365 Reflections

The preacher talks about money in Ecclesiastes 5. And if we want to live full lives, we best pay attention. For Solomon had more money than we can imagine. And he realized the danger in ways few will understand. So what does he have to say? Ecclesiastes 5:10–12 (ESV) He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? 12 Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. Is it a coincidence that money is discussed RIGHT AFTER Solomon instructs us in repeated terms to come to God's house with silence to listen rather than offer the "sacrifices of fools?" (See Ecclesiastes 5:1). Not at all. Solomon knows that money and riches can stop your ears and darken your heart to God. And so many of our prayers are sustenance related. Th...

I know we will spend most of our lives obsessing or dreaming or at least thinking of the things we want in life. But between getting them there will be long and diverse seasons where we get the opposite of what we want.  For me, I like birth, gathering, embracing, laughing, keeping, love and peace. But those events are not guaranteed for us as constants in the universe. Solomon saw both the good and bad times of life and realized that everything has a season. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV) For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: Then he writes: Ecclesiastes 3:2–8 (ESV) a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time ...

The idea that Solomon is exceedingly blessed is obvious in the Bible's narrative. One could argue that no one had more advantages and "privilege" in his life than Solomon. Born to the most successful king at the time, raised in the royal court and set apart by God, and then equipped with God's special wisdom would make anyone blessed beyond imagination.  So the question is... why was he so blessed? The answer comes from an outsider.  Sometimes we need an outsider to give us a point of view as to what we are here for and what the point of our life really is. Solomon gets that in 2 Chronicles 9. The queen of Sheba comes to visit him after hearing of his wisdom and riches. She is overwhelmed by his ability to answer all her questions.  2 Chronicles 9:8 (ESV) Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the LORD your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that yo...

Solomon has come to the completion of his work to establish both the Temple of God and his own palace in 2 Chronicles 8. The text makes clear that Solomon was well established by the Lord and his kingdom, as promised, was strong and blessed. 2 Chronicles 8:1–2, 6 (ESV) At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house, 2 Solomon rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given to him, and settled the people of Israel in them... 6b ... and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. But later in the passage, there's a hint of impending compromise in Solomon's life. An interesting notation occurs in verse 11: 2 Chronicles 8:11 (ESV) Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, for the places to which the ark of the LORD has come are holy.” Solomon's kingdom ...

The pinnacle of Solomon's reign is a beautiful picture of success as well as an impending disaster. He finishes the Temple, the Ark is transported inside, the priests worship and the glory of God fills the Temple.  2 Chronicles 7:1–2 (ESV) As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house. If we remember that this book is written to returning exiles being instructed on how to be God's people once again we should take note that at this time in the text, the pinnacle of their history is coordinated around the glory of God in the Temple. They were learning where to put their hope. Not in the king or palaces but in the presence of the Lord who dwelt among them. 2 Chronicles 7:11–12 (ESV) Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king’s house. All th...

What is our hope in sin? The world is full of sin and we are all guilty. Humans hurt and demean one another. We objectify and use one another. Consequently, the world is full of pain, full of war and full of evil.  Have you ever watched the news and thought, "What is wrong with the world?" The answer is simple: We are. It doesn't take a graduate degree in sociology to see that we have a propensity to damage the planet and the occupants of it. That's the problem. The problem is human sin. So what's the solution? Better education? More money? A valiant call to unity? More rights? Some even suggest fewer people.  But that is not the picture we have in scripture.   At the final convocation of the Temple Solomon builds, there is a wonderful picture of Solomon praying before the people in their presence and on their behalf. Solomon is king and yet note the posture of humility and hunger for God. Would that we had more national leaders like this: 2 Chronicles 6:12–15 (ES...

Are we satisfied with our church meetings? A few songs, a nice "sermon" and a couple of handshakes? Do we really think that's the point of the Church?  In 2 Chronicles 5, the glory of God fills the Temple at the pinnacle of its completion. Solomon has built the outer casing of the Temple, he has consigned work to be done on the instruments to fill the Temple, and now in this chapter, the process to complete the Temple occurs as the Levites make their way into the Temple with the Ark to worship and serve the Lord. 2 Chronicles 5:2 (ESV) Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers’ houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. 2 Chronicles 5:4 (ESV) And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. Solomon is careful not to make the same mistake as David when transporting the Ark. He has the Levites which w...

2 Chronicles 3:1 (ESV) Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. The main event has come to Solomon's life. This is what God called him to do - build the Temple. And as he builds the temple as a place for God to dwell among the people, there are images we are given in the details to help us understand what the presence of God is all about.  What's clear is that Solomon invests heavily in the beauty of the Temple.  2 Chronicles 3:6–7 (ESV) He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold of Parvaim. 7 So he lined the house with gold—its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors—and he carved cherubim on the walls. Gold and precious stones covered the Temple. The presence of God is a place of value. But something else is as well: 2 Chronicles 3:10–13 (ESV) In the Most Holy Place...

Sometimes I don't' understand Solomon at all. He goes from these incredible moments with the Lord where he worships extravagantly, experiences God's presence, and seeks God's wisdom in humility to moments where he's breaking the law, building his army contrary to scripture and falling into worldly ways.  Note these two passages: 2 Chronicles 1:14 (ESV) Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen , whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem . Deuteronomy 17:16 (ESV) Only he (Israel's king) must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses , since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ Not only does Solomon suffer from wavering faith. But in the second chapter of 2 Chronicles, the man God specifically selected to succeed David and build the temple is feeling a bit ill-equipped for the job. How do I...

The 28th chapter of 1 Chronicles illustrates David's final charge to his son Solomon on the precipice of building the Temple. Already the writer has been made clear in the book that David's life of war would lead to Solomon's life of peace. David who shed much blood would not be the one to build the temple. You could say through the shed blood of David, Solomon receives peace.  Now with preparations made, the words from David to Solomon are clear: there's a work to accomplish now and Solomon needs to commit! First, David makes it plain for Solomon. Solomon must understand he's been chosen to do this very thing.  1 Chronicles 28:6 (ESV)  He (God) said to me, ‘It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. On the heels of that impressive reality, David bears down: 1 Chronicles 28:9–10 (ESV) “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a wil...

1 Kings 11:1–3 (ESV) Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. There are fateful moments in the Bible where history turns on a few verses. This is one of them. Solomon was the richest, most famous and beloved human on the planet, but here, his legacy took a nose-dive. Think of 700 wives. Each one was a conscious decision to concede moral ground to bad influences. Each one, I'm sure, seemed like a good or pleasurable decision for Solomon. Remember the details of this chapter come on the heels of the previous chapter. Last chapter he was busy ac...

Solomon gets a visit from an Arabian Queen at the height of his success and fame. The Queen of Sheba arrives and sees for herself the blessing of God on this great man. Her reaction is priceless: 1 Kings 10:6–7 (ESV) And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, 7 but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard.  Notice as well the first thing she mentions is Solomon's wisdom. That's where it starts, friends. If we want God's blessing we have to get a hold of God's wisdom. His wisdom will do so much for us that others will not have anticipated it!  We should take note that it was Solomon's wisdom for which she originally came. She had things on her mind and questions in her heart. 1 Kings 10:2–3 (ESV) She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing ...

In 1 Kings 9, Solomon gives Hiram, king of Tyre payment for his help in constructing the Lord's temple. The payment consists of 20 cities in the region of Galilee. 1 Kings 9:11 (ESV) and Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress timber and gold, as much as he desired, King Solomon gave to Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee . When Hiram goes to check them out, it reads very negatively: 1 Kings 9:12–13 (ESV) But when Hiram came from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, they did not please him. 13 Therefore he said, “What kind of cities are these that you have given me, my brother?” So they are called the land of Cabul to this day. Cabul is hard to translate but commentators call it, "good for nothing." Now there's also some more description to this region given to us in this passage that you may be tempted to skip over. Doing so misses a powerful point. Looking later in the chapter it reads: 1 Kings 9:20–21 (ESV)...

With great power comes great responsibility. This phrase was made popular by the Spiderman movies and comics although some attribute it to more historical figures. But the truth at the root of it can be traced to the moment Solomon finished the Temple of Israel in 1 Kings 9. 1 Kings 9:8–9 (ESV)   And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the Lord has brought all this disaster on them.’” The Lord is not playing games when it comes to Israel's future prosperity. They were the nation God had called to Himself, saving them from Egypt and establishing them in the Promised Land. They alone of all the Nations had the Word of God, the Testimony of the t...

It's amazing how much the Scriptures speak of rest . It is in the Garden of Eden, it's the goal of the deliverance of Israel and establishment in the Promised Land (see Joshua 14:15). It is there after Othniel's judgeship over Israel (Judges 3:11). It is also now here in 1 Kings 8 (the longest chapter in the book) after  Solomon's dedication prayer. 1 Kings 8:54–57 (ESV) Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the Lord , he arose from before the altar of the Lord , where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven. 55 And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 56 “Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant. 57 The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, This is the desire of God: rest for you with Him. I...

Solomon is making his intercessory prayer over the Temple of Israel in 1 Kings 8. It is a very long prayer filled with theological and practical truths for us today. In the last post we looked at how this Temple and it's dedication prefigures the Church of Jesus Christ, the true Son of David who builds His people as a living Tabernacle to bring the broken, defeated, sinful and stranger into God's presence. As we continue in the prayer, Solomon speaks of the future of Israel, that they would be the people who turn to God for grace when they experience punishment for sin in the form of exile. Notice what Solomon says: 1 Kings 8:48–50 (ESV)   if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name, 49 then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and ma...

The Temple is finished and it is dedication day for Solomon and the nation of Israel in 1 Kings 8. Solomon begins praying in this long chapter, giving thanks to God for fulfilling His promise to the nation and also to David, his father. Then, after all the work that was done on the temple and in the midst of the great coronation event Solomon considers something important: 1 Kings 8:27–30 (ESV)   “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! 28 Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, 29 that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. 30 And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pr...

Solomon's aspirations for the Temple of God are admirable. He uses the best materials and the most sacred style of construction to send a message to the nation and the world that the HOUSE of the Lord deserved the highest priority. Sadly, the story of Solomon takes a sad turn just after the details of the Temple's construction are finished. Notice how the text quickly moves on to discuss Solomon's work on his own home and several others adjoining buildings for himself plus his queen's own residence in 1 Kings 7. The first hint at the problems occurs with the last verse of 1 Kings 6 and the first verse of 1 Kings 7: 1 Kings 6:38–7:1 (ESV)   And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it. 1 Solomon was building his own house thirteen years , and he finished his entire house. There is a tendency for those who work hard...

When construction begins on the Temple in 1 Kings 6 the Lord interrupts the work's description to speak to Solomon about what he's undertaking. Here's what the Lord says: 1 Kings 6:11–13 (ESV) Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, 12 “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel.” A few things should catch us in this passage: First, God interrupts what Solomon is DOING to make sure Solomon understands that what's in his heart is far more important than what his hands perform. This is what God wants from all of us. The greatest commandment is not the do things for the Lord but the Love the Lord our God will all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. In the end, the Lord wants us to love Him. Thi...

1 Kings 6:1 (ESV)  In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the LORD. Solomon goes into great care to erect the Temple of God in Israel. It is a new day for the nation as the tabernacle tent is replaced by an ornate and finely tuned house of worship for Israel. The temple's dimensions are double the tabernacle of Moses meaning the whole structure would be quadruple the size. While this structure pales in comparison to today's buildings and churches, in the ancient world, it was impressive. Yet the most impressive thing about the construction of this house is not it's size but how it was formed. Look at verse 7: 1 Kings 6:7 (ESV) When the house was built, it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was...