Today’s Reading:
Read I Kings 10; I Kings 11:1-6; 7-13; 29-39
Can you remember your favorite Christmas present from 3 years ago? Think hard- it was the present you really wanted. You were so excited to get it. Did you remember it or forget it? Sometimes it is easy to forget things, isn’t it? I am sure I had a great Christmas three years ago, but I cannot remember what that favorite present was that I just had to have! (I am sure it was great, I just can’t remember!)
When Solomon became King and God told him he could ask for anything he wanted, what did Solomon ask for? (Need help? Go back and read I Kings 3:4-14) King Solomon asked for wisdom and God granted that.
Much of what is written about King Solomon and his reign demonstrates how he used that wisdom. In today’s reading, we see something very different about King Solomon though. King Solomon acquired a lot of wealth and power throughout his reign. Unfortunately, as he became more powerful, he lost sight of God’s plan for him and he allowed pride and power to become more important than God! King Solomon forgot all of the promises he had made to God and to the Israelites about following God’s instructions.
King Solomon “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and unlike his father, David, he did not remain loyal to the Lord.” (I Kings 11:6). As a result of King Solomon’s choices and his disobedience, Israel encountered much unrest! Where there had been peace, there was fighting and war. Instead of one kingdom of the 12 tribes that God had established through Jacob, the kingdom divided into two kingdoms after Solomon’s death. Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, became the King after Solomon’s death.
Application/Prayer:
What were the consequences for King Solomon’s choices? Read the prophecy in I Kings 11:29-39. In I Kings 11:39, God promises that while a consequence for Israel was going to happen, he would not forget Israel. Ask the Lord to help you to be faithful to use the gifts he has given you in your life and not to forget all He has done for you like King Solomon seemed to do.
June Memory Verse:
“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:
- Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
- Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
- After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
- Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
- There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.
Other Resources:
June memory verse coloring sheet
June Fill-in the blank activity