Episode 38: Matthew, 2 Samuel and 1 Kings

This week on North Bible Recap, Pastor Rodney and Pastor Christian unpack Matthew 18–23, 2 Samuel 17–24, 1 Kings 1–6, and Psalms 75–78, highlighting how Jesus continually redefined greatness through humility, servanthood, prayer, and surrender. They also explore the consequences of David’s sin, Solomon’s early wisdom, and the faithfulness of God through every generation, reminding us that God can still use broken people while calling us to walk closely with Him daily. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Well, good day, everybody. I hope that you are having a great day, and it's good to have you on North Bible Recap. And uh Christian, isn't it good to be back? So good to be here. So good to be doing this with you. I'm in. Thank you for the last couple of weeks of uh leading the way and uh producing those podcasts. And we're gonna dive into it in just a little bit, but I do want to remind you, uh, whatever platform you're listening to this on, please take a moment to love, like, whatever it allows, share it with other people, and then also just let us know uh that you're reading, I mean that you're listening to this or watching this, and then leave comments, okay? It helps us out. Uh from what I understand, it helps out whatever called the logarithms and it just allows it to be able to um more people to be able to find it, find it, identify it, and uh grow with us, okay, and our community of people who are following along this North Bible recap.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

I want to say thank you to everyone that listens to it, give us feedback, and I hope this is a blessing to you. We always say this, Pastor, that this is this should not replace reading the word of God. This is a supplement, this is something that you do alongside our scripture reading plane.

SPEAKER_01 1:17

Yeah, and I say this, said this to somebody one time. I remember one time I had a friend of mine was saying, Yeah, it says right here in the Bible, and I was like, I haven't heard that before. And they kind of pointed down, and I was like, No, that's the commentary. That's the side part. And there's nothing wrong with that, too. That's great to read, also, because there's some good commentary that's going to help you out to better understand scripture. But let's first read the text. Yep. Let's read the text for what it is. Okay. Then find out the context and find out all the other stuff uh that are the supporting part to help uh grow us in our knowledge and of God's word. Yep. Okay, today, today we are diving into Matthew.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Continuing. This has uh been a few weeks here now, but chapters 18 through 23. Yep. And then we're gonna go into 2 Samuel, uh, chapter 4 17 through 24. Yeah, we're gonna finish it up. Finish it up, and then we'll also kind of lean into uh the book of 1 Kings. Yes. And the first six chapters, and then we're gonna go finally into Psalms. Psalms uh chapters 75 through 78.

SPEAKER_00 2:21

Quick question before we go in in there. Um, you know, I help creating the Bible reading plan, but I really just piggyback to kind of your structure that you did many years ago. Um, why why do you like reading through the Psalms through the whole year instead of let's read it in one section in the year?

SPEAKER_01 2:38

I think there's several things um for me. It is one, it breaks it up. I like I like that. I like reading uh a little bit of Matthew or a little bit of something, and then you have one week, you throw in just a couple of psalms. Uh secondly, I think that um it's a constant reminder. Psalms is so much about the daily grind of life and keeping God at the front and center. It's so honest, it's so raw. Um, some of them are just praise and worship to God, and many of them are just like crying out to God. And I think for me, um I love having that constant reminder of Psalms and Proverbs throughout the year. Yeah. So um, Proverbs, obviously, when it's not even week to week, because there's 31 of them, and so you're gonna get every two weeks or so a proverb. Uh, and I just love mixing them up. That's my personal preference a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 3:37

And people often ask me that question, it's like, why do we do it this way? And I I don't I don't think that there is a particular like this the right way or the wrong way, but I would say this this past week, I was you know going through some things in my family, and when I'm reading the verse of the the scripture of the day, I was like, How in the world what I'm going through and what I'm praying, I'm reading and how God sees me and hears me and how He is for me through the Psalms. I was like, you cannot make this up. That's the beauty of the Word of God and why we want you to be in the Word of God daily. No, this book is alive.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

Yep. This book, this book is alive. It is um sharp as a two-edged sword, the scripture says it is always at work if we will let it work in us. Yep. And so, yes, you're right. And it's so applicable to every day. And I just encourage people to have a routine, develop the habits, and to read through the scriptures, uh, not just you know, open the Bible and point to and God can use that, but uh, but I think he also uses our um rhythms and our habits. Yep, good. Okay, so we're gonna continue.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Yeah, Matthew, Matthew 19. So just going back a little bit of the things that we talked about last week, there are different teaching blocks in the book of Matthew. We ended with chapter 18, which one of those teaching blocks. Uh, chapter 19, verse 1 and 2, it is um the end of that teaching block, and that says, now when Jesus had finished saying these things, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan, and a large crowd followed him, and he healed them there. So Matthew is all about Jesus proclaiming and teaching the kingdom of heaven and healing everyone. So now we're entering this area where um Jesus healed everyone in that area, uh, goes on and is teaching about um several things. He teaches about divorce, um, in chapter, I think he's right here, chapter 19, the very beginning. And one thing that I just I just want to read this pastor, it says, and he answered, because they're asking the scribes and the first that are asking, you know, uh, how can a man divorce his wife? Or he says this, he answered, Have you not read that he who created uh them from the beginning made them feet male and female, and said, Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not men separate. They say to him, Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of a divorce to and send her away? So they are asking, can we divorce someone? and Jesus is saying very important, like, No, when you become one, you will never be able to be separated. Which is this is one of those lines that I often quote whenever I'm officiating a wedding. Um, that's kind of how I end the the weddings let no one separate. But here we have they're asking, Well, Moses says this. I just love how how even Jesus says, You have you have um, have you not read it in Mark and other gospel says in Matthew in the beginning says, You have heard it say, but I say this is one of these moments. Is he says, and he said to them, Because of your hardness of heart, Moses allowed you to divorce your wife, but from the beginning it was not so. So I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except from sexual immorality and marries another, commits adultery. One of the things is as I was reading this, and I would like to to to hear um kind of like what you think about this. Jesus is answering and telling them because Jesus always raises the bar. He says, You have heard this, say, but I say this. But that's what more important. But the question is Moses did give them a certificate to get a divorce, and as I was doing research and and understanding this, it was like because their heart was hardened, God Moses gave them a certificate. I was looking into some things, and even about uh often I see things on social media videos about slavery, and people say, No, well, God allowed slavery, and he never did. He knew the heart, he knew our hearts, so he gave like law how to treat the slave, but that doesn't mean that God allowed that. Any have you ever had anyone ask you about that?

SPEAKER_01 8:17

Oh, for sure. God God works with us, yeah. Everybody that's listening right now, um, you have not followed uh the laws of God completely, you have not done everything that God that's the whole good news of the gospel is that God actually meets us where we are. Now, God does not want us to stay where we are, yeah. And that's the progressive work of the teaching of scripture, and what what we should be doing as a humanity over the years, we should be growing more like Christ. Um, now as a human movement, oftentimes that doesn't happen, but as groups, as individuals, we can. And so I should be coming more like Christ. So as I do that, I become more in line with what uh He He wants and what He intended. You know, that whole point is very well taken because uh you go to Ezekiel chapter 18, uh, where it opens up in Ezekiel 18, it says, uh, you have heard it said. Again, he's doing the same thing that Jesus would say, Yeah, you've heard it said, but I say, yeah. Or Jesus would ask, You you've read the scriptures, how do you read them? Yeah, Jesus would ask that question. Yeah, because it's very important how we the lens with which we look through the scripture. Well, what happened is in Ezekiel 18, it says that there was a proverb that they had developed that was not scripture, but it was coming from the scriptures. It says, uh, as a father eats sour grapes, its children's teeth are set on edge. And that was taken from Deuteronomy, where it says that the sins of the fathers will visit to the third and the fourth generation. And so, as an example, like you know, if your father eats sour grapes, your teeth are just automatically, if your kids are all gonna cringe too because of sour grapes. And then then Ezekiel unpacks it and he says, But no, you've misinterpreted this. It doesn't mean just because your father is did these type of sins that your children are gonna do these types of sins. What it means, in fact, he breaks it down there and it's beautiful. Ezekiel 18 is amazing. But what he's really saying is that the sins of the fathers will impact the kids in some form or fashion, but the children can make their own choices, and you understand how that is because you speak of that with your father. Your father made choices in regards to marriage and in regards to life, in regards to how he handled his things, and you're like, No, I don't have to repeat my father's situation, I can choose to walk a different way, yeah. And so that's what is going on even here, is that oh yeah, Moses allowed that, but that was not the intention. And sometimes we as I even when I deal with people, sometimes I was like, okay, I gotta take them where they're at. Yeah. Uh they attend our church, they're wonderful people, but if they choose not to, you know, I hope that they will step up spiritually. I hope, but but still I love them. That's what God loves us. God loves you where you are. Yeah, that's the beautiful gospel, but yet God doesn't want you to stay as you are.

SPEAKER_00 11:04

Yeah, so good, so good. Thank you. Uh, then he goes on, um, the rich young man. And often, you know, I I people ask questions is it is it is it wrong to be wealthy? Is it is it are are our rich people not gonna go to heaven? I think those are scriptures that are being uh misinterpreted.

SPEAKER_01 11:25

Oh, absolutely, absolutely. It's it's easy to do that. That's not the point of what Jesus is trying to get to here. Yeah, um, he's leaning into what do you value the most? What are you seeking first? Yeah, again, it's teaching Jesus what to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, everything else to be added into you. Yeah, and what he's pointing out is the heart of this man, he's really seeking after the riches and the stuff and the fame and whatever it is he has versus seeking after Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 11:48

Yes, yes, so good. Chapter 20. Uh, there is um an incredible um teaching here about the laborers in the vineyard. And um uh Pastor Rani, I don't know what kind of what type of kind of how was your childhood and things like that, but I can say, you know, we're three. Uh uh, I have three two siblings, so we're three in my household. And uh, if you ask my mom who is your favorite child, uh she's gonna say, I love my kids all the same. The three of them are my favorite. And I can say that growing up, I can make the the no, you love my sister the baby because Francis is the the little one. But in reality, like my mom never showed favoritism to any of this, to any of us. But you know, when you read the laborers in the vineyard, you can you can you can if if if you don't look at what Jesus is teaching, you can say, Oh, God has favorites in his kingdom. No, and and labors in the vineyard, if you don't know the story, if you know the story because you're following the Bible scripture, but you read that there were some of them that he went in the top of the hour, got them throughout the day, he got other ones, and then towards the end, uh once uh some of them only work one hour. And we sometimes think that God needs to be uh fair and equal with all of us because we're all of his children, and yes, we're all of his children, and he's fair because he gave us his mercy. But in here, you'll see that God blessed the people who came last, just like he blessed the people that came in the very beginning to work. And that's like as a as a human, I have an issue with Jesus in doing that. It's like if I was some of the in the beginning, in the top of the hour, top of the day, I'm like, well, I deserve a little more because I've been here longer, but really, that is our humanity. That's not really how spiritually we should look at God and the grace that He has given us. We should be grateful that God is extending his mercies to everyone.

SPEAKER_01 13:50

That's so good. And I think this principle, the principle of what is going on here is that he's talking about making it to heaven. Really, the issue is making heaven. And you on your deathbed, you can be a deathbed Christian where you confess your sins and God is going to welcome you. If he draws you and you confess your sins, he's gonna welcome you into heaven. Versus somebody who is from the time they're a child have followed Christ all the days of their life. That principle is is here very much. But here's the thing that we got to also remember is the teachings of Christ also speak to the value of living your life for God throughout your life. Because what that also brings is rewards of eternal rewards. So while every one of these workers got into heaven, they they made they got through reward, their eternal reward, um, there is still incredible benefits for serving God for many years that some of these one-hour Christians did not get. Does that make sense? Yeah, absolutely. Is because that's what the Bible talks about, these rewards that we get in heaven, also. And I don't know how to break all that down. And here's what I do not know. It's not like in uh in this earthly form where we're all jealous for somebody else getting more. Um, if you if you've been around, you really have a friend, you really have somebody that you love greatly, and they get a great reward that you didn't get. If you that relationship is what it should be, you will celebrate that you celebrate that. And yet there's not one bit of jealousy. Yeah, you are so rejoicing, and that's what heaven's gonna be. Without the sin issue, we're all gonna rejoice that we're all we're all there because none of us deserved it.

SPEAKER_00 15:21

That's what Matthew is doing. He's just showing what the kingdom of heaven is like.

SPEAKER_01 15:25

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 15:25

Then he goes on into you know, my my Bible says, you know, a mother's request that it's you know, this uh they're they're asking about who is the greatest in the kingdom of God and who's gonna sit at the uh at the right side uh of of of the Lord, and and here the whole thing that Jesus is is pointing is the world values power, authority, influence, position. But in the kingdom of God, what God calls great greatness is being a servant, absolutely, it's sacrificing for others, is having humility. So in the goal of every Christian should be to be more like Jesus, should be that I want to live like he lived, I want to act like he acted, and I want to do the things that he did. And what we have from Jesus is that he stepped down from eternity from heaven to the earth, so he could die on a cross for you and for me. And as Christians, that should be our our our heart towards people, is to serve them, is to have humility, is to have compassion for them. Uh, because in the kingdom of God, being great means that you are a servant of all.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

Yeah, and that's what Jesus wraps up here. He wraps up, he says, the leader will be the servant. And then he says that the first will be last, and the last will be first, and pretty much the uh that the first among us must become your slave. Yep. And that that's but then Jesus wraps up, this is oh, so good. Then he says, For even the son of man, what he's saying is, even God came among you, walked among you, not to be served, but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

SPEAKER_00 17:13

And he is trying to teach the disciples, this is why I came to do, this is what you know, the the whole purpose going in into chapter 20 21, right after he says this thing is his um his entry triumphal. Am I saying that right? Yeah, triumphal entry. And the people were expecting the Messiah to be a king, a soldier, military, they're gonna overthrow Rome, they're gonna come in a big white horse, and Jesus comes in sitting on a donkey. Yeah, just like he entered the world with humility, he's entering into now. Like now I'm gonna become this king, and he is coming in in a donkey. That was just like this is not what we're expecting. So uh, I just we just see that our savior just after thing after thing, uh time after time, showing humility.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Yeah, and that that the way he enters into Jerusalem, which is very important to understand the concepts. In fact, I just listened to a podcast, I don't know if you listened to that podcast too. Shannon, I think shared with it. Uh, it was phenomenal on all of the details of that, of what the donkey represented. Uh and just it was just brilliant. Um, but anyway, in fact, I probably need to pull that up. I shouldn't have brought that up without giving everybody the uh the actual book or the information, but but there is a difference because Jesus is also going to come back and and toward the end of Matthew, it talks about his return. Yeah, and when he returns again, uh he's gonna be coming back on a white horse. Yep. And that speaks to he's coming back as ruler, yeah, he's coming back to reign, yep, he's going back to and to establish his kingdom upon this earth. So this just the Bible's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 18:58

Yeah, yeah. Then he goes and cleans the temple, which is very important because he just makes this statement that my house should be called a house of prayer. And I just want to encourage you um that spending time in prayer is equally as important as reading the Bible, going to church, going a small group. We need to grow in our prayer life, and we see these things, and this is not you know shade on anyone or any church, but for revivals and things like that, we have we see masses of people, and then we have a prayer night. You know, it's not as big often. Uh, and I think it's because we don't value prayer like we should. No, and I think it's important that we spend praying personally, you know, in your quiet time, but also praying with other people. Yeah, so we do when we're at the gym, you know, we pray for you know, for the things that are going on in our life, for our team members, for the things that are happening, wherever we are. So use any opportunity to pray.

SPEAKER_01 19:59

So yeah, I know even the the cursing of the fig tree was about prayer, yeah. It's about you know, he teaching on faith. Yep. Uh and yes, prayer is and prayer is a dialogue. Remember, uh, I love even in some of David's writings this past week in the old testament, some of the stuff we're reading, yeah. He would ask God continually, should I go do this? And God would say, Yes. And then should I go do this? And just like he'd ask question after question, and God just respond back to him. And that's the way our communication should be to God. Yep. And um, is that we're asking him those questions about direction in life.

SPEAKER_00 20:37

Uh then chapter 22, it goes for the parable of the winning feast. Um, and this is just the invite is for everyone. And you and I, what we need to do, tell everyone about the good news of Jesus. Yes, bring them to church, yes, bring them to pray and art, bring them to revival. We want you to do that, but take the gospel wherever you are and share your story with people and tell them of this beautiful invite uh that they have into the kingdom of God. Um, so and then chapter 23, um, chapter 23 from last week, we're talking about chiasm, where uh chapter five through seven was where we're parallel to chapter 23. So in chapter 5 through 7, uh Jesus is saying, Blessed are you know those, blessed are the meek in spirit, blessed are the brokenhearted. Jesus is calling blessed people that will normally not be blessed. But now, in the back part of this chiasm, we have Jesus saying, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees. And and this is kind of like part of that chiasm that uh had to do with how the book of Moses was written. Um, but here, first he says, Blessed are those who are in spirit. Then he goes into the Pharisees and the scribes says, Woe to you, because the ones that should have known about these things did not know them. They they they were full of religion, but they did not know the Lord, and that's not a good place to be.

SPEAKER_01 22:07

No, it's it's not. Um, and you're you're so right. I I do want to kind of lean back into chapter 22 when you talked about the um the banquet and inviting people. And in the Bible says Jesus, after they refused to accept the invitation, he said, Go to the highways and the hedges, find just find people so that my house will be full. Yeah, that is his longing still today. I just want to challenge people uh when it comes to inviting people to God's house, into God's house. Uh, don't take that lightly. Matter of fact, take that as what it really is God's command to go into the highways and the hedges and and bring them in, to invite them in. I've got, I I'm literally, I have two Uber drivers that regularly attend our church now that I met through an Uber. That's awesome. I invited them to come. And uh, they had no idea I was the pastor of the church. I do not use that because I find that that really does not work anyway. In fact, they know I'm a pastor, they don't, they don't come. Yeah, but if they are just some random dude, they actually show up. And uh I've got people that I have met on the street changing attire, and I helped them change your tire and uh invited them to church. And it'd be months later, they came to church, they've been in church now for years. Uh meet people at workplaces. And I'm I'm just questioning you like, who is it that is coming to church that you randomly met somewhere because you were intentional about inviting them into the kingdom of God?

SPEAKER_00 23:30

And don't get discouraged if people say no or don't come or say the yes and don't just keep inviting people. Keep keep inviting people. As I think sometimes you're like, Well, I've tried and they didn't come. This is listen, this has to do with eternity. Uh, recently I was talking to someone inviting them to church, and literally, this person uh told me, Why are you gonna stop inviting me to church? And I told them, I'm never literally, this is this. We were at a baseball game. My words were, I'm never gonna uh give you an invitation to spend eternity with me. You know, it's like I I I want you to come to heaven, I want you to know and experience the freedom that but it was like, Where are you where are you gonna stop? But I was just like, Well, I'm glad they I'm doing what God is calling me to do, inviting uh people to church because people are going, not everyone is gonna say no, but uh gonna say yes, but when you see someone that you invited and their life is changed and transformed, it's just the most beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_01 24:26

So good.

SPEAKER_00 24:27

Yeah, but so we're gonna jump into 2 Samuel. We're gonna finish 2 Samuel. Again, we cannot cover everything, they have so many notes that we're not gonna get to, uh, but we're gonna touch a few things now. 2 Samuel, we ended last week with the sins of David, uh, Nathan um uh calling him out on his sin. David um repented. We see his heart after God's uh this kind of what we know after God's own heart, where he really understood repentance and worshiping uh the Lord. So now what's happening in this area is from now on, we're gonna see kind of like the fall of David. Now, David was the best king that Israel had. I mean, the divinic line, we talked about this, comes because of David, but morally, his sin cost him, and that is the reality about sin. Pastor said it earlier, you know, my sins will affect my children. Is that but that doesn't mean that those curses are going to be passed down to generations because they're gonna have to make their own decisions, is that? But now we are seeing the effect of David's uh sin, and it cost him a lot of his family. David was a great king, but as we have been reading, he wasn't really a great father.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

Oh no, no, let me just let me just say something about that too. It is very important to understand sometimes when you read the scripture. Shannon, when she spoke on Mother's Day weekend, she brought that up, how she used to struggle with the text, and when she'd read the Old Testament specifically, and like you just understand men and how they handled things. And you know, the Bible's telling the story, it doesn't mean, in fact, if you look closely, you see the fruits of what happens and the impact of their sinful choices. Yeah, okay. David is one of those examples. You just talked about divorce and remarriage. Okay, well, look at David's life. Most all of his problems stemmed from his sexual relations and multiple marriages, all of them, and it just really um is something Jesus is saying the two who man and woman will become one flesh, yeah, not two women, not two men, not multiple, you know, and and Jesus' land, that was the plan for the beginning. And even when the king was established, 400 years before that, we already talked about this, but what was it? They weren't supposed to take um many wives. Yeah, what's many wives? Two as many wives. Yeah. Anything more than one, anything more than one is many wives. And so basically, he is David. Look back, he's given Micah, okay, that's his first wife, because he killed um Goliath Goliath. And of course, then Saul didn't actually go completely with what he had said. He didn't say, now you go out and get the foreskins of 100 Philistines, then I give her to you. And he goes out and gets 200 foreskins, and then he gets her as wife, and then when he has to flee for his life, when he has to flee for his life, uh, the scripture says that uh Saul takes Micah and gives him her to another man. Yeah. So in a very literal sense, what his wife has been taken from him and given to somebody else. Yeah. So David eventually marries uh Ahinnum, uh, I think I say her name right, and then and I and probably that was an okay marriage because his one previous wife had been taken from him, given to somebody else, then he has another wife, but then he marries Abigail. Yeah, and then it begins to build. Yep. He begins to build. And all of the dysfunction in his family, the infighting among his children, the issues with the kingdom, all of that stems from these multiple marriages. And then David's not even satisfied with that. Now he has a couple of different wives, but yet still looks at Bathsheba because here's the thing our lust and desires are never fulfilled. Yep. You're always going to want more. Yep. That's why our source of pleasure and hope has to be in Christ Jesus. Well, that's good. Because if if not, you you're going to find sources for the pornography uh or in uh an emotional relationship with somebody that you may think that that's innocent, but it's also a betrayal of your relationship to your spouse. But they're they always pretty much always lead to a physical relationship too, and physical adultery. But here our only source of supplying what we really need is Christ Jesus. Yeah. Everything else is going to lead us the wrong way.

SPEAKER_00 29:03

Yeah. It's important to understand that you know in the Bible, this is not necessarily a moral story. Yeah. Uh, this is really the people of God, what happened, the the re I'm glad that this thing isn't here because uh we can see that God did not hide this mess from us. Like He wanted us to know all of this. And God still used these guys.

SPEAKER_01 29:23

Yes, God will still use you, yeah. But I'd rather be used without all the pain and heartache. Yeah, I mean I want to limit that as much as possible. Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

Absolutely. So um, because of so because of that, his son Absalom is coming after him, and again, this is because of David was passive. Uh, he did not um represent his kids. Um, some of them his kids declare himself kings. We're gonna about to read this in in in 1 Kings, but David was a great king, all of that, but as a father, he doesn't he didn't always um was a great father for his children. There were times that he was supposed to call them out and stop them, and he didn't do that. Uh, but not only with his kids, this also happened with Joab as well. Joab was um his warrior that was with him, and there were times that he did not even uh fulfill his orders, and he didn't put consequences in them. And this is something very important, like for us to understand that when we there are people under our leadership and we're leading people, we will be held accountable on how we handle those relationships. So, you know, we talked about this often as we are developing leaders and pastors and churches. I'm like, Lord, give me wisdom because my decision can affect this person's uh uh life. So we see that in the life of David. Absalom, one of his kids, is coming after him, he wants his kinship. He not only that, he is hunting him to kill him. So he was persecuted, David, was persecuted by Saul and also for one of his own sons. So, not a good story, I would say.

SPEAKER_01 31:14

Yeah, I would really encourage people. There's a book out there that if you've been through North School of Ministry, you will have read this book. This is good. And um, and if not, North School of Ministry, sign up. We got we got the new semester coming up here shortly, about the time the recent release of this podcast. It is a great, but one of the books we read is one that shaped my life from the time I was a teenager. And I've read it multiple, multiple, multiple times over the years. It is foundational for Christian faith. It is called The Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards. And read that book, get your hands on it because very easy to read. You will read that in one sitting. Oh, yeah. But but it but it will it will it will strike hard into your heart. Yeah. Uh because all of us um struggle um with wanting respect, wanting the lead, wanting uh or being offended by somebody or hurt by somebody, and it speaks to all that.

SPEAKER_00 32:14

David, um, in chapter 18, and we're I'm gonna go quickly into this, he grieves for his son. He says I just have it here as oh my son Absalon. Now he is not um grieving in a good sense of grieving his good son, really, he's just grieving because his son has rebelled against him, and honestly, by rebelling against him, it's like rebelling against God because this is the anointed king of Israel. Um, then um then kind of like it's the end of David's story, he's getting old, um, he is dying because it's part of life. Uh, but second, second, first and second Samuel again, just want to say those double it that those two books were meant to be one book. So when you read this, just kind of like read it together, and then the the next ones are first and second kings. I don't know if you want to share anything about second king, 2 Samuel, uh as we close.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

Um, no, it's just it's great. The only thing I would say is that when he offers the census toward the end of um 2 Samuel chapter number 24, uh, which was against God's what he wanted him to do. Yeah, uh the and here's the thing, God was not against counting people. Yeah, that's what the whole book of Numbers is about. It was just time and place. Yeah, David was trying to measure up and boast in what he had done. Yeah, and God's like, no, this is not the time and place, you should not be doing this. And he made it very clear, and actually the people around him knew that too. And so David had more than one opportunity to be able to realize, oh no, I shouldn't be doing this. But he went ahead anyway. And that's a warning to all of us that just because we get older doesn't mean we become more godly.

SPEAKER_02 33:54

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:55

We got to live every day surrendered and submitted. And it cost him greatly. But in the end, though, God turned around like everything else, he uses what are evil for something good. Yep, and he actually um the plague happens, and God tells him to go buy that piece of property in that land, he goes buys that land, um, and he buys that land from the farmer and makes the statement to him because the farmer says, Here, you just take it. You're gonna build God's, you know, make an altar and sacrifice unto God, you just take it. And he says, No, I will not um take something that doesn't cost me nothing. Yep, I will sacrifice for this. Yep, and then that place becomes the place um where the holy temple would eventually be built. Yep. And matter of fact, you go to Jerusalem today, that location is where that happened. Well, which is not amazing to think about.

SPEAKER_00 34:46

Yeah, and it just shows show us that worship requires sacrifice. Yes. If if it doesn't come free, we must sacrifice. You know, it could be your pride, your many other things, but um, so that's uh 2 Samuel. We're gonna go into a quick overview of 1 Kings. We're gonna go in more detail next week. Uh, but first Kings, um, the author of 1 Kings is unknown. Um, a lot of Jewish tradition kind of believe that it was Jeremiah, and when you read some of the things, you kind of can see, oh, yeah, this makes sense why it could have been Jeremiah because some of the styles um are very similar. Um, um, most scholars believe that it was completed um uh by prophetic historians and scribes during or after the Babylonian exile, which this book Kings, it's all about showing you where they were as kings with David and Solomon and all of the kings, and how he led to the Babylonian exile. Why? Because the kings rebelled against God. David was great, um, humble against God, worshiped the Lord. Solomon was a good king uh in Israel, but he had some major flaws as well, and it had to do with lust for women and pride and wealth.

SPEAKER_01 36:04

Yeah, yeah, a lot of lust there. But you know, you you tell with the Babylonian and how this all came together uh during that time frame, from what we believe, from what we can see, is that you know, literally um what was the worst thing in Jewish history was the exile from Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple and the city, and then the basically taken captive to Babylon, at least all the the leaders and the bright minds and everybody for but it became the opportunity for them in this foreign land to be able to reestablish um what they had lost. Yep. Uh the law of God, the word of God. That's when the compliment they begin to compile all of these writings over the years. People that had little and bits and pieces begin to put those together, and over that 400-year period, well, it was actually there's a 70-year period, and but then there it was really over a long period of time they're up to a cross, where that began to really come together, the formation of what we know now as the Hebrew text.

SPEAKER_00 37:06

First King takes place after King David's reign, and it covers the reign of Solomon, building of the temple, which David bought everything, prepare all the way for King Solomon to build the temple, and then to the division of Israel into the two kingdoms, the northern kingdom, that's what is known as Israel, and then the southern kingdom, which is Judah. Um, so the booksman is roughly from 970 BC to 850 BC, uh, and it records Israel movement from unity and prosperity and worship to division, idolatry, and spiritual decline. And the more that you read about this kings, you're like, How in the world are you making those decisions? But don't we do the same thing? Yeah, because we know what the word of God says, what the law of God says, yet we make our own decisions that lead often towards sin and brokenness. And uh what one of the things that I just love about the word of God, it just shows us that we are all in need of a savior, that we need the Lord. Uh, so major themes to the faithfulness of God, uh, that leadership matters because leadership failed both kingdoms. Um, and then it also warns about the dangers of idolatry, having any God above God, which is one of the Ten Commandments. Don't have any gods above God, and they did all of these things, they worship false gods, uh, they make bad political alliances, and also another thing is God's presence because the temple represents God's dwelling among his people. Um the purpose of the book uh it was written to explain why Israel eventually collapsed and went into exile. So that's kind of what's happening in this book. Uh, so first King uh chapter one, David is still alive, very, very old. Um, he is um uh one of his sons is trying to make himself king over Israel. Um, and Nathan the prophet and them they're just telling them, Hey, isn't isn't it Solomon that should be the king of Israel? And he says, Yes, it's supposed to now then Solomon is established as the king of of Israel. Um, and then in Kings 2, uh sorry, first Kings chapter 2, David advises Solomon. And one of the things that I love of what he writes in here is that he tells him this in verse uh says, I am about to go away, um away from the earth. It says, Be strong and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you turn. David gave Solomon great advice keep the law, keep the commandments of the Lord. To be prosperous, you need to do that. So, and right after that, uh David died, and his reign in Israel was for 40 years. Um, so and then kind of where we are ending is first Kings chapter 3 and chapter 4. Solomon is the king. The Lord asked Solomon, What do you want from me? And he asked for wisdom, and he says, Give me, give your servant. This is how well Solomon started. He saw himself as a servant of the Lord, says, Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, that I'm I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this, your great people. Started well because of that. He was a strong king, extremely wealthy. And one of the things that I that that you read in chapter, I believe it is in chapter three, or chapter four, that there was peace in the land of Israel. Well, King Solomon, uh, when while he was a king, there was a lot of peace in the entire earth. So uh that's what wisdom leads to. Peace in in our families and in every area of our life. Chapter five and six is the preparation of the temple. So now Solomon is about to build this temple, and we're gonna read for the next weeks on it so a little more. So that is overview of 1 Kings and a little bit of chapter 1 through 6.

SPEAKER_01 41:40

There we go. That's a lot. Okay, we're gonna wrap us up today with uh Psalms 75, 76, 77, 78. And if you notice at the top of the heading, it says it's written by who? Ash. Asaf.

SPEAKER_00 41:55

H Z.

SPEAKER_01 41:56

That's fine. That's fine. And so uh ASAP is basically um, and I know you covered a little bit of this like um uh a week ago or so, but let me just kind of touch base on he's a Levite, uh he's an actual person, uh worship leader. Um, he was a musician appointed by King David himself, uh one of the chief leaders in Israel's worship ministry. And he is found in different places, but he's first introduced in 1 Chronicles chapter number six, then also 1 Chronicles chapter 15 and 16, and then 2 Chronicles chapter 29, uh, he is spoken of. David's um appointed him to minister before the Ark of the Covenant uh through worship, and as part of that, writing music and songs, uh, through prophecy. Um that's proclaiming God's word, speaking God's word, and also just times of celebration, times of thanksgiving and rejoicing. Um, something to note about Asaph is that um, you know, it can when it says his name, it it's actually written by Him personally or written by the sons of Asaph. Sometimes it will say that too. Um because how do we know that? Because the sons of Asaph um became an ongoing worship um family line connected with the temple uh for generations that would follow. And that's interesting to note. So in Psalms 74, um it appears to be uh to describe the destruction of the temple. So actually, we know Asaph was long before the destruction of the temple. So then you find the sons of Asaph there, even after that, writing in Psalms 74 about the destruction of the temple. So basically, this is something that this family line, like the Levites, the Levites that were the priests, okay, the ASAP was the same thing too. It's just this lineage of uh people who are very gifted, uh Musically with worship and it just began to pass down uh for generations, and they all did that. I always kind of envy those families that are very musical. Um, I don't have that. I wish because I'd love to be able to just uh come home at night, very good singer, break out the guitar and just begin to play and sing, or uh break out the keyboard or whatever, but I don't I don't have that gift like uh Crystal does and some of the others on staff have. Okay. So um anyway, that's what you have. I just want you to understand a little bit about uh you know, Psalms. Uh there's 12 actually um psalms that's directly uh attributed to ASAP. Uh there's others that could have been influenced by him, but Psalms chapter 50, and then also what we're reading right now, Psalms 73 all the way through 83. So just 12. And it matters because he writes a lot about being deeply honest about what's going on in your life. That's really what he he he deals a lot with doubt, and just really saying it's okay to doubt as long as you're taking your doubt to God. Yeah. And confusion, take your confusion to God. Um, really that's so good.

SPEAKER_00 45:10

Because I think often people will take those things into the wrong place. I think that's something that we need to, we don't what you're saying is having doubts is not bad. It's where do I go with my doubts?

SPEAKER_02 45:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:22

Am I going to the website? Am I going to AI? Am I going to my friends? Yeah. Or am I taking this to the Lord?

SPEAKER_01 45:29

Yeah. And sometimes taking it to the Lord is taking it to a friend who believes in the Lord. Yep. Yeah. And now you need to find the right person because a good friend that's grounded in God's word is going to allow you to have a place to vent and to share. Yeah. But then they will kind of, you know, simply also kind of guide you back to the truth. Sometimes we just got to say what we're feeling. Yep. We got to say what we're struggling with. Even though sometimes I will say something, I really know it's not true. I just got to say what I'm feeling.

SPEAKER_00 45:57

With my relationship with Blake Barnes, we have talked about this a million times recently. I'm just being honest with him through a text. And he just like understood me, even spoke on it, and then he said, But then also what you don't want to hear, you're being prideful. And I was like, you want that in your life. You want people who would hear, who would pray with you, pray for you, but also will tell you the truth. We don't need people that just cuddle us, we need people that will help us become who God created us to be.

SPEAKER_01 46:28

Yeah, and ASAF so really shows that mature faith, and let me say a growing faith is not pretending that struggles do not exist. Uh it is actually bringing those struggles honestly before God and saying, Here, God, here's what it, here's what I have, here's what's going on. That's good. So let me just break down these uh Psalms a little bit. Um, in Psalms uh 75, it's about God judging pride. Okay, we're just gonna give just a general overview. And um and then in Psalms 76, it's about God uh defends his people. Psalm 77, God restores faith in moments of crisis and turmoil. And 78 is God teaches through history and generations his faithfulness. And um and so, really a question to think about think on here is God can be trusted to rule when life feels unstable. Yeah. Okay. And that's what these psalms really, really deal with. And let me just read. Uh matter of fact, I want you to do Psalms um 75 and verse number six and seven. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 47:34

I have the ESV just so you can find it. Yeah, yeah. For not from the east or from the west, and not from the wilderness come lifting up, but it is God who excludes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.

SPEAKER_01 47:51

That's good. Yeah, so mine it says, it is God alone who judges, he decides who will rise and who will fall. And basically, he's just reminding us that walk in humility, live your life, humble before God, stop striving to exalt yourself. God lifts the humble in his timing. That's what Peter talks about in the New Testament. God, you know, you know, exalts the humble, but brings down those that are proudful in heart. Um 76, read verse number four. Verse number four.

SPEAKER_00 48:26

Glorious are your more majestic than a mountain full of prey.

SPEAKER_01 48:32

And so basically, is he just speaking to the the beauty of God, and um when you feel surrounded by circumstances, situations, God is not absent. Yeah, he is actively reigning in your circumstances. Okay, 77. Um basically, again, it's moving from a sense of despair to remembering. Um go and read verse number one.

SPEAKER_00 48:58

It says, I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and He will hear me.

SPEAKER_01 49:05

And He will it's we gotta remember that God will hear our prayers. Yep. Okay, memory is a tool of faith. Um we gotta that's why we're called back, even communion. We take communion every week at North Church. What is that? It's to remember. Remember what? Faithfulness of Christ, yeah, the goodness of God, the blessings of God. All of those are part of that. All right, and then 78 is um again dealing with the faithfulness of God throughout generations. Okay, and in chapter 78, uh, go ahead and read verse number four.

SPEAKER_00 49:42

It says, We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the wonders that he has done.

SPEAKER_01 49:55

Okay, in 78, it's a beautiful throughout there. It talks about the miracles of God in Egypt. Yep. Retelling those stories, keep retelling the stories. Retell your own story to your kids and to your friends and other people. We need to share our story on a regular basis. And you may think, well, my story is not that important. Yes, it is. God sent his son to die so that you would have a story. Um, and you say, Well, mine's not that dramatic. Yes, it is. All of us were dead, now we're alive. Now, I just want to do not downplay your story. Yep, your story has significance and power. And in chapter 78, he talks about he deals with the rebellion, you know, and unbelief after even making through and seeing all the miracles of God. Yeah, and that speaks to us. But in the middle of that, it also speaks in chapter 78 of God's continued faithfulness. So again, uh, chapter 75 deals with God rules over pride. Yeah. So humble yourself. 76, God defends his people, he will be your defender. Let him be your judge. Um, 77, God restores our personal faith even in times of brokenness and crisis. And 78 is that God shapes generational faith. He wants your kids and your kids and kids, and but you've got to establish a foundation so that it allows it to be good, able to move forward for generations to come. All right. That's good.

SPEAKER_00 51:21

That's so good. That's so good. Keep sharing your story. Your kids, your grandkids need to hear how you met the Lord, how what he did for you. Do not get bored of telling your story.

SPEAKER_01 51:32

Yeah, the pain, the hurt, the ugly, even on that. But it's all about from ashes uh to beauty. Yeah. That he wants to, you know, that's that's who we are. Wow. Hey, thank you. Yeah, Christian. I appreciate very much that you taking the time to be with me and be with us. And so I'm glad all of you uh have joined us again. Please take some time to whatever platform to love, like, share it, make comments, review it. It will help us out and then share this with others, talk about it with others, okay? Hey, until next time, we'll see you on North Bible Weekend.