It is that time again, A Minute with Henster. Another week has flown by and the pollen season has started, the sky will be yellow now.

This week and next week we will be looking at 1 Kings and 2 Kings. Originally, these two books were one but they are split into two different books. 1:1 When King David was old and well advanced in years, he could not keep warm even when they put covers on him. We start out seeing that David was old. Now, he could not keep warm with a lot of covers, so his servants go and find a young beautiful girl to take care of him and her name was Abishag. Now, remember David had a lot of children. Well, Adonijah (his 4th son) said he would be king. His first three sons had died or killed, Ammon, Daniel (not actually sure what happened to him), and Absalom. Adonijah began setting the wheels in motion by conferring with Joab and the priest by getting their support. There were a few who did not join such as the priest and Nathan the prophet. Nathan was a wise prophet and cunning. He went to Bathsheba and warned her what Adonijah was doing without David’s knowledge. Nathan had her go to the king and say certain things to make Solomon king. She reminded David that he promised Solomon would be king. David made Solomon king of course. Adonijah hears that David has made Solomon king. 1:49-50 At this, all Adonijah’s guests rose in alarm and dispersed. But Adonijah in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar. The horns are the corners. 1:52 Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be a worthy man, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.” He came down and went home. David is about to die and gives Solomon wise advice/charge. 2:2-3 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, David then tells Solomon about Joab and all he had done, all who he had murdered. 2:6 Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace. Solomon was to show kindness to the sons of Barzillai, and to deal with Shimei, the Benjamite who cursed David. For Shimei, Solomon was to kill him. 2:10 Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. Now, Adonijah shows back up and goes to Bathsheba asking that Solomon give Abishag to him as his wife. She was the girl who took care of David and part of David’s harem. Sounds like a simple request but there is more to it if Adonijah gets her. The law was if a person possessed the king’s harem, it was like claiming the throne. Remember Absalom done this when he rebelled against David. Solomon was no dummy and knew the laws. Solomon had Adonijah killed. He also removed Abiathar the priest (one who helped Adonijah) from his priesthood. 2:27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord, fulfilling the word the Lord had spoken at about the house of . The prophecy was fulfilled of which we read back in 1 2: 27-36. Next, Joab fled and took hold of the horns of the altar. Probably thinking, since Solomon spared Adonijah but not this time. Solomon had him struck down. Now, he told Shimei to not leave Jerusalem and if he did he would be killed. Three years later Shimei left searching for his slaves. Solomon had him killed. Solomon was cleaning up things, tying up loose ends to keep his kingdom peaceful. 2:46 …The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon’s hands. 3:1 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. Even though peace was made with Egypt but now Solomon has married a wife from another nation meaning, she worshiped other gods. We go on and God asks Solomon to ask for anything and God will give it to him. You know what he asks for, wisdom. 3:9-10 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. Since, Solomon did not ask for wealth, a long life, or defeating his enemies, God tells him he will get those things also. Then Solomon gets to put his wisdom to use when the two women bring the baby before him. One says it is his son and that the other woman had stolen it from her. Solomon was going to cut the baby into. But the real mother said no while the other woman was going to let him and Solomon figured out the real mother and gave the baby back to her. 3:28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the kin in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice. Ch. 4 we learn of Solomon’s officials and governors. Also learn more about Solomon’s wisdom. 4:29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and breadth of understanding as a measureless as the sand on the seashore. People from all the nations came to him to hear his wisdom. 4:32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He also taught about plants, animals, birds, reptiles and fish. Ch. 5 & 6, we see Solomon building the Temple. Read about all that went into building it – labor, gold, silver, etc. 6:11-14 The word of the Lord came to Solomon: “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, carry out my regulations and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. And I will live among the and will not abandon my people Israel.” So Solomon built the temple and completed it. It took 7 years to build the Temple. After finishing the Temple, Solomon starts to build his palace. 7:1 It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace. Did you happen to catch that? It took 13 years, 6 more than the Temple. Now, it was not just one building but buildings a whole town you might say. Keep reading on how the palace was built. I bet it was spectacular and they built the Temple without modern tools. They did have skilled labor. Once the Temple was finished, all the gold, silver, and furnishings that David had dedicated were brought into temple and placed in the treasuries. Ch. 8 Solomon places the Ark in the Temple. 8:6 The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. A cloud filled the Holy Place. 8:12 Then Solomon said, “the Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.” Then Solomon blesses the people and gives a Prayer of Dedication. Ch. 9 the Lord appears to Solomon a 2nd time. The Lord warns Solomon if he or his sons turn from him and worship other idols, he will reject the Temple and cut Israel off from the land. Ch. 10, the Queen of Sheba visits Solomon. 10:1 When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. As we keep reading Ch. 10, we read about all the splendor of Solomon – his wealth. Here is something interesting. Everything was made of pure gold in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. 10:21 …Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. No silver only gold was used, wouldn’t that be something to see. 10:23-25 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift – articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules. The whole world sought out Solomon – the Jews who were slaves in Egypt are now the nation the world looks at with awe. Remember earlier we read Solomon married an Egyptian, now we find out he married more women. 11:1-2 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter – Moabittes, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittittes. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. The wisest man on earth is now making mistakes. The end of Ch. 10 we read that Solomon is beginning to accumulate chariots and horses, a large harem, and wealth. With all of this, he began taxing the people more to keep up his lifestyle, meaning the people will begin to grumble. Most importantly, he forgot the one who gave him everything, God and began to worship other gods/idols. Look back at Deut. 17: 14-20 and 1 Samuel 8:11-18, maybe Solomon should had read more often. The downfall of the kingdom politically and spiritually. Going back to the wives of other nations and what will happen or possibly happen, look at Deut. 7:3-4. Starting to see how all the books intertwine together? Now Solomon was the wisest man on earth, I am not quite sure about common sense. 11:3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. He had 1,000 women in his harem, yes 1,000. But more importantly for him, they led him astray as he got older. He allowed them to worship their gods and even built them places of worship and he began to worship them. 11:6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done. This means Solomon must answer for his actions. 11:9 The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. God promised that he would not take the kingdom during his lifetime but he would take it from Solomon’s son. But would leave him one tribe for the sake of David. Later on in Ch. 11, we see trouble coming. 11:14 Then the Lord raised up against Solomon and adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. Oh how the past comes back to bite people. Back in the day, David was fighting Edom and Joab was supposed to have killed all the men there. Hadad had escaped to Egypt. Then we see another adversary rise up Rezon. Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled and he was one of Solomon’s officials. Solomon passes away after ruling 40 years and his son Rehoboam became king. Ch. 12, we see the revolt of the northern tribes. Jeroboam confronts Rehoboam. 12:4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” Jeroboam is asking for relief. Rehoboam consults the elders and they give him wise advice. 12:7 They replied, “If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.” He didn’t like this wise advice but decides to ask his buddies. They tell him kind of what he wanted to hear, to make the peoples yoke heavier. He takes his buddies advice and tells the people. The people of Israel made Jeroboam king. But Jeroboam took some bad advice and made two golden calves for the people to worship and also built shrines and appointed priests from all sorts of people and they were not . Remember the last time we saw a golden calf, made in Exodus. That did not have a good ending if you recall. Ch. 13 we see a man of God come to Jeroboam while he is getting ready to make a sacrifice. He tells him that a man name of Josiah will be born and he will sacrifice the priests who are making the sacrifices and human bones will be burned on the altars. Jerobaom told them to seize the man of God but his hand shriveled up and the altar split apart and its ashes poured out which was the sign. 13:3 That same day the man of God gave a sign: “This is the sign the Lord declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.” It happened like all the prophecies we have read. Jeroboam asked him to intercede with God and restore his hand. His hand was restored. Keep reading and you will see how the man of God was tricked and what happened to him for not obeying God’s instructions. For Jeroboam, he didn’t learn and take advantage of his second chance. 13:33 Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people…. 34 This was the sin of the that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth. Ch. 14 we see Ahijah’s prophecy against Jeroboam. Jeroboam’s son, Abijah become ill and Jeroboam sent his wife in disguise to Ahijah. Ahijah was blind but God told him who was coming. He tells her that they have done more evil than anyone who had lived before, making idols and other gods. Disaster will fall on the house of Jeroboam and his son will die. Jeroboam dies and his son Nadab becomes king. Back to Rehoboam king of , and we find they did evil in the eyes of the Lord. You know making idols and worshiping other gods. He dies and his son Abijah becomes king. As we start Ch. 15, we find out he was like his father by committing the same sins and was not fully devoted to the Lord. He dies and his son Asa become king. 15:11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done. He got rid the male shrine prostitutes and the idols and even kicked his grandmother, Maacah, out of the position of queen mother because she made an Asherah pole. He did not remove the high places but his heart was fully committed to God. Now Ch. 15-16 we see the different kings of Israel and Judah. As we read, it seems all did evil in the eyes of the Lord with idol and other god worshiping. Then we get to Ch. 17, a prophet we know appears Elijah. We learn that the ravens fed Elijah and he drank from the brook after he confronted King Ahab and told him that there will be no rain for a few years. (16:30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. He was a bad person.)The brook dries up and the Lord tells him to go to Zarephath of Sidon and a widow will supply him with food. She tells him she barely has enough for her and her son and she was going to make some to eat and die. She was to make a cake of bread for him and her jar of flour and jug of oil will never run dry until the rain comes. She never ran out of food. Later, her son became ill and dies and then she confronts Elijah. 17:18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son? Elijah took her son and cried out to the Lord and boy life came back in him. 17:24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.” Ch. 18, the Lord tells Elijah to go back and present himself to Ahab. We now have the battle of Elijah and God vs the 450 prophets of Baal. 18:24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire – he is God.” The 450 were shouting, slashed themselves with swords until their blood flowed and there was no answer and that means no fire. Nothing what so ever. Then it was Elijah’s turn and he even poured water on the offering and wood, not once but three times. 18:38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. The people saw it and knew the Lord was God. Then Elijah had the prophets of Baal seized and killed. He sent Ahab away and the rain clouds came. Here is a funny bit and we now know that Elijah was a runner and apparently a fast runner. 18:46 The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel. Ch. 19, Ahab tells his wife Jezebel about what Elijah did. Now she was not a nice woman by the way. She threatens Elijah that she was going to kill him like he did the prophets. Now here is an interesting verse. 19:3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. Why would he be afraid? He just took on the 450 Baal prophets which means he was outnumbered. It even gets stranger. 19:4-5 …He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. Maybe he was depressed just think he had this great confrontation (a great high) and now afterwards, his life is still not easy, the king and his wife is trying to kill him (a low). So Elijah is human like all the people the Lord uses, but God uses them like he can use you. This is the same Elijah that is believed one of the 2 prophets who will appear in the end of times (Revelation you recall). The Lord let him get some rest and provided food to him. An angel came to Elijah twice and food was provided. 19:7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” A journey? No rest for Elijah but the Lord is providing him by preparing Elijah for the journey. The journey was to continue the Lord’s work. Elijah got up and ate and set out on the journey. It took him 40 days and 40 nights till he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. This is where the Lord appears to Elijah. Elijah tells the Lord that all the prophets have been killed and he is the last one and the people have rejected God. There was a powerful wind, an earthquake, and a fire but the Lord was not there. Then Elijah heard a gentle whisper and the Lord was there. The Lord tells him to anoint Hazael king of Aram, king of Israel, and Elisha to will succeed him to be the next prophet. Elijah goes to Elisha and it appears Elisha was a farmer. Elijah threw his cloak on Elisha. 19:21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. The he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant. It sounds like Elisha was all in, he wasn’t going back to his old life of farming especially since he burned up the equipment and killed the oxen. Ch. 20 we see more fighting. Ben-Hadad attacks Samaria. We see Ahab defeats Ben- Hadad. Ahab then makes a treaty with Ben-Hadad and lets him go. The Lord was upset that Ahab vs 20:41-43.

Ch. 21 we see Ahab wanting the vineyard of Naboth. Naboth told him no. Ahab thing had a pity party. 21:4 …He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat. He tells his wife Jezebel what had happened. She plots to kill Naboth by have a couple of scoundrels to testify that Naboth cursed both God and the king. Since there was two witnesses to establish his guilt, Naboth was stoned. I told you Jezebel was not a nice woman. Ahab takes possession of the vineyard. Well, the Lord came to Elijah and tells him to go to Ahab. Basically, disaster will fall on Ahab and the dogs will lick up his blood as dogs will devour Jezebel. Read vs 25-26 describing Ahab, not nice things at all. Ahab humbled himself and the Lord told him it would not happen during his time but his son. Ch. 22 we see King of Israel asks the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat to help him attack Ramoth Gilead. Jehoshaphat asked to seek the counsel of the Lord, a wise thing to do. The King of Israel gathered 400 prophets. But it appears these were not prophets of the Lord. 22:7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?” Yes there was, one was left but the king of Israel did not like him. Mainly because he did not tell the king what he wanted to hear but what he need to hear. His name was . The 400 prophets told the King to go to war and he would win. Micaiah told him the opposite of the 400 prophets and that the king of Israel will die basically. 22:28 Micaiah declared, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me. “” Then he added, “Mark my words, all you people!” They didn’t listen. They went to battle and the king of Israel disguised himself. The king of Israel (is Ahab) was hit by an arrow and that evening he died. The dogs licked up his blood where they cleaned out the chariot. The prophesy came true. Ahab’s son became king of Israel, his name was Ahaziah and did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Jehoshaphat King of Judah walked in the ways of the Lord but did not remove the high places. That is how 1 Kings ended and next week we will take up 2 Kings.

I got you another song to listen to Child of Love by We the Kingdom. While you are listening, read the words. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLUM48jPBBw Keep Your Light Shining!! Henster