The Appeal of the Ten Tribes (1 Kings 12:4-5)

1/31/2011 5:37:33 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  The appeal of the ten tribes

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                 Reference:  1Ki. 12:4-5; 2Chron. 10:4-5

 

            Message of the verses:  “4  "Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." 5  Then he said to them, "Depart for three days, then return to me." So the people departed.”

            “ 4  "Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." 5  He said to them, "Return to me again in three days." So the people departed.”

           

            The people from the northern tribes wanted Rehoboam to lift the heavy load of taxes and forced labor from them which he had put on them, but not put on the tribe of Judah. In 1Samuel 8:10-22 the prophet warned them about what a king would do to them and Solomon did all of these things to them that Samuel warned them about, and none of them were good.  Solomon was not at good leader like his father David or Moses, or Joshua or Samuel, for all of these great leaders cared for the people that they were leading, but not Solomon and his son would try and make the same mistake.  The key verse in the book of Mark speaks of Jesus Christ saying that He did not come to earth to be served but He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom. There is no greater One to follow than Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Savior of the world.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  To serve others in a humble way like Christ did is a great calling, and it can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit and a willingness to be more like Jesus Christ.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      To serve others to the glory of God.

2.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and for service.

3.      Remember that I am in a battle, and unseen battle, and in need of the Spiritual armor.

4.      To continue to learn contentment.

5.      Seek the Lord to guide my path this day.

 

1/31/2011 5:53:56 AM

The Assembly at Shechem (1 Kings 12:1-3)

1/30/2011 9:05:10 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The assembly at Shechem

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                           Reference:  1Ki. 12:1-3; 2; 2Chron. 10:1-3

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. 2  Now when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, he was living in Egypt (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon). 3  Then they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam-“

            “1 ¶  Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 2  But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 3  "Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,-“

 

            This SD begins a new chapter in 1Kings, 2Chronicles, and in “Be Responsible,” which is a commentary on 1Kings and 2Chronicles by Warren Wiersbe.  The title of this chapter is “He Would Not Listen,” and it is on the reign of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon who took over as king after Solomon died.  Rehoboam did some very foolish things that actually split the kingdom of Israel into two nations that would eventually bring the downfall to both nations latter on.

            Today’s SD focuses in on where Rehoboam was crowned king, and that was at Shechem, which was in the Northern part of Israel, some 40 miles north of Jerusalem.  It was a wise thing for Rehoboam to do this because the Northern tribes were very upset with Solomon and wanted to split off from Judah.

            Jeroboam heard that Solomon had died and so he returned to Israel and was kind of their leader, and would eventually become their first king.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  When one begins to act in a wise matter as Rehoboam did in having his coronation in Shechem, one must continue using wisdom in one’s life. Rehoboam did not continue in wisdom even though his father was the wisest man who ever lived on earth with the exception of Jesus Christ.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      I must remember to do as James writes about in his letter, and that ask the Lord for wisdom to that by receiving that wisdom I can bring glory to the Lord.

2.      Remember that I am in a spiritual battle with a fierce enemy, and I am in need of the spiritual armor.

3.      Continue to learn contentment.

4.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.

 1/30/2011 9:22:54 AM

Solomon Opposed God's Servant (1 Kings 11:26-43)

1/28/2011 5:42:35 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                     Focus:  Solomon opposed God’s servant

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                    Reference:  1Ki.11:26-43; 2Chron. 9:29-31

 

            Message of the verses:  “26 ¶  Then Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king. 27  Now this was the reason why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David. 28  Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he appointed him over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph. 29  It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. 30  Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. 31  He said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ’Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes 32  (but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), 33  because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did. 34  ’Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; 35  but I will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you, even ten tribes. 36  ’But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. 37  ’I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever you desire, and you shall be king over Israel. 38  ’Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39  ’Thus I will afflict the descendants of David for this, but not always.’" 40  Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

    41 ¶  Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and whatever he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? 42  Thus the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43  And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.”

            “29  Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30  Solomon reigned forty years in Jerusalem over all Israel. 31  And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.”

 

            This SD ends the commentary on the life of Solomon, and the ending is not nearly as good as the beginning, and so there are many lessons that can be learned from the life of Solomon.  Ending well is perhaps the biggest lesson that I can learn from the life of Solomon, and I have written about it in earlier SD’s and perhaps the reason for that is because I am getting older, and truly have a desire to finish strong.

            This is the last message that is recorded about Solomon in this section of Scripture, and it tells the story of a prophet and a young man whom God has chosen to become king over ten tribes of Israel leaving only two tribes for the nation of Judah.  The prophet and Jeroboam meet in a field and so there was no one around them to hear the message that was given to Jeroboam, but somehow Solomon heard of this and tried to kill Jeroboam.  Solomon should have gotten down on his knees in repentance to the Lord and perhaps things would have turned out different, but this was of the sovereign plan of the Lord.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my Life today:  I can write nothing else but to finish strong, to do the will of the Lord and to follow in the shoes of Willard Stull, a man who is finishing the race strong, and also my mother who too is finishing the race strong, too good examples to follow.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Finish the race strong, the race of serving the Lord.

2.      Continue to learn contentment.

3.      Remember that I am in a battle.

 

1/29/2011 9:39:14 AM

 

           

Rezon of Damascus (1 Kings 11:23-25)

1/27/2011 5:33:02 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Rezon of Damascus

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  1Kings 11:23-25

 

            Message of the verses:  “23  God also raised up another adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24  He gathered men to himself and became leader of a marauding band, after David slew them of Zobah; and they went to Damascus and stayed there, and reigned in Damascus. 25  So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.”

 

            Aram is Syria and that is something that is needed to know.  David had conquered Syria while he was king and this young man fled to Damascus with his band of soldiers.  He must have been capable of leading men for he became the leader of Syria and began to harass Solomon from the north.  Syria today is an enemy of the rebuilt nation of Israel, so not much has changed.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think at times as I study the enemies that Israel had that I can compare them to spiritual enemies that I have today.  For the most part they never go away, and once you think that they are under control they jump up and began to harass me again.  Just as Israel has always been in physical battles to survive as a nation so I am in a spiritual battle to be able to walk uprightly with the Lord.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Remember the battle that I am always in and put on the whole armor of God.

2.      Continue to learn contentment.

3.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.

 

1/27/2011 5:46:33 AM 

Solomon Resisted God's Discipline PT-1 (1 Kings 11:14-25)

1/26/2011 5:27:55

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My worship Time                                           Focus:  Solomon resisted God’s discipline PT-1

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  1Kings 11:14-25

 

            Message of the verses:  This portion of Dr. Wiersbe has two sub-points in it and I will look at the first sub-point this morning which is entitled “Hadad the Edomite” and this covers verses 14-22:  “14  Then the LORD raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal line in Edom. 15  For it came about, when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had struck down every male in Edom 16  (for Joab and all Israel stayed there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom), 17  that Hadad fled to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, while Hadad was a young boy. 18  They arose from Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and assigned him food and gave him land. 19  Now Hadad found great favor before Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20  The sister of Tahpenes bore his son Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh. 21  But when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Send me away, that I may go to my own country." 22  Then Pharaoh said to him, "But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you are seeking to go to your own country?" And he answered, "Nothing; nevertheless you must surely let me go.’”

            I have highlighted a portion in this section of the Scripture for today that seems to me is the key to what this is all about, and that is because Solomon did not obey the Word of the Lord that he knew and even wrote about and prayed and even told others about that the Lord raised up different adversaries against Solomon.  This first adversary is and Edomite named Hadad, and the Scripture portion for today gives all of the details that are needed to know about Hadad, but the point is that it was the Lord who raised him up to begin to be an adversary of Solomon to discipline him, to bring him back into line, and I am not at all sure that this would eventually work, but when reading Ecc. it does seem that Solomon did turn back to the Lord in his old age.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  God’s discipline is needed at times in everyone’s life including mine and as the writer to Hebrews says it is not pleasant but the work of it does good things in one’s life. Again I see something that shines forth in the life of Solomon that is needed in my life and that is to finish strong, to not give up, but keep on learning and growing and serving the Lord.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Remember the need to finish strong.

2.      Remember the need for the Spiritual Armor.

3.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.

4.      Continue to learn contentment.  1/26/2011 5:45:48 AM  

 

 

Solomon Ignored God's Warning (1 Kings 11:9-13)

1/25/2011 5:33:11 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Solomon ignored God’s warning

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Kings 9:9-13

 

            Message of the verses:  “9 ¶  Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10  and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded. 11  So the LORD said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 12  "Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13  "However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.’”

 

            We are not told as to how this message came to Solomon from the Lord, but it did come to him from the Lord, perhaps by a prophet.  The text says that the Lord had come to Solomon two times in a dream, so God probably did not come to Solomon in a dream this time, but reminds Solomon that he had come to Solomon two times before, but still Solomon did not follow the Lord’s instructions.  Dr. Wiersbe entitles this last chapter on the life of Solomon “The Foolish Wise Man,” and that is a good title for Solomon was probably the wisest man, and yet he did not follow his own wisdom and became foolish.

            The message tells Solomon that part of the kingdom would be torn away from his son, and that his son would only have Jerusalem and Judah left, and this was for the sake of David and the covenant that the Lord had made with David.  God was pleased with the temple, and with Jerusalem and so the Lord would leave them intact and have a son of David on the throne until the Babylonian’s destroyed Jerusalem and still the lifeline of David would go on until Jesus Christ was born as the offspring of David.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  God will keep His Word in spite of the sins of man.  I had prayed long and hard about this job in Kauai, and even though it is very hard at this time I must continue to trust that the Lord has a plan and a purpose for us being here, and to continue to trust the Lord to give me the strength to do this job and to show me exactly what it is that I am to do while here.  I am thankful for the strength that the Lord has given me and also thankful for the work that Sandy has done to make this little place a home.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Continue to trust the Lord for strength to do this job, and to continue to learn contentment.

2.      Give myself to the Lord for Worship and Service.

3.      Pray that the Lord will give me the correct attitude for this job.

4.       Remember that I am in a spiritual battle and in need of spiritual armor.

1/25/2011 5:52:10 AM           

Solomon Disobeyed God's Word (1 Kings 11:1-8)

1/24/2011 5:30:23 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Solomon disobeyed God’s Word

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  1Kings 11:1-8

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  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 sons of Israel, "You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods." Solomon held fast to these in love. 3  He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. 4  For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. 6  Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as David his father had done. 7  Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. 8  Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.”

 

            “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin.”  (Neh. 13:26).

            This verse and verse two in today’s verses tell what happened to Solomon, and this part of his life is a very sad commentary.  I must point out one thing here that does speak to my heart, and that is that God did use Solomon to write the book of Ecclesiastes which tells of his downfall because of his foreign wives and in the end of that book Solomon does realize that the answer was to fear the Lord only, and worship Him.

            This SD begins a new chapter in Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on 1Kings, and 2 Chronicles, and it, to me, is a very sad section for in it the downfall of Solomon is seen, and it all started by him disobeying the Word of the Lord.  Dr. Wiersbe writes in his commentary on this section the following which describes what happened to Solomon, “First he was friendly with the world (James 4:4), then spotted by the world (James 1:27), and then he came to love the world (1John 2:15-17), and be conformed to the world (Romans 12:2).  Unfortunately, the result of this decline can lead to being condemned with the world and losing everything (1Cor. 11:32).  That’s what happened to Lot (Gen. 13:10; 14:11-12; 19:1ff), and it can happen to believers today.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The message, or at least the one I want to take from this section is to finish strong, for even if my life counted for the Lord when I was younger, and even if I had won some stars for my crown then if I stop living for the Lord now that I am older and do not finish strong then it is all for nothing, for like Lot I too will lose everything.  Willard Stull is a great example for me as he is still ministering at age 93, and is surely finishing strong.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Finish the race strong.

2.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.

3.      Trust the Lord to work out some of the problems that I am facing at word for His honor and glory.

4.      Continue to learn contentment.

 

1/24/2011 6:04:24 AM

Solomon Lives in Splendor (1 Kings 10:14-29)

1/23/2011 7:23:20 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Solomon lives in splendor

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  1Ki. 10:14-29; 2Chron. 9:13-28

 

            Message of the verses:  “14 ¶  Each year Solomon received about 25 tons of gold. 15  This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders, all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the land. 16  King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than fifteen pounds. 17  He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing nearly four pounds. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. 18  Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19  The throne had six steps and a rounded back. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne. 20  There were also twelve other lions, one standing on each end of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it! 21  All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day! 22  The king had a fleet of trading ships that sailed with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 23  So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. 24  People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. 25  Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. 26  Solomon built up a huge force of chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He stationed some of them in the chariot cities and some near him in Jerusalem. 27  The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah. 28  Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Cilicia; the king’s traders acquired them from Cilicia at the standard price. 29  At that time chariots from Egypt could be purchased for 600 pieces of silver, and horses for 150 pieces of silver. They were then exported to the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.”  (NLT)

            “13 ¶  Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 14  besides that which the traders and merchants brought; and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15  King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, using 600 shekels of beaten gold on each large shield. 16  He made 300 shields of beaten gold, using three hundred shekels of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 17  Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 18  There were six steps to the throne and a footstool in gold attached to the throne, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. 19  Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. 20  All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon. 21  For the king had ships which went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks. 22  So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 23  And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 24  They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses and mules, so much year by year. 25  Now Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 26  He was the ruler over all the kings from the Euphrates River even to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt. 27  The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the lowland. 28  And they were bringing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all countries.”

            There was a time in my life when I would have been envious of the things that are written in this section, but a few years back the Lord impressed upon my heart the need to learn contentment, and this has surely been a process in my life since then, a process that will probably continue until my time on this earth is finished. 

            With that said to read about all of the riches of Solomon makes me wonder if the wisdom that the Lord gave to him did him much good, for the things that are written here in this section, many of them are things that are disobedient of the Law for the king of Israel as seen in the book of Deuteronomy, and Solomon read that section of Scripture as seen from the prayer that he prayed.

            I believe it was late in his life that Solomon wrote Ecc. and in that book it can be seen that Solomon finally got the truth about riches.  A wise man wrote, “It’s good to have the things that money can buy, provided you don’t lose the things money can’t buy.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have a desire to do some things while on Kauai that I would not be able to do when I am not here, but my goal is not to get caught up in the riches that can be had here from the job, but to look at this experience as an assignment from the Lord, who by His grace has allowed us to live here on this beautiful island.  I don’t want to have a desire for riches, but live the lifestyle that the Lord has shown me we should live and most importantly continue to learn contentment, and also be thankful for the things the Lord has entrusted us with.

 

My Steps of Faith for today:

 

1.      Continue to learn contentment.

2.      Remember that I am in a Spiritual battle, and in need of the spiritual armor.

3.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and service this day.

 

1/23/2011 7:42:48 AM

           

Solomon Expands his Influence (1 Kings 8:26-10:13)

1/21/2011 5:35:13 AM

 

            SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Solomon expands his influence

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  1Ki. 8:26-10:13; 2Chron. 8:17-9:12

 

                Message of the verses:  This is too long to copy and paste so I will just read it without putting it on this SD.

A lot of what was gone over in this section has been studied before so I will try and focus in on what had not been covered before and that is from 1Kings 10:1-13, which is the visit of the queen of Sheba to Jerusalem and to see Solomon.  This visit took the queen of Sheba about 1500 miles, about the same distance from New York to Miami, and one wonders how the accommodations were at that time and how long it took for them to get there.  It kind of reminds me of some of the movies that I have seen with camels, and donkeys and large tents filled with many nice things.

            Solomon and the rest of the nation of Israel had a wonderful opportunity to tell the nations around them about the love of the Lord, and for the most part they failed to do so.  This text speaks of the wonderful things that the queen of Sheba had to say about the God of Israel, and yet there is no indication that she became a believer in the Lord.  She was greatly impressed with the wisdom of Solomon, and the Lord Jesus when he was on earth mentioned this account of her visit, and then went on to say that there was One in their midst who was wiser than Solomon and not many were listening to Him, and they did not have to travel 1500 miles to see Him, for He was right there with them, but they, like the queen of Sheba missed the message about the Lord.

            The people in Solomon’s day got use to Solomon’s wisdom and used to living in luxury, and this is not something that is good.  Solomon  the following, “16 ¶  Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it. 17  Better is a dish of vegetables where love is Than a fattened ox served with hatred.”  I truly believe that this is true.

              I will now copy and paste 1Kings 10:1-13 because this is the text that I used for this section more than all of what is mentioned above:  “1 ¶  When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, which brought honor to the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. 2  She arrived in Jerusalem with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. 3  Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4  When the queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, 5  she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the LORD. 6  She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true! 7  I didn’t believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had not heard the half of it! Your wisdom and prosperity are far beyond what I was told. 8  How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! 9  Praise the LORD your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.’’  10  Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 11  (In addition, Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought rich cargoes of red sandalwood and precious jewels. 12  The king used the sandalwood to make railings for the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before or since has there been such a supply of sandalwood.) 13  King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for, besides all the customary gifts he had so generously given. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Dr. Wiersbe mentioned that there is a danger of people, that is believers to get used to the spiritual riches that they have, something like what the people of Solomon’s day got used to the

material riches.  I have been blessed by the Lord in spiritual richness, and also material richness and for this I am thankful, however there are times when I am not as thankful as I should be. 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      Not to get puffed up over spiritual riches or over material riches, but be content in the things that I have, for all I have is a gift from the Lord.

2.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and service today.

3.      Remember that I am in a spiritual battle and in need of the armor of God.

 

 

1/22/2011 9:32:14 AM