Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - They Ate, They Drank, and They Were Happy | Historical Books | 1 Kings 4:20-34

Episode Date: July 31, 2025

What do you want to be remembered for? What leads to a flourishing society? What is the gift of administration? In today's episode, guest host Luke Simon, shares how 1 Kings 4:20-34 encourages us to order our lives in such a way that we can eat, drink, and be happy. If you're listening on Spotify, tell us about yourself and where you're listening from! Read the Bible with us in 2025! This year, we’re exploring the Historical Books—Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: 1 Kings 4:20-34

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. Patrick is currently out of town and unable to record, so I'm going to be filling in for him for a couple of weeks. My name is Luke Simon. I'm an avid TNBT listener, and I'm excited to be your host today. Let's get started. What do you want to be remembered for? When your time on earth is over, when people gather to tell stories, write tributes, or share memories, what do you hope they say? She was so kind. He worked hard and never gave up. She was a joy to be around. He made a difference. She loved her family well. He was faithful to God. Those would all be great things to hear. But what about this one? They ate, they drank, and they were happy. That last one might catch you off guard. It doesn't sound particularly spiritual, does it? But it's exactly how the author of First Kings described. the people who live during Solomon's reign. First Kings 420 says, Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. Now, maybe that sounds a little shallow to you, like a lazy Saturday spent binging Netflix

and eating takeout. But what if that phrase is actually deeper than it seems? Think about it. These words are describing a whole nation of people, not just the king or his court, but ordinary people. ordinary towns, living ordinary lives. And guess what? They were happy. They had food on the table. They had wine to drink. They had peace in the land. They laughed with the neighbors. They enjoyed their families. They went to bed full, safe and satisfied. You know what that sounds like? A miracle. Most of the Bible is filled with stories of conflict, famine and justice, war and idolatry. But here, for this brief moment, it's different. People were flourishing. Life was good. And the Bible doesn't criticize this joy. It celebrates it.

Ecclesiastes, a book often attributed to King Solomon himself, echoes the same theme. It says, there is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God. In other words, don't overlook the goodness of everyday life. Joy is not just allowed, it's commanded. When we eat, drink, and enjoy the fruit of our work, we are receiving God's gifts with gratitude. So how did Solomon's people get there? The answer might surprise you. The Israelites were able to eat, drink, and be happy.

Why? Because they had order. In yesterday's passage, Jensen covered the intricate administrative system Solomon set up, 12 regional officers collecting provisions, supplies organized and distributed, responsibilities delegated, authority respected. It might sound like boring bureaucracy, but in God's economy, order is a blessing. Solomon wasn't just a king, he was an administrator and a wise one.

And the result, the people of Israel flourished. Because when a wise king rules with wisdom, justice, and peace, the people rejoice. When leadership is competent and fair, when systems are functional, when justice is upheld. When needs are met, joy increases. Ask anyone who's lived in a broken system. Maybe it's a home filled with chaos or a workplace without boundaries, or maybe even a church without structure.

Disorder drains us, but good order makes room for good living. This shouldn't surprise us. Our God is a God of order. He created the world with rhythms and structure, sun and moon, days and season, rest and work. He ordered the family. He gave laws for justice. He organized the temple and the priesthood. Paul even calls the church to do everything decently and in order. God brings life out of chaos. He brings peace where there is confusion. He restores what is disordered and sets it right again. That's what Solomon's kingdom reflected, at least for a time. God gave him wisdom and he used it to organize the kingdom in such a way that ordinary people can live joyful, peaceful lives. They ate, drink, and were happy. That's what good order makes possible. And yet, we know it didn't last. Eventually, Solomon's reign slipped into oppression.

Taxes became burdensome. His heart drifted to idols. And his kingdom would eventually be divided, because even the best human kings fail. But this moment in First Kings 4 is like a sneak peek, a preview, a whisper of a better king to come, a glimpse of the kingdom Jesus will one day bring in full. In Luke 1131, Jesus calls himself greater than Solomon, and he was right. Solomon brought order to a political kingdom for a season, but Jesus brings order to the soul for eternity. He is the king who brings peace not by taxation, but by sacrifice, not by organizing the land, but by healing the heart. He gives the gift of the holy, Spirit, who brings spiritual order into our lives. He organizes our desires, reorders our loves,

and restructures our priorities. When Jesus reigns, chaos does not get the final word. He brings justice where there's been oppression, joy where there's been sorrow, peace when there's been anxiety, healing where there's been hurt. In fact, one of the spiritual gifts, the New Testament names in 1 Corinthians is administration. And while administration might not be as sexy as teaching or healing or prophecy, it's still deeply spiritual. When the spirit fills you, he begins to reorder your life. He helps you say no to what distracts. And he helps you say yes to what matters. And he gives you wisdom to create rhythms, routines, and systems that allow joy to grow. Administration leads to transformation. Are you letting the Holy Spirit bring holy administration into your life? What could that look like for you?

Maybe that's organizing your time to create space for rest or prayer. Maybe it's asking for help with a habit that's gotten out of control. Maybe it's using the 10-minute Bible Talks reading plan to structure your Bible reading. Maybe it's creating a system for how you'll disciple your kids, care for a friend, or serve others in your church. It could be creating a budget so you're planning to be generous with your money instead of doing it reactively. Maybe it's just naming the chaos you're facing and asking Jesus to speak peace into it. Order isn't just about control. It's about creating room for joy. Because that's what this passage in First Kings is really about. God gave order and the people flourished. In other words, they ate, they drank, and they were happy. Don't you want that? Don't you want to be

remembered not just as someone who got a lot done, but as someone who truly lived, someone who, under the gracious rule of a good king, ate, drank, and was deeply, joyfully satisfied. The good news is, that day is coming, because First Kings four points forward to a greater kingdom, a forever kingdom. The prophet Isaiah saw it coming in Isaiah at nine. He says the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and of the increase of his government, and of peace there will be no end. He will establish it with justice and with righteousness. That's the kingdom Jesus is building. And when it's fully here, when all things are made new, we will eat and we will drink and we will be happy forever. Until then, let's live like citizens of that kingdom. Let's embrace the order that brings peace. Let's give ourselves to the joy-filled, spirit-empowered work of building lives and homes and churches that reflect the goodness of our king.

Because one day, when all is said and done, this might be the most beautiful words spoken of us all. They ate, they drank, and they were happy. Amen.