The first book of 2022 that I have finished is 1 Kings, in the Holman Christian Standard edition.
In this book of the Bible, it begins with David's last days, goes through Solomon's life, which started out great--he built God's temple, God gave him wisdom, riches, and prosperity, on provision that Solomon remain faithful to God-- but Solomon gets distracted by the many women he marries and brings into his harem. These are women who bring in their own gods from their own cultures and instead of stopping it, he allows it, and eventually follows suit---after having personal experience with the one true God. Because of this, God pronounces judgment on Israel, and it will be divided into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah.
The line of David will continue through Judah. God promises good for the king of Israel, again, if he obeys and remains faithful. We see that again and again, God promises prosperity if leaders will follow him, and most turn away, bringing pain, division, and death. This is a record of the kings of Israel and Judah, and what happens in their reigns.
Also in this book you will find some of the division and drama in David's children's lives, and later, the story of Elijah the Prophet.
Something that struck me as interesting is the wording chosen in the last chapter, 1 Kings 22:27 "...Put this guy in prison.." It amazes me how different versions of the Bible can be. This is the first time I have ever noticed the words "this guy" being used in a Bible!
The Bible I am reading from is The Illustrator's Notetaking Bible in the Holman Christian Standard edition, softcover. It has little doodles on the margins that you can color in. As an artist, I thought this might be fun, and I bought it to give me something to do a few years ago when I went on a mission trip to Kenya and had 20 hours of traveling by plane. Honestly, that's probably the only time I have colored in it, because as a professional artist, if I have spare time, it's usually spent creating art to sell...that's an area I would like to work on, just spending more time enjoying little stuff like coloring. But then again, that might have to wait on retirement. I guess maybe it's time to read some time management books!
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