Fri.’s Devo - God’s Goodness -

Read: 1 Kings 9:1-10:29; Acts 8:14-40; Psalm 130:1-8; Proverbs 17:2-3 God appeared to Solomon again and told him that He had heard Solomon’s prayer over the Temple he had built. God promised that as long as he walked uprightly with Him and obeyed his laws and commandments, he would be with him and his posterity would sit on the throne. But, if he or his children rebelled and began to worships false gods, then God would cut off Israel from the land he had given them and the house that he had built Him would become a heap of ruins. *** In 20 years, Solomon had finished building his two houses, the Temple and the king’s house. Hiram had supplied Solomon with as much cedar and cypress and gold as he desired, so Solomon gave Hiram 20 cities in the land of Galilee. When Hiram came to see the cities that Solomon had given him he said he was disappointed and called them “Cabul” which means “good for nothing.” *** Solomon used his forced labor to build many cities. The pharaoh of Egypt had given Solomon the Canaanite city of Gezer as a wedding gift when Solomon married his daughter. The Pharaoh had captured it and burned it down. Solomon used his forced labor group to rebuild it. He also built many other cities to store his treasures and horses and chariots throughout the land. Solomon had the resources to do whatever he wanted to do. But, Solomon didn’t make slaves of the Israelites. They were his officers and commanders. *** Solomon built the Millo which was a fortification or wall to the north that protected Israel from invasions. Three times a year Solomon offered up sacrifices and offerings to the Lord. *** Solomon had a fleet of ships built so he could bring in gold from Ophir. *** The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon and his great wealth and wisdom and came for a visit. She brought with her spices and gold and precious stones from her country. She sat with Solomon and asked him hard questions and Solomon freely shared with her everything he knew and showed her how his kingdom ran. She was overwhelmed and gave praise to God for all she saw and heard. Solomon gave the queen anything she desired and sent her home with a bounty. *** Solomon received much gold every year. He made 600 gold shields to hang in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. He also had a great throne with 12 lions on the steps leading to the throne and lions as his armrests. They were all covered with gold. *** His fleet of ships brought in gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. King Solomon was the richest and wisest king in all the earth. Everyone came from far and wide to hear his wisdom and bring him presents. The whole land was wealthy and prosperous. He imported chariots and horses from Egypt. Dueteronomy 17:16 says about the king, “Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; forasmuch as Jehovah hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” Solomon did all these things. *** In Acts, the apostles at Jerusalem heard about all Philip was doing in Samaria and how many there were receiving Jesus as their Lord. Peter and John went there to pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit. When Simon, the man who had been a magician, saw them laying their hands of the people to receive the Holy Spirit he offered them money to be able to do this. Peter rebuked him and told him the things of God couldn’t be bought with money. He told him to repent and pray for forgiveness. Simon asked them to pray for him. *** Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching throughout Samaria along the way. *** An angel came to Philip and told him to go south to the road that leads to Jerusalem. As he went, he met an Ethiopian eunuch who was a court official to Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians. He was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was on his way home. He was reading Chapter 53 of the book of Isaiah and the Spirit of God told Philip to go and listen. *** When Philip heard what he was reading, he asked him if he understood what he was reading. He didn’t and asked Philip to join him and teach him. He explained that the sheep that was lead to slaughter was Jesus. He told him the good news of the gospel. The Ethiopian received the word and saw some water and asked Philip to baptize him in it. Philip baptized him and when the came out of the water, Philip was translated to Azotus where he preached the gospel to the towns there. The Ethiopian went his way rejoicing. *** The queen of Sheba and the Ethiopian eunuch were both from the same region of the world. Both came seeking something from Israel and both left filled. The queen of Sheba left with wisdom and riches, but the Ethiopian eunuch left with eternal life. Both went home and shared their wealth with their country. *** Lord, your desire to get the Good News out to the world is great. May we do our part in sharing who Jesus is and what he came to do. Thank you for saving us.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Dedication of the Temple

Read: 1 Kings 8:1-66; Acts 7:51-8:13; Psalm 129:1-8; Proverbs 17:1 Solomon had finished the Temple in the 4th month of that year but waited till the seventh month to dedicate it. This time was their new year and it was a jubilee year. He brought everyone together a few days before the Feast of Tabernacles which, appropriately represented how God reigns on earth with us. *** The priests brought the ark up out of the tent in the city of David along with all the vessels. The men of Israel had come to Jerusalem for the feast, so it was a perfect time for the nation to celebrate the dedication of Temple. Inside the Ark was the tablets that God had written on for Moses. The priests placed the Ark in the Holy Place and when they came out, a cloud filled the house of the Lord. The priest had no strength to stand because of the cloud of glory filled the house. *** Solomon blessed the Lord and the people and told them why the Temple was built. It was in the heart of David to build God a house, but the Lord said that one of David’s sons would build it. Now, the Lord fulfilled that promise and Solomon had built the Lord a house. *** Solomon prayed a prayer exalting the name of the Lord and praying for God’s blessing on his family that they would always sit on the throne of Israel and walk before him. *** He prayed that God would honor this place of worship and in times when people need him to help them, if they would pray towards this place that God would hear their prayer and give them their request. Solomon gave every scenario he could think of that Israel would need the Lord. When he had finished praying, he knelt with his hands stretched toward heaven and blessed the people with peace and prayed that God would be with them always. He prayed that the people would have hearts to walk in God’s ways and keep his commandments, statutes and rules that he commanded their fathers. *** Solomon offered thousands of animals as peace offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings. They celebrated the seven days of the feast, then on the eighth day he sent the people home full of joy and gladness celebrating the goodness of the Lord. *** In Acts, Stephen was at the end of his story. He told the people that they were stubborn and their hearts were evil because they resisted the Holy Spirit. They persecuted and killed the prophets who announced the coming of the Messiah, who they has now killed. They had received the law of Moses, yet didn’t keep it. *** When the leaders heard this, they were full of anger and hatred towards Stephen. But, Stephen looked to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at his right hand. He told them what he was seeing. They mobbed him and took him out of the city where they stoned him. *** The witnesses laid their garments at the feet of Saul, who was a young man at that time. As they were stoning Stephen, he fell on his knees and begged the Lord not to hold this sin against them. Then he fell asleep. *** Persecution became rampant from that day. Believers buried Stephen’s body, while Saul was ravaging the church and dragging men and women to prison for believing in Jesus. *** The apostles were scattered and began preaching about Christ where they went. Philip went to Samaria and brought healing and deliverance to those in the city. *** There was a man named Simon who lived in Samaria and practiced magic. He had many followers. But, when his followers saw what Philip was doing under the power of God, they were baptized under his teaching. Simon also came to believe in Jesus and was baptized. He was amazed at the miracles that Philip performed. *** It had always been God’s plan that the apostles go out and preach the good news everywhere, but they had stayed in Jerusalem. Persecution caused then to scatter and the good news to spread. Sometimes, what looks like a bad thing is really God’s intent all along. *** Lord, may we recognize You in everything. May we see that you can turn everything in our lives for something good if we let you. Thank you for your steadfast love.

Wed.’s Devo - God’s Temple

Read: 1 Kings 7:1-51; Acts 7:30-50; Psalm 128:1-6; Proverbs 16:31-33 It took Solomon seven years to build the temple and 13 to build his own house. Then, he built the House of Forests to look like a forest. It was made of cedar and had windows between the pillars so that you felt like you were outside. He also built the Hall of Pillars and a Hall of the Throne also known as the Hall of Judgment. He made another Hall of Judgment for the Pharaoh’s daughter who he had married. *** All of his buildings had their foundations of costly stones and their walls were made of cedar. *** Solomon sent for Hiram of Tyre whose mother was from the tribe of Naphtali and his father from Tyre. He was not the Hiram who was king of Tyre. This Hiram was skilled in working with bronze. He did all of Solomon’s bronze work. He made the casts for the pillars for the entrance into the Temple. They were huge and very ornate. The one on the south was named Jachin and the one on the north called Boaz. Jachin means ‘he will establish.’ Boaz means ‘in him is strength.’ *** Hiram also designed and made the sea which was the basin to hold the water so the priest could wash before and after they sacrificed. The sea sat on the backs of 12 bronze oxen. Three oxen faced north, three east, three south and three faced west. He made 10 stands with panels that had lions, oxen and cherubim carved on them. They were used to hold smaller basins were on wheels like a chariot. Five of them were set on the south side of the house and five on the north. *** Hiram also made pots and shovels. When his work was finished, he had made so many that they couldn’t keep account of their weight. *** Solomon also had made the vessels to be used in the Temple: the golden altar, the golden table for the bread of the Presence, the lamp stands - five for the south side and five for the north side and all the utensils needed for the Temple. *** When the work was finished, Solomon brought in all the silver, gold and vessels that David had dedicated to the Lord and put them in treasury rooms in the house of the Lord. *** In Acts, Stephen was in the middle of his history lesson. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and told him to return to Egypt and deliver his people out of bondage. Stephen made it clear that the same people who had rejected Moses were the same people he was to save. He was making the point that it was the same with Jesus. They had rejected Jesus, but could still save them. *** Moses led them out of Egypt with signs and wonders and told them that God was going to raise up a prophet like him from among them. Moses, like Jesus, had gone up on a mountain and received God’s laws for the people. Jesus would go up on the mountain often to receive his commands from the Lord. While Moses was up on the mountain speaking with God, the people were down on the ground making a golden calf to take God’s place. They worshiped false gods throughout their walk in the wilderness, in spite of the fact that God had given them a tent of witness to worship him. *** Israel continued in this state till David arose who pleased the Lord and asked to build a dwelling place for God on earth. It was his son, Solomon who built the Temple. But, God doesn’t dwell in a building - the whole earth is his footstool. He is the creator of everything and is all-encompassing. *** Lord, thank you that your love is long-suffering and perfect. Thank you that you love us even when we reject you and your laws. May we faithfully follow you as your witnesses to the world. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who enables us to walk in righteousness and holiness.

Tues.’s Devo - Solomon Builds the Temple

Read: 1 Kings 5:1-6:38; Acts 7:1-29; Psalm127:1-5; Proverbs 16:28-30 Hiram of Tyre had always loved David and when he found out Solomon his son had been anointed Israel’s next king he sent his servants to Solomon to help in anyway he needed them. Solomon sent back word to Hiram that he needed help building a house for the Lord. Since Hiram’s servants were best at cutting down cedar and construction, he would pay them whatever Hiram asked to built the Temple. *** This pleased Hiram greatly that they would be able to continue their good relationship. Israel had grain and oil that Hiram needed, so they would trade for cedar and woodcarvers. Solomon also drafted a crew of 30,000 men out of Israel. They would work a month in Lebanon cutting trees, then be home two months. He also had 70,000 men to haul stone and 80,000 to cut it. Three thousand and three hundred men officiated the work. They began this work 480 years after they had come out of Egypt with Moses. *** God sent word to Solomon saying that if he would walk in his ways and laws, then He would dwell among them and they would not be forsaken. *** The Temple was majestic and the inside was made to look like the Garden of Eden which was the earth’s reflection of heaven. The walls were covered in cedar with carved gourds, open flowers, palm trees and cherubim. Everything in the Temple was overlaid with gold to shine forth the glory of God. Two huge cherubim were made to sit in the inner sanctuary. They were made of olive wood and overlaid with gold. Even the floors were overlaid with gold. *** The Temple was completed in seven years and four months. *** In Acts, Stephen had been accused by false witnesses of preaching against the Temple and the law of Moses. They also accused Stephen of saying that Jesus would destroy this place and change the customs that Moses gave them. The high priest wanted to know if what they were saying about Stephen was true. Stephen then gave his long discourse of the history of their nation. *** Stephen began with how God appeared to Abraham and led him to the land of Israel, and gave him a son named Isaac, who had Jacob. Jacob had 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel. *** Jacob and his family were brought to Egypt by Joseph so that they would be preserved during the famine. Jacob died, but his bones were taken back to Shechem where they were buried in the only land they owned in the promised land. *** In Egypt, Jacob’s family grew until a king came to power who didn’t know all Joseph had done for his kingdom. He began to greatly oppress the children of Israel. *** Moses was born in a time when the pharaoh of Egypt was killing all the baby boys because the Hebrews were multiplying too fast. Moses was a special baby. He was preserved and adopted by the Pharoah’s daughter. *** When Moses was 40, he went out to see how his brothers were doing. He ended up defending an Israelite who was being abused by an Egyptian. He thought he was secretly killing the Egyptian and no one would know, but the next day he learned the word was out.He fled to the land of Midian where he married and had two sons. *** To be continued… *** Lord, It is so important to remember where we came from and thank you for all you have done for us. May we study our past so we can make the right choices for the future. As a nation, may we look back and learn so we can prosper in the days to come. Thank you for saving us out of our sin and giving us a future filled with hope.

Mon.’s Devo - Solomon’s Request -

Read: 1 Kings 3:4-4:34; Acts 6:1-15; Psalm 126:1-6; Proverbs 16:26-27 Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice to the Lord on the high place there. The Lord appeared to him that night and wanted Solomon to ask him for what he wanted. Solomon praised God for blessing his father David and thanked him for sitting him on the throne, then he made his request. He was young and didn’t know how to rule a nation as large as Israel. He asked for understanding to govern them and discernment to know the difference between what was good and what was evil. *** Solomon’s request pleased the Lord and he told him he would grant his request and give him discernment and wisdom like no one else had had before. He would also give him what he didn’t ask for. He would give him riches and honor above all who had gone before him. If he continued to walk with Him, he would lengthen his days to live a long life. *** God gave Solomon a chance to showcase his wisdom when two women came. They lived together and both had a baby three days apart. One of the woman’s baby had died during the night and was accused of switching the babies so that she would have the live baby. The mother of the surviving baby woke to find her baby dead, then realized it was not her baby. They both claimed the live baby was their own. *** Solomon asked for a sword to cut the baby in half and give it to both the women. The real mother plead for the life of her son, while the other woman was willing to sacrifice him. Solomon then knew who the baby belonged to and gave it to the real mother. All Israel heard about this and knew the Solomon was a very wise king. *** Solomon was king over all Israel and Judah as one. He had trusted men who helped him run his kingdom. He put 12 officers from each tribe to be over Israel. Each officer was in charge of providing food for the king and his household one month out of the year. The country was wealthy and lived in peace with their enemies who brought them tribute each year. *** God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure and knowledge in every area of life. He was famous and known for his parables and songs he had written. He understood nature and people came from all over to sit and hear his wisdom. *** In Acts, the church was growing in number and some of the Hellenists who had become believers complained that they were not being treated fairly in the distribution to widows. The 12 apostles met with the other disciples and told them to pick seven from among them who were full of the Spirit of wisdom and appoint them to serve the people. One who was chosen was Stephen. The other six were named also. The apostles laid their hands on them and prayed for them. *** As the church grew, a great number of the priests became believers. *** There were also those of the synagogue of the Freedmen who were jealous of Stephen because he was doing great wonders and signs among the people. They could’t stand up to his wisdom and the Holy Spirit in him so they sent false witnesses to accuse him of blasphemy. They brought him before the council and had false witnesses who said that Stephen spoke against the temple. He said that Jesus would destroy the temple and change the customs that Moses gave them. As they spoke against Stephen, his face lit up like the face of an angel. *** In both of our reading we see how God gave his wisdom to Solomon and Stephen. They both gave honor to the Lord. Solomon’s wisdom would give him a long life and Stephen would die because of his. Both would have accomplished their mission on earth for God’s glory. *** Lord, thank you for reminding us that your plan is what matters and our hope is to walk in what you have designed for us. We are eternal so our days on earth are in your hands, we will live forever with you.

Sun.’s Devo - The New Has Come!

Read: 1 Kings 2:1-3:3; Acts 5:1-42; Psalm 125:1-5; Proverbs 16:25 It was David’s time to die and he called in Solomon to give him his last words. He commanded him to be strong and to walk in God’s ways, following his commandments so that he would prosper. Then, there would always be one of David’s sons to sit on the throne of Israel. *** David gave Solomon commands about three people he needed Solomon to attend to after he died. Joab was the first. He had murdered Abner and Amasa in revenge. He was not to let him die in peace. *** Solomon was to honor the sons of Barzillai and let them always eat at his table for all the loyalty they showed to David. *** Then there was Shimei, the one who had cursed him when he was running from Absalom. David had promised not to kill him, but Solomon was to find a way to punish him by death. *** David died who had reigned seven years in Hebron and 33 in Jerusalem. *** Adonijah, the son of David who had tried to pronounce himself the king, tried to weasel his way back into the kingship. He would start with marrying David’s concubine, Abishag. He used Bathsheba to do it. He went to her and tried to convince her to ask Solomon if he could marry Abishag. *** When she brought Adonijah’s request to Solomon, he saw right through the facade and had Benaiah kill Adonijah. *** Solomon told Abiathar the priest who had sided with Adonijah to go home to Anathath. His honor was taken away as the priest just like the Lord had said would happen to Eli’s sons. *** When Joab heard that Solomon had killed Adonijah, he knew he was next. He ran and took hold of the horns of the altar. Solomon sent Benaiah to kill him. When Joab refused to leave the altar, Solomon had him killed right there. He was buried in the wilderness. Benaiah was put in charge of the army in place of Joab. *** Next, was Shimei. Solomon told him to build a house in Jerusalem and he was to promise never to leave Jerusalem or he would die. Shimei promised, but three years later two of his servants fled to Gath. He went to bring them back. He was brought before Solomon and rebuked and killed for breaking his promise. *** Now, Solomon’s kingdom was established. He made a marriage alliance with the Pharaoh of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her into the city of David while he built his own house and the Temple. *** Solomon loved the Lord and walked with him, but sacrificed at the high places. *** In Acts, we had just learned that Barnabas had sold a piece of land and given all the proceeds to the apostles. Ananias also sold a piece of property. He and his wife conspired to keep some of the proceeds from the land, but tell the apostles they were giving all the proceeds to them. Ananias came alone and gave the money to Peter. Peter discerned that he was lying and confronted him. He told them that it didn’t matter that they withheld the money because it was their money, but it did matter greatly that he lied about it. He had lied to the Holy Spirit. When Peter said these things to Ananias, he dropped dead. They took him out and buried him. *** Three hours later, Sapphira his wife came, not knowing what had happened to her husband. They asked her about the land and she gave the same lie. She dropped dead also and was buried beside her husband. Great fear of the Lord fell on the church. *** The apostles were doing many signs and wonders adding many new converts. The people would bring their sick and lay them on mats in the streets so that Peter’s shadow might fall on them. People brought their sick and demon-possessed to the apostles and they were healed. *** All of this attention made the high priest very jealous. He and his followers were Sadducees who didn’t believe in the resurrection. They arrested the apostles and put them in a public prison, but during the night, an angel of the Lord opened their prison door and told them to go and stand in the temple and speak to the people about eternal life through Jesus. *** So the next day, when the high priest sent for them to be brought to them from the prison, they couldn’t find them and their was no evidence of a jail break. Someone reported that Peter and John were standing in the temple teaching the people. They had them peacefully arrested again and brought in for questioning. *** The council questioned them and asked them why they were doing what they had charged them not to do. Peter told them they had to obey God rather than them. God had raised Jesus, who they had crucified, and made him the Savior. Through him all sin can be forgiven. They were his witnesses to this great news. *** When the council heard their answer, they were so angry and wanted to kill Peter and John. But, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was honored by the council had Peter and John taken out of the room. Then he warned the council about how they handled these men. He reminded them of Theudas who rose up and claimed to be someone great and got many followers. When he was killed, his followers dispersed and it all came to nothing. Then there was another named Judas the Galilean who rose up and drew people after him. He also died and nothing came of his followers. So, he counseled them to leave Peter and John alone because if what they are doing is in their own power, it will die with them. But, if this is the Lord, they will not be able to fight it and win. They took his advise and had the apostles beat and told them to stop preaching about Jesus. *** Peter and John left rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for Jesus. They continued to preach in the temple and in homes that Jesus was the Christ. *** Lord, this reminds me of what is going on right now. Nothing can stop what You are doing. The devil has no power over you or your children. We are witnessing the fall of Satan’s kingdom on earth. Hallelujah! May your kingdom come to earth.

Sat.’s Devo - The Next King

Read: 1 Kings 1:1-53; Acts 4:1-37; Psalm 124:1-8; Proverbs 16:24 David was getting old and could not get warm. His servants proposed they find a young woman to take care of him and lie with him to keep him warm. They found Abishag who was young and beautiful. She attended after David and kept him warm till he died. *** Adonijah, David’s fourth son born in Hebron. He exalted himself and planned to be the next king. He made himself look like a king by having chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run in front of him wherever he went. *** Adonijah conspired with Joab and Abiathar the priest to help him become the next king. Zadok the priest, and Benaiah, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men were not with Adonijah. *** Adonijah invited all his brothers and the king’s sons to come to the Serpent’s Stone were he made a great sacrifice of sheep and oxen. He didn’t invite the important people on David’s side. *** Nathan told Bathsheba to go tell King David that Adonijah had declared himself king without his knowledge. She was to remind David that he had promised that Solomon would be the next king after him. Nathan would come in after her and confirm what she had said. *** When David heard from both of them, he immediately called for Zadok, Nathan and Benaiah. He told them to take Solomon on his own mule and all the servants to Gihon. The priests were to anoint him with oil and blow the trumpet and say, “Long live King Solomon!” Then they were to bring him back and place him on his throne. *** Zadok and the others did just what David said to do and when the people rejoiced, the earth split by their noise. Adonijah and his crew had just finished eating when they heard the sound of the trumpet. When they found out what had happened and the response of the people in the city, all the people with Adonijah left fearing for their lives. Adonijah, especially feared for his life and went and took hold of the horns on the altar for mercy. King Solomon sent people to get him. He wouldn’t let go till he was promised he would not be killed. He was told as long as he proved himself honorable he would live, but if he didn’t, he would die. Adonijah came and paid homage to King Solomon and Solomon sent him home. *** In Acts, Peter and John had just finished speaking to the people about Jesus when the Saddusees came in. They were most upset that they were speaking of the resurrection of Christ since they didn’t believe in any kind of resurrection. They arrested them and put them in prison for the night. But, about 5,000 had come to believe what Peter and John had preached to them. *** The Sanhedrin met the next day and brought in Peter and John and asked them who had given them the authority to heal the cripple and say what they said. Peter, now filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, answered. He told them they did all this by the name of Christ Jesus, who they crucified. He was the stone that they rejected and now has become the cornerstone. Only in his name, may people be saved. *** The men in the Sanhedrin were amazed at their boldness and knowledge, since they were common and uneducated. The man who had been healed was standing beside them as a witness so they had no rebuttal. *** The men reasoned among themselves that they were between a rock and a hard place. All Jerusalem had witnessed the miracle. They couldn’t deny what had happened so they called Peter and John in and banned them from speaking in Jesus’ name. *** Peter and John answered and said that it they couldn’t deny what had happened nor stop speaking about it. God was their judge. The Sanhedrin were losing their power. They had no other recourse than to threaten them and let them go free. *** Peter and John returned to their friends and fellow believers and reported all that had been said. They prayed that God would see their threats and give them boldness to continue to speak the truth. They prayed that Jesus would continue to heal and do signs and wonders. As they prayed, the place they were in shook and all were filled with the Holy Spirit and boldness. *** The believers became a family who took care of one another’s needs. They continued to witness the power of Jesus’ name and his resurrection. One of the believer’s name was Barnabas who was a Levite. His given name was Joseph. He sold a field he owned and brought all its proceeds and gave it to the apostles. *** We are coming into that kind of fellowship where we will consider all we have to be the Lord’s. We will freely give to help others in their needs. We will be bold and see the power of God heal and do signs and wonders in our midst. It will be glorious! *** Lord, may we hunger and this for the Holy spirit to be alive and active in our lives. May we be good stewards of all you give us.