Introduction to 1 Kings
Populated with majestic kings, beautiful princesses,
scheming nobles, powerful wizards, and the quintessential evil queen, 1 Kings could almost be set in a
fairy-tale world full of griffins and unicorns and magical swords. In fact, if
you ever get bored with it, just use your imagination to throw in some fantasy
elements, and it'll be better than Lord of the Rings. 1 Kings contains two very
different central characters: King Solomon and Elijah. These two could hardly
be more different: Solomon is rich, Elijah is not (as far as we can tell);
Solomon lives in a spectacular palace, Elijah is often homeless; Solomon has
servants at his beck and call, Elijah gets his food by begging or heavenly
delivery service; Solomon is dignified and eloquent, Elijah is snarky; Solomon
uses his brain, while Elijah uses brute, elemental force; Solomon is cool and
calculated Elijah is a hot-headed spitfire; in the end Solomon succumbs to
temptation, whereas Elijah (in 2nd Kings) is so pure he's taken directly to
heaven before he even has a chance to die (2 Kings 2:11). By presenting these
guys side-by-side in the same book, 1 Kings allows us to see both of them more
clearly. They're like Captain
Kirk and Spock. Woody and Buzz. Carlton and Will. They're convenient, cooperative opposites,
and each helps us to better understand the other. And they're not the only
foils you'll find in 1 Kings. You'll find a lot of opposites if you keep your
eyes open, including within the same character/object/place. Amid all of these
dissimilarities scattered across the pages, you'll start to see themes and
patterns emerging that can help you understand the mythical enchanted kingdom
epic that is 1 Kings.
Why Should I Care?
What
would you do if you had superpowers? Would you use them only for good? Would you
finally achieve world peace? End all
hunger? Or just make your own life easier? Of course you wouldn't
use it for evil… right? Maybe just a little bit? Some revenge? A pinch of
pleasure here and there? What's the point of all that power if you can't use it
to make yourself happy, right? Would your powers worry you at all? They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. Are you sure you could
handle it? Okay. We're done grilling you now.
1 Kings is the story of what
happens to Israel after its greatest king, David (of
David and Goliath fame), dies. Though his son, Solomon, looks for a while
like he'll follow in ol' dad's footsteps, in the end he sets Israel up for
disaster. As civil war breaks out and the people's rulers get worse and worse
with each generation, we see that the stories in 1st Kings (some of which spill
over into the next book, 2 Kings) are dominated by people with a lot of
power—sometimes almost god-like power: Solomon possesses supernatural wisdom
and unfathomable riches; Elijah has the very elements at his disposal; Ahab and
Jezebel command legions of soldiers and priests; and the list goes on. How they
each behave under these circumstances can be instructive for all of us, because
although it might not seem like it now, you possess a lot of power and will
probably gain a whole lot more of it as you grow up. Money, education,
influence, position, physical strength, emotional awareness, and so on can all
give you power over other people. What are you going to do with it?
The difference between Superman
and General
Zod lies in how each uses his powers. Although you probably can't leap tall
buildings in a single bound, you do have the power to change the world in a
million ways, whether subtly or in more visible ways. As you read about the
extreme powers at play in 1 Kings, try to see past the sheer razzle-dazzle of
it all and think about stuff like this. Someday, when you're a powerful
politician, teacher, surgeon, mentor, writer, scientist, or mom, the world will
be glad you did.
JUNE 9 Wednesday in Octave of Corpus Christi
1 Kings, Chapter 1, Verse 49-50
49
All the guests of Adonijah got up trembling, and went each their way, 50 but Adonijah, in FEAR of Solomon, got up and went to
grasp the horns of the altar.
In King
David’s old age, he developed circulatory problems, and a beautiful young woman
named Abishag was brought to the king to attend him and “keep him warm.”
Abishag slept in the king’s bed to provide body heat, though she and David were
never sexually intimate (1 Kings 1:1–4). After David’s death, his son Solomon
became king. Shortly afterward, another of David’s sons, Adonijah, who had at
one time tried to take over the kingdom, hatched another plot to wrest control
from King Solomon. Adonijah’s first step was to ask Solomon’s mother,
Bathsheba, to secure Solomon’s permission to give him Abishag as a wife.
Adonijah’s request seems innocuous enough, but it was full of subterfuge.
Solomon’s initial response was one of indignation. He said to his mother, “Why
do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request
the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother” (1 Kings 2:22). Solomon
rightly saw Adonijah’s desire to marry Abishag as part of his brother’s ongoing
attempt to take over the kingdom of Israel. In those days of royal harems,
taking possession of a king’s concubines was a declaration of one’s right to
the throne. This had been one of Absalom’s methods when he led a coup against
David (2 Samuel 16:22). Since Abishag was considered part of David’s harem, her
marriage to Adonijah would have strengthened the usurper’s claim to the throne.
In judgment for Adonijah’s request, Solomon said, “God do so to me and more
also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life!” (1 Kings 2:23). He quickly
sent Benaiah, one of their father’s mighty men, to execute Adonijah. The
tension between Adonijah and Solomon had been longstanding. Adonijah was older
than Solomon and therefore, under normal circumstances, in line before Solomon
for the throne. But God promised that Solomon would be king. Adonijah had
already attempted to set himself up as king while David was still alive; when
David was notified of the plot, he quickly made Solomon’s kingship official (1
Kings 1:38–40). Adonijah’s followers had fled, leaving him in a situation where
he could have been killed for his rebellion. King Solomon mercifully granted
Adonijah his life on the condition that he pay homage to the king and give up
his claim to the throne (1 Kings 1:52–53).[1]
What does it mean to grasp the horns of the altar? [2]
The
innocent blood of the bull represents life over death rubbed on the horn of
salvation. The horns represent salvation, forgiveness of sins, and power over
death, strength, and mercy for mankind which put together describes God.
Rubbing the blood on the horn with a finger illustrates reconciliation of man
with God and no death when the horn is touched because the sacrificial blood
stands in the gap between man and God on his finger. So this is access to God
through the blood of no sin which Adam housed before he disobeyed God. Adam had
this power to cover Eve but chose disobedience instead of utilizing his power.
Jesus is the blood between the finger and horn. That's the intercession for
man.
The
Mighty Men of David[3]
Then the three mighty men broke
through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem
that was by the gate and carried it to David. But he would not drink of it. He
poured it out to the LORD. – 2 Samuel 23:16
The Old Testament contains some of the most remarkable stories. Many of these tales revolve around a young shepherd boy named David who grew up to become the great King of Israel. His ascension to the throne was not without difficulties. Shortly after he was anointed by the prophet Samuel, David fell out of favor with the establishment and had to flee for his life. He hid out in the wilderness outside of Jerusalem with a group of his loyal followers. The Bible calls this group “David’s mighty warriors.” David Jones, in his book
David’s Mighty Men, describes David’s entourage as a magnificent, special elite force of fearless warriors. They were extraordinarily strong, courageous, unflinchingly brave, and completely committed to David. They were thirty-seven of the most fierce and dedicated warriors that ever lived. Jones writes,
They were a combination of combat commandos, stealth rangers,
navy seals, green beret, special ops and Delta forces who had acquired the
skills of battle demanded to survive and conquer in hand-to-hand warfare. They
engaged in clandestine operations and were often outnumbered by staggering odds
pitted against them, yet they stood their ground. Time after time on fields of
battle they were the last men standing.
One story in 2 Samuel recounts a time when David’s mighty men
overheard King David say, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from
the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!” (2 Samuel 23:15). At this point in
time, Israel’s hated enemies, the Philistines, had taken control of the city of
Bethlehem. It was heavily guarded. The three mighty men, on their own, went
down and fought their way through the lines of the Philistines. They made their
way to the well in Bethlehem, where they drew water to take back to the young
King. They eluded the pursuing Philistines, returned to their hideout, and
presented the water to David. To their surprise, David would not drink the
water they had risked their lives to retrieve. He poured it on the ground
instead. David was not rejecting the sacrifice of the men who had gotten water
for him. Rather, he was pronouncing their sacrifice too holy for him to
selfishly consume. What an inspiring picture of the way Christians are called
to live their lives. The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:15 that
because Christ died for us, “…those who live might no longer live for
themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” This Old Testament
story vibrantly illustrates the fact that we should not selfishly live our
lives for ourselves. David poured the water out on the ground as a sacrifice to
the Lord. Likewise, we are to take the priceless gifts that God has given us
and pour them out as a sacrifice in service to Him and to our fellow man. This
is what the Bible calls stewardship.
Stewardship is one of the most important and practical themes
laid out in the Bible, and yet is often overlooked or minimized by Christians
today. The Bible says a great deal about stewardship because this concept
touches every area of our lives. The Disciple’s
Study Bible
defines stewardship as,
… a way of living that involves one’s daily activities, values
and goals for life, and the use of all possessions. It begins with God and His
plans for creation and purposes for humankind. The steward is God’s responsible
representative and manager of all creation.
Apostolic Exhortation[4]
Veneremur
Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling
of The Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of
Phoenix,
to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix
on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
My
beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Part
III
Loving
and Adoring the Eucharistic Lord
69. Thus far we have stirred up our
amazement at the Eucharistic mystery and have considered the nature of our
total self-gift in response. Now we turn to how we might practically live out
this mystery with greater faith and love for – as we pray at each Mass – “our
good and the good of all His holy Church”? In other words, how concretely might
we “follow the Ark” of the Eucharist into the future God has planned for us?
I. Make every Sunday the “Day of
the Lord.”
73. Brothers and sisters in Christ,
examine your experience of Sunday. Have you allowed Sunday to be like the other
days of the week? Is the whole day set aside for your rejuvenation in God, or
have you reduced the holiness of the day to an hour or two? Some persons are
indeed required to work on Sunday, which of course is permitted. But for so
many of us, Sunday could be more effectively “kept holy” with even minimal
preparation and foresight.
75. Think of the Sunday Eucharist as
the sun which emits rays of warmth and light. If no rays shined forth, what
good would the sun be for life on the earth? Similarly, if no good effects from
Mass are perceptible on Sunday, our eyes become blind to the goodness and power
of the Eucharist. I invite you: be bold in allowing rays of freedom, joy, and
life to burst forth from Mass into the rest of your Sunday! How might the Lord
desire that you allow these rays to shine forth precisely on Sunday? Here are
some simple ideas for you to consider:
·
Choose a set time when you will go to Mass on
Sunday and stick to it.
·
Find ways to make the experience of Sunday Mass
truly joyful and festive, e.g., wear your best clothes, have a wonderful meal
with loved ones afterward, have great music playing at home throughout day,
telephone loved ones, enjoy a clean and renewed home – which means finishing
domestic duties and chores on Saturday, spend time enjoying the Bible, savor
something truly beautiful in nature or art, and perform simple works of
charity.
·
Try to live the Lord’s Day from sunset on
Saturday through Sunday evening.
·
Turn off your phone for extended periods of
Sunday, if not the whole day.
·
If outside obligations threaten your Sunday,
consider talking with your boss, family, or friends to find ways to move those
commitments elsewhere.
To be continued…
Where to Travel in June[5]
·
Machu
Picchu
Explore
the incredible Inca ruins of Peru’s Machu Picchu, often
called “Lost city of the Incas.” Take an adventurous climb to see the Temple of
Condor and Sun Gate -- the end point for the Inca Trail. Visit in June to take
advantage of the dry season and to avoid the heavy crowds in July and August.
·
Father's
Day (June 20)
Don’t
forget about Dad this month. Spend some extra time with your father figure by
planning a trip to go fly fishing, rock climbing or skydiving. For a getaway
minus the adrenaline-pumping thrills, we have a few Father’s Day travel ideas like a brewery tour in Portland,
Oregon, or game of golf in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Every Wednesday is
Dedicated to St. Joseph
The Italian culture has
always had a close association with St. Joseph perhaps you could make
Wednesdays centered around Jesus’s Papa. Plan an Italian dinner of pizza or
spaghetti after attending Mass as most parishes have a Wednesday evening Mass.
You could even do carry out to help restaurants. If you are adventurous, you
could do the Universal Man Plan: St. Joseph style. Make the evening a family
night perhaps it could be a game night. Whatever you do make the day special.
·
Devotion to the 7 Joys and Sorrows of St.
Joseph
·
Do the St.
Joseph Universal Man Plan.
Daily
Devotions
·
Litany of the Most
Precious Blood of Jesus
·
Total Consecration
to St. Joseph Day 6
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
[1] http://www.gotquestions.org/Solomon-Adonijah-Abishag.html
No comments:
Post a Comment