Thurs.’s Devo - The Shifting of Kingdoms

Read: 1 Kings 11:1-12:19; Acts 9:1-25; Psalm 131:1-3; Proverbs 17:4-5 King Solomon strayed away from the Lord because he married foreign women who worshiped foreign gods. They enticed him to do so also. He made temples for their gods like Molech, Chemesh, and Astoreth. These required him to offer human sacrifices and do all sorts of sexual impure acts. *** God, who had appeared to Solomon two times to warn him not to worship other gods, became very angry at Solomon. He sent word to Solomon that because he had turned away from him and broken their covenant, he would take the kingdom from him. But for David’s sake, he would not do it while he was alive. It would happen during the life of his son. His son’s name was Reoboam. *** God raised up three men to be Solomon’s adversaries: Haddad of Edom, Rezon of Eliada and Nebat, one of Solomon’s own officials. *** Joab had killed most of the Edomites, but Haddad had escaped to Egypt where the Pharaoh took him in and gave him his daughter in marriage. Hadad asked to return to his own country and the Pharaoh finally agreed to let him go. *** Rezon had fled from Hadadezer when David conquered it. He had become a leader of a band of rebels who ended up in Damascus where he became king. He made trouble for Solomon and hated Israel greatly. *** Jeroboam had come from very humble beginnings and worked in David’s labor force. When David saw how talented he was, he promoted him to be head of his labor force over the men from the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. *** One day, when Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah met him and tore his robe into 12 pieces. He gave 10 of them to Jeroboam and told him that God was rending the kingdom from Solomon because he refused to worship him alone. He would keep Solomon the ruler the rest of his life, but then he would give the 10 tribes to him. God promised to be with Jeroboam all the days of his life if he worshipped him alone. *** Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam but he fled to Egypt and King Shishak protected him. until Solomon’s death. Then he returned to Israel. *** Solomon died after ruling Israel for 40 years. He was buried in the City of David and his son, Rehoboam was to be the next king. Rehoboam went to Shechem to be crowned king. The people of Israel came to hear what kind of king he would be. They petitioned him to be kind to them and lessen the load of labor and taxes that Solomon had put on them. He told then to come back in three days and he would give then his answer. *** He went to Solomon’s advisors and asked them what he should do. They told him to listen to the people and lighten their load and they would love him and follow him forever. Then he went to his friends and asked them what he should do. They told him not to give in to the people but to tell then that he would be even stronger and harder than his father. *** Solomon met with the people and took the advise of his friends. When he told then he would be harsher than his father they cursed the dynasty of David and when back home. Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah and sent Adoniram who was in charge of forced laborite restore order but the people of Israel stoned him to death. When Rehoboam found out what they had done to him, he fled for his own life and went back to Jerusalem. *** In Acts, Saul was spreading persecution as fast as the gospel was spreading. He followed the apostles with his heavy hand and would bring the Christians back to Jerusalem in chains. He was on his way to Damascus, when a bright light blinded him and he fell to the ground. He hear a voice asking him why he was persecuting him. When Saul asked the voice who he was, it said, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” *** The men with Saul heard the voice but saw no one. Saul was blind so they had to lead him by the hand to Damascus. He stayed there for three days and didn’t eat or drink. *** Meanwhile, there was a believer in Damascus by the name of Ananias. God spoke to him and told him to go to Straight Street to the house of Judas and ask for a man named Saul from Tarsus. He was praying right them and God would tell him he was coming. *** Ananias had heard of Saul and resisted going to meet him but God told him that he had chosen Saul to take his message to the Gentiles and to kings as well as to the people of Israel. He would suffer much for God’s kingdom. *** Ananias obeyed and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and healed his eyes. He baptized him and then Saul broke his fast. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus a few days then began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues proclaiming that Jesus was the Messiah. The people who heard him were amazed he had so changed his mind. His preaching became so strong, some of the Jews of the city plotted to kill him when he left town but Saul was warned. They put him in a basket and lowered it through an opening in the wall and he escaped. *** Lord, may your kingdom come in power!