We will enter in his dwelling place. We will worship at his footstool. Psalm 132:7

1 Kings 12-13

1 Kings 12

Rebellion against Rehoboam

¹ Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. ² When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam lived in Egypt, ³ and they sent for him), Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴ “Your father made our yoke difficult. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”

⁵ He said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.”
So the people departed.

⁶ King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, “What counsel do you give me to answer these people?”

⁷ They replied, “If you will be a servant to this people today and will serve them, and answer them with kind words, then they will be your servants forever.”

⁸ But he abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. ⁹ He said to them, “What counsel do you give, that we may answer these people, who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Make the yoke that your father put on us lighter?’ ”

¹⁰ The young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Tell these people who spoke to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you, make it lighter for us,’ tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. ¹¹ Now my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’ ”

¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king asked, saying, “Come back to me on the third day.” ¹³ The king answered the people roughly and abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him ¹⁴ and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”

¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for it was brought about from the Lord, that he might establish his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

The Kingdom Divided

¹⁶ When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion have we in David? We don’t have an inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, Israel! Now see to your own house, David.” So Israel departed to their tents.

¹⁷ But as for the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸ Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the men subject to forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam hurried to get himself up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

¹⁹ So Israel rebelled against David’s house to this day.

Shemaiah’s Prophecy

²⁰ When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they called him to the congregation and made him king over all Israel. There was no one who followed David’s house, except for the tribe of Judah only.

²¹ When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men, who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. ²² But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ²³ “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and to the rest of the people, saying, ²⁴ ‘The Lord says: You shall not go up or fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Everyone return to his house, for this is from me.’ ” So they listened to the word of the Lord and returned and went their way, according to the word of the Lord.

Jeroboam’s Idolatry

²⁵ Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived in it, and he went out from there and built Penuel. ²⁶ Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to David’s house. ²⁷ If this people goes up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” ²⁸ So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold, and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look, your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ²⁹ He set the one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.

³⁰ This became a sin, for the people went even as far as Dan to worship before the one there. ³¹ He made houses of high places and made priests from among all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi. ³² Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he went up to the altar. He did so in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made, and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made. ³³ He went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month which he had devised of his own heart, and he ordained a feast for the Israelites and went up to the altar, to burn incense.

1 Kings 13

Jeroboam’s Hand Withers

¹ A man of God came out of Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel, and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. ² He cried against the altar by the word of the Lord and said, “Altar! Altar! The Lord says, ‘A son will be born to David’s house, Josiah by name. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and they will burn men’s bones on you.’ ” ³ He gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: The altar will be split apart, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out.”

⁴ When the king heard the words of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him!” His hand, which he put out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to himself. ⁵ The altar was also split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.

⁶ The king answered the man of God, “Now intercede for the favor of the Lord your God and pray for me, that my hand may be restored back to me.”

The man of God interceded with the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and became as it was before.

⁷ The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”

⁸ The man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of your house, I would not go in with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place, ⁹ for so was it commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, drink no water and do not return by the way that you came.’ ” ¹⁰ So he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel.

The Prophet’s Disobedience

¹¹ Now an old prophet lived in Bethel, and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king.

¹² Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen which way the man of God went, who came from Judah. ¹³ He said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him, and he rode on it. ¹⁴ He went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak. He said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”
He said, “I am.”
¹⁵ Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”

¹⁶ He said, “I may not return with you, nor go in with you. I will not eat bread or drink water with you in this place. ¹⁷ For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall eat no bread or drink water there and do not turn back to go by the way that you came.’ ”

¹⁸ He said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” He lied to him.

¹⁹ So he went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water. ²⁰ As they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who brought him back, ²¹ and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “The Lord says, ‘Because you have been disobedient to the mouth of the Lord and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, ²² but came back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you: Eat no bread, and drink no water, your body will not come to the tomb of your fathers.’ ”

²³ After he had eaten bread, and after he drank, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. ²⁴ When he had gone, a lion met him along the way and killed him. His body was thrown on the path, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the body. ²⁵ Men passed by and saw the body thrown on the path and the lion standing by the body, and they came and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived.

²⁶ When the prophet who brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who was disobedient to the mouth of God. Therefore the Lord has delivered him to the lion, which has mauled him and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to him.” ²⁷ He spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me,” and they saddled it. ²⁸ He went and found his body thrown on the path, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body, nor mauled the donkey. ²⁹ The prophet took up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back. He came to the city of the old prophet to mourn, and to bury him. ³⁰ He laid his body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!”

³¹ After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I am dead, bury me in the tomb in which the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones. ³² For the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely happen.”

³³ After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways, but again made priests of the high places from among all the people. Whoever wanted to, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places. ³⁴ This thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, to cut it off, and to destroy it from the face of the earth.

Acts 9:26-43

Saul in Jerusalem

²⁶ When Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join himself to the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. ²⁷ But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the way and that he had spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. ²⁸ He was with them entering into Jerusalem, ²⁹ preaching boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. He spoke and disputed against the Hellenists, but they were seeking to kill him. ³⁰ When the brothers knew it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. ³¹ So the assemblies throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace, and were built up. They were multiplied, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Peter Heals Aeneas

³² As Peter went throughout all those parts, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. ³³ There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years, because he was paralyzed. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!” Immediately he arose. ³⁵ All who lived at Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

Peter Raises Dorcas from the Dead

³⁶ Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which when translated, means Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and acts of mercy which she did. ³⁷ In those days, she became sick, and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. ³⁸ As Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them.

³⁹ Peter got up and went with them. When he had come, they brought him into the upper room. All the widows stood by him weeping and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰ Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed. Turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ He gave her his hand and raised her up. Calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. ⁴² This became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ He stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

Psalm 132

Out of the Depths I Cry

A Song of Ascents.

¹ Lord, remember David and all his affliction,
² how he swore to the Lord,
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
³ “Surely I will not come into the structure of my house,
nor go up into my bed;
⁴ I will not give sleep to my eyes,
or slumber to my eyelids,
⁵ until I find out a place for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
⁶ We heard of it in Ephrathah.
We found it in the field of Jaar,
⁷ “We will enter in his dwelling place.
We will worship at his footstool.

⁸ Arise, Lord, into your resting place,
you, and the ark of your strength.
⁹ Let your priests be clothed with righteousness.
Let your saints shout for joy!”
¹⁰ For your servant David’s sake,
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
¹¹ The Lord has sworn to David in truth.
He will not turn from it:
“I will set the fruit of your body on your throne.
¹² If your children will keep my covenant,
my testimony that I will teach them,
their children also will sit on your throne forever more.”

¹³ For the Lord has chosen Zion.
He has desired it for his habitation.
¹⁴ “This is my resting place forever.
I will live here, for I have desired it.
¹⁵ I will abundantly bless her provision.
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
¹⁶ I will also clothe her priests with salvation.
Her saints will shout aloud for joy.
¹⁷ I will make the horn of David to bud there.
I have ordained a lamp for my anointed.
¹⁸ I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but on himself, his crown will shine.”

Proverbs 17:6

⁶ Children’s children are the crown of old men;
the glory of children are their parents.

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