Psalms 16:2

My Shepherd met me in His green pastures and laid me down in 1 Kings. The Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind in chapter 1:1:

1Kings 1:1 ¶ Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.

David was dying. Here is a book called the First Book of the Kings, and it begins with the story of the death of Israel’s greatest king. This puts the story of the first kings of Israel in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, the books that record the end of the Judges and the beginning of the kings.*

Along the still waters, as I reflected on what would be the lesson of the Kings, I thought it fitting to summarize the message as the consequence of choosing a government contrary to the will of God. One reason it is fitting that the books of the Kings should begin with the death of Israel’s greatest king is that his death was the beginning of its end.

Moses prophesied the day would come when God’s people would exercise their “consent” to be ruled by a king instead of being ruled directly by God (Deuteronomy 17:14-20; see 1 Samuel 8:7).**

The day Israel decided to reject God as their King and desired a man to take His place, the Constitutional rule of Law began to decay. The people became increasingly alienated from their duties to Judge and enforce the laws of their only true King—YHVH (Je-Ho-Vah). God conceded to the demand of the people to have a king like the heathen nations that surrounded them (1 Samuel 8:20).

In the valley, I looked upon the cross where the promised son of David was crucified. They wanted a man to be their king; God became a man (John 1:1, 14; 1 Timothy 3:16), presented Himself to them as their King (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:5), and they chose Caesar instead (John 19:15). Israel joined the nations declaring they would not have “that” man to reign over them (Luke 19:14).  But God has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name above all, and appointed Him to rule over Heaven and Earth (Revelation 1:5; Matthew 28:18). 

His voice rolled across the still waters down into the valley where I knelt. He came into the Valley with His rod and His staff, and His Spirit spoke His call: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

At the table, Jesus anointed my head with His oil and mixed His grace into my cup: his sufficient grace against the day’s sufficient evil (2 Corinthians 12:9 and Matthew 6:34). Goodness and mercy followed as we entered the harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap:

https://rumble.com/v7e16dq-shepherds-pasture.html

[*Judges begins with the death of Joshua, the first and greatest Judge to rule Israel after Moses. Kings begins with the death of Israel’s greatest king, David.  But Samuel begins with the birth of that great prophet, the last of the Judges. Another interesting observation is that the nation Israel began with Moses and was established in her land by Joshua; whereas the monarchy of Israel began with Saul and was established in David. While I would not argue there is any substantial equivalence between Moses, the prophet who initiated the founding of Israel as a nation, and Saul, the man who initiated the Monarchy, it is interesting that both Moses and Saul were removed from their office because of disobedience. Also, it is at least worthy of notice that Moses, who could not finish the founding of the Nation in the land, was succeeded by Joshua, who accomplished the work begun by Moses, and the “Kingdom” begun by Saul was established in his successor, David, for the same reason.]

[**The “Theocracy” of Israel under Moses was not organized around a man as king, but with GOD as the King. Indeed, God’s move to separate a people called by His Name was God’s answer to the rebellion of the first man who would be king, Nimrod (Genesis 10-11). Israel was formed around laws that came from God, which the people were required to enforce (Deuteronomy 17:1-7). For issues that required judgment, God provided men appointed to Judge, and the people were present their hard cases to the judge, who was obliged to render a ruling according to the Law of GOD (Deuteronomy 17:8-13; see Joshua and the Judges). God hated the system of Nimrod, the pattern of the world, which is called “Monarchy,” the rule of one (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). Consider: “And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them” (1Samuel 8:7). —Selah!]