What happens when parents refuse to correct their children? And what can Christian moms and dads learn from David’s failures as a father?

In this episode of The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries, Stephanie Hickox begins the book of First Kings while weaving together powerful encouragement from Psalms 37, 71, and 94.

As Israel transitions from King David to Solomon, we see another son rise up in rebellion—Adonijah exalting himself and attempting to seize the throne. But hidden within the story is a sobering statement about David’s parenting: “His father had never at any time displeased him…”

This episode dives deep into:

• Biblical parenting and loving discipline
• Why children need guidance, correction, and truth
• The danger of passive parenting
• Trusting God during overwhelming seasons of motherhood
• What Psalm 37 really means when it says, “Delight yourself in the Lord”
• God’s faithfulness even when earthly leaders fail

If you’re a Christian parent navigating chaos, exhaustion, discouragement, or the pressure of “May-cember,” this conversation offers biblical wisdom, encouragement, and hope rooted firmly in God’s Word.

In This Episode:

• Introduction to the book of 1 Kings
• Why Israel faced judgment and exile
• Adonijah’s rebellion against King David
• David’s parenting failure and lack of discipline
• Solomon anointed as king
• Psalm 37 encouragement for anxious hearts
• Biblical discipline versus modern parenting culture
• Helping children understand their need for Jesus
• Trusting God in busy and overwhelming seasons

Key Scriptures Mentioned:

• 1 Kings 1
• Psalm 37
• Psalm 71
• Psalm 94
• Psalm 37:4
• Psalm 94:12
• Psalm 94:9

Encouragement for Christian Moms:

If you feel overwhelmed by motherhood, discouraged by your own shortcomings, or burdened by the responsibility of pointing your children to Christ, this episode is a reminder that God sees, God hears, and God faithfully works through imperfect parents.

Instead of simply changing our circumstances, the Lord often uses them to shape our character—and the character of our children.

Perfect For Listeners Searching:

• Christian parenting podcasts
• Bible study for moms
• Christian motherhood encouragement
• Psalm 37 devotional
• Parenting with biblical discipline
• How to raise godly children
• First Kings Bible study
• Christian family discipleship
• Trusting God in hard seasons

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share The Dwelling Place with another mom or family who could use biblical encouragement today.

Learn more about the ministry and find additional discipleship resources at Entrusted Ministries.

Do you feel hopeless, discouraged, or anxious in your parenting? Can God redeem those mistakes and give peace and hope for the future? Yes, He truly can! Entrusted with a Child's Heart can encourage you to embrace the fresh start God has for you. This quick episode explains how this biblical parenting study can guide moms, bless your church, and actually help the leaders! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-again-podcast-for-christian-moms-encouragement-in/id1700555502

Don't forget to check out the Again Podcast! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-again-podcast-for-christian-moms-encouragement-in/id1700555502

Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary, Spurgeon's Treasury of David

This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox.

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Today, we'll begin the Book of 1 Kings.

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We'll also add in Psalms 37, 71, and 94.

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And as we look to this new book of the

Bible, we'll be disappointed over and

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over by the failings of earthly kings.

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But all of it will serve to elevate

the perfect reign of Jesus Christ.

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I'm well aware that it is

May-cember, and if you are still

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showing up, I'm so proud of you.

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It's been a crazy month for me,

too But as I've always told you,

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I'm not doing this because I have

it all I'm doing this because I need

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the Word of God to hold it together.

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Especially when life is full

of chaos and commitments,

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First and Second Kings were originally

one book, but in order to keep the scroll

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size of a reasonable length, the original

scribes divided them into two books.

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It's really difficult to nail

down the author of this book, so

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let's stick to what we do know.

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The author had access to a

lot of the other scrolls and

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was able to use that history

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But also within these verses, the author

wanted to make sure that the readers

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understood why Israel faced judgment and

why God had allowed them to be exiled God

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had given them warning after warning.

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It was the nation's lack of

faithfulness that led to their judgment

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There's a lot of intentionality

here, and there are three key themes.

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First of all, God was judging the

nation because of their disobedience.

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Secondly, everything that the prophet

said came true And third, God was

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still faithful to his promise to David

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As we look to chapter one, I will admit

these first verses are a little bit weird.

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David was having circulatory issues

and couldn't keep warm, so they

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used the body heat of a young woman.

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According to Josephus, the historian, and

Galen, the well-known Greek doctor, this

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was a pretty common practice of the day.

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It just sounds odd to us

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In verse five, "Now Adonijah the

son of Haggith exalted himself,

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saying, ' I will be king.'

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And he prepared for himself

chariots and horsemen, and

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fifty men to run before him."

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Does this sound familiar

from Absalom's rebellion?

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Adonijah was David's oldest living son.

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His name means continually exalted

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And it appears his expectation

was that he was going to be

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exalted by becoming the next king.

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But you know and I know that God

had a different intention, and

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that he often elevates younger sons

above their older brothers in a

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completely counter-cultural fashion.

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Adonijah will not be king.

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But what is most is what we read in

verse regarding David's fatherhood.

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It says, " David had never at any

time displeased him by asking, ' Why

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have you done thus and so?'"

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Okay.

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Whoa.

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David had never challenged his son.

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And now you see how the author of

Kings puts that right in there to

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show this is an additional son rising

up in rebellion against his father.

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And why is this happening?

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Perhaps it's because his father never

had him get in line, never told him no,

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and never even questioned his behavior.

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This has done nothing to serve his

character And it reminds me of a lot

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of parenting advice that we hear today.

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We're told to distract our children,

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and to make that we're doing everything

to make them happy and comfortable,

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and to not believe that they have any

sinful intentions or a sin nature.

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This is so oppositional to the

ideas of scripture We are sinners,

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and our kids need our guidance

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to help them learn how to submit

to authority and how to develop

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godly character Unfortunately,

Joab and Abiathar the priest

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follow Adonijah and help him.

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Joab is a complicated character,

isn't he's David's nephew, and

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he seems to be a wild card.

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Sometimes he's loyal to

David, and others not at all

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Adonijah gets a party going, sacrificing

animals and celebrating with everyone,

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but he leaves out a few key people he

knows will stay loyal to his father.

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Nathan, the prophet, lets Bathsheba,

the mother of Solomon, know, " You

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better save yourself and Solomon

and make sure David puts an end to

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this before it goes much farther."

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It was common for a king to kill anyone

that was a threat to their throne.

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It's quite possible that Solomon and

Bathsheba would literally have been

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on the chopping block Bathsheba goes

to her husband, King David, and tells

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him, " You swore to your servant by

the Lord your God, saying, ' Solomon

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your son shall reign after me,

and he shall sit on my throne.'

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And now, my lord the king, the eyes

of all Israel are on you, to tell

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them who shall sit on the throne

of my lord the king after him."

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And as Nathan had planned in advance, he

interrupts Bathsheba and confirms that

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Adonijah is doing just what she says.

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David calls Bathsheba back in.

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I don't really get why

she had to leave at all.

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And then David will repeat

what is my favorite description

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that he gives of the Lord.

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" As the Lord lives, who has redeemed

my soul out of every adversity, as

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I swore to you by the Lord, the God

of Israel, saying, ' Solomon your

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son shall reign after me, and he

shall sit on, on the throne in my

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place,' even so will I do this day."

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Bathsheba bows her face to the ground

in gratitude And David commands Zadok

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the priest and Nathan the prophet and

Benaiah, one of his key mighty men

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To have Solomon ride on David's mule

and anoint him as king over Israel.

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David commands them to blow the trumpet

and say, "Long live King Solomon," and

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have his son come sit on his throne

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These three men faithfully

carry out David's directions

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And there's a phrase I don't recall

ever seeing before in scripture.

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As all the people are

rejoicing in Solomon's kingship

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We're told that the earth

was split by their noise.

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That's pretty powerful, and it

turns out all this noise puts a

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damper on rebellious Adonijah's party

There's a hill in between, and so

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he can't quite see what's going on.

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But a messenger named Jonathan

comes in, informing them that

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Solomon has been anointed king.

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He might be the worst party

crasher ever because every guest

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departs and goes their own way.

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Adonijah is rightfully

terrified for his life.

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He flees to the altar

and clings to the horns.

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Solomon tells him, "I'll give you

grace, but if you prove yourself

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to be wicked, I will cut you off."

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We'll find out more about

these characters tomorrow.

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And now it's time to look

at our Psalms for today.

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Chapter 37 is so, so good.

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And in the interest of time, I'll

just read some key portions over you.

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Beginning in verse three, " Trust

in the Lord and do good.

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Dwell in the land and

befriend faithfulness.

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Delight yourself in the Lord and He will

give you the desires of your heart."

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Commit your way to the Lord.

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Trust in Him, and He will act.

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He will bring forth your

righteousness as the light, and

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your justice as the noonday.

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Be still before the Lord

and wait patiently for Him.

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Fret not yourself over the one

who prospers in his way, over the

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man who carries out evil devices.

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Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.

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Fret not yourself; it tends only

to evil For the evildoers shall

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be cut off, but those who wait for

the Lord shall inherit the land.

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In just a little while,

the wicked will be no more.

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Though you look carefully at

his place, he will not be there.

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But the meek shall inherit the land and

delight themselves in abundant peace.

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Better is the little that the righteous

has than the abundance of many wicked.

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For the arms of the wicked

shall be broken, but the

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Lord upholds the righteous.

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The Lord knows the days of the blameless,

and their heritage will remain forever.

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They are not put to shame in evil times.

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In the days of famine, they have abundance

The steps of a man are established by

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the Lord when he delights in his way.

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Though he fall, he shall not be cast

headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.

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I have been young and now am old, yet

I have not seen the righteous forsaken

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or his children begging for bread.

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He is ever lending generously, and

his children become a blessing.

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Turn away from evil and do good.

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So shall you dwell forever

For the Lord loves justice.

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He will not forsake his saints.

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They are preserved forever, but the

children of the wicked shall be cut off.

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The righteous shall inherit the

land and dwell upon it forever.

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The mouth of the righteous utters

wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.

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The law of his God is in his heart.

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His steps do not slip Wait for

the Lord and keep His way, and He

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will exalt you to inherit the land.

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Mark the blameless, and behold

the upright, for there is a

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future for the man of peace.

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The salvation of the

righteous is from the Lord.

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He is their stronghold

in the time of trouble.

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The Lord helps them and delivers them.

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He delivers them from the wicked and saves

them, because they take refuge in Him

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Couldn't you just meditate on one

of these phrases over and over?

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Probably the most popular verse in

this chapter is, "Delight yourself

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in the Lord and He will give

you the desires of your heart."

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But the context of this passage

is all about God bringing

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forth our righteousness.

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There was a call to be upright

and meek and submit to God.

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And I wanna caution us against expecting

God to bless our desires unless

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we're first submitting them to Him.

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and aiming to have our

character molded in His likeness

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let's look to Psalm 71 to a

few key verses there as well.

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In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;

let me never be put to shame.

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In your righteousness deliver

me and rescue me; incline

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your ear to me and save me.

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Be to me a rock of refuge, to

which I may continually come.

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O God, from my youth you have taught me,

and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

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So even to old age and gray hairs, O

God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim

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your might to another generation,

your power to all those to come.

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Your righteousness, O God,

reaches the high heavens.

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You who have done great

things, O God, who is like you?

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You who have made me see

many troubles and calamities

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Speaker 64: will revive me again.

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And in Psalm 94, we're given a

much better model for parenting

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than David's lack of discipline

that we read about in First Kings.

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" Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O

Lord, and whom you teach out of your law,

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to give him rest from days of trouble."

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God's discipline is for our good,

and godly parents recognize that the

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greatest danger to a child is themselves.

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Instead of solely protecting our

kids from the world around them

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It's our mandate from scripture to help

them recognize their need for a savior.

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If we neglect to teach them

about their capability for sin,

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they'll never understand how

desperate they are for Jesus

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and we can humbly model That we are in

the same state before our perfect Savior.

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In closing, I'll point out one

of my mom's very favorite verses.

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Psalm 94:9 tells us,

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Speaker 65: he who planted

the ear, does he not hear?

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He who formed the eye, does he not see?

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He who disciplines the

nations, does he not rebuke?

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And it's this God that hears and sees

that we can turn to now Heavenly

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Father, we rejoice that you are

abundantly faithful to save us, to

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help us, and to discipline us.

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Instead of just changing our

circumstances, you change our character

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in them, and we praise you for

what you do in the times of waiting.

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Often it seems so overwhelming for

how we can lovingly point our kids to

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you in their weaknesses and help them

recognize their need for a Savior

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But Lord, allow us to remember the

urgency and the importance of this

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role that you've placed before us

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Guide us to walk first in humility,

addressing our own shortcomings and

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recognizing how desperately we need you

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Thank you that you hear, you see

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and new discipline, and we rejoice in

the perfect love of our Savior Jesus.

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Amen