THE LORD GIVES...BUT HE CAN ALSO TAKE AWAY

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In Christ, Mark

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Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. Earlier when David was fighting with Edom, Joab, the commander of the army who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom. Joab and all the Israelites stayed there for six months until they had destroyed all the men in Edom. But Hadad, still only a boy, fled to Egypt with some Edomite officials who had served his father. They set out from Midian and went to Paran. Then taking men from Paran with them, they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food.

Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage. The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son named Genubath, whom Tahpenes brought up in the royal palace. There Genubath lived with Pharaoh's own children.

While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David rested with his fathers and that Joab, the commander of the army, was also dead. Then Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Let me go, that I may return to my own country."

"What have you lacked here that you want to go back to your own country?" Pharaoh asked.

"Nothing," Hadad replied, "but do let me go!"

And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon, son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer, king of Zobah. He gathered men around him and became the leader of a band of rebels when David destroyed the forces of Zobah ; the rebels went to Damascus where they settled and took control. Rezon was Israel's adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram and was hostile toward Israel.

Also, Jeroboam, son of Nebat, rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon's officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.

Here is the account of how he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the supporting terraces and had filled in the gap in the wall of the city of David, his father. Now Jeroboam was a man of standing and when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph.

About that time, Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem and Ahijah, the prophet of Shiloh, met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes. But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians; Chemosh, the god of the Moabites; and Molech, the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in My ways, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept My statutes and laws as David, Solomon's father, did.’

'But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David, My servant, whom I chose and who observed My commands and statutes. I will take the kingdom from his son's hands and give you ten tribes. I will give one tribe to his son so that David, My servant, may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My name. However, as for you, I will take you and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. If you do whatever I command you and walk in My ways and do what is right in My eyes by keeping My statutes and commands, as David, my servant, did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. I will humble David's descendants because of this, but not forever.'"

Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam but Jeroboam fled to Egypt, to Shishak the king, and stayed there until Solomon's death.

1 Kings 11:14-40

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the opening verses of 1 Kings, chapter 11, we began to see the downfall of King Solomon as the once unrivaled wise king gave into his desires, ignoring the Lord’s counsel by marrying foreign wives and, in turn, allowing them to adversely influence him to worship their false gods. Of course, this took him out of God’s favor and we found the Lord promising to take away the kingdom…not from Solomon…but from his son, leaving but one tribe for that son to rule over for the sake of David and Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:11-13).

As we continue to study from this chapter today, we see the Lord making good on the judgment He vowed to bring, setting events in motion that would eventually lead to the kingdom dividing.

First, we read about two adversaries that were raised up by God against Solomon: Hadad the Edomite and Rezon, son of Eliada.

The scriptures tell us that Hadad was from the “royal line of Edom” who had been attacked by Joab, David’s army commander, earlier during battle. We’re told that Joab “struck down all the men in Edom”, except for some Edomite officials who fled with a young boy to Egypt via Midian and Paran. That young boy was Hadad.

Once in Egypt, we read where Hadad was treated well by Pharaoh who gave him a house and land, provided him with food, and “gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage”. From that marriage, a “son named Genubath” was born and was “brought up in the royal palace”, while living “with Pharaoh's own children”.

As Hadad grew older, word came to him in Egypt about the deaths of David and Joab and so Hadad went to Pharaoh with the following request:

“Let me go, that I may return to my own country."

Pharaoh, seemingly surprised by the request replied:

“What have you lacked here that you want to go back to your own country?"

To which, Hadad said:

“Nothing” before asking Pharaoh again to allow him to leave, an appeal that Egypt’s ruler granted.

The second adversary, Rezon, son of Eliada, "had fled from his master, Hadadezer, king of Zobah”, and “gathered men around him”, becoming “the leader of a band of rebels when David destroyed the forces of Zobah”. We read where “the rebels went to Damascus, where they settled and took control” and from that point on, “Rezon was Israel's adversary” and was “hostile toward” them for “as long as Solomon lived”.

Now, those two adversaries would probably have been enough to afflict Solomon for the remainder of his reign but as we see, God wasn’t finished. For the scriptures tell us that “Jeroboam, son of Nebat” and “one of Solomon’s officials”, also “rebelled against the king”.

We read where “Solomon had built the supporting terraces and…filled in the gap in the wall of the city of David” and with Jeroboam being “a man of standing” with a reputation for good work, Solomon placed him “in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph”. All was well at this point but one day, as “Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem”, he encountered “Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh”. Ahijah, “wearing a new cloak”, took it off and “tore it into twelve pieces” before saying this to Jeroboam:

"Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes. But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians; Chemosh, the god of the Moabites; and Molech, the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in My ways, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept My statutes and laws as David, Solomon's father, did.’

'But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David, My servant, whom I chose and who observed My commands and statutes. I will take the kingdom from his son's hands and give you ten tribes. I will give one tribe to his son so that David, My servant, may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My name. However, as for you, I will take you and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. If you do whatever I command you and walk in My ways and do what is right in My eyes by keeping My statutes and commands, as David, my servant, did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. I will humble David's descendants because of this, but not forever.'"

Here we find God essentially giving Jeroboam most of what he had promised Solomon and his sons, and then sealed the deal with the same vow given to them prior. As long as Jeroboam did whatever the Lord commanded, walked in His ways and did what was right by keeping His statutes and commands, then God would be with him, helping “build…a dynasty as enduring as the one (He) built for David”. As a result of changed allocation of power and authority, ten tribes…a majority of the kingdom…would be given to Jeroboam as the Lord humbled “David's descendants…but not forever."

And with that, God’s judgment plan for Solomon began to take root and as we see, Israel’s king wasn’t about to let it happen without a response. For we read where he (Solomon) tried to kill Jeroboam only to find his adversary flee to Egypt where he took refuge under “Shishak the king” and remained there “until Solomon's death”.

I can’t get over how sad this story is as we see Solomon go from the “penthouse to the outhouse”, coining a more contemporary phrase. For Israel’s king had it all and was about to lose most of what he had but this is exactly what we see happening in life today, just as it did nearly 3,000 years ago. For when someone who the Lord has richly blessed decides to turn their attention and devotion from Him, opting to satisfy sinful desires instead of walking in obedience to His Word and way, He (the Lord) in return can withdraw His blessings and immerse the sinner into punishment for their wicked behavior.

Indeed, our God is the One who provides us every good and perfect gift from above (James 1:17) but He also holds the power and authority to rescind those gifts if we don’t continuously honor Him with the way we live, using what He has granted to bring Him honor and glory.

This truth should cause us to pause and reflect over the way we’re living, asking ourselves the following questions:

Am I honoring God with the way I live my life?

Have I repaid the Lord for His goodness and provision by being uncompromisingly faithful and loyal to Him?

Do I show Him that I’m a good steward of the gifts He has given me, using them to carry out His purposes for my life?

These exercises in spiritual self examination are totally healthy for us as believers for we can’t afford to end up like Solomon with God withdrawing His blessings from us because we decided to do our own thing, separate from His expectations and desires.

For the Lord gives but He also can take away. We see this truth play out in the scriptures and we shouldn’t ever think that history won’t repeat itself if we choose to make the same mistakes of the biblical past.  

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

DAMNATION OR RESTORATION?

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter — Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods."

Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although He had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord's command. So the Lord said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept My covenant and My decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.

Nevertheless, for the sake of David, your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him but will give him one tribe for the sake of David, my servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."

1 Kings 11:1-13

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In chapter 10 of 1st Kings, one thing was very clear.

Solomon had it made with everything going his way as he fully experienced the fulfillment of God’s promise to him…the promise to give him wisdom, honor, and riches greater than any other king.

Indeed, life was as good as it could get for Solomon and in order to maintain it, all he needed to do was remain faithful to God…carrying out His will, doing what He commanded, and following His laws and decrees. Surely, this wouldn’t have been hard for a man of great wisdom like Solomon who you think would have been sensible enough to not ruin such a good thing. And yet, he did, despite all of his wealth, power, and esteem because as we see, there was a character trait that became a problem for Israel’s king, just as it had been for his father, the renowned King David.

You see…King Solomon was a sinner like anyone else, not immune from failing and falling like anyone else if he chose to turn away from God in his life. This is why we found the Lord issuing such a harsh warning about the consequences that would come if Solomon or any of his successors decided to enter a life of disobedience. Unfortunately, as we see in the opening verses of chapter 11, we see where Solomon allowed his sexual desires to lead him down the road of immorality.

The scriptures tell us that he (Solomon) gave his love to “many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter”. These women included Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites...all of which were from “nations about which the Lord had” had issued this command:

“You must not intermarry with them because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods”.

Surely Solomon, possessing the gift of wisdom from God Himself, was well aware of this demand but willingly decided to do what he wanted to do instead. Perhaps he allowed his power and fame to get to his head, feeling like he had the latitude to do whatever he desired, even if the Lord had forbidden it. No matter why he did it, he did and in doing so, failed to heed the Lord’s decree.

We read where he “held fast” to loving the prohibited women, choosing to marry seven hundred of them while also keeping “three hundred concubines”. These foreign wives then did what God said they would do…they led Solomon astray so that he “turned his heart after other gods” as he got older. This resulted in the quick downfall of the man who was once so highly esteemed by the Lord and others. The scriptures affirm this testifying that Solomon’s heart was “not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been”.

The proof of this soon became very evident as Solomon decided to follow “Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites”…actions that were “evil in the eyes of the Lord”. Through his sinful worshipping of false gods, Solomon had failed to “follow the Lord completely”. And as if this wasn’t enough, we read where not only gave his devotion to these false gods but also “built a high place for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab…for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites”…and for “all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods”.

Well, obviously God was not going to put up with this and as this passage closes we see Him enter into the scene, “angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away” from his God “who had appeared to him twice”. Here’s what the Lord said to Israel’s sinful king:

"Since this is your attitude and you have not kept My covenant and My decrees which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."

Yes…Solomon everything he could ever dream for but allowed sin and temptation to do him in. In the end translation, he had to not only live with the fact that his behavior would lead to his son losing the kingdom but also that he (Solomon) had let the Lord down, failing to remain faithful and obedient to his God.

My friends, the same thing can happen to us if we’re not careful. We need to learn from the mistakes of Solomon or run the risk if repeating them ourselves. The Lord’s lesson for us is four fold.

First, we need to be careful about who we associate with. Being reckless in who he loved was the first misstep taken by Solomon. We saw in the scriptures how he associated himself with foreign wives who introduced their sinful ways into his life and, in seeking to please them, he exchanged God for their false ones, despite God commanding him not to do so.

And this leads to the second lesson for association can result in assimilation.

After entering into marriage with his foreign wives, Solomon began to adopt their worship practices, even going as far as building high places to honor the foreign gods. This clearly showed how Israel’s king allowed himself to be adversely influenced by his foreign wives as they assimilated him into their sinful behavior which Solomon allowed to override his obedience to the Lord.

This leads us to lesson number three for assimilation can lead to transformation.

In Solomon’s case, the associated with the foreign wives followed by the assimilation into their wicked worship practices led him to change His alliance as he became more loyal to false gods than the one and only true God…the God who had given him so much in the way of fame, prestige, and riches.

This led to the fourth and final lesson for us…transformation can lead to damnation.

We saw where Solomon’s sinful decision to abandon God led to His rebuking and judgment. The anger of the Lord was further amplified by the fact that he had told Solomon about the consequences of disobedience well in advance.

And so Israel’s king was fully aware of what would happen if he decided to turn away from God and yet, he did it anyways, allowing himself fall prey to sin…and in doing so, throw away everything he had accomplished in life.

Can we hear the Lord speaking loudly to us through this message today?

For He is asking us to check who we’re associating with, assessing whether or not those associations might be assimilating us into sinful practices…practices that run counter to God’s Word and will. There’s urgency to identify this early on because we see where assimilation into sin results in sinful transformation and God’s damnation will not be far behind if we allow that transformation to take place.

Given this, where are you at in this process?

The best answer would be that you’re not in it at all…that you have been careful about the relationships you’ve entered into, placing a premium on only tethering yourself to people who are God-focused and committed to righteous and holy living.

However, if you have made the mistake of connecting yourself to ungodly people who have led you away from the way of the Lord, there is still hope and good news for you. For right now…in this very moment of time…you can choose to repent, turning away from sinfulness and back to the Lord. Know and trust that your re-association with Him will lead to a blessed re-assimilation which in turn will lead to a renewed spiritual transformation…a transformation that will move you from damnation to restoration and back into a right standing with the Lord.

So which will it be for you if you have strayed off the narrow path God wants for you to travel? Will it be restoration or damnation?

I don’t know about you…but if it’s me, I’m choosing restoration every single time.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

WHEN GOD'S PROMISES COME TRUE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built these two buildings - the temple of the Lord and the royal palace - King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram, king of Tyre, because Hiram had supplied him with all the cedar and pine and gold he wanted. But when Hiram went from Tyre to see the towns that Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. "What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?" he asked. And he called them the Land of Cabul, a name they have to this day. Now Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents of gold.

Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord's temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. (Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire. He killed its Canaanite inhabitants and then gave it as a wedding gift to his daughter, Solomon's wife. And Solomon rebuilt Gezer.) He built up Lower Beth Horon, Baalath, and Tadmor in the desert, within his land, as well as all his store cities and the towns for his chariots and for his horses - whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and throughout all the territory he ruled.

All the people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites), that is, their descendants remaining in the land whom the Israelites could not exterminate - these Solomon conscripted for his slave labor force, as it is to this day. But Solomon did not make slaves of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers. They were also the chief officials in charge of Solomon's projects - 550 officials supervising the men who did the work.

After Pharaoh's daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace Solomon had built for her, he constructed the supporting terraces.

Three times a year, Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense before the Lord along with them and so fulfilled the temple obligations.

King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elath in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. And Hiram sent his men - sailors who knew the sea - to serve in the fleet with Solomon's men. They sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold which they delivered to King Solomon.

When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan - with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones - she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.

She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth, you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord's eternal love for Israel, He has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness."

And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

(Hiram's ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood and precious stones. The king used the almugwood to make supports for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.

The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land.

King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas of gold went into each shield. He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. The throne had six steps and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests with a lion standing beside each of them. Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. All King Solomon's goblets were gold and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's days. The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years, it returned, carrying gold, silver, and ivory, and apes and baboons.

King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift - articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons, and spices, and horses and mules.

Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue - the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.

1 Kings 9:10-28, 10:1-29

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So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.”

1 Kings 3:11-13

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

“I will give you what you have not asked for…both riches and honor…so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.”

These were the words of God to Solomon as He appeared to him for the first time in 1 Kings, chapter 3. Fast forward to today’s passage, following the dedication of the temple, and we see first-hand how the Lord’s promise came true in Solomon’s life.

For we read where Solomon’s kingdom grew from his rebuilding of Gezer to his building up of “Lower Beth Horon, Baalath, and Tadmor in the desert” as well as “all his store cities and the towns for his chariots and for his horses”. The scriptures tell us that whatever Solomon “desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory”, he ended up ruling over. Further, from everywhere that Solomon went and conquered, he enlisted “all the people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites”…all those who weren’t Israelites…and “conscripted” them for “his slave labor force” to build places like the supporting terraces, which were constructed for Solomon’s daughter after she had come to him from “the city of David”.

As for the Israelites, we read that “Solomon did not make slaves” of them but instead appointed them as “his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers”. He also made some of the Israelites “the chief officials in charge of (his) projects”…“550 officials” who supervised “the men who did the work”.

Now we should note that Solomon’s expanding power was not limited to land. For the scriptures tell us that he “also built ships at Ezion Geber…on the shore of the Red Sea”, staffing them with Hiram’s men who were “sailors who knew the sea” and served “in the fleet with Solomon's men”. Using the available sea routes, Solomon’s fleet “sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold” which was delivered to Solomon, adding to his riches.

And so Solomon grew greater and greater in stature, his reputation as a wise ruler spreading well outside of Israel. We read where this news reached “the queen of Sheba” who decided to pay him a visit after hearing about his fame and “relation to the name of the Lord”. She came to him with the intent of testing “him with hard questions” as she arrived in “Jerusalem with a very great caravan - with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones”.

Once in Jerusalem, Sheba “came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind” and he “answered all her questions”. We read where there was “nothing…too hard for (him) to explain to her” and we see where his wisdom as well as his possessions which included the “palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord” overwhelmed Sheba, leading her to exclaim:

"The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord's eternal love for Israel, He has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness."

And with that, she gave Solomon “120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices…more than would ever be given again…and precious stones”. In return, Solomon gave her “all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty” after which Sheba “left and returned with her retinue to her own country”.

Afterwards, Solomon’s wealth only grew larger for we read where Hiram's ships continued to bring “gold from Ophir” as well as great cargoes of precious stones and almugwood which was used to “make supports for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians”. The “weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents” which didn’t include “the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land”. Additionally, the scriptures tell us that “once every three years when the fleet returned, it came “carrying gold, silver, and ivory, and apes and baboons”.

Beyond Queens Sheba, we read where the “whole world sought audience with Solomon”, wanting to hear the wisdom that “God had put in his heart” and “year after year, everyone who came” to Israel’s king “brought a gift - articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons, and spices, and horses and mules. The scriptures tell us where “Solomon accumulated chariots and horses…fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem”. These horses were “imported from Egypt and from Kue” and he also exported the same to “all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans”.

Finally, Solomon also made silver “as common in Jerusalem as stones” and cedar “as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills”.

The sum of all this is that “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth”, just as the Lord has promised. Once again, we see where God’s word came true because He is always true to His word.

So what do we have to gain from this breakdown of God’s blessings upon Solomon?

I believe the Lord wants us to see that He richly blesses us, as He did Solomon, continuously causing His word to come true in our own lives. Here are some of His blessed assurances:

1. He assures us through His Word that He is with us.

“…the Lord God goes with you; He will never leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

“…surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20

2. He assures us through His Word that He will grant protection.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

“…the Lord is faithful and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” 1 Thessalonians 3:3

3. He assures us that He will provide for our needs.

“…my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…” James 1:17

4. He assures us through His Word that He will provide us guidance.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“I guide you in the ways of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.” Proverbs 4:11

5. He assures us through His Word of His great love for us.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

I could go on and on about the wonderful promises our God has given us through His Word but you get the point. His Word is a truth we can always bank on because He is perfectly true in every way. This gives us confidence as we walk through our lives in His service as believers for the Lord speaks into any and all circumstances we face through the scriptures, allowing us to live for Him while experiencing the richness of His goodness when His promises come true, just as Solomon did.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GOD'S REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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"As for you, if you walk before Me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe My decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'“

"But if you or your sons turn away from Me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for My name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them — that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.'"

1 Kings 9:4-9

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As chapter 9 of 1st Kings opened, we saw where God answered Solomon’s intercessory prayers lifted up during the dedication of the temple in chapter 8. Appearing to Solomon at the end of a fourteen day, celebratory festival, we found God telling Israel’s king that He had “heard the prayer and plea…made before (Him)” and “consecrated (the) temple which (Solomon)…built, by putting (His) name there forever”. Further, He promised to always have His eyes and heart in the temple.

After this, we see God continuing to address Solomon in today’s passage, setting conditions which needed followed to ensure all He (God) had promised would remain in place. These standards were meant to serve as requirements for Solomon’s success as king as well as any of his offspring who would lead afterwards. These requirements, equally applicable to Christian leaders today, included the following:

1. Integrity.

“As for you…walk before Me in integrity of heart and uprightness…” (v.4)

God expected Solomon – just as He expects His leaders today - to “walk before (Him) in integrity and uprightness”. In other words, the Lord wants His people to exercise absolute honesty in all they do…not just some of the time but all of the time. When believers do this, they will be living in a way that’s pleasing in His sight, a way that reflects unwavering, conscientious incorruptibility.

2. Action.

"As for you…do all I command…” (v.4)

Note the word “do” here…a single word spoken by God with the intended purpose of calling Israel’s king into action. This action was to do all that He (God) had commanded.

In this action, we see a second word we need to focus in on…the word “all”. This word is what I like to refer to as an absolute…one that is all encompassing. All means all and it doesn’t leave room for anything less than all. The Lord leaves no room for exception here. Neither Solomon or any leader called by God today have the latitude to forego what He has commanded and this can only be accomplished when there is a proactive seeking and then obedient carrying out of everything He wants, doing so with the utmost integrity and uprightness.

3. Obedience.

"As for you…observe My decrees and laws…” (v.4)

Depending on what translation you read, you’ll find the word “observe” replaced by “obey” or “keep” or variations of those two words. Regardless which is used, the intent remains the same.

God expects all His people…Solomon…the Israelites He ruled over…and believers today to be obedient to His decrees and laws. After all, that’s why He put them in place…so that they might be obeyed and conformed to without exception as they draw us to a place of integrity, uprightness, and proactive service towards carrying out all He has commanded.

And so here we see where the Lord issued three clear requirements to ensure someone would have success in serving Him and others. In summary, they were integrity, action, and obedience.

So what was Solomon to gain by exercising these qualities during his kingship…and what do we have to gain by doing likewise?

We find the answer by heading back to our scripture passage for it’s there that we find the Lord saying this:

"As for you, if you walk before Me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, 'You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'“ (Vv.4-5)

Here we see God offering a classic if/then statement to Solomon. For if Solomon walked before Him (God) in integrity of heart and uprightness as his father did, doing all the Lord commanded and observing His decrees and laws, then He (God) would establish Solomon’s royal throne over Israel forever.

In other words, Solomon and his descendants would find eternal success on Israel’s throne as long as they conformed to God’s requirements.

But what if they didn’t? What would happen then?

Again, we find the Lord providing the answers, making it clear that failure would happen:

"But if you or your sons turn away from Me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for My name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, 'Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them — that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.'" (Vv.6-9)

Again, here we see another if/then statement from the Lord. For if Solomon or his sons would turn away from Him, choose to not obey His commands and decrees, and go off to serve and worship other gods, then He (God) would cut off Israel from the land He gave them…the promised land…and would reject His consecrated temple. The once beloved Israel would then be disgraced…”a byword and object of ridicule among all peoples” who after asking why the fall of Israel had happened would be told:

“Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them — that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.”

And with that, God had clearly laid out His ground rules for Solomon. If he and his successors wanted to succeed, then they only needed to exercise integrity and uprightness while doing all He commanded and obediently following His decrees and laws.

The same applies to us as believers today for as we walk through life and look for how we can be successful in the Lord’s sight, we only need look to the One who will make that success possible…the One through which every good and perfect gift comes (James 1:17)…the One who requires us to show integrity as we faithfully carry out His will and way every day…a will and way that’s underscored by His decrees and laws.

What’s at stake if we fail to do this?

Well, let’s just say it would be far better for us to not force the Lord’s hand into correcting us and we can do that by learning from the mistakes of the Israelites and living in full, uncompromising obedience to what God wants. After all, He expects and requires nothing less.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

ANSWERED PRAYERS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, the Lord appeared to him a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. The Lord said to him:

"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before Me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting My name there forever. My eyes and My heart will always be there.”

1 Kings 9:1-3

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we come to the opening verses of 1 Kings, chapter 9, the construction of God’s temple in Jerusalem had been completed and dedicated by Solomon before a great assembly of Israelites. The culmination of all this was a fourteen-day celebration after which all the people returned home with joyful, glad hearts focused on all the good things the Lord had done.

In our three verses for today, we find Solomon at this point of time, having “finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace” after “he had achieved all he had desired to do”. It had to be a time of relative quiet and solitude for him as compared to the busy preparation and execution of the dedication event and festivities over the past two weeks.

It was into this time of solace that we see God entering in and speaking to His appointed and anointed king. He had been and still was walking alongside Solomon…just as He does believers like us today, a truth that should be a great comfort.

We know this wasn’t the first time that the Lord had appeared to Solomon. The scriptures make it a point to remind us of this for you’ll remember how God came to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon, shortly after he had assumed the throne. It was there that He gave Israel’s new king the following command:

“Ask for whatever you want Me to give you.” 1 Kings 3:5

We had looked at prior where this opened up the opportunity for Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted and his answer would have been surprising to a worldly person who may have went after material wealth or powerful status. For you’ll recall that Solomon only asked for a “discerning heart” so he could govern God’s people properly and be able to “distinguish between right and wrong” (1 Kings 3:9). In response, the Lord answered that prayer, giving Solomon a “wise, discerning heart” (3:12), as well as “riches and honor” so that during his lifetime, he would have “no equal among kings” (3:13).

So what happened in this second meeting between Solomon and the Lord?

We see where once again, God responds to Solomon’s request and fulfills it, except this time the outcome comes in the form of answered prayer. We see the Lord validate this in the following ways within verse 3:

First, He heard Solomon’s prayer and plea.

"I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before Me…”

Going back to 1 Kings, chapter 8, you’ll remember that Solomon asked God to hear either his pleas or the pleas of his people twelve different times under certain circumstances. In one of these intercessions, Solomon asked the Lord to “hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying in Your presence this day” (v.28). And so when God tells Solomon, “I have heard the prayer and plea you made before Me”, He is essentially saying, “I have received what you said”.

Secondly, the Lord committed His eyes and heart to the temple…and promised to do it always.

“I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting My name there forever. My eyes and My heart will always be there.”

Back to chapter 8 again where we see Solomon say this right after asking that the Lord hear his prayer and plea:

“May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which You said, ‘My name shall be there,’ so that You will hear the prayer Your servant prays toward this place” (v.29).

Here in chapter 9, we find God vowing that His eyes and heart would always be in the temple…the temple built by Solomon which He consecrated (made holy)…the temple that had been dedicated to His name which would always be there…just as His eyes and heart would be.

So thus far, we see where Solomon had two hopes found within his prayers, hopes which the Lord promised to honor and fulfill.

Indeed, God does answer the prayers of His faithful followers and this should serve to validate what we should already know…that we serve a Lord who cares for us, a Lord who is always listening and responding to our petitions in accordance with His will.

Friends, we have this blessed assurance from the scriptures and yet, how often do we act as if we’re forsaken…like we serve a God who distances himself and ignores us?

Unfortunately, too many believers feel they should be able to dictate terms to the Lord as to when and in what way He should act, treating Him as if He is some fast-food kind of God who is only there to take our orders and fill them in the quickest fashion possible. When He doesn’t move within the timeframe we deem appropriate, then we have a terrible tendency to just give up on the One who never gives up on us. In the worst case scenarios, we see where people will completely abandon God in their lives and give up praying at all, adopting a mindset that it is of no use because the Lord doesn’t listen.

The words found in these opening verses of 1 Kings, chapter 9 should serve to renew our hope in God and the way He handles our petitions. For when we pray, He does hear us and listen, responding in a way that is always right and righteous…a way that will always have our best interests in mind. He did back in Solomon’s day and He’s still doing it today.

As for our part, we need only remain patient, trusting that our Lord will indeed do as He promised, working things out for the good of those of us who love Him and have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28) as He answers our prayers with our best interest in mind.   

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

JOYFUL, GLAD HEARTS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to the Lord: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the Israelites dedicated the temple of the Lord.

On that same day, the king consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and there he offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings because the bronze altar before the Lord was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings.

So Solomon observed the festival at that time and all Israel with him — a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. They celebrated it before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. On the following day, he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel.

1 Kings 8:62-66

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Through most of the 8th Chapter of 1st Kings, we have seen God’s chosen successor to King David, Solomon, in prayer, lifting up petitions to the Lord for himself and the people of Israel. We witnessed how he first praised God for His goodness, love, promises, and unique sovereignty before moving into a series of powerful prayers of intercession…prayers that were intended to draw God’s attention to the needs of the Israelites. We saw where these intercessory pleas asked for the Lord to restore His people and while showing mercy when the people of Israel repented of their sins and turned back to Him, once again ready to be obedient to His will. Finally, we saw where Solomon blessed the entire assembly gathered before him, urging the people to adopt hearts that were fully committed to God…hearts that would be completely devoted to do whatever the Lord desired.

So what happened after Solomon finished praying and blessing the people of Israel?

Well, the scriptures tell us that he and “all Israel with him” offered “fellowship offerings to the Lord”, bringing “twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats”. All these offerings were used to dedicate “the temple of the Lord”.

Then we read that “on that same day”, Solomon “consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord” where he “offered burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings”.

Why did he do this in the courtyard?

We read it was because “the bronze altar…was too small to hold the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat of the fellowship offerings”.

And with that, the festival began before the Lord with the “vast assembly” celebrating for “seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all”. Once the fourteen-day celebration ended (its believed to have coincided with the Feast of the Tabernacles), we read where Solomon “sent the people away” and as while departing, they “blessed the king” before going home “joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel”.

I loved their attitude…heading home from the celebration for they were filled with cheerful hearts filled with happiness as they considered the goodness of their God.

Friends, shouldn’t this be the end result of Christian worship when it is done properly?

For every time we gather together as a holy assembly in our churches, coming to the altar of the Lord to honor and praise His name…praying to Him and asking Him to hear our cries…petitioning that He will forgive us of our sins, restoring us to His good favor…and offering ourselves to Him fully as we celebrate His goodness and grace…shouldn’t we depart and return to our homes from all this with hearts that are filled with joy and gladness, hearts that have been reminded of all the good things the Lord has done in our lives, just as the Israelites of old did?

Further, shouldn’t we live with this attitude each and every day?

For indeed, each day God gives is a reason to celebrate so let us commit ourselves to honor Him, the One who gives us life, by surrendering our lives to Him, ever coming before Him in reverence while humbly submitting to His will and way, and constantly lifting up prayers of praise for all that He has done, all that He is doing, and all He is yet to do.

For when we give thanks for every day that the Lord has made, rejoicing and glad within it (Psalm 118:24), then we will move through every second of every minute of every hour with joyful, glad hearts…fully aware and appreciative of the Lord we serve and His infinite kindness, mercy, grace, and love.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.