King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Sunday, May 29, 2022
Chapters: 1 CHRONICLES 29, I KINGS 2, PSALMS 37, 71, 94
Study: There Is A Prayer For That
Hello My Friend,
My mind has been jumping all over the place since I read the chapters for today as God has put so many things into perspective for me. When I woke up this morning and found myself attempting to reason with God on some things that I cannot seem to shake, and have finally drawn the conclusion, or rather, God did it for me. While God will flat out tell you that there are many of His people getting by on the thread of their salvation, that is not His will for them and they will suffer or go home early if they continue to live that way. On the other hand, His faithful, well, they may have a stubborn will sometimes, and there is a prayer for that.
[Psalms 94:10,12,17-19,21-23 He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know? 12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law; 17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. 18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up. 19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul. 21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. 22 But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. 23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.]
[And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity,] There are three kinds of Christians, the first; is the mature, adult in Christ, who has become knowledgeable in the Word of God, and teaches it merely following it as they learn it. The second; is the babe in Christ, these are the newly saved Christians or those who have been saved for a while, but are not very knowledgeable in the Word of God, but eager to learn. The third; is the haphazard in Christ, the one who gets saved and has no desire to know God’s Word other than their salvation. Well, there is actually a forth kind of Christian, one that is even more dangerous than the haphazard Christian, and that is the false Christian, the one who really is not a Christian at all, but appears to be, at least, for a little while. Now, while we who are true, tend to see the good in everyone, and even go as far as thinking that we may be the one to turn them around, the harsh reality is, and it is harsh, most will not. This can bring us to much heartache, discontent, and confusion, and there is a prayer for that.
[Psalms 71:1,3,6,9,15-18 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. 3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. 6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee. 9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. 15 My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof. 16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. 17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. 18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.]
[Cast me not off in the time of old age;] It is the world, and quite frankly, the devil, who attempts to convince us that we have no place in this world and are cast off because of our age. Well, that is not the memo that God sends out to His faithful. Let me tell you, as we age we may not have the mobility to do things that we use to do, but that does not mean that God is done with us, He still has work for us to do as long as we are still on this earth. And as we come to the end of the reading of 1 Chronicles, after they had tried to overthrow God’s will, David, musters enough strength to gather the entire congregation together to remind them that it was God who had chosen Solomon to be the next king.
[1 Chronicles 29:1-2,5-6 Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the LORD God. 2 Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. 5 The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD? 6 Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly,]
[And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the LORD?] It does not matter if we own a business, rule a country, sweep floors, or minister in His Church, we cannot do this all by ourselves, we need the help of mature adult Christians both with the knowledge and example that God’s Word gives us. When we give ourselves as a living sacrifice that does not mean that we will never fall, it does mean that when we do we will not be utterly cast down, and yes, there is a prayer for that. Now, after David saw how many people were so eager to offer their assistance to help Solomon, he stood there and prayed for the entire congregation.
[1 Chronicles 29:10-11,14-15 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. 11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. 14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. 15 For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.]
[that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort?] What David is asking God is since everything belongs to Him, why is it that it is our choice to offer Him anything willingly? So, why exactly does God give us a choice when He could certainly enforce the very Law that is written on everyone? And trust me, God will not be mocked nor does He give is all what we really deserve for going against His Word. God is not a dictator, He really does want us to come to Him willingly. Now, are the consequences all the same whether we choose Him or not? Yes, they are. Ignorance saves no one. Freewill saves no one either, if we are going to choose Him, then we do it His way, if we are going to deny Him, then the consequences are also His way, [2 Timothy 2:11-14 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. 14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.]
Now, how is it that we can know God’s will and what He wants us to offer Him? Well, there is a prayer for that. David, knew that Solomon had some tough shoes to fill, not to mention, a temple to build for God Himself, and as David continues his prayer, he asks God to prepare all of their hearts, but also give Solomon a perfect heart.
[1 Chronicles 29:17-19 I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee. 18 O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee: 19 And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.]
[And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart,] If our heart is not perfect with God, then we are not going to understand His will or His Word for that matter. And keep in mind that we may have a perfect heart in that we know we are saved by grace through our faith in Christ, it may not always be perfect to keep God’s commands. David was well aware of that fact, and we are all guilty of having an imperfect heart at times so it is important that we ask God to give us a perfect heart every day. Let me tell you, I have had my bouts with having an imperfect heart and it did not end well at all. Then I would see people, both saved and pretended to be saved, who never seemed to desire or care to walk with God and wonder why they are not suffering like I did. And well, there is a prayer for that as well, and it works.
[Psalms 37:1-7 A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.]
[Fret not thyself because of evildoers,] The word fret means; to corrode; gnaw; impair; to wear away. And I tell you what, that is how our heart gets imperfect, and I will admit that when I grew up in the Catholic religion and was taught that it did not matter how good I was that I would end up in hell, it wore away my faith. Thank God, that He changed my heart and showed me the truth, and as for these false religions, that get more corrupt by the year, they will answer to God.
[Psalms 37:12-13,17-19,23-24,28 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. 13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous. 18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. 19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. 28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.]
[Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:] This is what I have been talking about, the just will fall, and quite a few times in their Christian lifetime because their heart is not always perfect. With that said, and because of the covenant that God made that none who trust in His Son will perish, we will not be utterly cast down. The word utterly literally means; to the full extent; fully; perfectly; totally. God, will chasten His people, no matter what type of Christian they are, and unlike the false Christian, they will be utterly cast out, [John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.]
It does not matter how strong our faith in God, all it takes is one thing to get into our heart and we could lose our faith. David, became very ill and knew that his end was near, he accounted that his success as king had nothing to do with who he was, rather who God is. He decided that it was time to speak with Solomon one last time, gave him some words to live by.
[1 Kings 2:1-4 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; 3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: 4 That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.]
[And keep the charge of the LORD thy God,] It is very important that we teach the next generation that there are consequences to disobedience. Worldly kids have no respect for adults or anyone of authority and it all comes from how they were taught. Much of that I believe was the result of teaching them that it did not matter if they won or lost the game, they still get a reward, and of course, the number one reason was that God is not in the picture. Well, besides telling Solomon to keep his walk with God right, he also asked him to deal with the people who attempted to overthrow the kingdom, including Joab.
[1 Kings 2:5-9 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet. 6 Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace. 7 But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother. 8 And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword. 9 Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.]
[for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him;] David, is telling Solomon to use his best judgment in all of these instances according to the Law of Moses, which is God’s Word, and if they are guilty, then let them not die a peaceful death. Never let anyone tell you that they read the Bible one time and know everything that God has to say to them. God does not work that way, knowing God’s will and His commands takes a Christian lifetime of reading and studying His Word so that He guides us in the way that we are to go as we become more knowledgeable in His Word. I say a Christian lifetime because until we are saved, God does not recognize our efforts to abide by His Word. If we are not willing to recognize from His Word that is says that Christ is the first step, then we will die a death that is not peaceful.
[Luke 13:25-28 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.]
It is a known fact that when the leader of the country fears God that the majority of the country will follow and it will be a blessed nation. God blessed Israel because Solomon first established the Kingdom fearing God. After forty years of what looked like Joab getting away with everything, David wanted vengeance and that is what he got too. Solomon wasted no time in avenging not only his father, but himself as Adonijah shows up trying to get Bathsheba to talk Solomon into giving the young woman that the people brought to David when he became ill.
[1 Kings 2:12-17 Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly. 13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. 14 He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on. 15 And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother’s: for it was his from the LORD. 16 And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on. 17 And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.]
[Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine,] Basically, what Adonijah was saying was that the kingdom was rightfully his, btu that was until God took it from him. And guess what? That was a big mistake. I did not know this for the longest time in the reading of God’s Word, but just learned this a couple of years ago, that the concubines of the king who died would go on to the next king as they were not subject to the Law regarding a legal marriage in which it stated, [Leviticus 18:8 The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness.] When Bathsheba went to Solomon, it did not go well for Adonijah.
[1 Kings 2:20-24 Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay. 21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. 22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. 23 Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life. 24 Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.]
[as the LORD liveth, which hath established me,] Solomon swore that he would spare Adonijah’s life as long as he did good. However, this was not good, it was actually an act of treason, first, in using his own mother to influence him. And second, it would have given Adonijah more ammunition to conspire against him again. And Solomon was not done, Joab’s past caught up to him, and so did Shimei’s.
[1 Kings 2:28-29,36,39-40,46 Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 29 And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him. 36 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither. 39 And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath. 40 And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath. 46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.]
[And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.] This goes back to what I was saying earlier, we may mess up, and there are some of us who get caught up in sin, but our faith in Christ alone is God’s promise to us that He will never leave nor forsake us. Yes, we will get chastened, and many saints will die in their sin, yet by His mercy, they are saved. Since God created the earth there has always been someone trying to overthrow His Word, but if you know God, then you know that no one can stop His will. He will establish His kingdom, and He will get vengeance on all who were a part of the problem. And yes, there is a prayer for that too, [Hebrews 10:29-31 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for giving me life and the life You have given me, I may not have been born in wealth, but I am certainly wealthy as You never fail to give me even more than I ever expected to desire with my heart. And thank You for giving me eternal life, and for the great sacrifice You made so that my sin debt was bought and paid for by Your Son’s perfect sacrifice. You are the one who orders our steps, may we be used to be a testimony of the life You have given us through Your Son. You are my life, I am nothing apart from You, I do not want riches or fame, all I want is to know Your will for my life and to keep my heart perfect. Lord, Lead me and guide me, give me Your power to walk with You everywhere I go, the wisdom to make the right decisions and judgment, Your strength to take those steps, and keep my heart tender and perfect. I love You and ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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