Day 11 – Monday
The Book of First Kings
David is senile and is tricked into anointing Solomon as King. Solomon is wise. Remember the baby he almost cut in half because two women claimed it as their own? But he wasn’t wise in other ways. He accumulated too much. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. And he forced his subjects to work long hours, encouraging them with a whip. He also flirted with other gods. The author of First Kings blames his foreign wives. (It’s always the women’s fault, isn’t it?)
But Solomon accomplished something great. He built the temple. Three chapters describe the process of building it—chapters 5-7. In chapter eight Solomon dedicates the temple. It gives a “location” for God. People are to turn in its direction to pray wherever they are. Of course a building cannot contain or limit God. But God says his Name will be there.
May your eyes be open night and day toward this temple, the place where you said your Name shall dwell. (8.29, my trans.)
David wrote a song which says, Lead me in the paths of righteousness for your NAME’S SAKE. And Christians pray, Hallowed by Thy NAME.
The temple gives specificity to God’s presence. We might call the temple a Jewish sacrament. That’s where you find the Real Presence.
But after his great achievement Solomon’s faith goes downhill. Finally, Solomon expires.
Solomon’s son Rehoboam becomes king. He works the people even harder, and the kingdom breaks up around 926 BCE. Rehoboam keeps the South (Judah) while Jeroboam becomes king of the North (Israel). The North and the South fight each other. Eventually Omri becomes king of the North (Israel). He establishes Samaria as the capitol of Israel. (You’ll remember that Jerusalem is the capitol of Judah.) In the Bible the northern kingdom is referred to variously as Israel and Samaria and Ephraim.
The prophet Elijah plays an important role in First Kings. He does miraculous things. He multiplies food for a widow. He brings her son back to life through prayer and CPR (see ch. 20). He has a contest with the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel (see ch. 18). Baal’s prophets try to call down fire from heaven, but nothing happens. Elijah makes fun of them and suggests that perhaps their god has gone to the bathroom. Then Elijah calls down fire from heaven which immediately lights the wood for the sacrifice.
There is an evil, wicked woman named Jezebel who is married to King Ahab. Jezebel puts out the word that Elijah is meddling too much in political affairs and needs to be snuffed out. Elijah goes into hiding. Jezebel has really gotten to him. He feels like a failure. He wants to die. But God is not through with him. God comes to Elijah. There is tornado-like wind; then an earthquake; then a wild fire. But Elijah did not feel God’s presence. Then there was the sound of silence. And in that silence Elijah heard God speaking. The still, small voice. Have you heard it? Have you been quiet enough to hear it? Have you slowed down enough to hear it? Have you turned down the volume of your ego and your fears so that you can hear it?
Finish this sentence: What keeps me from hearing God is…
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