One Year Bible, June 12

1 KINGS 9:1-10:29                                                                                                          
SOLOMON'S VISITATION:   "The Lord appeared to Solomon the second time...." (13 years after the dedication. God's eyes and His heart would be in His House perpetually. Solomon had to do, keep and observe the Word of the Lord.   IF you "forsake the Lord" his punishment and destruction would be so great that passers-by would look and wonder what on earth they had done!   As we know, they did, and God did.   God "cut them off". Isa 54:5; Jer 3:14; and Jer 3:8 says God "divorced" them.

SOLOMON'S SPLENDOR:  Solomon, at least, like marriage well enough.  He married foreign women to seal his treaties with their countries.  Because of his extravagant expenditures for his luxurious court, Solomon resorted to heavy taxes and forced labor - which led to the dividing of the Kingdom.  David was a warrior; Solomon was a builder.  The Temple was considered the most splendid building on earth.  Solomon's drinking cups were gold - and were so plentiful that they were counted as nothing!  Solomon ruled from the Euphrates to Egypt.   Kings came from all around to hear Solomon's wisdom and to see his riches.

THE QUEEN OF SHEBA:  The queen of Sheba coming to Solomon reveals the kings coming to see the infant Jesus (Matt 2), Who is the Real Temple, the Temple that was torn down and resurrected in three days.   The Queen came because of the "fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord".   She said she didn't believe all the reports until she saw it with her own eyes, and then realized "the half was not told me."   Solomon's WISDOM AND PROSPERITY exceeded the reports.

"HAPPY ARE YOUR SERVANTS" - Those who continually surround the throne are smiling and happy.

RESPONSE:  God eventually divorced Israel for good.  Jesus promised to never do that to us. In fact, He said that "if the marriage was dissolved", it will be because WE instigated it. (Heb 13:5; Matt 28:20; John10:28-29).  Those who stay close to the Throne of God - in His Presence, are HAPPY.   That is, they are content, grateful, and are God-centered.

ACTS 8:14-40                                                                                                                      
SAVED, BAPTIZED, AND RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST:  These were Samaritans - which were half-Jew, half-Gentile, and considered outcasts.  But not by Jesus!  Preached to by PHILIP, who then went to Gaza, where he preached to an Ethiopian, "who had come to Jerusalem to worship."  It says that the Spirit told Philip to go closer and get into the Ethiopian's chariot.  And Philip "ran".  Philip "preached unto him Jesus" and then baptized him in a ditch.   It says they both went DOWN INTO the water and afterwards CAME UP OUT of the water - so Philip IMMERSED the man - he didn't sprinkle him.

RESPONSE:   It appears that Philip preached to non-Jews before Peter or Paul did. And God joined Himself to them, too.  Both were water baptized also.  And, the Samaritans at least, received the Holy Spirit in a separate event, after being water baptized.  This happened all through the book of Acts - pay attention.

PSALM 130:1-8                                                                                                                    
EVENTH STEP: Psalm 130: Learning to "wait" on the Lord in brokenness.  When we see SELF for what it really is, it breaks us - removes all resistance to God's working in our hearts, knowing that there is "hope" and "mercy" and "plenteous redemption" with the Lord.   Without Him, life does not just go on - so we wait and rest.   "Out of the depths" is because SELF will not survive - it will be a resurrection to newness of "the Life" of God. BROKENNESS is for getting rid of stubbornness, arrogance, and most of all, of independence. Brokenness brings a deep sense of dependency on God for everything.   We "wait" for God, not demanding release, not demanding hurry.  Here the Hebrew word for "wait" is "qavah" which means "to bind yourself to God by committing yourself to the will of God".  To anticipate the power and presence of God wherever you are.

PROVERBS 17:2-3                                                                                                             
The value of wisdom supersedes birthrights. So.....the fiery furnace is for "refining" us - burning away the dross, the FLESH. That is why it hurts so much! (Matt 3:11-12), John the Baptist said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Even Job said, "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23:10)  God investigates and thoroughly examines our hearts.

RESPONSE:   I've been in that fire. How about you? The hardest part is to NOT WHINE OR COMPLAIN OR JUSTIFY MY BEHAVIOR. The quicker I repent (really and truly admitting that I tried to get the victory by myself), the quicker I can be free again.  I am grateful for the fiery furnace - AFTERWARDS. Like it says in Hebrews 12:11, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."