Promises Week 15:
II Samuel 23 - I Kings 12
…delighting in Him and His Word…Psalm 37:4
II Samuel 23 - David’s Last Words. In verse 2 David states the Spirit of the Lord spoke through him – David served the people with a heart for the Lord – his heart attitude was to serve and revere the Lord.
As we do the will of God we need to remember that the Lord takes it very personally when people reject us because we are trying to do the right things. God knows how we feel about being rejected, because He felt the same thing. He is our Vindicator; our reward comes from Him, and we must reverentially fear and honor Him more than anything or anyone else.
II Samuel 24 David’s Ill Advised Census. Swindoll – the Lord comes to David and gives him 3 choices of a punishment…with the following lesson: (i) to live an unaccountable life is to flirt with danger; (ii) to ignore sin’s consequences is to reject God’s truth; (iii) to fail to take God seriously is to deny his lordship...
II Samuel – the Threshing Floor of Araunah. Mercy is found in the heart of God.
ll Samuel 24:24 King David said to Araunah that he wouldn’t offer burnt offerings to the Lord that didn’t cost him anything. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen therefore making it something he was sacrificing.
I Kings 2:4 Conditional Promise. Learn the value of serving God’s purpose in our own generation – even though all our own dreams may not be fulfilled. David gives Solomon a conditional promise – based on the Lord’s own conditional promise to David.
God, I pray that I will keep Your charge, walk in Your ways, and keep Your statutes and commandments, that I may do wisely and prosper in all that I do, wherever I turn. (adapted from 1 Kings 2:3)
DAVID’S HEART – SOLOMON’S WISDOM
I Kings 3 – Solomon Asks for Wisdom – and abundantly received his request and more. It is important to note that at the time Solomon asks for an understanding mind, a hearing heart and the ability to discern between good and bad, he was 12 years old.
l Kings 4:7 Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who secured provisions for the king and his household: each man had to provide for a month a year. What a brilliant plan to assure everyone had the energy and time to do the job well.
I Kings 5 – Promises and Palaces – see Bible
I Kings 7:12-22 Solomon showed humility stating to the Lord his inability to follow in his father David’s footsteps…as he was just a child…
I Kings 8 – Prayer of Dedication. Prayers of Promise. We are once again shown the vital connection between prayer and the Lord’s PROMISES to us. The PROMISES as a whole are our license to ask and our assurance for receiving what we ask for… as He never fails to fulfill…
I Kings 8:24, 25 and 26. See James 4:2 – we do not have because we don’t ask – our hearts and motive need to be one with Him.
Meditate on the Lord’s goodness – His faithfulness, His plan for your life, His glory and His promises – Meditate on who HE is and you will come to know His character and His desires for you in a deep fresh way.
I Kings 9:4-9 – The Lord’s Second Appearance. In the Lord’s second divine appearance to Solomon the Lord assures Solomon that his dedication of the House of the Lord had been heard and the Lord will dwell there.
People who don’t really know God often have questions about Him and may even try to “stump” us with hard questions. The queen of Sheba did this to Solomon. Is there someone doing this in your life? Scripture talks about the importance of being prepared to respond to people’s questions. As you prepare, ask God to give you wisdom, as Solomon did, that you will also know how to answer.
I Kings 10: 7- The ½ was not told…Queen of Sheba is amazed at the magnificence …this is the same as we are here on earth…we will only understand the glory of the Lord’s magnificence when we reach heaven…
I Kings 11 – Solomon’s Tragic Demise and Death. Solomon so blessed sinned against the faith of his father David and married a woman who turned him from the source of his greatness to ruin.
Week Sixteen: I Kings 13 --- II Kings 7