I Kings 7:13-8:11

Dear RTB’ers,

Yesterday, the Temple structure; today, the Temple furnishings. Here’s an artist’s rendering of the Temple and its furnishings, courtesy of ESV, to which John pointed us yesterday:

So now we have the Temple and its furnishings and finally, the Ark of the Covenant brought into the Temple. You probably remember the story of David bringing the ark from the house of Abinadab to the house of Obed-edom and from there on to Jerusalem, with Uzzah dying because he touched the Ark and Michal scorning David’s dancing before the Lord. (II Samuel 6) We have none of that drama today: And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. And they brought up the ark of the LORD the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. (vv. 7:3-5) Today we close with the Lord’s affirmation of all the work done to His glory: And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD … for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. (vv. 7:10b, 11b) AMEN!

Blessings.

---

See also: May 12 (2023) / I Kings 7; II Chronicles 4.

I Kings 6:1-7:12

Dear RTB’ers,

It was easier to imagine the Tabernacle in the wilderness and to see artists’ renderings than to picture the design of Solomon’s Temple. Images that I have found online help, especially their depictions of the three main sections – the Most Holy Place (also referred to as the “inner sanctuary, I Kings 6:16,17,19,20 and more); the “house” (or nave, I Kings 6:17); and an outer area, as suggested by the “entrance to the nave” wording in I Kings 6:33. But those “side chambers” are more difficult to picture: And he made side chambers all around. The lowest story was five cubits broad, the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad. For around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house. (vv. 5b-6) If any of you can find an artist’s depiction of those side chambers, please send us the link.

And the materials… Stone; cedar, cypress, and olive wood – and GOLD!!! Lots of GOLD!! Are there any other materials mentioned?? All of this construction was to reflect some measure, even a small measure of God’s glory. It must have been a sight to see…!!

Blessings.

I Kings 5

Dear RTB’ers,

Solomon to Hiram: But now the LORD my God has secured me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune. (v. 4) Solomon owes an enormous debt of gratitude to his father (and to his father’s God!). Not only does he have rest on every side, but he also had this relationship with Hiram that David had begun. (See II Samuel 5:11.) But David’s contribution to the temple building was more than just materials and a commercial alliance. Because our readings won’t get to I Chronicles for a while, here’s some further information:: Then King David said to the entire assembly, “…Now with all my ability I have provided for the house of my God … {gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, all kinds of precious stones and alabaster in abundance}. Moreover, … the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy temple, namely, 3,000 talents of gold … and 7,000 talents of refined silver … for all the work done by the craftsmen.” (I Chronicles 29:1-5) One website calculated David’s contribution to the construction of the temple at roughly $20 billion in today’s dollars.

David’s “legacy” that he passed on to Solomon makes me think of my own father and his many contributions to my personal growth, and also to what more I might do for my own children before I go to meet the Lord. Something more than a few dollars here and there…!

Blessings.

---

See also: May 11 (2023) / I Kings 5-6; II Chronicles 2-3.

I Kings 3-4

Dear RTB’ers,

A bit of a delay this morning… We closed on our new-to-us home yesterday afternoon and brought over the “essentials” to spend the night. Then we had a plumber come out this morning to fix a gas leak; he just left and I finally get around to RTB!

So now we leave David behind and focus on Solomon for a while. Today we see Solomon’s wisdom and a quick measure of his wealth. I’ve always been touched by God’s response after He made an offer to Solomon, “Ask what I shall give you.” (vv. 3:5b) When Solomon simply asked for wisdom, God responded generously: Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. (vv. 3:11-13)

There is no doubt in my mind that Carol and I have been abundantly blessed. I was not a person who set many goals in my life; especially I don’t remember any of those “what I wanna be when I grow up” yearnings of any sort. But God has led me from here to there, to this and that, from poverty to (relative) riches, from almost nothing to much more than I could ever have expected! Certainly for Carol and me, I give you also what you have not asked… We are fully blessed!

Blessings.

---

See also: May 3 (2023) / I Kings 3-4; II Chronicles 1.

I Kings 2

Dear RTB’ers,

Adonijah, Joab, Shimei – three men, three executions, in every case Solomon taking a measure of revenge against men who in one way or another had turned against his father. In so doing, he strengthened his own kingdom against internal struggles. Although David could have taken more severe action against these three men, he did not choose to do so. I wondered about that. David seemed weak in disciplining his sons Amnon and Absalom, both of whom could have deserved to be executed for their actions. So I wondered…

If we go far forward in our readings to I Chronicles 22 we see more words from David to Solomon than the few paragraphs we read today. Specifically, David charges Solomon to build a temple: David said to Solomon, “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood before Me on the earth. Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. … He shall build a house for My name. (I Chronicles 22:7-10; see also I Chr. 28:3) We don’t see these words from God back in II Samuel 7, where David first broached the idea of building a house for God, but evidently the notion that he had shed much blood must have stuck with David. Maybe that’s why he could not command capital punishment against men who fully deserved it? Amnon, Absalom, Adonijah, Joab, Shimei – all dead, but none by David’s hand or by his order. Was that because he was tired of shedding blood? Or was it that his shedding blood had prevented him from building that house for God? Any thoughts from you all, or am I just rambling?

Blessings.

---

See also: April 19 (2023) / I Kings 1-2.

I Kings 1

Dear RTB’ers,

King David is getting old; who will succeed him? There is no mention in II Samuel of David swearing to Bathsheba that Solomon would be his successor, as Nathan says to Bathsheba in I Kings 1:13 (repeated by Bathsheba in I Kings 1:17 and confirmed by David in I Kings 1:30). So there must have been a clear understanding within the leadership that Solomon would become king. This expectation is further amplified by Adonijah’s invitation to all of David’s sons to join in his coronation, with Solomon excluded. Accordingly, David follows through with Bathsheba’s request and has Solomon anointed as king (vv. 30, ff.).

There remains, then, Adonijah’s attempt to take over the throne. As David’s oldest surviving son (see II Samuel 3:2-4; we assume that Chileab has also died) Adonijah saw himself as the rightful heir. By excluding Solomon from his coronation, he is effectively admitting that he is rebelling against King David’s wishes, but he continues anyhow. Did he not learn anything from Absalom’s ill-fated attempt to usurp David? Why not go directly to the king instead of forming his own plans? Thankfully, in contrast to Absalom’s rebellion, Adonijah’s supporters flee and his rebellion is short-lived. More on Adonijah tomorrow…!

Blessings.

Psalm 72

Dear RTB’ers,

The title, “Of Solomon” in today’s Psalm 72… Could it have been written about Solomon by David, his father? Verse 20 indicates that The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended. Or maybe it was written by someone else about Solomon, or maybe by Solomon himself? We don’t know. What we do know is that this Psalm is about the rule of a good king, a righteous and just king (Psalm 72:1-7) who rules over all the Earth (Psalm 72:8-11) and cares for the poor and needy (Psalm 72:2,4,12-14). He is described in glowing terms (Psalm 72:5-7) with a prayer that this good king be blessed in every way (Psalm 72:15-17). Who else but Jesus can fit this description? May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed! (v. 17) Read it again, folks, with Jesus in mind.

And now we close Book 2 of the Psalms and move on to I Kings.

Blessings.

---

See also: June 25 (2022) / Psalm 72.

Psalms 70-71

Dear RTB’ers,

Two psalms today. My Study Bible suggested that Psalm 70 was a lead-in to Psalm 71, since Psalm 71 has no header line. Accordingly, they ascribe both psalms to David. Psalm 70 is only five verses long, but in those five verses David addresses three groups. In verses 2-3 he speaks against his enemies; in verse 4 he rejoices with others who are seeking the God of Israel; then in verse 5 he speaks of his own need. Five verses, three groups addressed. Intriguing.

More than a few of us here in RTB are getting on in our years. Hence I suspect that what jumps out at many of us in Psalm 71 is old age, as mentioned in verses 9 and 18. In both verses the psalmist asks that he not be forsaken; but in verse 18 he goes on to ask the Lord that he may “…proclaim Your might to another generation…” I think that’s a call to us who are advancing in our years – to reach out to the younger people in our congregation, to encourage their faith with our teaching, with the examples that we set, and with our support for their needs, all the while giving God the glory for whatever we do. It is my sense that people are stronger in their faith as they grow older. The rest of you, yes? …no? Your thoughts…?

We see the word “shame” three times in Psalm 71 (vv. 1, 13, 24). In the first the psalmist asks that he never be put to shame, then in the next two verses he asks just the opposite for his enemies, that they be scorned and disgraced. The verses in between those last two “shame” verses are all about the psalmist’s confidence in who God is and his praise for all that He has done, in spite of difficulties that the psalmist has seen in his own life: You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth You will bring me up again. (v. 20) Old-age reflections – God is faithful through it all. A good reminder for all of us!

Blessings.

---

See also:

• June 22 (2022) / Psalm 70
• June 23 (2022) / Psalm 71:1-13
• June 24 (2022) / Psalm 71:14-24

Psalm 69

Dear RTB’ers,

Although this Psalm was clearly written by David (or another king) for a particular situation that he (or ______) was facing, from this side of the Cross we cannot help but read it with Jesus’ life, especially His Crucifixion in mind. Our STS authors mention that there are many New Testament quotes from this Psalm. In fact, my Study Bible notes that no Psalm, other than Psalm 22 is more often quoted in the New Testament. Here are a few of those quotes:

• For v. 9a, see John 2:17
• For v. 9b, see Romans 15:3b
• For v. 13b, see II Corinthians 6:2
• For v. 21, see Matthew 27:34, 48 and similar quotes in Mark, Luke, and John
• For v. 22-23, see Romans 11:9-10
• For v.25a, see Acts 1:20a
• For v. 28 “book of life” there are many Revelations references

There are probably more allusions to Jesus’ suffering that I missed. (For example, an allusion, but not a quote, “But I am afflicted and in pain…,” v. 29a). One commentary that I read even said that “…many Christians sing it [Psalm 69] on Good Friday, the day when we remember Jesus’ death.” So I would encourage you to re-read this Psalm, with Jesus and His sufferings at the top of your mind.

Blessings.

---

See also:

• June 19 (2022) / Psalm 69:1-12
• June 20 (2022) / Psalm 69:13-28
• June 21 (2022) / Psalm 69:29-36