Second Bible Read Thread

SarahsKnight

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The MEV summary for the book of 1 Kings is this =>

The first book of Kings was likely written between 560 and 540 BC during the exile. It is the sequel to First and Second Samuel. The setting is the ancient kingdom of Israel and Judah. Originally, both First and Second Kings were one book. Jewish tradition credits the prophet Jeremiah as the author. The theme of this book is the kingdom united and divided. The splendor and wisdom of Solomon's reign are described in detail. Other events include the building of the temple, Elijah's ministry, and the reigns of northern and southern kings and their deeds. Some of the material in the books of Kings overlaps with the books of the Chronicles.
 
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SarahsKnight

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1 Kings 1:1-4
1 Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.

2 Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and cherish him; and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.

3 So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

4 And the damsel was very fair; and she cherished the king, and ministered to him; but the king knew her not.

... Well, that was awfully nice of his servants to be that considerate of David. ^_^

Actually, I believe I had some of the same thoughts on this from the first version of this thread:
Just something I noticed that I personally admire David for in the first chapter of Kings. Many people would consider it good to be king of a nation such as this, servants swearing their allegiance to them constantly and given basically anything a man might desire, having the powerful position that he does. It says at the beginning of 1 Kings that when King David was beginning to grow old and apparently weak in health, his servants offered to him a beautiful young girl to "keep him warm" in his last days, since apparently David's body was getting so old and frail that he was even losing natural body temp. I at least assume that where the first chapter describes how he was "getting no heat" (KJV), that his body was literally getting cold in a physical sense rather than any kind of spiritual sense of the word coldness. For me, I personally admire King David's restraint (and see it as a sense of respect and honor towards the young virgin girl, though perhaps in Israel's culture in those days it would have been perfectly acceptable) when he allows the girl given to him to tend to him as a nurse-like figure and physically keep him warm, but he declined to have any actual sexual relation with her even though apparently she was given to David in the first place for just such a purpose. I just respect him for not using his stance as king to take advantage of something most men in his position would have greatly desired, and I personally see it as a sign of respect for the girl, that he did not take full advantage of what was given to him willingly (perhaps because he remembers his past sin of taking Bathsheba from Uriah in his younger days and learned well from it?).
 
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SarahsKnight

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1 Kings 1:5-6
5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.

6 And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he was also a very goodly man; and he was born after Absalom.

I guess this is a prime example of why David in so many Psalms would speak of enemies who come against him unjustly, as in David did nothing to provoke them, but had even sometimes shown them goodness first. And they repay him with evil.
 
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SarahsKnight

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SarahsKnight

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Day 139: June 26

Psalms 119:1-88

________________________________________________

Psalms 37 and its wording, I would like to point out, is one of many reasons from Scripture why I am a conditionalist Christian (also called annihilationists, but, that misses the point in my opinion). The clear end of the wicked is destruction in Gehenna when prose such as this from Psalms 37 is used to describe their end - the opposite of eternal life.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil.
9
For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10
A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
11
The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;
13
but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
14
The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
15
But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
16
Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;
17
for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18
The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their inheritance will endure forever.
19
In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20
But the wicked will perish: The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish--vanish like smoke.
21
The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;
22
those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off.
23
If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;
24
though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
25
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
26
They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.
27
Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.
28
For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
29
the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
30
The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.
31
The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.
32
The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives;
33
but the LORD will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
34
Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. (perhaps this phrase alludes to Isaiah 66:24, where it says they will look upon the corpses of the rebellious against the Lord)
35
I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
36
but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.
37
Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.
38
But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.

________________________


Whew. I remember copying all of Psalms 119 by hand at the suggestion of a fellow church member in 2012 when I began to suffer from scrupulosity. It took several days in which I spent maybe half an hour or so progressing in it. I am sure I still have that little blank book for writing down Psalms 119 either in my drawer of my sealed up boxes out in the garage. :) In fact I had used it instead of the Bible I copied it from in the first version of this thread, I believe.
 
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Swords&Sunflowers

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I really like David's speeches in 1 Chronicles 29 to herald the end of his reign and the beginning of Solomon's. I don't know. I guess I just find it ... inspiring. ^-^

Quite true, it's a good ending after knowing all the hardships he's been through.

In 1Kings1:15 - "...and the King was very old"...I kinda paused at that phrase...truly man's time on earth is short, it felt like just a month ago, we were reading about him, being this young shepherd boy, courageously fighting a giant, and yet now here he is, his body not having energy to warm up anymore.

I was curious why it was wrong for Adonijah to ask for Abishag to be his wife in 1 Kings 2. This site explained it well What was the true issue between Adonijah and Solomon over Abishag?
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.
 
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Swords&Sunflowers

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I really like Psalms 37, very instructional and practical...as we go through life we must...
Trust in the Lord
Delight in the Lord
Commit our ways to the Lord
Rest in the Lord
Wait patiently for the Lord
Cease from anger
Do not be afraid
Do not commit evil because of fear

I also like this part "a little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked" Psalm 37:16.

Lol I've been thinking of old age lately, mainly because I've been encountering a lot of elderly patients, and it's really eye opening to see how fast time flies, it just sort of concerns me, I really wanna live life to fullest and wish the same for others. Psalm 71, many times David was reminding God to remember him in his old age. Truly, the future is uncertain, when we get old, there is no certainty that we could retire comfortable, with unstable economy and basically the world is not getting any better, but here we could see that the only certainty we have is God, Himself who is faithful to provide even until old age.
 
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SarahsKnight

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I was curious why it was wrong for Adonijah to ask for Abishag to be his wife in 1 Kings 2. This site explained it well What was the true issue between Adonijah and Solomon over Abishag?
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.

That's what I had thought as well, why Adonijah was actually making an evil request in asking for Abishag. He was just going to use her as a political move when he'd already failed once in trying to usurp the throne. Fingers were crossed behind his back the entire time he made a show of relenting and asking for Solomon's oath to spare him in 1 Kings 1:49.
 
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SarahsKnight

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Here is the MEV summary for 2 Chronicles =>

The second book of Chronicles is a continuation of the historical narrative of First Chronicles and was likely written between 450 and 425 BC, sometime after the return from Babylon. Authorship is attributed to Ezra according to Jewish tradition. It's theme is Judah's greatness and the emphasis of the Davidic lineage and temple worship. Several reformations and extended revivals are documented, including those under the reigns of King Hezekiah and King Josiah. The building and dedication of the temple is also told in detail. This book is essentially an evaluation of the nation's religious history.
 
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SarahsKnight

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Day 141: June 28

I am very sorry, @Swords&Sunflowers , @Multifavs . I read for today and yet somehow forgot to then post it here for your benefits.

Psalms 119:89-176
 
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Swords&Sunflowers

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1 Kings 3:12 behold, I have done according to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.

Sometimes I think we forget, that God gives wisdom and understanding heart. I like Solomon's honesty. As I read this scripture, I reflect on my own life as well, I feel like Solomon, still young, not quite ready to tackle weighty matters of adulthood. But it's comforting to know that God provides for challenges like these, we can ask him for wisdom, it is something money cannot buy, but only God can truly give.

1 Kings 4:20 Judah and Israel were many as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry.
Wow God really brought peace in the land. It's quote awe inspiring to try to picture especially this verse, "26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen." Lol, I just finished watching LOTR, they showed scenes of the orcs numbering 10k, but in this verse Solomon bad 40k horses! Wow, can you imagine that number! Good Lord, that's immense!!!
 
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SarahsKnight

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Lol, I just finished watching LOTR, they showed scenes of the orcs numbering 10k, but in this verse Solomon bad 40k horses!

Yes, and each of those horses were likely ten times as strong as an orc, too. =P



(Orcs always suck, is what I'm trying to say.)
 
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Psalms 119:89-176, was wondering was it still David who was writing this or was it Solomon?

It sounded more like Solomon's kind of wording, really. But the MEV does not attribute this particular Psalms to any author at all, at least not directly. I don't remember the KJV or NASB saying who wrote Psalms 119, either.
 
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Swords&Sunflowers

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It sounded more like Solomon's kind of wording, really. But the MEV does not attribute this particular Psalms to any author at all, at least not directly. I don't remember the KJV or NASB saying who wrote Psalms 119, either.

Lol, I got curious, because there was a part were he says something about "affliction", and I'm like wondering what he meant by that (if it were Solomon), since God basically brought peace in the land. Unless, no one is really exempted from hardship. And maybe, this is still David talking.
 
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SarahsKnight

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Day 142: June 29

Song of Solomon 1 through 8

Yeah, now we're about to get weird. ^_^
__________

MEV summary for the book of Solomon =>

Jewish tradition attributes authorship to Solomon, who most likely wrote the song during the early part of his reign, in about 965 BC. These writings are a collection of love poems; they are expressions of God's gift of intimacy between a man and woman. The poetry is transparent, and the characters meet multiple times and verbalize and act on their love for one another. The Song of Solomon is also a part of the wisdom literature in the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible.
 
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Multifavs

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My Bible has the title listed as "Song of Songs" instead of "Song of Solomon", so it took me a while to find the right place. :p The NAB Bible says that it may have been written by an unknown author between 500 and 600 years before Christ.
 
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