April 10–2 Kings 1-2

“As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up in a whirlwind to heaven”(2:11).

Scripture, without any apology, declares the existence of two realities. Invisible and visible. Heaven and earth. Parallel and interconnected worlds. One higher and more permanent than the other.

At particular moments in human history, the dividing wall between these two worlds becomes transparently thin. The glory of the invisible world shines into the material world. Angels singing over Bethlehem skies. The Risen Christ meeting with His disciples. John’s vision on the Isle of Patmos. Glory!

Today’s text is familiar to us as a song. “Swing low, sweet chariot.” To Elisha, however, it was a life-changing revelation! He saw and felt and knew an invisible, supernatural world!

For some time, Elijah believed his time on earth was coming to an end. The other prophets knew it, too. As his departure drew near, he desired to be alone. Elisha refused to leave him, so they traveled on together.

One day, without warning, a chariot of fire, pulled by horses of fire, appeared and separated the two friends. The army of the mighty God became momentarily visible. Angel soldiers took Elijah on board and escorted him to a higher world. Powerful symbols of truth! Chariots were intimidating high-tech weapons of warfare in the ancient world. The tanks or stealth bombers of the ancient world. Fire was powerful and purifying! Whirlwind was uncontrollably strong! All reminded Elisha (and us) of raw and real power of the unseen world.

Friend, do you believe? Do you live with a constant confidence that the forces of God are near you? Do you know with assurance that your true identity and citizenship is in a coming world? Our Savior taught us to live in glad anticipation. “Lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).

“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world” (C. S. Lewis).

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at things which are seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal”(2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

April 9–1 Kings 20-22

“Now behold a prophet approached Ahab. . .and said, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you seen this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver them into your hand today and you shall know that I am the Lord. . .The king of Israel went out and struck the Arameans with a great slaughter” (20:13, 21).

Amazing! The events of Carmel temporarily persuaded Ahab. For a brief moment, this rebellious man opened his heart to the possibilities of genuine faith. He listened to the prophet, received the help of Heaven, won a great victory. God was (is always) faithful to show, “the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe”(Ephesians 1:19). Reading this story, we can barely believe that this is Ahab!

It did not last long. Soon, Ahab’s true nature reasserted itself. He spared Ben-hadad (signaling the belief that the credit for the victory was his). He coveted Naboth’s vineyard and was complicit in Jezebel’s murderous plot to steal it. He indulged in a common self-deception, perceiving Elijah’s conflict with him as personal. “Have you found me, O my enemy?”(21:20).

In the parable of the soils, Jesus warned us. It is possible for a person to begin with Christ but not finish. With sincere but superficial faith, he takes the first steps of a life with God. Soon, however, the new life withers. No fruit follows. “He has no root in himself,” says the Savior with a broken heart.

In Acts 26, King Agrippa says, “I am almost persuaded.” In 1 Kings 20, Ahab is temporarily persuaded. In 2 Timothy 1:12, Paul says, “I know whom I have believed and I am (fully) persuaded that He is able to keep what I have delivered to Him against that day.”

Dear reader, will you remember, today? Partial and temporary faith is never enough. Faith may be small, but it must be ALL that we have. God does not allow us to leave our options open for different decisions later. Before we begin with Christ, we must decide (by the deep search of conscience) that we genuinely want Him. If God is God, turning back is not allowed.

“But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-7).

“For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:26).

April 8–1 Kings 18-19

“After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, a sound of gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave”(19:12-13).

Elijah is one of the great figures of the Old Testament. Strong. Prayerful. Unbending in his loyalty to Jehovah. Elijah was/is an archetypal prophet.

Like us, Elijah was subject to highs and lows. Days of great faith. Days of emotional and spiritual weariness. “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours,” says James 5:17.

After the revelations of God’s power at Carmel, Elijah lingered in Jezreel with hope that the long-awaited reformation of Israel would come. When it didn’t (when Jezebel reacted with threats rather than repentance), Elijah was bitterly disappointed. Afraid. Fatigued. Overwhelmed. He fled.

Dear reader, have you ever been depressed and off-balance? Will you note with gratitude the kindness of God in the days Elijah’s weakness? Food. Water. Rest. “He leads me beside quiet waters.” See Psalm 23.

“What are you doing here, Elijah?” says the Lord when he finally arrives at Horeb. (Same mountain on which Moses met with God.) Unable to admit that he was afraid and disappointed, Elijah criticizes God’s people and justifies his own actions. Honest talk with God is hard work. Sometimes, we are not prepared to face (and verbalize) the truth about ourselves.

In a “conversation” carried out in symbols, God came to Elijah. Wind. Earthquake. Fire. All symbols of great and present power. But the answer that Elijah needed was in none of them. Finally, came a qol (voice) demama (calm) daq (small). It was a voice because God is personal. It was still because God is calm. It was small so that it will only be heard by those who pay attention, who listen. In this gentle communication, Elijah recognized the presence of His Lord. It was the beginning of a new chapter in his life and ministry.

Often, and like Elijah, I want God to be more forceful than He chooses to be. Quicker. I want Him to MAKE things happen and I get discouraged when He doesn’t. Even though God is always capable of such an agenda, His greatest power, His wiser work, is the quieter work of the Spirit. He can force things to happen. He has sufficient power to impose His will. He just chooses not to.

The truest picture of Jehovah, however, is not a loud, public display of power, but in His quiet, unchallenged mastery of His universe. He calls me to Himself, to trust. When I remember this lesson, I begin to recover.

“Breathe through the heats of our desire Thy coolness and Thy balm; Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; Speak through the earthquake, wind and fire, O still small voice of calm” (John Greenleaf Whittier).

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10).

” ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:1).

April 7–1 Kings 15-17

“As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years except by my word” (17:1).

One of the patterns of God’s relationship to a lost world is remnant. Out from a corrupt and idolatrous world, God calls people to Himself. People who know Him. People who serve Him. People who speak for Him. “The Lord knows those who are His,” says 2 Timothy 2:19.

In 1 Kings 1, we meet Elijah. Grand figure of the Old Testament. Years later he will appear to the Lord with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration. See Matthew 17.

Like other prophets, Elijah is a solitary man. Disconnected from normal pursuits of material life. Alone with God. Spokesperson for the invisible world. Like Moses. Like John the Baptist. “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4).

He wasn’t a perfect man. Elijah knew weakness and fear, depression and discouragement. Even so, he was a loyal and brave servant of a holy God. A man, “of whom the world is not worthy,” says Hebrews 11:38.

As you read Elijah’s life, will you consider the power available to those who will stand before God to hear His counsel? In these days of darkness and evil, the acute need is for God’s people to spend time with Him until we have His word to joyfully publish. “The worst times need the best men” (Alexander Maclaren).

“The Master hath called us, in life’s early morning, with spirits as fresh as the dew on the sod: We turn from the world, with its smiles and its scorning, to cast in our lot with the people of God” (Sarah Doudney).

“Would that all of God’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them” (Numbers 11:29).

“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went to a secluded place, and was praying there” (Mark 1:35).

April 6–1 Kings 12-14

“Jeroboam said in his heart. . .’If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to. . .Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me’ “(12:27).

It was a conversation he had with himself. Do you ever do the same? Inner conversations have great power. Even when they are subconscious. Especially when they are subconscious!

Jeroboam was king of Israel, but his heart was anxious. Worry whispered its dark predictions. As Jeroboam listened, he began to make decisions based on F.E.A.R. (false evidence appearing real).

He knew better. Should have. A fugitive from Solomon most of his life, Jeroboam received a promise from God. “I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes”(11:31). Great assurance! When God gives a promise, we must rest securely in it. This trust is the essential center of true faith.

Fear was his downfall. Slowly, the nagging questions eroded Jeroboam’s certainty. What if the people go back to Jerusalem for worship and turn in allegiance to the King of Judah? What if they kill me? Rather than trust God (with obedience as its first evidence) Jeroboam assuaged his fears (tried to) with a foolish decision. He put up golden calves as alternative places of worship.

Golden calves?!! Are you kidding me? This was Jeroboam’s wisdom?!A reprise of Israel’s worst moment? An outrageous act of apostasy! See Exodus 32.

If I am honest, much of my life has been fear-shaped, too. In a desperate attempt to avoid being hurt, I adopted certain strategies and skills. Even when I was unaware, fear drove me.

Not so, our Savior. In Gethsemane, He faced His fears and conquered them in prayer. No panic. Trust. Majestic calm. If you RUN from your fears, they will bite you. If you turn to FACE them, the Lord will give you victory over them.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will take you on a straight line to a good place of His own plan” (Proverbs 3:4-5, free translation).

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6).

April 5–1 Kings 9-11

“So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. . .but when he was old. . .his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God”(10:23, 11:4).

Prosperity is a test. With success, whether in riches or recognition, pleasure or power, comes temptation. Gradually, a person begins to feel bullet-proof. Exempt from the law/limitations of God. “In adversity we know our friends, in prosperity, our friends know us” (John Churton Collins).

Sadly, Solomon stumbled at this predictable place. Despite the clear warnings of God (given on two separate appearances), wealth muddied Solomon’s perspective. He began to accumulate wives (in keeping with the custom of other kings, the “normal” life of the rich and famous). Predictably, his fervor cooled, and he drifted into impurity. Tragic choice. We may think ourselves immune, but we aren’t. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon writes from an empty soul at the end of his life.

“Love not the world,” warns the Scripture. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all you soul and all your mind.” In adversity AND prosperity humans have ONE job, ONE wisdom. Ironic, isn’t it? The wisest man who ever lived was ultimately fooled by the oldest trick in the book. “The deceitfulness of riches,” our Lord called it. See Mark 4:19.

Friend, does God have your whole heart? Is HE your one ambition and confidence?

“Otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply. . .then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God. . .who is giving you the power to make wealth”(Deuteronomy 8:12-14, 18).

“What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?” (Jesus, Mark 8:36).

April 4–1 Kings 8

“That Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day. . .to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. Listen to the supplication of Your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place” (1 Kings 8:29-30).

Memorable words. Years later, Jesus referenced them. “My house shall be called a house of prayer”(Matthew 21:13).

Solomon viewed the Temple as God’s house. A place of intimate encounter with the Father. A place of soul-uniting conversation around a table. Honest and intimate. Raw and real. Even knowing that NO house is big enough to contain God, our Father allows us to think of certain holy places as His “house”.

Friend, shouldn’t we have a similar vision for our places of worship? Sunday by Sunday, shouldn’t we think of it as visiting His house? Of going home? The expectation of His real presence and attention, a glad gathered family? Shouldn’t we use our time in worship for the purpose of bold intercession, conscious of the privilege and potential for good? Without some care, we begin “going through the motions”. Very little hunger for God. Very little actual prayer.

As Solomon knelt that day to dedicate the new Temple, he did so with prayer and for prayer! The Temple doesn’t make prayer effective. Prayer makes the Temple effective.

I think often of the crowds that gathered around our Savior in the gospel accounts. Desperate people, urgently reaching out for God’s care. Perhaps, that is what church should feel like. A place where God is present with His people. A place He can be found.

There are MANY church buildings in our nation. How many, do you think, are truly houses of prayer?

“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the that day”(Abraham Lincoln).

“God is our place to run when we don’t feel safe, our strength when we feel weak. He is very near when trouble comes”(Psalm 46:1, free translation).

April 3–1 Kings 5-7

“Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon saying, ‘Concerning this house you are building, if you walk in my statutes and execute my ordinances and keep all my commandments. . then. . .I will dwell among the sons of Israel.’ “(1 Kings 6:11).

The temple project wasn’t God’s idea. More of a concession, really. God allowed the idea, but insisted that David refocus attention on God’s better building project. See 2 Samuel 7. The eyes of God’s people (our ambitions, our value) must always be on Spiritual accomplishments, not material.

In today’s reading, the Temple is finished. Spectacular stone structure! Center of Jerusalem. Built in silence (reverence). Considerable cost (money, material, manpower). Like the Tabernacle in design and function, the Temple symbolized the presence of the Lord and the priority of worship for the nation.

John Wayne is famously quoted saying, “I like God until He gets under a roof.” Too strong a statement, probably. Even so, Spiritual people must always remember what Stephen said before he was martyred, “The Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands.” (Acts 7:39). A high view of God insists that He is larger than any place.

The prophets later cried out against the superstition that the Temple would protect Jerusalem. The place was no guarantee of safety, God Himself was (is). The Temple is valuable to God’s people ONLY on the condition obedience. Jesus, Himself, challenged Temple-confidence when it masked the corrupted hearts of the people. See Matthew 21:13.

After years in ministry (and multiple building campaigns) I have come to appreciate the better building campaign of Christ. “On this rock, I will build My church“. He is the builder! His greater work is in the conviction of sin, a calling to faith, a Spiritual renewal that takes the hard hearts of men and gives them new life. In every generation, God is building “a Spiritual temple” in which each of us are “stones.” In the lives of redeemed people God truly dwells!

Friend, will you read again God’s words of warning to Solomon? As you gather for worship this week, will you embrace this higher promise? The presence of God is true healing. He must dwell with us, our Guide and Defense. Holy sons and daughters gathering in the approval and protection of the Great King, this is the true temple.

April 2–1 Kings 2-4

“Because you have asked. . .for yourself discernment to understand justice. . .behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you” (1 Kings 3: 11-12).

Solomon was young. Inexperienced. Alfred Edersheim believes he was not more than twenty years old with HUGE shoes to fill. It was a stressful situation for a young leader!

After David’s death, and after a few “problem people” were dealt with, the young king went to Gibeon to worship. A grand moment. A national celebration. Encouraging! Majestic!

As Solomon slept that night, God appeared in a dream and invited him to, “Ask what you wish me to give you.” See 3:5.

What do you ask of God? What do you want? What is your ambition? What Solomon asked of God set the direction of his life. As true for us as it was for him.

When Solomon asked for wisdom (literally, “a listening heart, the ability to decide between right and wrong”), God commended his humility and his desire to fulfill his God-assigned duty as king.

No person is self-sufficient. Not for the challenges of life. Certainly not for the requirements of eternity. God’s wisdom is what we all need.

No wonder our Lord continually taught (and exampled) a life of prayerful pursuit of the will of God. Our Father is generous in wisdom toward those who ask Him. This being so, the only wise choice is to ask.

Dear friend, will you, like Solomon, pray these words? “Lord, will you give me wisdom for my assignment in your kingdom and your world? Give me ears to hear. Break through the surround-sound of my pride and my fear. I accept your assignment. Will you give me your wisdom?

“Acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding. Prize her, and she will exalt you. . .she will place on your head a garland of grace; she will present you with a crown of beauty”(Proverbs 4:7-8).

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).

April 1–1 Kings 1

“Have my son Solomon ride on my own mule and bring him to Gihon. . .let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him as king over Israel”(1:33-34).

As a leader ages, he/she must embrace the important task of succession planning. “The intentional process of the transfer of leadership power and authority from one directional leader to another,” Dave Travis calls it. It is often the last and highest act of a leader’s love for his people.

A challenging assignment. Complicated. Emotionally and financially demanding. Succession tests a leader’s courage and selflessness.

In David’s failing health, he nearly missed (mishandled) this important task. Even though David knew God had chosen Solomon as heir to the throne, he was reluctant to openly communicate the decision and put it on a calendar. Another example, perhaps, of David’s flaw with family. He didn’t like to cross or disappoint them. See 1:6. Strange flaw, and more common than we usually perceive, it is very possible for a person to be a strong, decisive, effective leader in other areas, but not in his home. Misjudging David’s hesitation as weakness, Adonijah (like Absalom before him) made a grab for power. In the face of a new conspiracy, David was forced to act.

“Every pastor is an interim pastor,” say William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird in their excellent book, Next: Pastoral Succession That Works. During my years of pastoral ministry, I knew that I was one, but only one, in a long line of pastors that would be called and equipped to lead the church I served. Age and health limitations always and eventually create the need for a new leader. God is faithful to guide the process. We must face the challenge with Him.

In Numbers 27:16-17, Moses prayed, “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go out and come in before them. . .so that the congregation of the Lord will not be like sheep which have no shepherd”(Numbers 27:16-17). Amazing moment! The existing leader praying for his predecessor. A leader willing to step down so that the larger work may continue.

Friend, are you helping identify and train the next leader(s) in your organization and church? Are you embracing the new leaders as God sends them? Praying for them? Connecting with them? Encouraging them? Do you have a long-look perspective? A steady stream of leaders is part of God’s plan for the progress of His people.

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).