1 Kings 5:7-12 Blessed be the Lord!

 ”So it was, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly and said, Blessed be the Lord this day, for He has given David a wise son over this great people! Then Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: I have considered the message which you sent me, and I will do all you desire concerning the cedar and cypress logs. My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you indicate to me, and will have them broken apart there; then you can take them away. And you shall fulfill my desire by giving food for my household. Then Hiram gave Solomon cedar and cypress logs according to all his desire. And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors of pressed oil. Thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year. So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty together.“ I Kings‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Blessed be the LORD: We can’t say if Hiram was a saved man, but he certainly respected the God of Israel. This was no doubt due to David’s godly influence on Hiram.

b. And you shall fulfill my desire by giving food for my household: Solomon offered Hiram whatever he wanted as payment for the timber to build the temple (1 Kings 5:6). Hiram did not take unfair advantage, asking only for food for his household.

i. At the same time, Hiram did expect to be paid. His service and the service of His people were not a gift or a sacrifice. “There are a good many people who get mixed up with religious work, and talk as if it were very near their hearts, who have as sharp an eye to their own advantage as he had. The man who serves God because he gets paid for it, does not serve Him” (Maclaren).

c. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon: Solomon, in his God-given wisdom, continued the friendly relationship between Israel and Lebanon. (Guzik)

Blessed be the LORD!

"Blessed be the Lord" is a phrase used to express praise and reverence for God, acknowledging His goodness and mercy. It is often found in biblical texts, emphasizing gratitude and worship towards the divine. (Bible Hub)

We thank the Lord for His daily provisions, the house that shelters us and all the blessings He bestows on us. Blessed be the Lord!

Do you express praise and reverence for God?

Blessings 

Blessed be the Lord!

1 Kings 5:1-6 ‘an house for the name of the LORD.’

 ”Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always loved David. Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying: You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the Lord put his foes under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence. And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to my father David, saying, “Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name.” Now therefore, command that they cut down cedars for me from Lebanon; and my servants will be with your servants, and I will pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say. For you know there is none among us who has skill to cut timber like the Sidonians.“ I Kings‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. For Hiram had always loved David: David was a mighty warrior against the enemies of Israel. but he did not regard every neighbor nation as an enemy. David wisely built alliances and friendships with neighbor nations, and the benefit of this also came to Solomon.

i. “Hiram is an abbreviation of Ahiram which means ‘Brother of Ram,’ or ‘My brother is exalted,’ or ‘Brother of the lofty one’… Archaeologists have discovered a royal sarcophagus in Byblos of Tyre dated about 1200 b.c. inscribed with the king’s name, ‘Ahiram.’ Apparently it belonged to the man in this passage.” (Dilday)

ii. Then Solomon sent to Hiram: “According to Josephus, copies of such a letter along with Hiram’s reply were preserved in both Hebrew and Tyrian archives and were extant in his day (Antiquities, 8.2.8)” (Dilday).

b. You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God: This means that David told Hiram spiritual things, things that one might think Hiram could not understand or had interest in. In some ways, David spoke to Hiram as if Hiram were already an Israelite.

i. This chapter deals with Solomon’s work in obtaining the materials to build the temple. Yet David was so interested in this work that he had already gathered many of the supplies needed to build the temple (1 Chronicles 22:4).

c. Until the LORD put his foes under the soles of his feet: “To put enemies under the feet was the symbolic act marking conquest. In contemporary art enemies were often depicted as a footstool (as Psalm 110:1).” (Wiseman)

d. There is neither adversary nor evil occurrence: The word adversary here is literally Satan. The Latin Vulgate translates this, “nor a Satan.”

e. I propose to build a house for the name of the LORD my God: Of course, Solomon did not build a temple for a name but for a living God. This is a good example of avoiding direct mention of the name of God in Hebrew writing and speaking. They did this out of reverence to God.

i. Solomon also used this phrase because he wanted to explain that he didn’t think the temple would be the house of God in the way pagans thought. “It is to be ‘an house for the name of the LORD.’ That is not the same as ‘for the LORD.’ Pagan temples might be intended by their builders for the actual residence of the god, but Solomon knew that the heaven of heavens could not contain Him, much less this house which he was about to build” (Maclaren).

f. Cut down cedars for me from Lebanon: The cedar trees of Lebanon were legendary for their excellent timber. This means Solomon wanted to build the temple out of the best materials possible.

i. “The Sidonians were noted as timber craftsmen in the ancient world, a fact substantiated on the famous Palermo Stone. Its inscription from 2200 b.c. tells us about timber-carrying ships that sailed from Byblos to Egypt about four hundred years previously. The skill of the Sidonians was expressed in their ability to pick the most suitable trees, know the right time to cut them, fell them with care, and then properly treat the logs.” (Dilday)

ii. It also means that Solomon was willing to build this great temple to God with Gentile wood and using Gentile labor. This was a temple to the God of Israel, but it was not only for Israel. Only Jews built the tabernacle, “But the temple is not built without the aid of the Gentile Tyrians. They, together with us, make up the Church of God” (Trapp).

(Guzik)

‘an house for the name of the LORD.’

This is an important distinction! “the heaven of heavens could not contain Him, much less this house which he was about to build”

Are our churches built for an house for the name of Jesus or for man?

Blessings 

House for My name!

1 Kings 4:32-34 Came to Hear!

 ”He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.“

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭32‬-‭34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Came to Hear!

“Solomon’s great wisdom – divinely inspired wisdom in fact – makes up a considerable portion of the Book of Proverbs.” (Guzik)

All the kings came to hear Solomon’s wisdom but I notice that the scriptures don’t mention that Solomon taught them about the God of Israel that gave him all that wisdom? 

Paul says:

”Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.“ II Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Do people see Jesus in you and your actions?

Blessings 

Came to Hear!

1 Kings 4:29-31 And God Gave!

 ”And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.“ I Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭29‬-‭31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding: In the glory years of Solomon’s kingdom, he used the great wisdom God gave. Sadly, he did not always use this wisdom, and later fell away from his devotion and worship of God (1 Kings 11:1-11).

b. His fame was in all the surrounding nations: Solomon became a prominent and famous man even among kings. In a strong sense, this is the fulfillment of the great promises to an obedient Israel described in Deuteronomy 28.

i. Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. (Deuteronomy 28:1)

ii. Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you. (Deuteronomy 28:10)

iii. In a sense, these blessings came upon Solomon more for David’s obedience than for his own. David was far more loyal and intimate with God than Solomon; yet God outwardly blessed Solomon more for David’s sake than He blessed David himself.

c. He was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman: Ethan is the author of Psalm 89 and Heman the author of Psalm 88. The other names are only mentioned in this passage. (Guzik)

And God Gave!

God gave Solomon wisdom and to us He gives spiritual gifts: 

”There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.“

‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭4‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Are you using your spiritual gifts?

Blessings 

Is there a biblical spiritual gifts list?

1 Kings 4:24-28 Everything For Jesus!

 ”For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace on every side all around him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And these governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply. They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.“ ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭24‬-‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Each man under his vine and his fig tree: This was a proverbial expression for a time of peace and prosperity in Israel (Isaiah 36:16, Micah 4:4, Zechariah 3:10), indicating safety from both internal and external enemies.

b. Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots: The famous stables of Solomon show what a vast cavalry he assembled for Israel. 2 Chronicles 9:25 is a parallel passage and has 4,000 chariots instead of 40,000 – the smaller number seems correct and the larger number is probably due to copyist error.

i. Unfortunately, it also shows that Solomon did not take God’s word as seriously as he should. In Deuteronomy 17:16, God spoke specifically to the future kings of Israel: But he shall not multiply horses for himself. One may argue if 20 or 100 horses violates the command to not multiply horses, certainly forty thousand stalls of horses ismultiplying horses.

c. Each man according to his charge: Spurgeon preached a sermon on this verse, focusing on the idea that we each have a charge to fulfill in the Kingdom of God, and we should be diligent to perform it and be expectant in being supplied for this duty.

i. “In Solomon’s court all his officers had a service to carry out, ‘every man according to his charge.’ It is exactly so in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we are truly his, he has called us to some work and office, and he wills us to discharge that office diligently. We are not to be gentlemen-at-ease, but men-at-arms; not loiterers, but laborers; not glittering spangles, but burning and shining lights.” (Spurgeon)

ii. “Many a servant girl gives her fourpenny-piece to the offering, and if the same proportion were carried out among those who are wealthy, gold would not be so rare a metal in the LORD’s treasury. A tithe may be too much for some, but a half might not be enough for another. Let it be, ‘Every man according to his charge,’ as to measure as well as to matter.” (Spurgeon)

iii. Spurgeon concluded the message on a high note: “Everything for Jesus, the glorious Solomon of our hearts, the Beloved of our souls! Life for Jesus! Death for Jesus! Time for Jesus! Eternity for Jesus! Hand and heart for Jesus! Brain and tongue for Jesus! Night and day for Jesus! Sickness or health for Jesus! Honour or dishonor for Jesus! Shame or glory for Jesus! Everything for Jesus, ‘Every man according to his charge.’ So may it be! Amen.”

(Guzik)

Everything For Jesus!

Spurgeon has a way with words! “the glorious Solomon of our hearts, the Beloved of our souls! Life for Jesus!” 

Is Jesus the beloved of your soul and are you living your life for Him?

Blessings 

Everything For Jesus!

1 Kings 4:22-23 Great Prosperity

 ”Now Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.“

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Ten fatted oxen:…… This provision was for Solomon’s entire household and his royal court.

i. Some estimate that this much food every day could feed 15,000 to 36,000 people. It supplied considerably more than Solomon’s household, large as it was.

ii. Fatted oxen are pen-fed cattle in contrast to open grazing varieties.

b. Thirty kors of fine flour: The kor equaled 220 liters or about 55 gallons. We can accurately picture 30 55-gallon drums full of fine flour being delivered for every day.

c. One hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl: This list is not meant to stress the idea of opulence and luxury; the stress is on the idea that this daily provision indicated the great prosperity of the kingdom.

i. “Whether Christianity helps a man to worldly success or not, it helps him to get all the good out of the world that the world can give. It may, or may not, give wealth, but it will make the ‘little that a righteous man hath better than the riches of many wicked.’” (Maclaren)

(Guzik)

Great Prosperity 

I can’t imagine all the people required to prep, cook, bake and feed all those people! 

I recall growing up in the fifties and sixties, the great prosperity of our country when the economy, housing and the automobile industries were booming! 

But even if we have or experienced great prosperity it will be nothing like heaven and being with Jesus!

“Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

— Revelation 19:9 (KJV)

I look forward to that time, do you?

Blessings 

1 Kings 4:20-21 Divine Providence

 ”Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing. So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.“

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Numerous as the sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing: The reign of Solomon was a golden age for Israel as a kingdom. The population grew robustly and it was a season of great prosperity, allowing plenty of leisure time and pursuit of good pleasures.

b. So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt: Solomon was not a warrior or a general. This peace was achieved by King David and was enjoyed by King Solomon. It was also assisted - under God’s providence - by a season of decline and weakness among Israel’s neighbor states. (Guzik)

Divine Providence

“Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe.”

Israel’s peace and the golden age couldn’t have been achieved without God’s divine providence!

It was divine providence that “Jesus had to die at the hands of the Romans in order to become the sacrifice for sin.” 

”For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,“ Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

”And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.“

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

”that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭45‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you been adopted into the family of God?

Blessings 

Divine Providence?