READING FOR OCTOBER 20, 2025: 1 KINGS 16, HEBREWS 3, PSALM 109:1-15 1 KINGS 16 We learn at the outset that God still sent a prophet to King Baasha of Israel, even after the long and evil reign of Jeroboam. This demonstrates God’s persistence in reaching out to us when we have strayed far from him. Might there still have been hope for them if they obeyed God’s word to them? The word to Baasha unfortunately was that God had had enough of his sins and would remove his line from the throne. Still, we have seen other instances, such as with Jonah’s word to Nineveh, where such a warning might carry with it an implicit oppor- tunity if it provokes repentance. None occurred here. God is also reaching out to us today by His word. Are we listening? Are we obeying? That’s the only hope for us or anyone.
The charge against Baasha was particularly serious: misleading His (God’s) people into sin. Jesus said, “It is better for him if a millstone is hung around his neck and he is thrown into the sea, than that he may cause one of these little ones to sin” (Luke 17:2). The punishment (vs 4) for Baasha was correspondingly severe: “Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city, the dogs will eat; and anyone belonging to him who dies in the field, the birds of the sky will eat.”
Elah, Baasha’s son, succeeded him for a seven-year reign before he was assassinated by his servant Zimri. Zimri made himself king and killed all of Baasha male heirs, thus fulfilling the prophecy made to Baasha earlier. The people, having heard of Zimri’s act, decided to make Omri, the commander of the army, king instead. They all marched on Tirzah where Zimri was living and besieged it. Zimri, seeing the end was near, went into his house and burned it down with him inside. His self-appointed reign lasted only seven days. And we think our politics iswild. The text said Zimri did evil, even though He was God’s instrument in fulfilling prophesy.
Still more problems. Half of Israel supported Ormi as king, but the other half supported a man named Tibni. Remember this division is occurring just in the northern kingdom that had already been separated from the southern kingdom. Might a sign of ill health among God’s people be continual fracturing? Let’s keep Yorktown Methodist on the same page serving the Lord. Omri’s supporters prevailed, and he reigned for 12 years. It’s hard to imagine, but the text said he was the worst king yet. He was succeeded by his famous son Ahab.
Ahab is ranked even below Omri. Contributing greatly to his disastrous reign was his marriage to Jezebel, daughter of the King of Sidon. Her evil was so great that her name came to repre- sent evil in the book of Revelation: I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit sexual immorality (Rev. 2:20). Question: Does God expect us to literally obey His word? In verse 34, a man rebuilt the fallen Jericho and received the curse given over 500 years earlier for doing so: “Cursed before the Lord is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he will set up its gates” (Jos. 6:36).
READINGS FOR OCTOBER 20, 2025 (CONTINUED): HEBREWS 3, PSALM 109:1-15
Hebrews 3 In the history of the Jewish people, there are ancestors that are held in the highest regard. Abraham was the one through which the people were called to be a great people. Through Moses, the people were led from Egypt to the Promised Land. King David was the greatest King and the one through which God would send the Messiah.
So, for the writer of Hebrews to state that Jesus was greater than Moses is a bold state- ment. As Moses was sent to free the people from Egyptian bondage, Jesus was sent to free people from bondage to sin. Jesus will lead us to our Sabbath rest at the end of the age.
Moses was to be honored because he was a faithful servant. Jesus is worthy of a greater honor because he is the Son of God. Just as in a household, a faithful servant has respect but a child of the owner of the house is due more respect.
The author of Hebrews uses Psalm 95:7-11 as a call for the people to believe. It underscores the events in the Exodus where the people of Israel were afraid to enter the Promised Land. The opening phrase, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts will be used two more times (once in chapter 3 and once in chapter 4 as a rhetorical device to reaffirm the call to belief).
Verse 13 tells us to, “encourage one another daily”. How can you encourage a brother or sister in Christ today? How can you lift up a family member, a friend, a coworker, and even a total stranger? Maybe it is a kind word? A note of encouragement? A phone call? A visit? The ways we can uplift are numerous. Think about it?
Psalm 109:1-15 Psalm 109 is a hymn of lament asking God for deliverance from David’s enemies. The two main sections of the Psalm (6-15 and 16-25) are framed by two four-line stanzas of petitions. Verses 1-5 are an appeal to God to deliver the Psalmist from false accusers. Davis lays his case before God. Those who oppose him have lied in their accusations. They attacked his friendship with evil and hatred. David asks that his accusers stand trial before God. He wishes that their lies will be exposed and that they will have to pay for them. That their crimes will not go unpunished.
When you read through the list of things that David wishes would happen to his accuser, they are harsh. He asks for his life be short; his position of authority be taken away; his life be a financial ruin; and the list goes on. But before we get judgmental, ask yourself: Have I ever asked God to destroy my enemies? Have I ever wished harm on someone who has harmed me? Maybe not to the extent that David asks for here. But, I guess that it has occurred to you at some time in your past.
The key here is that God wants to hear when you are hurting. God wants you to know that your cries for help are heard. Even if the words being spoken may not be loving and kind, God wants to walk with you in your darkest hour.
Verse 8 is quoted in the book of Acts (1:20). When the disciples gather after the ascension of Jesus, they are tasked with replacing Judas who had betrayed Jesus.
