Hidden in My Heart

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15; NKJV)

At Random

34 Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded."

35 The battle increased that day; and the king was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot.

36 Then, as the sun was going down, a shout went throughout the army, saying, "Every man to his city, and every man to his own country!"

37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria.
(1 Kings 22:34-37; NKJV)

And so ended Ahab's life.  And so too could end yours and mine.  "I returned and saw under the sun that -

The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all.
For man also does not know his time:
Like fish taken in a cruel net,
Like birds caught in a snare,
So the sons of men are snared in an evil time,
When it falls suddenly upon them.

(Ecclesiastes 9:11-12; NKJV)

The God of the Valleys

"And a man of God came near and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, 'Thus saith Jehovah, Because the Syrians have said, Jehovah is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys; therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thy hand, and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.'" (1 Kings 20:28; ASV)

As God brings home the saints, as the Lord Jesus leads home many sons to glory, we have to pass through an infinite variety of circumstances and they are not always mountain top experiences, there are valleys, sometimes very deep valleys…

The God who is victorious in 1 Kings 20, the God who having begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6), the God who wants you and me to get the maximum out of those valley experiences through which in His wisdom and His love He puts us through (see 1 Thessalonians 3:3).

The taunt of the enemy is, “Sure, they have the victory in the mountains. The money’s coming in, the family is healthy, and everything is going well. Their god is a god of the mountains.

“But their god is not a god of the valleys. They won’t have the victory in the valleys–when the money’s gone, when they’re facing serious health problems, and when nothing is going their way.”

The enemy’s greatest attacks come to us in the valleys of our lives, when we’re discouraged, doubting, disappointed, and facing adversity. In those times, God wants to reveal Himself as the God of the valleys.

The Christian life is not leaping from mountaintop to mountaintop. We experience mountains and valleys…and God is the God of both!

Just Like Us

"Elijah was a man just like us.  He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." (James 5:17-18; NIV)

As we read about Elijah let us remember three things:

1.  He was just like us.

2.  He prayed earnestly.

3.  His prayers were heard by Jehovah.

Hidden in My Heart

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15; NKJV)

The Kings of the Divided Kingdom

The lives of these kings are used to teach that observance of God’s law produces blessing, but apostasy is rewarded by judgment.

“if you walk before Me” (9:4-5)

“I will surely tear the kingdom away from you” (11:11)

“Blessed are those who do His commandments” (Revelation 22:14-15)

Division Does Not Glorify Jehovah

In 1 Kings 12 the united kingdom of Israel divides (12:1-33; see also 2 Chronicles 10).  Division does not glorify GOD.  It never has; it never will.

“let there be no strife” (Genesis 13:8)

“endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:1-6)

“the interests of others” (Philippians 2:1-11)