Artwork Credit: dorasdaddyspeak.blogspot.com
Editor’s Note: We continue our series of blogs for those who are reading the Bible with us cover-to-cover this year. Interspersed with our thoughts on our daily reading, we want to provide some tips about reading the Bible in general.
The Fall of the Kingdom of Israel in Splinters (1 Kings 12-22)
Fathering is not a well-achieved role in the lives of these leaders in the Old Testament. As we see the failure of another key leader to train his son, the effects this time have disastrous and long-term consequences for the people of the nation of Israel.
- In the first steps of leadership by Solomon’s son Rehoboam, he seeks to impress his friends instead of influencing a nation, resulting in a civil war that ends in the total and complete destruction of Israel! (1 Kings 12)
- In the first days of the rebellion of Israel from Solomon’s son, God makes the same promise to the rebel leader Jeroboam that He had made to David! (1 Kings 11.38)
- In the first days of the rebellion of Israel, Jeroboam makes idolatry the core of his leadership base, thus rejecting God and dooming his nation forever! (1 Kings 12-14)
- In the continuing days of the rebellion of Israel from Judah, the kings of Israel continue in the wicked ways of Jeroboam, further distancing themselves from God and any hope of future return to His blessing. (1 Kings 15-22)
The lesson from this section of God’s Word is simple: The failure of a leader at home is the future failure of a people! What can you do to make your parenting / leadership better this week?
It is our hope that this background information helps a bit as you read on in the Bible.
For daily insights into the passage we are reading together each day, you can follow Dr. Smith on Twitter and on Facebook.
You can obtain more help from the FREE Bible reading schedule on our resource page. In His Image is a daily devotional that also follows our reading schedule and expresses the Biblical truth: “God Created You to Love You.” You can find this resource on the side bar of our website.
Check Out Dr. Smith’s latest blog on ChurchCentral.com!
Almost Isn’t Good Enough is call to live out the compassion of Jesus’ heart in a world of suffering and hopelessness. A man who decided one day to make a difference globally writes about what he has learned, hoping to challenge you to make a difference in your world in your generation. Read more here …
