We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!In Episode 14 of Season 11 of the Bible Book Club podcast, we delve into the intriguing narrative of Elijah from 1 Kings 19. This episode paints a vivid picture of Elijah's journey from a miraculous victory to a powerful personal crisis. On Mount Carmel, Elijah faced off against the 450 prophets of Baal in a dramatic showdown. The stakes were high, as Elijah challenged the Israelites to cho...

We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!In the annals of biblical history, few tales are as dramatic as the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal of 1 Kings 18. This epic showdown takes place against a backdrop of rising idolatry in Israel under the reign of King Ahab and his notorious queen, Jezebel. Ahab, the son of Omri, continued his father's legacy of evil by marrying Jezebel, a fervent advocate of Baal worsh...

We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!In these challenging times for Israel (in 1 Kings 16), marked by the evil reigns of Omri and Ahab, God sends Elijah, a prophet of extraordinary power, to deliver His message. Discover how Elijah's unwavering faith and miraculous acts, including raising the dead and challenging the worship of Baal, serve as a beacon of hope and a call to return to the one true God.Thank you for being a part ...

We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!Embark on a journey in 1 Kings 15 through the tumultuous reigns of Judah and Israel's kings, as we explore their profound impacts on history and faith.Rehoboam and Abijah's Reigns: Rehoboam's reign was marked by idol worship and divine displeasure, setting the stage for Judah's struggles. His successor, Abijah, followed similar paths of sin, yet God preserved the Davidic line, showing His f...

We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!In 1 Kings 13 and 1 Kings 14, when the kingdom divided, many priests and Levites who had originally served in the northern kingdom moved to Judah. These men were well versed in the Torah or law and the Covenant between God and the people. They knew that the promised king had to come from David’s line. They knew of the laws surrounding worship. And they knew that Jeroboam was disobeying the ...

We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!In this episode of 1 Kings 12, we will begin the rotation of the first two kings in the North and South. This episode will focus on Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, as king over Judah, the southern kingdom. And Jeroboam, from the tribe of Ephraim, king over the new Israel or northern kingdom.Thank you for being a part of the club for Season 11.Show NotesBlogThe Kings of IsraelJerusalem in the Time ...

We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!In 1 Kings 10 and 11, Solomon will solidify his influencer status. He will stray though, no longer using his influence for good. It seems to be a particular pitfall or temptation of influencers. Too much fame and fortune lead to self-gratification. Too much of self leaves very little room for the Lord. And when Solomon fails to value the Lord, he breaks the covenant.Thank you for being a pa...

We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!In 1 Kings 9, the nation is still gathered for the dedication of the temple which Solomon planned to coincide with the Feast of Tabernacles, which was one of the annual feasts commanded by God in Numbers. It was a celebration to commemorate the 40 years Israel wandered in the wilderness. Solomon starts with a sacrifice…Thank you for being a part of the club for Season 11.Show NotesBlogFeast...

We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!In 1 Kings 8 with the Temple complete, Solomon is ready to dedicate it. With trepidation and solemnity, the Israelites gather with one question on their mind. We have built it, will He come?Thank you for being a part of the club for Season 11.Show NotesBlogFeasts and Festivals in the BibleJerusalem in the Time of David and SolomonThe TabernacleThe Temple 2012 discovery of a reservoir&n...

We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info! In 1 Kings 5–6, Solomon began his building plan for the temple. He contracted with Hiram king of Tyre for all the building supplies. Then he organized over 187,000 laborers. In the 480th year, after the Israelite’s release from Egypt, they began building. It took 7 and ½ years to complete. The temple was twice the size of the Tabernacle, 30 feet wide and 90 feet long. But the scale wa...

We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!In 1 Kings 5, we reference back to 2 Samuel 7:12 when God promised:12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.The time has come for Solomon to build. This was a...

We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!Starting with 1 Kings 3, the focus of the next 9 chapters will be Solomon’s reign. David reigned through war. Solomon reigned in peace. David was called to battle for the land. Solomon was called to build on the land. David had a heart for the Lord. Solomon had wisdom from the Lord. Both are examples to us of how God transforms our desires into a story for His glory.The focus of this episod...

We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!In 1 Kings 2, David encourages Solomon to do 3 things as a leader:Be strongKeep God's lawsWalk faithfully with all your heart and soul.David is reiterating all he had been taught as an Israelite.Thank you for being a part of the club for Season 11.Show NotesBlogThe Path to Good or EvilDavid's CensusThe Tribal Allotments of IsraelJerusalem in the Time of David and SolomonDavid's Wars of Conq...

We love feedback, but can't reply without your email address. Message us your thoughts and contact info!Recap of Where We Are + How Kings Fits into the Bible:The Bible is a collection of small stories that together tell a much larger story.The larger story is the entire history of our redemption, with Jesus as the ultimate hero.Kings is in the middle of that history. We are on a journey through God’s plan to save us. How does 1 and 2 Kings fit into the Bible?1 Kings is the 11th book in t...

Send us a text message! Include your email address so we can respond!If only the books of Samuel ended there, after David’s final words. It’s a great place to end, but he didn’t. There is more in 2 Samuel 23 and 24, and it is anti-climatic for the books of Samuel. However, it is an intriguing link to the future of Christ and our redemption. Recall that the author is writing the final chapters in a chiasm which is a literary structure where themes mirror each other in an inverted pattern. The ...

Send us a text message! Include your email address so we can respond!In 2 Samuel 22, we are going to read David’s song and final words. Recall that 1 and 2 Samuel were really one long book. 1 Samuel begins with Hannah’s song, and 2 Samuel ends with David’s song. The two songs are bookends to the story of Samuel, Saul, and David. Hannah’s song celebrates what God has done, how he reverses situations, and looks forward to what He will do in the future. David’s song celebrates what God has done ...

Send us a text message! Include your email address so we can respond!In 2 Samuel 20, we pick up in the middle of the new rebellion led by Sheba, the Benjaminite. David has a new commander, Amasa, who is the former commander of Absalom and tried to kill David. When David appointed Amasa as his commander, back in Chapter 19, we were never given any insight into how Joab felt about being replaced. Was Joab totally fired or just demoted and ordered to report to Amasa? How did Joab react, did he w...

Send us a Text Message.In 2 Samuel 18, David, the king with such a big heart, is bereft. With this deathof his son, Absalom, our story comes full circle. David began in 2 Samuel mourning the death of Saul. A man he loved. A man who was trying to kill him. The man he had to take the kingdom from. David is back where he started, mourning the death of Absalom. A man he loved. A man who was trying to kill him. The man he had to take the kingdom from.Being king is painful, and David would rather d...

Send us a Text Message.Note the author's focus on relationships in these last few chapters. David’s sin is in his relationships with Bathsheba and with his children And therefore, his consequences are relational.In the 2 Samuel 15: Joab interfered in David’s relationships by bringing back AbsalomAbsalom rebelled first against Joab and then against DavidThe Kerethites, Pelethites and Gittites all foreigners are loyal to DavidZadok the priest is loyalAhithophel is not ...

Send us a Text Message. In 2 Samuel 13, we learned that David has sons who are following in his ways. Like father, like son, Amnon is distracted by women. And in particular, women whom he cannot and should not desire. In this case, it is his half-sister Tamar that he wants. Amnon uses David to get what he wants. He rapes Tamar and throws her out in humiliation. David is furious but does nothing, while Absalom, Tamar’s brother, plots revenge. Two years later, Absalom murders Amnon.Like fa...

Send us a Text Message.There are a lot of scenes in 2 Samuel 13. Each scene has a different combination of 5 characters. They include David and 3 of his children, Amnon, Absalom, and Tamar and Jonadab, a no-good advisor.Amnon is David’s firstborn, the son of his second wife, Ahinoam. David never had a child with his first wife, Saul’s daughter, Michal. Absalom is David’s 3rd son, he was born to Maakah, his 4th. Tamar was also born to Maakah, so Absalom and Tamar are close because they have th...

Send us a Text Message.We ended the last episode with the information from 2 Samuel chapter 11, “that the thing David had done displeased the Lord.” Nothing is hidden from God’s sight. And he loves David too much to let him go any further in his sin.In 2 Samuel 12, it is God’s turn to send. God sends Nathan. God sends a message. And God sends a consequence.Thank you for being a part of the club.Show NotesBlogSavagemarriageministryThe Path to Good or EvilThe Tribal Allotments of IsraelJe...

Send us a Text Message.When we left our hero in the last episode, he was all Israel had hoped for. He was the king whom Israel needed to make God’s name known to the world. God was with David and because of that, his power grew. Our author made clear to us who holds the power by his repetitious use of the word send. In the preceding chapter, Chapter 10, the one that began with the phrase “in the course of time” and therefore, goes with these next 2 chapters. King David sends ...

Send us a Text Message.David is a man of action. So much so, that one gets the impression that he thrives in motion and cannot be still. From herding sheep and delivering food to his brothers on the front lines as a boy to hiding in caves to escape Saul and protecting the Philistines for pay while secretly sabotaging Israel’s enemies. The man is clever and makes good use of his time. But all of that is over. David is king. He doesn’t have to do it all. He has people, who have peopl...