Solomon builds a temple to honor the Lord. In the prayer of dedication, he anticipates a time when foreign peoples will journey to the temple in Jerusalem because the God of Israel is famous for answering the prayers of all people. Yet the final chapter of 2 Kings describes a foreign nation coming to Jerusalem, not to worship there but to destroy the temple and take the people of God into exile. The tragic history that unfolds between the dedication and destruction of the temple shows how God’s people and God’s kings fail in their commission to reflect his character among the nations. Scriptures referenced include 1 Kings 8:23 ; 2 Kings 25:8–21; 2 Kings 10:12-14; Proverbs 14:12; 2 Kings 11:1–3; 1 Kings 19:17-21.
Jeremiah and Jesus, separated by centuries, both champion justice and ethical living. Jeremiah, a prophet amidst Judah's moral decline, paints a picture of society...
In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul writes, “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who...
In 1 Kings 21, we find the story of Naboth's vineyard. Ahab, the king of Israel, desired to acquire Naboth's vineyard, which was located...
