Light in the Well

These are some notes I took over 1 and 2 Kings. You're on the edge of your seat; I know.

• 1 Kings 14 - Jeroboam as king of Israel

God said that if Jeroboam kept His commandments and did what was good in His eyes, Jeroboam would remain king.

Instead, Jeroboam erected idols to keep Israelites from going to Jerusalem in the newly formed Judah. He didn't want to give up any of his kingdom to the south. So, he took the gift of royalty that God gave him and horded it for himself, away from God!

Why are we so selfish with "our" things when they wouldn't even be ours if God hadn't had the grace to stoop so llow to give them to us?
What am I being selfish with in my life?

• 14:23 Asherah poles on every high hill.

"When judging the failures of various kings, the authors often comment, 'the high places, however, were not removed.' "

Well, the high places are in our own lives, too. We think that we are to our bodies what kings are to their nations. But in actuality, our bodies are just tent temples. God gave them to us temporarily given to worship God in. The high places are pride, false idol worship and things like that. To do right by the Lord is to take them down, deconstruct them, destroy them.

• 1 Kings 19:19-21 The Call of Elisha

We are all like Elisha. When we're given our calling (the cloak), were meant to trust in God wholeheartedly. We have to give up our security (and usually our comfort). More over we have to sacrifice in all to God.

Elisha didn't say, "No, I have 12 yoke oxen to care for. I'll just support you when I can." He gave up his ranging life to follow. Not only that but he literally burned his "bridges" so that he couldn't back out, had he been tempted to.

Oh, that I had that much faith!

2 Kings 1:9-10
Elijah sat on a hill top while the kings men came for him. He could see them coming from a great distance and could have run away from the 51 armed men sent to capture him. But he had faith that God was on his side and would protect him. he know that God was all he needed.

v 13-15
The only one of the kings officials to survive was the one who humbled himself to God's man. He had the spiritual awareness to know that in comparison to God, being the subject of a mere king was worthless. He humbled himself before the servant of God and his life, along with the lives of his 50 men were spared. Not only that, but he was the only one to do what the king asked of him. So, in serving God, he was able to serve Man better.