Warren W. Wiersbe - 1 Kings: Being Good Stewards Of Gods Gifts

Introduction to 1 Kings

The Blame Game

An ancient proverb says, A bad workman always blames his tools.

William Bennett, a contemporary writer, said, Responsible persons are mature people who have taken charge of themselves and their conduct, who own their actions and own up to themwho answer for them.

Finding someone else to blame, denying responsibility, and hiding behind lies seem to be the order of the day. A comedian gets laughs when he says, The devil made me do it. In contrast, President Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that said, The buck stops here. He wasnt afraid to take responsibility. If you cant stand the heat, he said, get out of the kitchen!

David knew what it meant to be a responsible leader, and so did his son Solomon, until the closing years of his reign.

Responsibility

After Solomons death, the nation divided into the ten tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel and the two tribes of Judah. Following Solomon, only eight could be called good kings and responsible men who sought to obey God. For the sake of David, the Lord kept the light shining in Jerusalem and a king on the throne of Judah until the nation was taken captive by Babylon.

But it wasnt only a dozen kings whose irresponsibility brought about the destruction of the city and temple and the captivity of the people. The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests also contributed to Israels downfall (Lam. 4:13). Prophets, priests, and kings were Gods chosen and anointed leaders for His people; yet during the 450 years of Jewish national history before the fall of Jerusalem, most of the prophets and priests failed both God and the people.

Integrity is one of the vital foundations of society, but integrity involves taking responsibility and facing accountability. This includes leadership in the home and church as well as in the halls of academe and the political chambers. Its one thing to make promises at the church altar or to take an oath of office, but its quite another to assume responsibility and act with courage and honesty and seek to please God.

Warren W. Wiersbe

THE WIERSBE BIBLE STUDY SERIES: 1 KINGS

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All Scripture quotations in this study are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

In the Be Responsible excerpts, unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain.) Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org); NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com; and NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All excerpts taken from Be Responsible , second edition, published by David C Cook in 2010 2002 Warren W. Wiersbe, ISBN 978-1-4347-0054-4.

ISBN 978-1-4347-0697-3

eISBN 978-1-4347-0959-2

2015 Warren W. Wiersbe

The Team: Steve Parolini, Karen Lee-Thorp, Amy Konyndyk, Nick Lee, Jack Campbell, Channing Brooks, Karen Athen

Series Cover Design: John Hamilton Design

Cover Photo: iStockphoto

First Edition 2015

An internationally renowned Bible teacher, Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe has written more than 160 books, including the popular BE series of Bible commentaries. He and his wife, Betty, live in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Also available by Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe:
Be Responsible: Being Good Stewards of God's Gift
An expositional commentary of 1 Kings

Visit DCCeBooks.com for more great reads.

Contents

How to Use This Study

This study is designed for both individual and small-group use. Weve divided it into eight lessonseach references one or more chapters in Warren W. Wiersbes commentary Be Responsible (second edition, David C Cook, 2010). While reading Be Responsible is not a prerequisite for going through this study, the additional insights and background Wiersbe offers can greatly enhance your study experience.

The Getting Started questions at the beginning of each lesson offer you an opportunity to record your first thoughts and reactions to the study text. This is an important step in the study process as those first impressions often include clues about what it is your heart is longing to discover.

The bulk of the study is found in the Going Deeper questions. These dive into the Bible text and, along with helpful excerpts from Wiersbes commentary, help you examine not only the original context and meaning of the verses but also modern application.

Looking Inward narrows the focus down to your personal story. These intimate questions can be a bit uncomfortable at times, but dont shy away from honesty here. This is where you are asked to stand before the mirror of Gods Word and look closely at what you see. Its the place to take a good look at yourself in light of the lesson and search for ways in which you can grow in faith.

Going Forward is the place where you can commit to paper those things you want or need to do in order to better live out the discoveries you made in the Looking Inward section. Dont skip or skim through this. Take the time to really consider what practical steps you might take to move closer to Christ. Then share your thoughts with a trusted friend who can act as an encourager and accountability partner.

Finally, there is a brief Seeking Help section to close the lesson. This is a reminder for you to invite God into your spiritual-growth process. If you choose to write out a prayer in this section, come back to it as you work through the lesson and continue to seek the Holy Spirits guidance as you discover Gods will for your life.

Tips for Small Groups

A small group is a dynamic thing. One week it might seem like a group of close-knit friends. The next it might seem more like a group of uncomfortable strangers. A small-group leaders role is to read these subtle changes and adjust the tone of the discussion accordingly.