Title: Great Preparations for a Great Work
Text: 1 Kings 1-5
This evening we invite you to gather with your Calvary Chapel family in the Holy Grounds Café or on Calvaryinv.com or Facebook and Youtube (Calvary Inverness), as we continue our Wednesday evening Through The Bible series with a message I’ve entitled- “Great Preparations for a Great Work”.
Who wrote the book?
Like the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings originally were one book. In the Hebrew Bible the book of Kings continued the narrative started in Samuel. The Septuagint separated them into two parts. We derive our English title “Kings” from Jerome’s Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible.
No one knows the author of 1 and 2 Kings, though some commentators have suggested Ezra, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah as possible authors. Because the entire work encompasses a time period of more than four hundred years, several source materials were used to compile the records. twenty years.
Where are we?
First Kings opens describing the final days of King David (around 971 BC) and the conspiracies surrounding his succession. When David died, Solomon ascended the throne and established himself as a strong and wise leader. In the early years of Solomon’s reign, Israel experienced its “glory days.” Its influence, economy, and military power enjoyed little opposition; and its neighbors posed no strong military threat.
Shortly after Solomon’s death in 931 BC, the kingdom was divided into northern (Israel) and southern (Judah) entities. First Kings follows the history of this divided kingdom through the year 853 BC.
In the books of 1 and 2 Kings, each king is evaluated by his reaction toward his covenantal responsibility to the Law of the LORD. That was the true test of whether he ‘did evil’ or ‘that which was right in the eyes of the LORD.’
Tonight, we will look at the first five chapters of 1 Kings. In these chapters we see David passed his torch and the kingdom on to his son Solomon. We will hear David’s famous last words to his son and to us. David shows us how to finish strong in our walk with the Lord. While he had his shortcomings and his faults, he always turned back to God and in the end he finished strong with God’s help.
Then, as Solomon begins to rule and reign with God’s anointing, we see God grant him wisdom like none other had ever possessed. God gave Solomon all he had asked for an even more. Because Solomon sought to gain godliness and wisdom he was blessed in those areas as well as many others. And Solomons life shows us the great truth that godliness and wisdom are the greater gain for each of us.
But most importantly we will tonight that God works in our lives and He gives us His strength, His wisdom, His godliness, and His favor, to prepare us for a great work!
Please pray for our time together that we would experience a fresh outpouring of His Spirit upon our hearts and through His Word we will be changed to be more like Christ. Hope to see you somewhere at Calvary.
Blessings,
Pastor Paul