1 Kings 11 - Praying God's Word

Please read 1 Kings 11.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/1ki/11/1/s_302001

Meditate on verse 4.

For when Solomon was old, his wives turned

 his heart away after other gods,

 and his heart was not wholly devoted

 to the LORD his God, as the heart

 of David his father had been.

Despite all the God-given wisdom of Solomon, he did not guard his heart. When Solomon disobeyed God’s command to not associate with foreign women who would turn his heart to other gods, the LORD surrounded him with enemies and irreparably divided his kingdom.

God’s wisdom is calling you to examine your heart. What are you holding fast that is turning your heart away from the LORD (vs. 2-3)? Do not let pride convince you God will be intolerably patient with a heart not wholly devoted to Him (vs. 4, 9). Wholeheartedly repent and pray 1 Kings 11:38 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, help ________ and me listen to all that

 You command and walk in Your ways and do what

 is right in Your sight by observing Your statutes

 and Your commandments.  LORD, be with us

and build us an enduring house.

For the sake of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

1 Kings 10 - Praying God's Word

Please read 1 Kings 10.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/1ki/10/1/s_301001

Meditate on verse 24.

All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon

to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart.

Have you ever wished to be as wise as Solomon, to be able to answer any question presented to you, to bless people by merely letting them hear your wisdom (vs. 3, 8)?  Consider these truths from God’s Word:

The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father

will send in My name, He will teach you all things

 and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

—John 14:26

All things that I have heard from My Father

I have made known to you.

—John 15:15b

Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you,

with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another.

—Colossians 3:16

We have the mind of Christ.

—1 Corinthians 2:16b

If you are a Christian, you have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit teaching you; you have the mind of Christ giving you the ability to comprehend, obey, live, and share everything being made known to you. Because you have Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of Christ, you can be even wiser than Solomon. Walk in the wisdom of God and pray 1 Kings 10:24 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, let _________ and me live in such a Godly way

 that when You send people from all over the earth

 to seek our presence, they would hear the

wisdom which You have put in our hearts.

For the glory of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

1 Kings 9 - Praying God's Word

Please read 1 Kings 9.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/1ki/9/1/s_300001

Meditate on verses 3-5a.

The LORD said to him, “I have heard your prayer and

 your supplication, which you have made before Me;

I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting

My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart

will be there perpetually.  As for you, if you will walk

before Me as your father Daivd walked,

in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing

 according to all that I have commanded you

and will keep My statutes and my ordinances,

then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever.”

As the house of the LORD (Hebrews 3:6), these verses contain great promises and exhortations for you. The LORD put His name on you forever when you became a Christian; He never takes His eyes off you, and His heart is with you perpetually. If you walk with Him in integrity, righteousness, and obedience, He will establish you.

What are you trying to accomplish? Are you doing things with the LORD, seeking His wisdom, or are you launching into projects in your own strength, calling out to God only when things don’t go according to your plans?

Invite the LORD to journey with you every step of the way by praying 1 Kings 9:3-5a as His faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, please hear my prayer and

 supplication which I am making before You.

 Consecrate, dedicate, and make sacred _________ and me

as Your house which You are building by putting

Your name on us forever.  Let Your eyes be on us and

 Your heart be with us perpetually.  Let us walk before You

 in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according

 to all that You have commanded us.  Help us keep

Your statutes and ordinances.  Establish us forever, LORD.

Because of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

1 Kings 8 - Praying God's Word

Please read 1 Kings 8.  Notice the repeated word: house.  It is used 21 times in this chapter. 

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/1ki/8/1/s_299001

Meditate on verse 11b.

… for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

The house of the LORD no longer exists as a grand structure; it was destroyed in 70AD by the Romans and has never been rebuilt. However, there is no need for one because Christians are now the temple of the LORD (1 Corinthians 3:16). You are the house of God, and His glory fills you (Hebrews 3:6)! That is an amazing truth. As you ponder it, think about how His glory is manifested in your life and how it impacts others.

As God’s temple and His servant, pray 1 Kings 8:23, 28, and 59-61 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“O LORD, the God of Israel and of _________ and me,

there is no God like You in heaven

above or on earth beneath,

keeping covenant and showing

lovingkindness to us, Your servants.

 May we always walk before You with all our heart. 

Please have regard to the prayer of Your servants

 and to our supplication, O LORD our God, to listen

 to the cry and to the prayers which Your servants

 pray before You today.  And may these words of ours, with

which we make supplication before You, LORD, be near

to You, LORD our God, day and night, that You

 may maintain the cause of Your servants

and the cause of Your people Israel as each day requires,

 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that, LORD, You are God;

there is no one else.  Let our hearts therefore

be wholly devoted to You, LORD our God,

 to walk in Your statutes and to keep Your commandments.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

1 Kings 7 - Praying God's Word

Please read 1 Kings 6:37-7:51.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/1ki/7/1/s_298001

Meditate on verses 6:37-7:1.

In the fourth year, the foundation of the

house of the LORD was laid, in the month of Ziv.

 In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul,

which is the eighth month, the house was finished

 throughout all its parts and according to all its plans. 

So he was seven years in building it. 

Now Solomon was building his own house

 thirteen years, and he finished all his house.

It is interesting that Solomon spent nearly twice as many years building his own house as he did building the LORD’s house. And his house was four times larger than the temple. The temple was 2,700 sq. feet, as planned by his father, King David (1 Kings 6:2). Solomon’s palace was 11,250 sq. feet (v. 2).

Scripture does not record Solomon’s motives for building his house so much larger than God’s. Perhaps he didn’t even put much forethought into the size variation; however, Scripture records the difference, so it is worth asking the LORD what practical applications you can make because now you know the story.

What are you building in your life? How much time and money are you investing in it? What is its purpose? Whom does it benefit? Whom does it glorify? Is the LORD asking you other questions about your priorities?

Use the words from 1 Kings 7:14 to pray over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, please fill ________ and me with wisdom

and understanding and skill for doing

any work You call us to do.  We will come to You, King Jesus,

 and perform all Your work.

For the sake of Your name and Kingdom, Jesus~

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

1 Kings 6 - Praying God's Word

Please read 1 Kings 6.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/1ki/6/1/s_297001

Meditate on verses 11-13.

Now the Word of the LORD came to Solomon saying,

 “Concerning this house which you are building,

 if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances

 and keep all My commandments by walking in them,

then I will carry out My Word which

 I spoke to David your father.

 I will dwell among the sons of Israel

 and will not forsake My people Israel.”

As you read the details of the building of the temple of the LORD, keep in mind that as a Christian, you are now the LORD’s temple, and His Spirit lives inside of you (1 Corinthians 3:16).  And as costly as it was for Solomon to build a temple with all of its gold, cedar, olive wood, cut stones, carvings, and engravings, the making of you into the temple of God was much costlier, for it cost God His life.

Do you not know that your body is a temple

of the Holy Spirit who is in you,

whom you have from God,

and that you are not your own?

 For you have been bought with a price;

therefore, glorify God in your body.

—1 Corinthians 6:19-20

As you ponder these truths, pray to obey God’s commands from 1 Kings 6:12-13 as His faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, as You build ________ and me into Your house,

 help us to walk in Your statutes and execute

Your ordinances and keep all Your commandments

by walking in them.  As we do, please carry

out Your Word which You have spoken to us

to dwell among us and not forsake us.

Because of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

1 Kings 5 - Praying God's Word

Please read 1 Kings 5.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/1ki/5/1/s_296001

Meditate on verses 4-5.  King Solomon is speaking.

“But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side;

 there is neither adversary nor misfortune.

 Behold, I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God,

 as the LORD spoke to David my father, saying,

 ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place,

he will build the house for My name.’”

King Solomon had a holy calling from God to govern the people of Israel and to build the temple of the LORD as planned by his father, King David. The LORD smoothed the way for Solomon to fulfill these ministries by surrounding him with people of peace who didn’t cause him trouble and even supplied him with much of the building materials needed for the temple.

You, too, have a holy calling from the LORD. What has He told you to do? Are you obedient to Him? Ask Him to give you a smooth path and wisdom to know and do His will.

Pray 1 Kings 5:4-5 and 12 over the ministries God has given you and those you love, as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD my God, give ________ and me rest on every side;

let there be no adversaries or misfortunes (evil occurences). 

We intend to do in Your name, LORD God, as You

 have spoken to us to do. Please give

us Your wisdom and Your peace.

For the sake of Your Kingdom and  Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

1 Kings 4 - Praying God's Word

Please read 1 Kings 4.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/1ki/4/1/s_295001

Meditate on verse 29.

Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment

and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore.

The lists in this chapter give you a snapshot of how great King Solomon was:

·      11 officials (vs. 2-6)

·      12 deputies (v. 7)

·      900 bushels of flour and meal, 30 oxen, and 100 sheep a day to feed his household (vs. 22-23)

·      40,000 stalls of horses (v. 26)

·      12,000 horsemen (v. 26)

·      3,000 proverbs spoken by him (v. 32)

·      1,005 songs written by him (v. 32)

And the greatest thing about King Solomon—his God-given wisdom, discernment, and breadth of mind—like the sand on the seashore. The reason he was wiser than all men was because he asked God for wisdom (1 Kings 3:9-12).

What do you ask from the LORD?  It would please Him for you to pray for His wisdom for yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7). Use the words from 1 Kings 4:29 to start your prayer.

“LORD, please give _________ and me Your wisdom

 and very great discernment and breadth of mind

 like the sand that is on the seashore.

For the sake of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

1 Kings 3 - Praying God's Word

Please read 1 Kings 3.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/1ki/3/1/s_294001

Meditate on verse 3.

Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in

 the statutes of his father David,

except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

Like most people, Solomon is a complicated fellow. This chapter sets him up as one of the wisest men who ever lived, yet it foreshadows the downfall of a man because of foolish choices.

The chapter begins with Solomon marrying an Egyptian princess for political purposes. Perhaps it was a good idea in the eyes of the world, but she and other non-Jewish women surrounding him will cause Solomon to sin against God (Nehemiah 13:26).

Solomon also had an “except” in his story. He loved the LORD, except he sacrificed on the high places (v. 3). God’s law gave specific instructions for where to offer sacrifices (Leviticus 17:3-5; Deuteronomy 12:2, 13-14). These high places were formerly used for idol worship by the Canaanites and odious to the LORD.

Do you have an “except” in your life? What are you doing that follows the world’s pattern rather than God’s and is offensive to Him?

Ask the LORD to help you write your story with no exceptions to following His will. Pray the words from 1 Kings 3:9 and 28 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, please give ________ and me, Your servants, an

 understanding heart to judge and to discern between good and evil.

 Let Your wisdom, God, be in us.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL, 3 – Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell