- When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down all the house of Baasha. He did not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends. 1 Kings 16:11 – Zimri, the “he” being spoken of here, was the commander of the previous king of Israel and chose to assassinate the king so he could take the throne. Which he did…for only seven days. Yet in that seven day reign we see he slaughtered the entire family and all the friends of the previous king. This practice was sadly normal in this age when a new king came to power. Any hint of something that could take the throne away from the new king was destroyed so their throne would be firmly established. Thankfully this practice wasn’t something that Jesus chose to use when He took His seat upon the throne. We see in Mark 16:19 that, “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” King Jesus has taken the throne, He sits in power over the world, and we should be overjoyed that He chose to spare our lives since we were followers of the previous ruler, the devil himself. Instead of ending us, Jesus chose to sacrifice His own life so we could be a part of His new kingdom. Truly what Jesus has done is unlike any other king in all of history. Jesus chose to give His life so those who followed another ruler could be a part of His new kingdom. As we lean into Holy Week this week together, take time to remember how precious our place in this kingdom of God is and what we deserved instead. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3060
- 1 Kings 16 Daily DEVO Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. 1 Kings 16:21 – When there isn’t a steady leadership, the people will divide. And is it any surprise when we read a chapter like this where 6 different people tried to hold the role of king in a such a short period that Israel would have some division. To top it off many it was said of them did more evil than the guy before them. How then should we apply all this to us? Make sure there is no leadership struggle in who is your true leader. Don’t allow 6 things to constantly be battling for who is the leader of your life. That’s God’s role and His alone. When He is in His proper role in your life, much of the division you’re feeling in your story can heal. Let Him lead you and you’ll find the path and healing you’ve been seeking. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1017
- In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun. 1 Kings 16:34 – I didn’t understand what this verse was saying until I dug deeper into it. Look at what Joshua 6:26 says (the verse referenced in our passage). “Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, ‘Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. “At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.’” Literally the words spoken by Joshua are coming true in our 1 Kings passage. Whether it’s with this example or any of the struggles the kings of Israel faced during their reign due to their lack of obedience to God, it’s clear in scripture God remains faithful to His word. He said if you don’t follow my ways then the kingdoms would struggle, and they did. God said any who rebuilds Jericho will find loss, and they did. Something then we should learn from these stories is God doesn’t say things just for the fun of it. There is purpose and meaning behind what He says. So when He says certain things will ruin our lives, like the love of money or improper relationships, expect your life to be ruined if you embrace them. If He says the way to peace and joy in life is only through with a life with Him, then expected a lack of peace and joy in your life if Jesus isn’t a part of your life. How then could you be banking on scripture to not follow through? Are you chasing after sin hoping scripture isn’t true on what it says about those consequences? Are you holding onto pride assuming the destruction scripture says follows won’t happen? How would our stories look different if we fully believed the Bible on what it said? I know today I’m going to begin looking at how I’ve been assuming in my own story that the Bible won’t follow through. Let’s together choose to believe the Bible will remain faithful to what it says, exactly like it always has been. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2200
Daily DEVO 