June 10th~Fit for a King

1 Kings 15:16-22



2 Chronicles 16:1-10


1 Kings 16:1-34
1 Kings 15:23, 24


2 Chronicles 16:11-17:19

1 Kings 17:1-7

We followed a few more of the kings of Israel — Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, and Ahab. Ahab will be the most wicked and rebellious of the kings of Israel, doing more than any other king to provoke the anger of the Lord (1 Kings 16:30). Meanwhile, Judah was blessed to have just one king that whole time — Asa (41 years). When Asa passed away, his son Jehoshaphat took over, another righteous king who honored God.

I’d like to point out three things from our passage today, in case you missed them. First, did you catch that the ancient city of Jericho was rebuilt by a man named Hiel? We are not told if Hiel knew about the curse that Joshua had placed on Jericho (6:26), but when he rebuilt the city, both of his sons died, just as Joshua had prophesied (1 Kings 16:34).

Second, we witnessed with King Asa how easy it is for us to forget or neglect the Lord and rely upon our own wisdom or strength. When Asa saw that King Baasha was attacking him, he turned to another king for help, instead of relying upon the Lord, who had helped him before with the Ethiopian army (2 Chronicles 16:7-10). God wants to be our first resort in all things, not our last resort or even our second resort. Seeking wisdom, guidance, hope, or strength in anything or anyone else is to place another god before Him.

Finally, though there were so many major events that took place in our passage today, my attention was drawn to an order that King Jehoshaphat gave after succeeding his father Asa. “In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent out his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah... They took copies of the Book of the Law of the Lord and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people” (17:7-9).

Here is a king who understood the covenant keeping principle. God honors those who honor Him, but for people to honor Him, they must worship and obey Him; to obey Him, they must know what He says, and to know what He says, the people must hear what He says. In other words, Jehoshaphat understood the importance of the education or discipleship of God’s people and the value of God’s Word in that process. Scripture intake, whether that comes by reading or hearing, was and still is a vital discipline in our spiritual development.

Daily Reflection

Obviously, you place a high priority on Scripture intake or you would not be reading the Bible in a year. However, what will you do when you are finished? Has Scripture intake always been important to you and will it be after this year?

Regarding Asa’s neglectfulness to consult the Lord in the war against Baasha, how easy is it for you to do the same? Why is it that there are times when you faithfully seek the Lord and other times that you forget to ask for His help?

While it may seem that these events are disconnected, they are not. Scripture intake is a way to remind ourselves of the Lord’s wisdom and ways and to keep before us His desire to be our first and only resort.

BiAY.org | Day 161 — 204 Days to Go