Monday

20-May

1 Kings 5-6; Job 5; Acts 28

1 Kings 5: Why didn’t David build a house for the Lord according to Solomon?  How much labor was conscripted to build the Temple? 

1 Kings 6: We are provided with a lot of detail about the Temple. What details stand out to you?  How long did it take to complete the Temple?

Job 5: According to Eliphaz, what should Job be doing now?

Acts 28: Why did the people of Malta first think Paul was a murderer and then a god?  How does the book of Acts end?

Journal Prompt: We finish the book of Acts today and in a way this is the end of the Bible narrative. What are your thoughts on this?

Answers:

1 Kings 5: Solomon told Hiram that David didn’t build the Temple “because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him”.  We know from 2 Samuel 7 that David desired to build a Temple, but the Lord said no.

183,300 men were conscripted to build the temple.  This includes Israelites and foreigners; free and slave.

1 Kings 6: Many details stand out to me – but in particular: a)all of the stones were cut to exact measurement in the quarries so that “no hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built” (v. 7).  b) The entire stone structure was paneled with wood. (v. 15,18)  c) the amount of gold used – everything was covered with gold. (v.20-23, 28, 30, 32, 35)

Job 5: Job should be seeking God in his affliction for His pardon, favor, and help rather than accusing Him.

Acts 28: The people believed that Paul was a murderer (he was the prisoner) because he was bitten by a venomous snake and then when he survived the snake bite, they thought he was a god.

The book of Acts ends with Paul under house arrest for a period of two years awaiting an audience with Caesar.  He was continually “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (final verse) to anyone that came to see him.