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
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