sin that destroys them. Hate is something that is reserved for evil and is often misplaced as it targets those who are captivated by evil. God does hate, but he hates the right things, and even his hatred is driven by his love. https://www.podbean.com/relat...

So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. 1 Kings 11:6 (ESV) If the wisest man who ever lived can be swayed, so can I. Solomon did not do everything wrong. He did many things right. His problem was that he did not wholly follow the Lord, and there came a time when this partial obedience destroyed what could have been. Being almost right is to be wrong. Being nearly honest is to be dishonest. Being almost sold is to not be sold. Being almost Christian is to be pagan. Those who compromise never experience the fruit that accompanies complete dedication. The desire to compromise, to feel as if we have done enough for long enough, always puts us in a position of weakness, and it is this state for which Satan has been waiting and planning. Those who remain dedicated to obedience to God will never lose, for God cannot lose, and there is no plan or power in the universe to win against Him https://www.podbean.com/rela...

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love. 1 Kings 11:1-2 (ESV) Solomon, for some reason, as wise as he was, ignored the warning God gave not to be intimately involved with the Godless. He did not listen, and, as Moses before him, ended in a fizzle, rather than a bang. Being unequally yoked to anything is dangerous. An intimate association with this world, in any way, will affect the quality of our lives. Those who keep their lives pure will also keep their intimate relationships pure, for the two are intricately intertwined. Those who claim that their association with the "world" is not or has not affected them have lied to themselve...

Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. 1 Kings 10:23-25 (ESV) This might be an enviable position. Then again, this might be a very tough position in which to be. God has made it clear that much will be required to whom much is given. Solomon had much in this physical life, intellect, wisdom, and opportunity.  With all that Solomon was given, I imagine he would be held to the highest standards when he appeared before God. Those who live in the United States of America live in a wealthy country and enjoy unprecedented peace, prosperity, education, and so on. We have much. We will be judged accordingly.   https://www.podbean.com/relate365

“And as for you, 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, saying, 'You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples.” 1 Kings 9:4-7 (ESV) If…then. We have a choice and our choice matters. Our choices will not affect God's will; they will affect our participation in God's will, for He does not need us to gain victory. For now, we have choices that m...

Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven. And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, "Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant. The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers." 1 Kings 8:54-58 (ESV) A leader who humbles himself before God and the people gains respect. Solomon knew that God's Word was trustworthy. He knew he could ask the people to do something they could do--follow God. Successful leaders drive people to God, not to themselves. https://www.podbean.com/relate36...

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven, and said, "O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart….” 1 Kings  8:22-23  (ESV) “Keeping covenant and showing steadfast love….” to those who walk before you with all their heart. This is a common understanding throughout Scripture. God provides His unique ways to those who walk with Him. The variable He gives is choice. I can choose to live my life ignoring God until I can no longer do so, or I can choose to know and submit to Him. If I choose to ignore Him, there are promises I can expect Him to keep. If I choose to know and submit to Him, there are other promises I can expect Him to keep. Either way, we can expect God to keep His promises. For some, this is comforting; to others, it is scary. At what...

And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 1 Kings 4:29-32 (ESV) Solomon was an amazing man because God gave him wisdom and understanding. Without God giving one wisdom and understanding, one has nothing. Today, anyone choosing to know and follow God could have the same. We are not limited to our perspectives and understandings. If we are God's children, we live beyond our abilities. We pray beyond our ability as the Spirit prays for us. We live beyond our means as God provides for us. We prepare beyond our understanding of the future as God guides us. We understand beyond our ability, as...

Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established. 1 Kings  2:10-12  (ESV) We cannot ignore the fact that we, one day, will not be here on this earth. David, a man after God's own heart, ruled a nation for forty years, died, and was buried, and the significant influence he now had would be through those whom he had influenced while he was alive. Our lives influence lives around us. Some intentionally and successfully look for ways to influence for good. In contrast, others, through neglect, self-centeredness, and apathy, live their lives using others for their benefit, leaving the next generation scarred, dysfunctional, and directionless. We are always a good or bad example, and today, we get to choose which way to go. Our children and gran...

When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, "I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'" 1 Kings 2:1-4 (ESV) This is excellent advice from one generation to another. This was great advice in David's day and is excellent advice today. We will all go the way of the earth, and those who follow us must show themselves as responsible adults who will carry on the mission of following and pointing to God. There is no ot...

Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 1 Kings 1:5 (ESV) When we exalt ourselves, we hurt others. We were not made to honor ourselves. Honor is something that belongs to God, and since it is His, it is His to give away. Just as, in this case, the king has the right to choose who will follow as king or who should be given the honor of being king, God can and will honor those who are faithful to Himself. Our goal is not to be honored, but to honor; as we truly honor, we are honored. Those who focus on loving or obeying God will not be disappointed when the end comes. They will be the few who are honestly looking forward to the end. Satan is a deceptive liar who has fooled many into believing that they are not appreciated, loved enough, or honored sufficiently. Focus on these things and discouragement and despair will be your constant companion. https://www.pod...