1 Kings 11-12; Psalm 119; John 7

June 30: Even the simple can be made wise by opening God’s Word to them. (Ps 19:7; 119:130) Unfortunately, Solomon seems to have neglected this in the case of Rehoboam. The Pharisees thought of themselves of people who knew the Law, and yet, they were even worse off, in that they obscured it to themselves through their tradition. Am I doing anything like this? In what ways do my ignorance and tradition obscure my understanding and keep me and my son from wisdom?

1 Kings 11-12: What was Solomon’s reaction to God’s third speech to him in 1 Kings 11:11-13? Does his banishment of Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:40) indicate that he connected the two? What instructions did he give to Rehoboam, the man who was the answer to his worry in Ecclesiastes 2:19? There doesn’t seem to be any record of this. (Or are we to assume all of the “my son” instructions in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes apply to Rehoboam?) With 700 wives, how many sons did he have? Did he appoint Rehoboam? Or was Rehoboam simply the strongest?

Psalm 119:129-144: If the Psalmist here is David, it would seem right to wonder, how is it that he feels “small and despised?” It may refer to 2 Samuel 7:8-9, in which God reminds David of his humble beginnings, how even his father neglected to bring him before Samuel like his brothers, because it was his job to watch the sheep.

John 7:25-53: As the feast concludes, Jesus makes the connection with Isaiah 55 even stronger: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” vs. “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38) Many believed on Him. (John 7:31, 41) Was that permanent? Or did the Pharisees talk them out of it? They were supposed to be experts in the Law, and yet their statement, “This people who knoweth not the Law are cursed,” (John 7:49), applied to them, as they challenged Nicodemus to look, for (they said), "out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.” (John 7:52) By which they may have meant, “we’re not expecting any prophet to come from Galilee” But the way it reads is that "a prophet has not risen out of Galilee,” and if that’s what they said, they’re incorrect. 2 Kings 14:25 tells us that Jonah, the prophet came from Gathhepher (see Joshua 19:13), which was in the region of Galilee.