Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Kings 9-10.
I want to start writing about what God told Solomon when He appeared to him after Solomon “had achieved all he desired to do.” When God told Solomon that if he (and the Israelite people) turned away from Him the temple would become a heap of rubble and all who passed by would ask why the Lord has done such a thing? And others would answer that it happened because they forsook the Lord their God, and embraced other gods. That reminded me of the situation in Jerusalem today, not only is the temple a pile of rubble, there is a temple to another god built upon it. Now, I do not want to spend much time on the idea that the Jewish people have forsaken the Lord. Nevertheless, the fact that the temple is a pile of rubble is a reminder to us of the consequences of forsaking God and turning to other gods. Of course, the fact that we know where the temple Solomon built was also reminds us that God put His name there forever. However, the status of the temple in Jerusalem should be a cautionary tale for us as well, a warning against turning away from God and serving other gods. God has now set up His temple in our hearts. So, let us walk faithfully before God with integrity of heart, otherwise He may turn our hearts into a pile of rubble.
Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Kings 9-10.
After Solomon finished dedicating the temple, God appeared to him. God told Solomon that He would put His Name upon the temple forever and that His eyes and His heart would always be there. This helps explain why Jerusalem plays such a major role in world affairs. God also warned Solomon, and through him, the people of Israel, that if turned away from Him and stopped obeying His commands, Israel would become a byword and object of ridicule to all peoples. In between those two things God gave Solomon a prophecy directed solely at him. God promised that if Solomon walked faithfully before God with integrity and uprightness, He would establish his throne over Israel forever. I am going to make a little bit of a leap here, but one which I believe is justified. If we today, give ourselves to Christ and thus make our bodies into temples unto God, He will put His Name upon us forever, and His eyes and His heart will be within us. Of course, if we then turn away from Him to worship other gods, we will become an object lesson for all who meet us. On the other hand, if we walk faithfully before Him with integrity and uprightness, He will establish us in His presence for eternity.
Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Kings 9-10.
I have been trying to link my thoughts about God’s answer to Solomon’s prayer dedicating the Temple and my thoughts about the visit from the Queen of Sheba without much luck. God told Solomon that He had consecrated the Temple by putting His name there forever. While God told Solomon that He would always see and care about what happened at the Temple Solomon had built (and by extension all of Jerusalem), He also warned about what would happen should the people of Israel fail to keep God’s commands. In my mind we see a fulfillment of both parts of God’s promise to Solomon in the existence of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The fact that the Western Wall still exists reminds us that God still cares about Jerusalem, its people, and the Israelite people. But it also reminds us that, for all of their special status with God, were unable to remain faithful to Him. Some people see this as a reason to hold the Jewish people in contempt, but they are seriously misunderstanding God’s point. If the Jewish people suffered such devastation for disobeying God’s commands, how can we who do not hold such a place in God’s heart think that we can escape punishment for our sins? Of course, when we think on this we should remember what Jesus said to His disciples, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” So, let us not think that we are better than the Israelites who failed to keep their side of God’s covenant and think that we can do better, but also let us pray to God and trust His ability to help us, even to cause us, to do His will each and every day.
Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Kings 9-10.
When Solomon had completed building the Temple and his own palace, God appeared to him a second time (the previous time being when Solomon asked God for the wisdom to rule over His people). God responded to Solomon’s prayer dedicating the Temple. God told Solomon that His eyes and heart would always be present there. Then God told Solomon that if he, or his descendants turn away from God, the Temple would become a ruin which would stand as a monument to their unfaithfulness (and, as a corollary of that a monument to God’s faithfulness). I want to note that when God referred to Solomon He used the second person plural pronoun, meaning that He was talking not just to King Solomon, but to all of the people of Israel. I think it is worth noting that the Temple is indeed a heap of rubble which stands as a monument to this day. Yes, the Temple was rebuilt twice after being destroyed by conquerors, but I still think that its current status represents a memorial to God’s promise to King Solomon, and reminder to all of us of the dangers of turning our backs on God.
Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Kings 9-10.
Today’s passage begins with God’s reply to King Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the Temple. Solomon had asked God to watch over the Temple and to hear prayers directed towards it. God responded that He would indeed watch over the Temple until the end of time. But He warned the people of Israel that if they disobeyed God’s commands and worshiped other gods, the destruction of the Temple would serve as a warning to all peoples. And today in Jerusalem we see that promise fulfilled. The remains of the Temple are a platform upon which the worshipers of another god have built their own temple. I believe that at some point those people will learn the lesson the Philistines learned when they put the Ark of the covenant in a subordinate position to their god, Dagon. More importantly, it should serve as an object lesson to people today. If we turn to God and serve Him, He will bless us, but if we turn from Him, our lands will become a desert and a ruin.
Every time I read the rest of today’s passage I am struck by how King Solomon’s wisdom led him to build a trading empire rather than one of conquest. We see how he entered into a trading alliance with King Hiram of Tyre. Tyre was the dominant trading empire in the Mediterranean, yet Solomon’s apparent control over the land trade routes to Asia gave him the dominant role in his partnership with Hiram. Then once King Solomon began sending trade ships out into the Indian Ocean from the Red Sea the Queen of Sheba came to see what his intentions really were. She had heard of his wisdom as a trading partner, but did not truly believe it until she met him. I read this account as showing us that King Solomon entered into win-win trade relationships. He did not seek trade agreements where he won and his trade partner lost. We see that with both Tyre and the Queen of Sheba. With Tyre, he sold King Hiram lands which were basically worthless, but invited Hiram into a partnership of trade out of a port city which Solomon controlled. The Queen of Sheba brought Solomon gifts of great value, but he sent her on her way with gifts she would have considered of as great, or greater. value.
Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Kings 9-10.
Much of the history of the Middle East can be understood by God’s response to King Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the Temple. God told Solomon and the people of Israel that the Temple in Jerusalem would always be dear to His heart. God promised Solomon and the people of Israel that if they remained faithful to Him, He would establish Solomon’s dynasty over Israel forever. However, if they abandoned God and took to worshiping other gods, the Temple would become an illustration to the world of their unfaithfulness. In this response God restated His promise to David that one of his descendants would sit on David’s throne for ever. This promise was fulfilled in Jesus. But we also see the fulfillment of God’s promise of the Temple being an illustration of the consequences of turning away from God in the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.
The passage then goes on to mention King Solomon’s building projects and extensive trade network. The writer tells us that Solomon conscripted the non-Israelites living in the land as forced labor for these building projects, but that Israelites were only conscripted into his military or as supervisors over the forced labor of foreigners. I want to note that when the Old Testament refers to how we should treat foreigners it is generally referring to people like the non-Israelites in this passage, not to people living in another land.
The passage goes into extended detail about King Solomon’s trade empire and the way it spread his fame. Solomon worked with Hiram of Tyre to send ships far and wide for trade. Some of Solomon’s ships sailed the Mediterranean with Hiram’s trading fleet. But Solomon also built a trade port on the Red Sea to trade across the Indian Ocean. Hiram provided Solomon with expert sailors to crew the ships. This passage shows how Solomon worked with other rulers for mutual advantage. Hiram dominated the Mediterranean trade, but, by working with him, Solomon also benefited. On the other side, Solomon dominated the Indian Ocean trade, but Hiram benefited from this trade because of their partnership. Under Solomon, Israel was able to function as a transshipment point for trade between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. The visit from the Queen of Sheba represents an illustration of the fame which such trade brought to Solomon. It seems to me that King Solomon’s reputation for wisdom resulted from the way in which he established mutually beneficial relationships with his trading partners. The Queen of Sheba brought many gifts to King Solomon such that it increased his wealth. Yet, he appears to have sent her home with gifts that appear to have increased her wealth.
Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Kings 9-10.
Sometime after the dedication of the Temple God appeared to Solomon to give him the answer to his prayer. God told Solomon that He would watch over the Temple because it was dear to His heart, but a bit later He tells Solomon that, if he or his descendants abandon the worship of God, He will reject the Temple and make it an object of mockery. It will become an object lesson to all peoples.
As I mentioned yesterday, the New Testament tells us that each of us has become a Temple. As such, the promises and warnings which God made to Solomon apply. If we follow God with integrity and godliness, He will establish us for all eternity. But if we abandon God, He will make us objects of scorn and mockery, an example of what goes wrong for those who turn away from God.
