1 Kings 16: Take God’s Promises Seriously

In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord spoken by Joshua son of Nun. -1 Kings 16:34

God’s people had lived so long apart from his law that they no longer took his warnings seriously. The final verse of 1 Kings 16 reveals a key example. When Joshua led the Israelites to defeat Jericho years ago, he said that anyone who sought to rebuild the city would do so at the cost of his firstborn. Hiel either did not know this teaching or ignored it. As a result, his son Segub died, fulfilling the word of the Lord.

Do we still live this way? We have had God’s Word for so long that we no longer take it seriously. As a result, many live as they desire, neglecting or not knowing how God has commanded us to live. As Hiel discovered, this path leads only to pain.

Instead, God calls us to take his words seriously. This includes both knowing it and living it. My goal in handwriting the Bible is not to be smarter, but to better know what it says in order to apply it. If I only know it, but have not love, 1 Corinthians 13 is clear that I am nothing. Instead, our goal must be to know what God has said and to live it out, every moment of every day.

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Dillon Burroughs is the author and coauthor of numerous books and is handwriting a copy of all 31,173 verses of the Bible at HolyWritProject.com. Find out more about Dillon at Facebook.com/readdB or readdB.com.