1 Kings 5:1-6:38 + Acts 7:1-29 + Psalm 127:1-5 + Proverbs 16:28-30
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Old Testament - Wow. Big readings today in First Kings. Solomon builds the Temple of the Lord! Below is "King Solomon praying before the Temple" by Bonito, c. 1750:
It is great to read about Solomon & King Hiram of Tyre's dialogue and agreement to send cedars and cypress from Lebanon to Jerusalem for the Temple. You'll recall in our readings from 2 Samuel chapter 5 verse 11 that Hiram indeed was a loyal friend of David just after David conquered Jerusalem - "Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David." Below is a beautiful stain glassed image of King Hiram of Tyre in the forests of Lebanon:
So why were cedars and cypress from Lebanon used for the temple and not wood from Israel? Well, because these precious woods from Lebanon were very close-grained, rot-resistant, and very hard. They were also beautiful and had a fragrant scent. Below is an image of Cedar of Lebanon - also known as Cedrus Libanotica.
1 Kings 6 verse 7 tells us - "The stones used in the construction of the Temple were prefinished at the quarry, so the entire structure was built without the sound of hammer, ax, or any other iron tool at the building site." This shows how reverent the workers were in building the temple of the Lord. They felt it was honoring to build on the temple site without the sound of an iron tool. In 1 Kings 5 verses 13 & 14 I thought Solomon's wisdom was incredible - "Then King Solomon enlisted 30,000 laborers from all Israel. He sent them to Lebanon in shifts, 10,000 every month, so that each man would be one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of this labor force." He wisely cared for his workforce! Below is an image of the workers building the temple -
New Testament - Today we read the beginning of Stephen's amazing sermon to the Sanhedrin in the Temple. You'll recall from yesterday's readings in Acts 6 verses 8 through 10 - "Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. None of them was able to stand against the wisdom and Spirit by which Stephen spoke."
So, men began to lie about Stephen, and then we get into the sermon Stephen gives to the council today. It is clearly a great sermon today from Stephen! Today he is beginning to set the stage for his zinger closing statements. He's like a lawyer today laying out his opening arguments for the case. Unfortunately, things will not proceed well in the coming days readings for Stephen. After he concludes this speech, Stephen will soon be the first Christian martyr...
A great look at the characteristics of Stephen's sermon today is at Bible.org at this link.
Psalms - It is interesting to note that Psalm 127 today is written by Solomon. Think he might have written this around the time of building the temple? It would be very fitting! Psalm 127 verse 1 I think I heard for the first time verbally a couple of years ago on a Habitat for Humanity job site. Each morning the volunteers would take turns leading devotions before the day’s build. One morning a volunteer read Psalm 127 verse 1 to all of us, which was absolutely fitting for working on a Habitat house - "Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good." Great stuff and I believe this verse is not only applicable to working on Habitat houses, but is very applicable in our own lives as well. Are there things we are building or creating in our life that might be outside of God's will for our life? Are we building these things on our own? If so, should we be building these things? Will we take to prayer all that we build in our lives and seek God's guidance and blessing upon our work? Is God building our life or are we attempting to build with our own power? Is God protecting our life or are we attempting to protect ourselves with our own power?
Speaking of work, I also love verse 2 in this Psalm: "It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones." Great verse to combat our workaholic tendencies, no? :) Do you overwork yourself these days? What for? Is this pleasing to God? Are you taking a Sabbath day of rest once a week to simply be in relationship with God? To enjoy God's rest?
Proverbs - Proverbs 16:28 today teaches us: "A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends." I do have to admit here that I have been guilty of gossip all too frequently. I think it's one of the easiest sins for many of us to fall into. Everyone else is doing it, we might think, so why shouldn't we? Well, we know why we shouldn't. It's a sin. And it's a sin that I'm afraid sometimes can be found all too often in churches. I would take this Proverb a step further and say that gossip separates not only the best of friends, but separates the best of churches. Let us stop the gossip in our lives and realize it is a sin!
Worship Video: Today's readings remind me of the For King & Country song "The Proof of Your Love:"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA9IfB7coKg
Do you need proof of God's love for you? Click here for proof!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." Psalm 127:1 NIV
Prayer Point: Pray that you are not doing anything in your life apart from the LORD. Pray that you are allowing God to work through you in all that you do. Pray without ceasing for God's Spirit to guide your every step.
Comments from You & Questions of the Day: Like me, have you ever struggled with gossip? How have you been able to stop yourself from gossiping about others? Have you ever stopped gossip from happening within a church? Or have you ever just let it happen and fester? Should we be more vigilant about stopping gossip within our churches and within our hearts and minds and on our own tongues? Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless,
Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
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BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
I Kings 5-6:38
Went looking up Cedar and Cypress (Translated as Fir in King James) and found out a lot about the Cedars of Lebanon. Although there are only about three-hundred remaining due to them being a hot commodity even before Jesus was born, the Ciders of Lebanon are the most impressive of all Cedar Trees. Of the ones still standing, about a dozen are more then 1,000 years old with the youngest being about 200. They measure 40 to 50 feet in girth and are extremely dense, growing in an altitude of more than 5,000 feet. The wood is so dense it is considered virtually indestructible. Although the wood is sweet smelling it is bitter to the taste keeping out insects.
One can see why this wood was so prized and why Solomon wanted to use it to build a temple that would represent an indestructible God who is also incorruptible.
Acts 7:1-29
Of everything, Stephen preaches/teaches about in his speech, the following has caught my imagination,
22 Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he became mighty in both speech and action.
If Moses was mighty in “speech” while in Egypt, had he lost his ability to speak “mightily” while he tended sheep in the desert for forty years after killing the Egyptian or was he using false humility? If he had indeed succumb to that “Use it or Loose It” saying, the lose would require him to rely totally on God for the words he would need to speak to the people he had been sent to deliver and to Pharaoh, very interesting.
Do we have to be brought to a place of total incompetence in the use of the gifts we think we have before God will use us? Moreover, if the gift is in our control would we give the glory to God or would we take it for ourselves: just a thought.
Psalm 127
How fitting that this Psalm that begins with,
1 Unless the LORD builds a house,
the work of the builders is useless. Unless the LORD protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good,
follows the New Testament reading that has captured my imagination and thoughts.
Proverbs 16:28-30
I heard a statement by the late Ed Cole of the Christian Men’s Network, “You can’t make peace with someone who has hate in their heart.” The three verses seem to validate his statement. So how do you influence a troublemaker and or a violent person to come to change/repent? I once tried to reason with some men who were known to be sexual predators in a Church Bible Study, but most of them were trying to convert me to their way of thinking as I was trying to convert them to the wisdom of the Bible. Any suggestions out there?
>>Like me, have you ever struggled with gossip? How have you been able to stop yourself from gossiping about others?>>
Yes, gossip is soooo easy to fall into because when we our outside of getting our value from Christ, gossip lowers the person or people we are dishing the dirt on in our eyes and in the eyes of others. We are rising ourselves up above the objects of our poison tongue by standing on their backs, which is the sin of Satan. Gossip may be hard to identify by people who are raised in families who gossip (Abnormality seems normal because it is so common), so stopping that behavior may require very severe actions. I have developed the following method, I say, “O, no—that’s not good—let’s pray for them.” The person is usually so shocked that they are stopped right in their tracks and usually hurry off or change the conversations. By the way, I have had only one person to take me up on that offer and when we held hands to pray their hands were like dead fish.
Grace and peace,
Ramona
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Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.......
Yet Moses had asked God to find someone else to use because he wasn't strong in speech!But God still used Moses mightily and was his friend:).It warms my heart today to see how God uses us inspite of our short comings.......
Gossip goes on big time at work and yesterday I was happy I didn't join in to gossip about how corrupt the authorities are...God did ask us to pray for them(not gossip about them)
God bless you all
Anka
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Whatever else Psalm 127 is about let's not miss the obvious application to our marriages and families and homes. We know this to be true since in 127 he talks about "builds the house" and then he talks about children who are to be shaped like arrows, and later in Psalm 128 he will continue to speak about the home again when he talks about those who fear the Lord, and "your wife will be a fruitful vine" and the children will be live olive plants around the table, and he even goes on to talk about the children's children. For me these two psalms paint a picture of the beginnings of a marriage centered in Christ. Twice he says, "unless the Lord"--which means at the inception of a marriage/family put the Lord right at the center of it. Don't let the Lord be incidental to one's life or an 'extra', but the FOCUS. My wife and I married relatively young at age 23 and 22, but right from the beginning we were guided to this Psalm 127 passage by our mentors to take seriously this admoniton to let the Lord be the Lord of our marriage and family. We did that 30 years ago this month, and we are glad He stills gives grace to keep on doing it. A good cross reference to this is Deuteronomy 6:4-9 where we get some detail on the great Shema, the greatest of all the commandments and how it is to affect us personally and as a family unit. May we all take this psalm to heart as we near another Father's day. And dads, like me, let me remind us to take the lead with our wives to build our homes on a solid foundation thereby leaving a lasting legacy to our sons and daughters and grandchildren.
Luch
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>>Like me, have you ever struggled with gossip? How have you been able to stop yourself from gossiping about others?>>
Yes, gossip is soooo easy to fall into because when we our outside of getting our value from Christ, gossip lowers the person or people we are dishing the dirt on in our eyes and in the eyes of others. We are rising ourselves up above the objects of our poison tongue by standing on their backs, which is the sin of Satan. Gossip may be hard to identify by people who are raised in families who gossip (Abnormality seems normal because it is so common), so stopping that behavior may require very severe actions. I have developed the following method, I say, “O, no—that’s not good—let’s pray for them.” The person is usually so shocked that they are stopped right in their tracks and usually hurry off or change the conversations. By the way, I have had only one person to take me up on that offer and when we held hands to pray their hands were like dead fish.
Anka praying for those who have rule over us can also include prayers where you ask God to expose their wickedness or remove them from office. Check out some of David’s prayers they were all not what we would call “nice-nice.”
Grace and peace,
Ramona
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As I was reading the description of the inner sanctuary, I could not imagine a *golden room*!!
In a book I'm currently reading, the author suggests that the interior of this sanctuary was to be a representation of the Garden of Eden. The garden depictions on the wall, the cherubim covering the holiness of God, with access denied to man because of sin. He also explains that the future New Jerusalem will be the ultimate *garden* environment where once again, sinless mankind will share personal and intimate fellowship with his Creator.
Just thought that was interesting.
Jo Anne
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Verses that stood out for me today:
1 Kings 5:5 "So I am planning to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God, just as he had instructed my father, David. For the Lord told him, ‘Your son, whom I will place on your throne, will build the Temple to honor my name.’ ~ Beautiful ... everything according to His plan and on His time ...
Psalm 127:2 "It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones". ~ Makes me think about all those people who are overworked, living on prozac, trying to keep their lives together. Rest is very important! Also makes me think about Mary and Martha. Taking the time to listen to God's Word ... not worry too much about hard working.
Gossip ... sigh ... yes ... I'm trying not to, honestly! But you know, I never really know when 'talking about someone' goes into 'gossiping'. I mean, we are allowed to talk about people, right? I mean, just talk about them, how they are doing, what they are doing. But when does it become gossiping? I surely don't want to gossip! I've been the victim of gossiping and it's ugly! I guess as soon as we start talking about someone and add mean things to it and don't tell the truth, then at that point it becomes gossiping? That's what happened to me, things were said that weren't true and I couldn't make those wrongs right. It was their word against mine ... it hurt me so bad! I don't want to gossip! I know it's a sin, I realize it's a sin. It's just soooooooo mean!!!
Mae
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Okay! here it is...the definition of gossip from the Webster dictionary:
gos·sip (gŏs'əp) Pronunciation Key
n.
1. Rumor or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate nature.
2. A person who habitually spreads intimate or private rumors or facts.
3. Trivial, chatty talk or writing.
It is cruel and inconsiderate. But, I do think we have all been guilty of it at one time or another:(
The rule of thumb I like to use which is my boundary when to stop before it goes to gossip is the following:
If I say something about someone else... it should be something I could say in front of the person of whom I am speaking about. So, In other words...if I could not say it in front of them I should not say it at all.
I think many of us Christians are guilty of this with the pretext that we want to pray for someone and by mention of them we speak about intimate things that are private. All with the intention of praying for the person.
Dear Lord Please forgive me for any words that have been uttered by me that have been offensive to you or any other person. Help me to bless others and be of good testimony for your name sake where ever I go. That I may please you in every word that comes out of my mouth. In Jesus' name Amen!
I loved todays reading and the devotional. Thanks for all the work you put into these teachings. God bless you! IN HIM, Carmen
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The house of GOD is finally built. Could YOU imagine having ALL of that wealth at your disposal? HORRIBLE the stoning of Stephen. The psalms of ascent are some of my favorite in the Bible. I enjoy reading but will NEVER fully understand the Proverbs.
Raeann
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Hi Mike!
I have been following One Year Bible Blog for about a month now. I used to read it for years, but just now decided to follow along in my Bible to correlate my Bible readings with your blog. Thus far, it's been an absolute blessing and I am so thankful for it!
I noticed Psalm 127:1 which I thought was a neat God-thing with today's reading! (God-thing is what the world likes to view as "coincidence"!
Thank you for your faithfulness in all you do brother!
In Christ,
Ariane
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Such a loaded reading for today, Mike. Thanks for your faithfulness with this blog. Some thoughts that came to mind while reading just the Old Testament portion...if God put that much precise planning into the building of a temporary, earthly Temple to house His Spirit, how much more detail He must put into the planning of each individual 'temple' housed in the soul of each His children here on earth--who are destined to live forever with Him. The "uncut" stones is additionally a reference to the utter holiness of his 'building blocks'--the heart of His child must be whole and undivided in its devotion if it is to enjoy the fellowship of His presence.
These encouraging verses came to mind when reading today:
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
1 Corinthians 3:16
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
Ephesians 2:10 (Amplified Version)
For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
Patricia
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Mike and everyone,
Mike, thank you for pointing out Proverbs 16:28.
As i looked up that verse, i got very convicted - how many times have i participated in gossip, either by telling it or listening to it!
Came across this story from Preaching.com, "Gossip: The 8th deadly sin Proverbs 18:18" by Charles Kimball:
'A man won the million-dollar lottery. He flew with his wife to New York City for a weekend get away. They had such an argument over how to spend the money that she threatened to divorce him. In a fit of anger, he went to the top of the Empire State Building. She ran up after him, thinking he might do something crazy. Once she got to the top she said, "Honey, I love you. We can work it out." But by the time she reached him, he had already torn the check into pieces and thrown the pieces to the ground. They got to the ground as quick as possible to gather up the pieces of the check. But it was too late. The wind had gotten a hold of the pieces. They couldn't piece the check back together again, no matter how hard they tried. That's how it is with gossip. Once gossip gets out, it gets out of control. Once it gets into the wind of people's ears, there's no way to put things back together again.'
Very thankful this morning for the reminder in Proverbs 16:28 NLT -
"A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends."
and in Ephesians 4:29 Amplified Bible -
"Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it."
Father, may Your Word and Your Holy Spirit remind us often, to only say words that are beneficial to the spiritual progress of others. May our words be a blessing and give grace to those who hear them!
And may You continue to use the One Year Bible Blog to bring many to come to know You better!
pray in Jesus' name - amen.
Sincerely,
Joyce
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It's so nice to see my country and its Cedars mentioned in the Holy Bible. I went last summer to Tyre and then to the mountains (which are far from Tyre by the way. Tyre is in the South and the Cedars are up north) the magnificent Cedar forests and I couldn't believe how marvelous these trees are. Now I also understand why the Christians fought for years to stay in Lebanon keeping it the only country in the area with more than a thousand churches and a Christian president. Blessings.
Rita
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1st Kings..Solomon building the temple. The cedars of Lebanon was spoken about alot in the bible. They are the best, strongest pieces of wood and the builders from Lebanon were the best of the best. Solomon was really wise in his consideration of his building.
Acts 7: Stephen..I loved his recap of Genesis and Exodus. Good remembrance of why we are where we are. He was a good orater. It's sad what is coming up but the peace we can have is God's spirit is with him.
Psalm 127 Unless the Lord builds the house, you labor in vain. It is so important for God to be in the home and much more peaceful
About gossip..I get in trouble all the time and talk too much. I am trying and more cognitive of this now and am trying to work on listening more and not talk as much especially when we should keep quiet. Amen
Dee