Covenantide

Recent Posts

  • Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 4)

    Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 4)

    In his cooperation with Hiram of Tyre and his entertaining the visit of the Queen of Sheba, we see the height of Solomon’s rule. The seeds for the downfall of Israel were laid, however, in Solomon’s efforts to accommodate his many foreign wives and the idols they were devoted to.

  • The American Settlement

    The American Settlement

    The Reformation laid the groundwork for the eighteenth-century separation of church and state in what I will call, the American Settlement.  There are good reasons why the American Founders separated the two that still hold wisdom for today.  In the contemporary debates of today, it seems that thinkers too often operate off of caricatures, cherry-pick…

  • Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 3B)

    Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 3B)

    First Kings ch. 8 contains Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple. While it is certainly a prayer, it also contains many elements of a covenant renewal or rededication ceremony. The Temple sets a motif that will be developed throughout the remainder of Scripture.

  • Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 3A)

    Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 3A)

    Chapters 5-7 describe in somewhat tedious detail Solomon’s preparations for and construction of the Temple. Why was such detail necessary? At least three reasons are likely.

  • Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 2)

    Descent into Ungodliness (Lesson 2)

    Chapters 3 and 4 of 1 Kings present us with a complex picture. On the one hand, this is a picture of a prosperous reign with people flourishing, ruled over by a wise and godly king. On the other hand, this was as good as it was going to get for Israel. This picture provides…