Tag: 1 Kings

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The algorithm

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Kings 22.

There’s an algorithm. We all know that, right? As you scroll through social media, shop online, and read news stories, the internet gets a feel for your demographic, your likes and dislikes, and your opinions and tastes. It makes sure that you see more of what you prefer, what you believe, and what you want to buy. Before long, your digital world consists of people like you with similar viewpoints and amazingly good taste, like yours!

There is, as you know, nothing new under the sun.

“The king of Israel (Ahab) assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and said to them, ‘Should I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead or should I refrain?’ And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will hand it over to the king” (1 Kings 22:6). Four hundred prophets who all have the identical message.

If that sounds a little fishy, then you’ll understand why Jehoshaphat (the king of Judah) asks, “Aren’t there any prophets of the Lord around here?”

The king of Israel responds, “There is one, but I hate him. He only ever has bad news!” (1 Kings 22:8).

Actually, that’s one of the signs of a legitimate prophet. God doesn’t send prophets to pat you on the back and say, “Good job!” Prophets call us to repentance. Prophets warn of God’s wrath. Prophets remind us of God’s promises to help us get back on the right track when we’ve wandered away from him.

The scriptural algorithm isn’t going to tell me what I want to hear. It’s always filled with what I need to hear.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Repentance is always on the table

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jorge Garcia on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Kings 21.

The writer of first Kings gives King Ahab the honor of being the worst king – maybe the worst person – ever!

“There certainly was no one like Ahab who gave himself over to do evil in the sight of the Lord” (1 Kings 21:25).

And yet, when confronted by Elijah, Ahab repents.

“Yet it came about, when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; I will bring the disaster upon his house in his son’s days.” (1 Kings 21:27-29)

When Ahab repents, God is merciful to him! It makes me wonder, “Is repentance ever off the table?”

We like to think so. We like to think that when someone crosses a line, it’s over. There’s no going back. And yet Jesus himself says, “the one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out” (John 6:37).

On any given day, I underestimate God’s mercy and overestimate my own righteousness. Chapters like this and kings like Ahab force me to reevaluate. Repentance is always on the table. Repentance is always on he table for me. That’s because Jesus is on the cross for me. Not just for everyone, but for me.

Thank God his mercies are new every morning!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Get some rest

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Shane on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Kings 19.

The puppies and small grandchildren who run around our house seem to have limitless energy. They run full out until I tuck them into bed. That’s when they crash and immediately fall asleep.

After the fire of the Lord consumes Elijah’s sacrifice and he slaughters the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:38,40), Jezebel threatens his life (1 Kings 19:2).

After a day’s hike in the desert, Elijah prays, “Lord, take away my life” (19:4). I’ve had it. I quit.

He falls asleep and wakes to find an angel encouraging him to eat. After a second nap and meal, he takes a forty-day trip to a mountain called Horeb. Here, God speaks to him in a low whisper instructing him to anoints kings and a successor to be prophet in his place (19:15,16).

I think this is a great example of what we would call “self care.” Of course, it’s God who provides the physical and spiritual restoration. It was a great day on Mount Carmel. But even a prophet crashes when the adrenaline wears off. We weren’t designed to run full throttle forever. We were created needing rest. Without it, we get sick or our bodies break down. So will our souls, unless we take some time to rest.

Never feel guilty about taking care of yourself. Never feel guilty when God sends someone else along to care for you. He knows you need it.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I just called to say, “Hi!”

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by yang miao on Unsplash

As a parish pastor, I made a lot of phone calls that must havemade people feel guilty. As soon as I said, “Hi!” they responded with answers they thought I wanted to hear.

  • “Don’t worry, Pastor, I’m still sending in my contribution.”
  • “Don’t worry. We still pray everyday.”
  • “Don’t worry. We’ve been traveling. We’ll be there this week.”
  • “Don’t worry. We watch the livestream each week.”

I called to see how they were doing. Just the sound of my voice brought out the self-justification heavy artillery. It was a gospel call. I just called to say, “Hi!” They heard the law.

A widow in Zarephath gets a bottomless bowl of flour and jar of oil from Elijah. But as soon as her son gets sick, she fast forwards to the worst case scenario. “You have come to me to bring my wrongdoing to remembrance, and to put my son to death!” (1 Kings 17:18)

She feels guilty about something. Who knows what. It doesn’t matter. Suddenly, her worldview shifts from grace to karma. Who’s the bad guy here, Elijah or God himself? Who knows.

If you picture God as the one looking over your shoulder, ready to catch a misstep, you need to get to know God better. He’s the one looking over his shoulder, saying, “Are you coming?” He’s the one who invites us to follow him to green pastures and quiet waters. He never comes to condemn. Only to rescue us.

To illustrate this point, Elijah brings her son back to life. To illustrate this point, he brings us back to life, too. If a prophet or a pastor calls to say, “Hi!” it’s okay. You’re not in big trouble. You’re hearing the voice of someone who cares.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The God of free refills

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Kings 17.

The amount of food my friends and I could eat in college was impressive. Since meals were only served during the week at the fraternity house, we had to fend for ourselves on Saturday and Sunday. One favorite spot was Roy Rogers, a burger and fried chicken restaurant which I’m surprised to learn is still in business in the PA-NJ-MD area. Our go-to order was the all you can eat chicken and fries plus a bottomless drink.

I don’t think they offer that deal any more, but there are other places where you can eat as much as you want (or can). Olive Garden offers a never-ending bowl of pasta from time to time. You can go back as often as you like at a Asian buffet. When Chick-fil-a opens a new restaurant, the first customers can get a free weekly meal for a year. In 1981, American Airlines sold a lifetime first class ticket for $250,000. Some who bought that flew over 10,000 times.

The original “free refill” story is from scripture, when a widow in Zarephath uses the last of her flour and oil to make bread for the prophet Elijah. During that time of severe famine, the Lord promised her, “The bowl of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil become empty, until the day that the Lord provides rain on the face of the earth” (1 Kings 17:14). And that’s exactly what happened.

If I give away what I have, I won’t have it anymore, right? Not necessarily. God’s promise of provision is described as “daily bread.” There’s more tomorrow. Just like there was yesterday. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). He’s the God of free refills.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Turn around

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jim Wilson on Unsplash

I was talking with someone about faith. I asked him if they were sure they were saved. He said, “I don’t know. I don’t know what my life or my faith will be like in the future.”

I had no idea what to say. I just listened.

I think it’s fair to say that Solomon had it all. Scripture tells us that “King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom” (10:23).

Suddenly, it all goes south. First, “King Solomon loved many foreign women” (1 Kings 11:1). Is that a problem? Not at first. “When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away to follow other gods” (11:4).

Now it’s a problem. “His heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God” (11:4). It only takes eleven verses of scripture for a king who has it all to be the one who threw it all away.

I don’t get it. How could Solomon’s world famous wisdom let him down in his personal life? How could his unequaled discernment and judgment not protect him from idolatry and unfaithfulness?

I’ve thought about this a lot and haven’t come to any conclusions. But the words of Jesus keep coming to mind: “Unless you repent” (Luke 13:3). Living in an information age, it doesn’t matter how much I know about God. It doesn’t matter how much I’ve been blessed. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve trusted God. It doesn’t matter how much wisdom I have.

It’s about turning to him. It’s all about repentance.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

How much is all this going to cost?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“So Solomon built the house [of God] and finished it.” (1 Kings‬ ‭6‬:‭14‬).

When I asked a Bible study class how much they thought should be spent on a church building, most replied, “Less than we do.” I thought that was an interesting answer. People like beautiful, well-maintained spaces for worship. But many underestimate the cost and commitment involved.

The temple Solomon built in Jerusalem was beautiful. Huge rocks from a quarry. Cedar-paneled walls overlaid with gold. Carved angels, engraved Palm tree and flowers, and olive wood doors. The furnishings and fabrics were exquisite.

How much did this all cost? Scholars disagree. At the very least it’s tens of millions of dollars in today’s currency. It probably cost far more than that. Too much? Appropriate for the Almighty God?

It’s true that the overhead of a building consumes a significant part of a congregation’s budget. But it’s also true that a church building is a visual that God is a part of a community. It provides a place for God’s people to gather and encourage one another to live out our faith. It is a place to go in the worst moments of life to find hope. It’s a place that reminds us we’re not alone in this. We rejoice, mourn, live, and die together as God’s people.

God didn’t need a temple. Neither did his people. They worshipped for a long time without one. They would still fall into sin with one.

When a woman anoints Jesus’s feet with costly perfume, he’s touched by the nice thing she did for him. Perhaps we should look at temples and church buildings in a similar way.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A bloody transition of power

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from 1 Kings 1 and 2.

I’ve heard about a “peaceful transition of power” when new leaders are elected and begin their terms of office.

It certainly doesn’t happen like that in scripture.

Adonijah thinks he has a good chance of being king after David. But when David names Solomon as his successor, Adonijah knows he’s in big trouble. Solomon says, “You have nothing to worry about.”

However, when Adonijah makes a play for David’s nurse Abishag, it’s over. Solomon doesn’t give him an inch. He sends Benaiah to execute him. End of that discussion.

Joab was a pretty good general for David, but he was an Adonijah supporter. Solomon has him executed, too.

Then there is Shimei, who threw rocks at David when he was fleeing from Absalom. Solomon puts him under house arrest. But when Shimei goes out looking for some missing servants, Solomon orders his execution, too.

And that when “The kingdom was established in the hands of Solomon” (1 Kings 2:46). I’m amazed at how bloody the transition of power is in the first two chapters of 1 Kings.

It gets messy as God fulfills his promise to David, that his descendants will always be on the throne. Jesus’s life was threatened by King Herod before he’s two years old. He endured a bloody beating and crucifixion before he’s exalted and everyone knew bows and every tongue confesses him to be Lord.