What happens when compromise creeps into the center of our faith? Today on Day 173, we navigate a heartbreaking peak-and-valley transition in Israel's history alongside a crucial institutional battle for the purity of the gospel. In 1 Kings, Solomon reaches the absolute pinnacle of worldly wealth, wisdom, and international fame, epitomized by the visit of the Queen of Sheba. Yet, the narrative takes a tragic, dark turn. Solomon violates God's kingship laws, accumulating massive wealth, horses from Egypt, and hundreds of foreign wives who systematically turn his heart away from God, forcing a sovereign decree that his kingdom will be torn apart.

In the book of Acts, a different kind of threat challenges the church. Legalistic teachers travel to Antioch, insisting that Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses to be save ...