Ryan Motta, Director of Youth Ministry
1 & 2 Kings: The King of Redemption History
1 Kings 10
“I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.”
– C.S. Lewis
41 “Even for the foreigner who is not of your people Israel
1 Kings 8:41-43
but has come from a distant land
because of your name —
42 for they will hear of your great name,
strong hand, and outstretched arm,
and will come and pray toward this temple —
43 may you hear in heaven, your dwelling place,
and do according to all the foreigner asks.
Then all peoples of earth will know your name,
to fear you as your people Israel do
and to know that this temple I have built
bears your name.”
16 “However, he must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire many horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’
17 He must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won’t go astray. He must not acquire very large amounts of silver and gold for himself.”
– Deuteronomy 17:16-17
1 Kings 10
More Money, More Problems
- Experience the glory of the King for yourself. (1 Kings 10:1-9 & Matthew 12:42)
- Beware of the allure of affluence. (1 Kings 10:13-29)
- There is a greater kingdom that is coming
Discussion Questions
- Have you had times of your life where you have depended more on someone else’s experience of Jesus than knowing Him yourself? How can we avoid settling for secondhand knowledge of Him?
- What compromises do you need to be watchful for in your life?
- How can you avoid feeling self-sufficient & prideful – rather than dependent upon & thankful to God?
- How can we keep our hearts & minds on the Kingdom that is coming, instead of the fleeting pleasures of this present world?
“The queen of the South [Sheba] will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look — something greater than Solomon is here.”
– Matthew 12:42
“Taste and see that the Lord is good!”
– Psalm 34:8a
“Instruct those who are rich in this present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, storing up treasures for themselves as a good foundation for the coming age, so that they make take hold of what is truly life.”
– 1 Timothy 6:17-19
“The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night.”
– John Piper
“Demas has deserted me, since he loved this present world and has gone to Thessalonica.”
– 2 Timothy 4:10
“Fading is the worldling’s pleasure,
⁃ John Newton; “Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken”
All his boasted pomp and show;
Solid joys and lasting treasure
None but Zion’s children know.”