1 Kings 3:10-15 Character!

 ”The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.“

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬-‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. The speech pleased the LORD: God was pleased by what Solomon asked for, in that he knew his great need for wisdom, discernment, and understanding. God was also pleased by what Solomon did not ask for, in that he did not ask for riches or fame or power for himself.

i. Solomon’s request was not bad. We are specifically told that the speech pleased the LORD. Yet we can also ask if this was the best Solomon could ask for. “Was this the highest gift that he could have asked or received? Surely the deep longings of his father for communion with God were yet better” (Maclaren).

ii. Solomon did his job well, as well or better than anyone. Yet as his falling away in the end showed (1 Kings 11:1-11) there was something lacking in his spiritual life. “There is no sign in his biography that he ever had the deep inward devotion of his father. After the poet-psalmist came the prosaic and keen-sighted shrewd man of affairs” (Maclaren).

b. I have done according to your words… I have also given you what you have not asked: God not only answered Solomon’s prayer, He also answered it beyond all expectation. Solomon did not ask for riches and honor or a long life, but God gave him those also.

i. In Ephesians 3:20, Paul honored God saying, Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. Solomon experienced God’s ability to do far beyond all that we ask or think.

ii. Solomon wisely asked God regarding his character, not his possessions. What we are is more important than what we have.

c. Then Solomon awoke: It was a dream, but it was at the same time also a message from God. God answered Solomon’s prayer and made him wise, powerful, rich, and influential. His reign was glorious for Israel.

i. At the same time, his end was tragic. We can fairly say that Solomon wasted these gifts God gave him. Though he accomplished much, he could have done much more - and his heart was led away from God in the end (1 Kings 11:4-11).

ii. “Instead of being the wisest of men, did he not become more brutish than any man? Did he not even lose the knowledge of his Creator, and worship the abominations of the Moabites, Zidonians, and [so forth]? And was not such idolatry a proof of the grossest stupidity? How few proofs does his life give that the gracious purpose of God was fulfilled in him! He received much; but he would have received much more, had he been faithful to the grace given. No character in the sacred writings disappoints us more than the character of Solomon.” (Clarke)

(Guzik)

Character!

Solomon with all his knowledge drifted from His Creator and worshipped abominations! 

But grace was also given to us!

”But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.“

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

When it comes to our character, will we disappoint God or fulfill His purpose with our life? 

Blessings 

Character!

1 Kings 3:5-9 Ask! What shall I give you?

 ”At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”“ ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. The LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream: This remarkable visitation from God happened in a dream. This is one of the more significant dreams in the Bible.

b. Ask! What shall I give you: This was an amazing promise. God seemed to offer Solomon whatever he wanted. This wasn’t only because Solomon sacrificed 1,000 animals; it was because his heart was surrendered to God, and God wanted to work something in Solomon through this offer and his response.

i. The natural reaction to reading this promise of God to Solomon is to wish we had such a promise. We do have them.

· Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)

· If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. (John 15:7)

· Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14)

c. You have shown great mercy: Before responding to God’s offer and asking for something, Solomon remembered God’s faithfulness to both David and now to Solomon himself.

d. But I am a little child: Solomon was not really the age of a child. He came to God in great humility, especially considering the job in front of him.

i. “The statement is actually Solomon’s poetic way of expressing his inadequacies as he faced the awesome tasks of leadership.” (Dilday)

ii. Solomon didn’t have the false humility that said, “I can’t do this, so I won’t even try.” His attitude was, “The job is so much bigger than me; I must rely on God.”

d. Give to Your servant an understanding heart: Solomon asked for more than great knowledge; he wanted understanding, and he wanted it in his heart, not merely in his head. Actually, the ancient Hebrew word translated understanding is literally, “hearing.” Solomon wanted a hearing heart, one that would listen to God.

i. In Ephesians 1:18, the Apostle Paul prayed for Christians, asking that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened.

f. To judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil: Solomon already understood that a key component of leadership is wise and just discernment. Many leaders do not have this discernment or the courage to use it. (Guzik)

Ask! What shall I give you?

His heart was surrendered to God!

And just like Solomon, Matthew 7:7, John 15:7 and 1 John 5:14 shows us what is possible through Jesus Christ if we come to Him with a surrendered heart! 

Several weeks ago the youth pastor filled in for the lead pastor during the Sunday service and taught a great biblical teaching. At the end, he performed an altar call and a lot of people answered it and went forward. Several people from the twelve step program we lead went forward and it was a wonderful experience watching the Holy Spirit work as people surrendered their hearts to God!

Have you surrendered your heart to God?

Blessings 

How to pray

1 Kings 3:2-4 Except!

 ”And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.“ ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. People sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD: At this time, altars were allowed in Israel at various high places, as long as those altars were unto the LORD and not corrupted by idolatry (as commanded in Deuteronomy 16:21). When the temple was built, sacrifice was then centralized at the temple.

b. Solomon loved the LORD… except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places: There is good and bad in this assessment of Solomon. There is good in that generallyhe walked in the statutes of his father David. There is bad in the word “except.”

i. At the same time, it seems that God showed mercy to those who violated this law before the temple was built. “Could there be any sin in this, or was it unlawful till after the temple was built? For prophets, judges, the kings which preceded Solomon, and Solomon himself, sacrificed on high places, such as Gibeon, Gilgal, Shiloh, Hebron, Kirath-jearin, etc. But after the temple was erected, it was sinful to offer sacrifices in any other place” (Clarke).

ii. Solomon did love the LORD, yet he also loved foreign wives who eventually helped turn his heart away from the LORD (1 Kings 11:4-10). “The perils of mixed motives and a divided heart are terrible indeed” (Morgan).

c. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar: This almost grotesque amount of sacrifice demonstrated both Solomon’s great wealth and his heart to use it to glorify God.

i. This was an important event marking the ceremonial beginning of Solomon’s reign. According to 2 Chronicles 1:2-3, the entire leadership of the nation went with Solomon to Gibeon.

d. Now the king went to Gibeon: Solomon made these special sacrifices at Gibeon becausethat was the great high place. What made it different was that the tabernacle was there, even though the ark of the covenant was in Jerusalem.

i. The course of the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant in the Promised Land:

· Joshua brought both the ark and the tabernacle to Shiloh (Joshua 18).

· In the days of Eli the ark was captured and the tabernacle wrecked (1 Samuel 4, Psalm 78:60-64, Jeremiah 7:12 and 26:9).

· The ark came back to Kiriath-Jearim (1 Samuel 7:1-2).

· Saul restored the tabernacle at Nob (1 Samuel 21).

· Saul moved the tabernacle to Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:39-40).

· David brought the ark to Jerusalem and built a temporary tent for it (2 Samuel 6:17, 2 Chronicles 1:4).

ii. There were several reasons to explain why David did not bring the tabernacle from Gibeon to Jerusalem:

· He may have believed if the tabernacle was there, the people would be satisfied with that and they would lose the passion and vision for the temple God wanted built.

· It may be that the tabernacle was only moved when it was absolutely necessary - as when disaster came upon it at Shiloh or Nob.

· David simply focused on building the temple, not continuing the tabernacle. (Guzik)

Except!

Don’t miss this! Solomon loved the LORD… except!

Can you insert our name in place of Solomon’s, is there an exception in your life?

Blessings 

1 Kings 3:1 Ruined His Spiritual Life

 ”Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall all around Jerusalem.“

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter: Marriage to fellow royalty was a common political strategy in the ancient world, and continues to the modern age. It was not only because royalty wanted to marry other royalty, but also because conflict between nations was then avoided for the sake of family ties.

i. This was not Solomon’s first marriage. 1 Kings 14:21 tells us that his son Rehoboam came to the throne when he was 41 years old, and 1 Kings 11:42 tells us that Solomon reigned 40 years. This means that Rehoboam was born to his mother, a wife of Solomon named Naamah the Ammonitess, before he came to the throne and before he married this daughter of Pharaoh.

ii. Solomon’s multiple marriages, and marriages to foreign women, would cause great disaster in his life.…….

iii. The foreign wives made Solomon more than a bad example – they ruined his spiritual life. But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites; from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David (1 Kings 11:1-4).

iv. 1 Kings 11:4 says this only happened when Solomon was old, but the pattern was set with this first marriage to the Egyptian princess. It perhaps made political sense, but not spiritual sense. “Such arranged marriages were a common confirmation of international treaties, but this one was the beginning of Solomon’s spiritual downfall” (Wiseman).

v. 2 Samuel 3:3 tells us that David married the daughter of a foreign king: Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. Marrying a foreign woman was not against the Law of Moses – if she became a convert to the God of Israel. What did not ruin David did ruin Solomon.

b. He brought her to the City of David: Though this was permitted under the Law of Moses, it was not wise or good for Solomon to do this. Later in his life, his foreign wives were the reason his heart turned away from the LORD (1 Kings 11:4).

(Guzik)

Ruined His Spiritual Life

Like Solomon, the Bible warns Christians over the concern of our spiritual life and marriage.

”Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?“

‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you performed a review of your spiritual life?

Blessings 

Areas-of-Spiritual-Life

1 Kings 2:36-46 Arch-Rebels

 ”Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere. For it shall be, on the day you go out and cross the Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head.” And Shimei said to the king, “The saying is good. As my Lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days. Now it happened at the end of three years, that two slaves of Shimei ran away to Achish the son of Maachah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Look, your slaves are in Gath!” So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to seek his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. And Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back. Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and travel anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word I have heard is good.’ Why then have you not kept the oath of the Lord and the commandment that I gave you?” The king said moreover to Shimei, “You know, as your heart acknowledges, all the wickedness that you did to my father David; therefore the Lord will return your wickedness on your own head. But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.” So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.“

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭2‬:‭36‬-‭46‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Do not go out from there anywhere: Shimei was associated with the household of the former King Saul, and showed himself as a threat to the House of David (2 Samuel 16:5-8). David instructed Solomon not to allow Shimei to die in peace (1 Kings 2:9). Solomon began dealing with Shimei by placing him under house arrest.

b. The saying is good: Shimei knew that Solomon was merciful and generous to him. He not only agreed with the arrangement, he was also grateful for it.

c. Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD and the commandment that I gave you: Solomon extended mercy to Shimei, but Shimei abused it and took advantage of it. It seems to have been mainly a matter of neglect or forgetfulness, but it was criminal to neglect or forget a royal covenant.

d. Thus the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon: This chapter demonstrates that Solomon’s throne was secure at an early date, not like the reign of David or Saul.

i. This initial demonstration of justice was important for Solomon to perform. “He seems to think that, while such bad men remained unpunished the nation could not prosper; that it was an act of justice which God required him to perform, in order to the establishment and perpetuity of his throne” (Clarke).

ii. “It is interesting to compare his position now with that of his two predecessors, Saul and David, at the start of their reigns. Both had faced a measure of suspicion or opposition from their own countrymen; both had met this problem with resolute action, coupled with understanding and leniency. Solomon, however, eliminated his potential enemies swiftly and ruthlessly.” (Payne)

iii. “Oh that we would be as quick in slaying our arch-rebels, those predominant sins that threaten our precious souls!” (Trapp)

(Guzik)

Arch-Rebels

It bears repeating, “Oh that we would be as quick in slaying our arch-rebels, those predominant sins that threaten our precious souls!” (Trapp)

Your soul is precious in Gods sight which is why He sent His Son to die on the cross for you. Our arch-rebel Satan lies at our door and is constantly nipping at our heels! 

”If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”“ Genesis‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

May we all succeed in ruling over it!

Blessings