Connect 1 Kings 11:15 with other scriptures on obedience and divine judgment. Setting the Scene in 1 Kings 11:15 “Earlier, when David was at war with Edom, Joab the commander of the army, who had gone up to bury the slain, struck down every male in Edom.” (1 Kings 11:15) • 1 Kings 11 explains why Hadad the Edomite later became an adversary to Solomon (vv. 14-22). • God Himself “raised up” this adversary (v. 14) as part of His judgment on Solomon’s idolatry (vv. 1-13). • Joab’s brutal campaign, though politically effective, planted seeds of hostility that God would later use to discipline Solomon. The Pattern: Obedience Brings Protection • Deuteronomy 28:1,7 – “If you fully obey… the LORD will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you.” • Joshua 1:7 – “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to do all the law… then you will prosper wherever you go.” • Psalm 5:12 – “Surely You bless the righteous; You surround them with favor as a shield.” When Israel walked in covenant faithfulness, God personally shielded the nation. Military security was never finally credited to swords or strategies, but to obedience. The Counter-Pattern: Disobedience Invites Judgment • Deuteronomy 28:15,25 – “If you do not obey… The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.” • Leviticus 26:17 – “I will set My face against you, and you will be struck down before your enemies.” • 1 Samuel 15:22-23 – “To obey is better than sacrifice… Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.” God’s covenant is literal: blessing follows obedience, and judgment follows rebellion. Joab’s Violence and Lingering Consequences • Joab’s extermination of every male in Edom (1 Kings 11:15-16) exceeded normal warfare, creating generational hatred. • Centuries later, Edom’s hostility toward Judah surfaces again (e.g., Obadiah 10-14). • Scripture consistently shows that unrighteous violence—even by God’s people—boomerangs (Genesis 9:6; Hosea 8:7). Solomon’s Apostasy and God’s Response • 1 Kings 11:4 – “His wives turned his heart after other gods.” • 1 Kings 11:11 – “Since this is your practice and you have not kept My covenant… I will tear the kingdom from you.” • 1 Kings 11:14 – “Then the LORD raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite.” Hadad’s uprising, rooted in Joab’s earlier massacre, becomes an instrument of divine judgment on Solomon’s later idolatry. God weaves together past sins and present rebellion to accomplish His stated discipline. Threading the Scriptures Together 1. God promises security for obedient people (Deuteronomy 28:1-10). 2. Disobedience nullifies that security and even weaponizes old grudges (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). 3. 1 Kings 11:15 supplies the historical spark for Hadad’s resentment; 1 Kings 11:14 shows God lighting that spark in judgment on Solomon. 4. The principle reaches New-Testament clarity: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7). Lessons for Today’s Walk of Obedience • Obedience is a shield no human army can replicate. • Sin’s harvest often ripens in unexpected seasons and through unexpected people. • God remains sovereign, turning even hostile forces into precise instruments of discipline. • Personal and national choices echo across generations; what seems a private action may become public judgment. • The surest path to peace is wholehearted, immediate obedience to the revealed Word of God. |
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