The Bible in 90 Days
1 Samuel 16:1-2 Kings 4:37 || Read the CEB online at Bible Gateway
Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes and wasn’t completely devoted to the Lord like his father David. (1 Kings 11:6, CEB)
Well, it finally happened. I got to the point where I was feeling really good about blogging, and then I went out for a little family time and guess what? I didn’t write ahead of time…so no blog posts for nearly a week! And it’s really hard to go back and fix what’s already happened, re-create and rework, all the while watching yourself get further and further behind, or further away from where you need to be. If you’re feeling behind, I imagine you can empathize.
It’s actually not a bad case study in what’s been going on in our reading over the past few days. Saul, David, Solomon, and all the rest seem to start out strong, but somehow lose their way, and end up far away from what God wants and where Israel needs to be. Sin is like that — without constant vigilance, it can carry us far away from where we are, and nearly impossible to get back in time. And that cycle continues nearly unbroken throughout the reign of kings. The great solution proposed by Israel–to have a king just like the other nations–turns out to be just a different kind of unfaithfulness to God and Torah.
Though there are consequences — dire ones for Israel, as we will see shortly — even those results of unfaithfulness doesn’t put God’s people out of reach of grace and forgiveness. Things may not go back to normal, or the good old days…but they do continue on in a new way, with a new understanding of God’s salvation.
What figure in the monarchy of Israel do you idenify most with?
How do we break the cycle of sin and unfaithfulness?
Share your thoughts in the comments below,
and I’ll be back writing more in the morning!
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