1 Samuel
Ask and it will be given.
Matthew 7:7
www.truthofhim.com.
Hannah was barren and asked God for a son, promising, I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life. The Lord gave her conception, and she had a son and named him Samuel saying, Because I asked him of the Lord. He also gave her 3 more sons and 2 daughters.
And I will make your seed to multiply as the stars of heaven. Genesis 26:4
She declared, My heart rejoices in the Lord.
3
None are as holy as the Lord:
there is none beside You:
let no arrogance come out of your mouth:
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by Him actions are weighed.
The Lord kills and makes alive:
The Lord makes poor and makes rich: He raises the poor out of the dust
to set them among princes,
and to make them
inherit the throne of glory.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s. He has set the world upon them.
4
He will guard the feet of His saints; His enemies will be broken to pieces.
Out of heaven He will thunder on them: The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; and He will exalt and give strength to His King.
Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, everything he said happened.
After 20 years of oppression, the people longed for the Lord.
Samuel told them, If you return to the Lord with all your
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hearts, put away the foreign gods,
and set your hearts to worship only Him, He will deliver you from the Philistines.
During the following battle, the Lord thundered great thunder on the Philistines, and defeated them.
When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel. But they perverted justice for bribes, so the people demanded a king like other nations.
This grieved Samuel,
but the Lord told him,
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They haven’t rejected you;
they have rejected me.
Give them a king
but tell them the rights of a king,
He will take your sons
for his chariots and cavalry,
to plant and harvest his crops.
He will take your daughters
for perfumers and bakers.
He will take a tenth
of everything that is yours
and you will be his slaves.
Tomorrow I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin to anoint as captain over My people.
7
Through signs, the Lord brought Saul to Samuel, and he anointed him king.
Samuel told the people, You have rejected your God who saved you from all your enemies and your troubles.
The Ammonites came against Israel and Israel asked for a treaty.
They answered, Only if we can gouge out your right eyes.
As Saul was bringing oxen from the field, he saw the people weeping,
8
and when he heard the reason,
the Spirit of God came on Saul
and his anger blazed;
he mobilized the troops defeated the enemies.
Samuel told them,
If you will fear the Lord and not rebel,
you will continue in His blessing.
But if you will not,
the Lord will be against you.
Don’t go after empty things that can’t profit or deliver; for they are nothing.
Saul’s son Jonathan and his armor bearer attacked a Philistine garrison.
9
Then the Philistines came against them with 30,000 chariots and 60,000 cavalry and infantry as sand on the seashore.
Israel hid in rocks, caves, and pits.
Saul waited for Samuel 7 days and when the time passed, he offered burnt offerings. Right after he finished, Samuel arrived and said, What have you done? Saul said, The people were scattering and you didn’t come. Samuel said, You have done foolishly. now your
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kingdom won’t continue. The Lord has sought a man after His own heart to be captain over His people, because you have not kept His word.
Then Lord sent Israel to annihilate the Amalakites because they attacked the stragglers as Israel left Egypt.
Saul kept some of the best stuff. Samuel said, Why haven’t you obeyed?
Rebellion is like witchcraft, and stubbornness is like idolatry.
11
The Strength of Israel is not a man that He will lie or change His mind.
The Lord sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint David as king.
He told Samuel, Man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart.
The Philistine army came and camped opposite Israel with a valley between
and a Philistine champion named Goliath, who was 9 ½ feet tall,
challenged Israel morning and evening for 40 days, saying, Send out a man to
12
fight me. If he wins, we will be your slaves: but if I win you will be our slaves.
David told Saul, Who is this uncircumcised Philistine to defy the armies of the Living God?
I killed a lion and a bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be as one of them. David told Goliath,
You come to me with a sword, a spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord whom you have defied.
I will take your head and feed the
13
carcasses of your army to the birds,
that all the earth may know God.
And all people will know that the Lord doesn’t save with sword and spear:
for the battle is the Lord’s.
David whirled a stone at Goliath and it sunk into his forehead.
Israel wiped out their army that day.
David was so successful in everything,
that Saul envied him
and tried many times to kill him.
But the Lord guided
and protected David at every turn.
14
When raiders attacked the city where David dwelt taking everything including women and children, David asked the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? The Lord said, Pursue! You will overtake them and recover all.
Our enemy today is ‘spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12
God eternally promises, I will be a wall of fire around you and glory in your midst. Zechariah 2:5
15
The Lord is a wall of fire
around us

2 Samuel
In His Image
www.truthofhim.com.
God said, Let us make man in our image,

after our likeness:

and let them rule over the fish of the sea,

and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle,

and over all the earth.
God said to me, He that rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
2 Samuel 23:3
3
When David heard that king Saul was dead,

he asked the Lord, Shall I go up to Judah?

And the Lord said, Go to Hebron (communion).

David was king in Hebron

over the house of Judah for 7 years and 6 months

while Saul’s son was king over the rest of the nation.

There was long war between the house of Saul

and the house of David:

but David grew stronger and stronger,

and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
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Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Ephesians 6:10
All the tribes of Israel came to David saying,

Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.

When Saul was king, the Lord said to you,

You will be captain over Israel.

So David became king over all Israel.
David grew greater and greater

because the Lord God was with him.

When the Philistines heard that they had anointed
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David king, they assembled against Israel

in the valley of Rephaim.

(our enemies are ‘rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places.’)

Ephesians 6:12
David asked of the Lord, Shall I go fight the Philistines? The Lord said to David, Go,

for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into your hand.
David conquered many nations over the years
6
and set up God’s rightful rule over them.

When the Lord gave him rest from wars,

he said to Nathan the prophet,

I dwell in a house of cedar,

but the ark of God dwells in a tent.

The Lord sent word to David,

It’s good that you had this in your heart

to build me a house.
Heaven is my throne,

and the earth is my footstool:

where is the house that you could build me?

Where is the place of my rest?
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The Lord will rest in His love,

He will joy over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

He rests in our love.
The Lord said, Your throne will be established forever.

But your son will build a house for My name.
You are great, O Lord God:

there is none like You, there is no God but you.

You do great and awesome things for us.
David executed judgment and justice
to all his people.
8
The Lord sought one, ‘after My own heart

who will do all My will.
I Samuel 13:14
However, when David used his power as king,

to take another man’s wife, a

nd had the man killed, and covered it up,

the Lord disciplined severely

but forgave him and cleansed him.
Just correction came from the Lord

that mirrored what he’d done,

for all history to see, ‘whom the Lord loves

He corrects as a father
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the son in whom He delights. Proverbs 3:12
As for God, His way is perfect;

the word of the Lord is tried:

He is a shield to all that trust in Him.
God is my strength. He makes my way perfect.

He that rules over men must be just,

ruling in the fear of God.
He will be as the light of the morning when the sun rises.

The Lord has made with me an everlasting covenant

(to always have a son to rule on His throne.)
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Again, the anger of the Lord blazed against Israel

(for idolatry),

and He moved David against them

to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
When trouble came, David said to the Lord,

I have sinned greatly. Please take away

the iniquity of your servant;

for I have done very foolishly.
The Lord said, Do you want 7 years of famine?

or defeat before your enemies for 3 months?

or 3 days' disease spreading in your land?
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David said, Let us fall into the hand of the Lord;

for His mercies are great:

don’t let us fall into the hand of man.
So, the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel

from the morning to the time appointed:

70,000 men died (who were following evil

and bringing much suffering on the people.
Idolatry is so serious a crime

because it leads to eternal death
in the lake of fire.
But the Lord has given promises of great hope:

There is a God in heaven
that reveals secrets,
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and makes known what will come in the latter days.

He showed Daniel

the whole history of world rulers ending with:
In the days of these kings the God of heaven

will set up a kingdom that will
never be destroyed.
This kingdom will not be left to other people,

but it will break in pieces

and consume all these kingdoms,

and it will stand forever.
The king answered Daniel,
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It’s true that your God is a God of gods,

and a Lord of kings,

and a revealer of secrets. Daniel 2:44
Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,

and princes will rule in justice. Isaiah 32:1
The Spirit will be poured on us from on high,

and the wilderness be a fruitful field.
The work of righteousness will be peace;

and the effect of righteousness

quietness and safety forever. Isaiah 32:17
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For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:

and the government will be on His shoulder:

and His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor,

The mighty God, The everlasting Father,

The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace

there will be no end, on the throne of David,

and on His kingdom, to order it,

and to establish it with judgment and justice

from now on even forever. Isaiah 9:6, 7
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T he Prince of all kings loves us

1 Kings
Ruling in the fear of God
www.truthofhim.com.
Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works that You have done for us, and Your thoughts that are toward us: they are too many to be counted.’ Psalm 40:5
3
When king David was old, he couldn’t get warm, so a contest was held in the kingdom and a beautiful young virgin was found to be lay beside him
to keep him warm.
He told Solomon, Keep the charge of the Lord your God, walk in His ways, follow all He has written so that you will prosper in all you do.
Man doesn’t live by bread alone but by every word from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4
4
When Solomon ruled, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
Ask what I will give you.
Solomon said, I am but a little child: Your people are a great people, too many to count. Give me an understanding heart to judge your people, to discern between good and evil. His words pleased the Lord and God said,I have given you a wise heart
like no other.
And I have given you riches
and honor like no other.
5
God gave him wisdom as the sand
that is on the seashore.
All the kings of the earth came to hear his wisdom.
In the 480th year after the children of Israel came out of Egypt,
Solomon began to build
the house of the Lord.
He overlaid the whole house with gold
and set 15 ft. tall Cherubim of gold
in the holy of holies overshadowing the Ark of the Covenant, God’s throne on earth.
When the priests came out of the holy place,
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after offerings,
the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
May you know ‘the riches
of the Glory of His inheritance in the saints, the fullness of Him that fills all in all. Ephesians 1:23
Solomon said, Lord God,
there is no God like You,
in heaven above, or on earth beneath,
who guards covenant and mercy
to those that walk before You.
Will God truly dwell on the earth?
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Behold, the heaven
and heaven above the heavens
cannot contain You.
Not one word has failed
of all you promised.
Set our hearts to walk in all Your ways that all the people of the earth may know
that the Lord is God,
and that there is no other.
1 Kings 8:58
The Lord answered, I have hallowed this house, My eyes and My heart
will be there always.
Since the cross
Christ dwells in our hearts.
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Solomon had 700 wives
and 300 concubines,
and they turned his heart from the Lord.
So. the Lord ‘stirred up’ enemies
against him.
When a man's ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Proverbs 16:7
Down through Israel’s history
each king was measured
by the standard of David,
the man ‘after God’s own heart
who did all His will.
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If they followed all His will
their reign was long and prosperous,
if not, for the good of everyone, it was cut short, stopping the evil.
Elijah, God’s prophet said to king Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel lives,
before whom I stand,
there will be no dew or rain these years,
unless I say.
Then the Lord told Elijah, Go east and hide by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
Drink from the brook.
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I have commanded the ravens
to feed you there.
The ravens brought him
bread and meat morning and evening;
and he drank of the brook.
1 Kings 17:1-6
When the brook dried up
the Lord sent Elijah to a widow
in Zarepath.
All she had was a bit of flour
and a cruse of oil.
The Lord promised, The barrel of meal will not empty,
or the oil be gone,
until the day that the Lord
sends rain on the earth.
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When the widow's son fell sick and died, Elijah prayed,
Let this child's soul come into him again,
and he revived. The widow said,
Now I know the word of the Lord
in you is truth.
1 Kings 17
Nearly 3 years later
the Lord sent Elijah to Ahab.
When Ahab saw Elijah, He said, You troubler of Israel!
Elijah said, Not me, it’s you.
You have forsaken the Lord
and followed evil.
12
Go gather all Israel
to mount Carmel.
When all were there, they made two altars. The one who answers by fire,
He is God.
Ahab’s prophets called all day to their gods but got no answer.
The Elijah said, Lord,
let it be known today
that You are God in Israel.
Then the fire of the Lord fell,
and consumed the burnt sacrifice,
the wood, the stones, the dust,
and licked up the water in the trench.
When all the people saw it,
they fell on their faces
13
and they said, The Lord,
He is the God; the Lord, He is the God.
The queen sent death threats
and Elijah ran and hid.
The Lord said, What are you doing here Elijah?
Go stand on the mount.
And the Lord passed by,
first a strong wind tore the mountains;
then an earthquake;
after the earthquake a fire;
but the Lord was not in the wind,
earthquake, or fire:
and after the fire a still small voice.
14
He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
He will cover you with His feathers.
1,000 will fall at your side,
and 10,000 at your right hand;
but it won’t come near you.
Because you made the Lord, the Most High, your dwelling place no evil come near you or your dwelling.
Psalm 91:10
And you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6
15
Our dwelling place in all generations

2 Kings
Blessed Forever
www.truthofhim.com.
Blessed be the name of God
forever and ever:
for wisdom and might are His.
He changes the times and the seasons.
He removes kings and sets up kings:
He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those that know understanding.
He reveals the deep and secret things.
Daniel 2:21
3
King Ahaziah fell through the roof
and sent messengers
to ask his false god if he would recover.
The Lord sent Elijah to intercept them and say, Isn’t there a God in Israel?
Why do you send to this false one? For doing this, you won’t recover.
The king sent 50 men to seize Elijah
who was sitting on top of a hill.
They said, O man of God, come down. Elijah said, If I am a man of God,
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let fire come down and consume you.
Fire came from heaven and consumed them. This happened again, and on the 3rd time the captain knelt and begged,
Please spare our lives.
I come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.’ Jesus,
John 10:10
Much later, when when the Lord was going to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah tried to separate from Elisha, his aide,
5
who said, As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I won’t leave you.
I will never leave your or forsake you, said Jesus. Hebrews 13:5
At the river Jordan,
Elijah struck the river with his mantle.
The waters parted and they crossed
on dry ground.
He said to Elisha,
What do you request as I leave?
Elisha said, I want a double portion of your Spirit on me.
Elijah said, That’s hard,
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but if you see me when I go,
it will be granted.
As they walked on, talking, a chariot of fire, and horses of fire came from heaven
and parted them;
and Elijah went up by a whirlwind
into heaven.
Elisha did twice as many miracles as Elijah. 2 Kings 2
When the kingdom ofMoab came against Israel, 3 armies went to fight them and after 7 days they had no water.
They asked of the Lord.
7
He said, Make this valley full of ditches. You won’t see wind, or rain;
but this valley will be filled with water, for you and your animals.
And the Lord will defeat
the Moabites for you.
Early in the morning water flowed in.
And when the sun shone on the water, it looked like blood.
The Moabites thought the 3 armies had killed each other
and charged in for plunder.
Israel defeated them so badly
they never returned.
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Miracles Elisha did:
He kept a widow from losing her sons to slavery by multiplying a small jar of oil into a room full of large pots filled with oil that she sold to pay her debt
and ‘lived well on the rest.’
He brought back life to an only son.
During a famine, he removed poison
from a pot of food being fed
to the sons of the prophets
and multiplied 20 loaves of barley into enough to feed 100, with some left over.
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He cured a foreign general of leprosy,
who from then on only worshipped
the one true God.
When Syria warred against Israel, Elisha warned them where the enemy was,
so they escaped traps repeatedly.
The king of Syria sent spies everywhere and then surrounded Dothan
where Elisha was.
In the morning when they saw the city was surrounded, his servant said,
What can we do? Elisha said,
Don’t be afraid.
10
There are more with us than with them. Elisha prayed, Lord, open his eyes, and he saw the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha.
2 Kings 6:17
When the Lord made Jehu king, he went throughout Israel destroying the idols
and their worshippers.
The Lord told him, Because you have done all that was in My heart,
your children will sit on the throne of Israel to the 4th generation.
2 Kings 10
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Jesus said, He that overcomes will sit with Me on My throne, forever. Revelation 3:21
During a severe famine when the city was under siege, The Lord had made the army of the Syrians hear a noise of chariots, and horses, and a great army: they ran for their lives and left much food.
Jesus said, I am the bread of life: he that come to me will never hunger; and he that believes on me will never thirst. John 6:35
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Elisha died and they buried him. As a family was burying a man they saw a band of raiders coming and they threw the corpse into Elisha’s grave.
When his corpse touched the bones of Elisha the man came back to life and stood up on his feet. 2 Kings 13:21
The hour is coming when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and live. John 5:25
Like waves on the shore
13
is the ebb and flow of history and kings,
all under the power of Our Lord God who is working ‘all things for good to those that love God, who are the called according to His purpose.’ Romans 8:28
And I saw heaven opened and behold, a white horse; and He that sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns.
14
And He has on His garment and on His thigh a name written, King of Kings, And Lord of Lords.
Revelation 19:16
He will feed His flock like a shepherd: He will gather the lambs with His arm and carry them in His bosom.
Isaiah 40:11
God will wipe away all tears and there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain Revelation 21:4
For His Presence is fullness of joy.
Psalm 16:11
King of kings and Lord of lords

1 Chronicles
Calling forth the generations
www.truthofhim.com.
Who has worked and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last;
I am He.
Isaiah 41:4
I have created you for My glory.’ Isaiah 43:7
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Saul died for his transgression He committed against the Lord, against the word of the Lord, that he didn’t keep, and for asking counsel of an evil spirit, instead of the Lord: and the Lord turned the kingdom to David.
Our eternal king:
His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
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David grew greater and greater for the Lord of hosts was with him.
1 Chronicles 11:9
Let your way of life be without covetousness; and be content with what you have:
for He has said,
I will never leave you or forsake you.
Hebrews 13:5
The Spirit came on Amasai,
who was chief of the captains, and he said, We are yours, David:
peace, peace be to you,
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and peace to your helpers;
for your God helps you.
David gathered all Israel
to 'bring the ark of our God to us.’
And it was right to the people to seek guidance from God the Lord,
that dwells between the cherubim.
Philistines invaded and David consulted God, who told him,
Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand. The enemy was defeated and left their gods there and Israel burned them.
Next time Philistines invaded
the Lord told David,
6
Go behind them and attack
when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees;
for God has gone out before you
to strike the Philistines (to stop their evil).
The fame of David went out into all lands; and the Lord brought the fear of him
on all nations.
He brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord back to the center of life in Israel with joy.
Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name, make known His deeds among the people.
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Sing to Him,
talk of all His wondrous works.
Glory in His holy name.
Seek His face continually.
His judgments are in all the earth.
God allowed no one
to do His people wrong:
He rebuked kings for their sakes, saying, Don’t touch My anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
Declare His glory among the heathen,
His marvelous works among all nations.
For all the gods of the people are idols (can't walk, talk, see, or help):
but the Lord made the heavens.
8
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Say among the nations,
The Lord reigns.
Let the sea roar, and its fullness:
let the fields rejoice, and all that is in them. All the trees of the wood sing out at the Presence of the Lord because He comes to judge the earth.
Give thanks to the Lord;
for He is good;
for His faithful love endures forever.
The Lord told David,
I took you from following the sheep, to rule over My people.
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And I have been with you and cut off all your enemies and made your name famous.
I will set a place for my people Israel; they will not be moved;
or the wicked plunder them anymore.
When your days end, I will set up your son and establish his kingdom.
He will build Me a house,
and I will establish his throne forever.
I will be a father to him.
You bless, O Lord,
and it is blessed forever.
When evil came on David for lack of faith, David saw give three choices and said,
10
Let me only fall into
the hand of the Lord for
His mercies are very great:
don’t let me fall into the hand of man.
David saw the angel of the Lord stand between earth and heaven,
having a drawn sword in his hand.
David and the elders fell on their faces praying, and the Lord said to the angel, Halt! It is enough.
David prayed for Solomon, The Lord give you wisdom
and understanding, to keep
the law of the Lord.
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Then you will prosper.
Seek the Lord only.
Serve Him with a perfect heart
and a willing mind
for the Lord searches all hearts
and understands all the imaginations
of the thoughts:
if You seek him, He will be found.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
the power, the glory, the victory,
and the majesty:
for all that is in the heaven
and in the earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
and You are exalted
as head above all.
12
Riches and honor come from You,
and You reign over all;
and in Your hand is power and might;
and in Your hand it is to make great,
and to give strength to all.
Now therefore, our God,
we thank You and praise
Your glorious name forever and ever.
1 Chronicles 29:11
I know, my God, that You refine the heart, and have pleasure in uprightness.
13
The Lord magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel
and gave him such royal majesty
as had not been on any king
before him in Israel.
Blessed be the name of God
forever and ever:
for wisdom and might are His:
He changes the times and the seasons:
He removes kings and sets up kings:
He gives wisdom to the wise,
and knowledge to those that know understanding. Daniel 2:21
14
He is not far from every one of us,
for in Him we live, and move,
and have our being,
and now He calls all men everywhere
to turn back to Him
for He has appointed a day
when He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man
whom He ordained,
And has given assurance if this to all men,
in that He raised him from the dead.
Acts 17:24-31
He that overcomes with sit with Me on My throne. Revelation 3:21
And this is the victory that overcomes,
our faith. 1 John 5:4
I will never leave you

2 Chronicles
The Prince of Kings
www.truthofhim.com.
Jesus, The Prince of the kings of the earth, He that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, ‘has made us kings and priests to God His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Revelation 1:5,6
He that rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’ 2 Samuel 23:3
3
The Lord God Almighty was with Solomon and magnified him exceedingly. Solomon went to the tabernacle to worship and God appeared to Solomon that night saying, Ask what I shall give you.
And Solomon said to God, You showed great mercy to my father, David, and have made me reign in his place. You made me king over a people as many as the dust of the earth. Give me wisdom and knowledge, for who can judge a
people so great as Your people.
4
God said, Because this was in your heart, I will give it, and will give you what you didn’t ask, riches and honor as no other before you or after you. God made gold and silver as plentiful as stones in his kingdom. Solomon had 1,400 chariots
and 12,000 cavalry.
In the 4th year of his reign, he began to build the temple for the Lord, saying, The house must be great for great is our God above all gods. But who is able to build Him a house,
5
seeing the heaven and heaven above the heavens cannot contain Him?
The temple was built in 7 years and Solomon overlaid the house with fine gold and garnished it with precious stones for beauty; in the holy of holies stood 2 cherubim 15 feet tall overlaid with gold.
Solomon assembled everyone to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord into the holy of holies where the cherubim stood with their wings spread over the ark of the covenant, the throne God on earth.
6
Then the people praised the Lord, ‘For He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever.’
And the glory of the Lord
filled the house of God.
Solomon prayed, O Lord God, there is none like You in heaven or earth Who guards covenant and shows unfailing love to Your servants.
Hear all prayers toward this temple from Your dwelling place, from heaven;
and forgive,
that all people of the earth may know You, and fear You.
7
When Solomon finished praying,
the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
The Lord said, My eyes and ears will be open to hear prayer made in this place;
but if you turn away and worship other gods, then I will pluck you off the good land
I have given.
Solomon reigned over all Israel 40 years then slept with his fathers, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
The kingdom became divided then between the northern and southern kingdoms.
8
When the people rebelled because Rehoboam wouldn’t lighten the heavy taxation and harsh ruling, Rehoboam gathered 180,000 warriors to fight to reclaim the northern kingdom.
But the Lord sent a prophet to tell Rehoboam, Don’t fight against your brothers. Everyone go home
for this is from Me.
Then when the nation turned away from the Lord, (He is our life)
He sent an enemy. The princes and the king humbled themselves;
9
and they said, The Lord is righteous.
When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, He granted them some deliverance, but He left them under their enemies rule so that they could compare life under other kingdoms
and life under His rule.
My way is easy, My load is light.
Matthew 11:28-29
The 2 kingdoms were often fighting.
The northern kingdom was worshipping
2 golden calves.
10
When Abijah was king over Judah
he said, The Lord is our God,
and we have not forsaken Him; God Himself is with us for our captain.
O children, don’t fight against the Lord God for you won’t prosper.
Years later king Asa cried to the Lord when an immeasurable army came against them, saying,
It is nothing with you to help, whether with many, or those with no power:
Help us, O Lord for we rest on You,
11
no one prevails against you. The Lord struck the army of enemies
before Asa, and they fled.
The Spirit of God came on Azariah and he went out to meet Asa, and said, The Lord is with you, while you are with Him; and if you seek Him,
He will be found by you.
And He was found by them
and gave them rest on every side.
The eyes of the Lord run throughout the whole earth, being strong for those toward Him.
King Jehoshaphat taught the people the Word of God
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and the fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands
so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat.
O Lord God, aren’t You God in heaven? and rule over all nations?
No one is able to stand against You.
Throughout the ages, like the tides, nations ebb and flow in God’s blessing or correction depending on the choices of the people.
He rules in holy justice and infinite love with precisely correct precision,
13
revealing His incomparable glory to seeking hearts
and guiding them into an eternity
of endless wonder with Him.
For those going their own way,
after much long-suffering,
the Lord allows the fruits of their doings
to come back on them,
in hopes that they might return to the One who made them from His love and poured out His very life to secure their pardon.
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He desires to live in our hearts more than in a jewel encrusted house of gold.
The Holy Sovereign of the universe
died that Christ may dwell
in our hearts by faith.
Ephesians 3:17-19
He that is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, higher than the heavens says, Behold, I stand at the door (of your heart) and knock. If any open, I will come in. The ones that overcome will sit with Me on My throne.
Revelation 3:20, 21
15
Forever