THE NEW KING

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 1

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

Jesus would have walked on this now crumpled road that runs along the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. You see on the left openings where shops once were, and it was also the support structure for the walkway that led up into the Temple Mount. On the wall near the top you can see where the base of the walkway bridge was. It is called Robinson’s Arch, after Biblical scholar Edward Robinson who identified its remnants in 1838 (see the extra photos below for some close-up views and an artists rendering of how the walkway likely looked at the time of Jesus).

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: 1 Kings 1:48

Also the king said thus, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it!”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Dear Lord Jesus, have dominion over my life, my family, the church worldwide, as well as my local congregation. May Your influence be strong in the governing of our land and other lands. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem, Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and the other Arab states. I pray for Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, China and the Koreas. Please raise up people in those and in other states who call upon You, Lord God. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

The tragedy of the slaughter of the innocents in abortion, with no protection whatsoever in Canadian law, came about in the 1970’s. However, I thought that all was not lost in regard to the protection of these little ones when our government changed the words of our national anthem to include “God Keep Our Land.” These words are belted out at every hockey game, baseball game, football game, etc. For many who sing them, it may only be lip service, but for me it’s a fervent prayer. The other thing that encouraged me was that God was recognized in our new constitution in the early 1980’s. I was so hopeful when the Minister of Health, the Hon. Jake Epp, presented a bill to Parliament in the mid 1980’s, which would have protected the lives of some precious ones still in the womb. This bill passed with the votes of the elected members of the House of Commons but failed by one vote in the Senate. These people, most of whom were appointed by a previous government, overturned the will of the people as expressed by the elected members of the House. God takes most seriously, I believe, the commitment of Canada’s founders, who made Psalm 72:8 the motto of our Land: “He shall have dominion from sea to sea.” That scripture is carved in stone at the entrance to our Houses of Parliament. Therefore, I haven’t given up hope that somehow our representatives will all come to their senses and do something to stop these little bodies from being poisoned or torn apart in their mothers’ wombs. While Jake Epp’s bill would not have stopped all abortions, it is apparent that at least 100,000 Canadians are with us today as a result of the threat of passing that bill, which stopped many hospitals from performing abortions for a brief time. May God have mercy on us!

Yours for decisions that will please God in every area of human life,

David

Here is an up-close view of the shops and support structure that led up to the Temple Mount.

Robinson’s Arch

Robinson’s Arch and Temple Mount at the time of Jesus.