May 20 / I Kings 11; II Chronicles 9:29-31

I Kings 11; II Chronicles 9:29-31

Fool!

How else should we describe Solomon in the end? Here he is, endowed with more wisdom than anyone else, yet he chooses to ignore its first principle that he himself stated: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Pr. 9:10) Accommodating his many foreign wives, Solomon turns away from the fear of the LORD and bows himself down before idols. Instead of tearing down centers of idol worship, he builds them.

Is this a man unfamiliar with the ways of the LORD? Not at all! Solomon’s father is King David, the man after God’s own heart, so he is well instructed and has an excellent example to follow. He has at least two visions in which the LORD communicates with him clearly and directly. He enjoys the LORD’s blessings, with national prosperity, peace on every side, enormous personal wealth, success in everything he touches, wisdom beyond everyone else, honor, glory, power — everything he could possibly want. He builds the LORD’s Temple and worships the LORD faithfully for years. He is not ignorant of the LORD. He is not ignorant of Torah. He is not ignorant of the ramifications of idolatry. He is not ignorant of the fact that his kingdom is fully dependent on the LORD. Yet he disregards what he knows to be true and turns aside to false gods.

Fool!

Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”

I Kings 11:11-13

We should note here that Solomon’s sin is not a momentary “slip up,” a bad decision made in the heat of the moment. No, it is his practice — something clearly ongoing for a number of years. He has plenty of opportunity to repent and turn back to the LORD, but he does not. So the LORD declares that He will tear the kingdom from him, using language reminiscent of what Samuel told Saul in I Samuel 15:28. The LORD begins the process by raising up neighboring adversaries, breaking the peace that Solomon and the nation have enjoyed. Then the LORD calls Jeroboam, designating him as the new (future) ruler of ten tribes of Israel.

How does Solomon react? Does he fall on his face and repent before the LORD, as David did when confronted with his sin with Bathsheba? No. Instead he follows the example of Saul and seeks to kill Jeroboam as a rival, just as Saul sought to kill David. The wisest of men seems to have forgotten that no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD. (Pr. 21:30)

Fool!

Of course it is easy to see Solomon’s folly when it is laid out before us. And it is tempting to shake our heads, point the finger, and laugh at him. But not so fast. What about us? How many of God’s good blessings do we take for granted? How often have we declared that we will follow Jesus to the death, yet denied him before the next dawn? How many idols do we continue to accommodate in our lives?

Fools!

May 19 / Song of Songs

Song of Songs 1-8

If you thought we raced through Ecclesiastes, well, we’re picking up the pace today, running through the entirety of Song of Songs in a single day. We are again pulling from last year, but note that Carol jumped in then to lead the commentary.

See:

May 15 / I Kings 9:10-10:29; II Chronicles 8-9:28

I Kings 9:10-10:29; II Chronicles 8-9:28

Do you get the feeling that things are going really well for Solomon and Israel? You should. Today’s readings describe a kingdom of Israel enjoying extended peace and prosperity — all as blessing from the hand of the LORD, Who is present in His Temple. With all the gold flowing into the country, we could quite literally describe this period as “Israel’s Golden Age.” Indeed it is. As we shall see, Israel is here at its apex as a nation.

With everything going so well, how is it that anything could go wrong? Well, we shall see… In the meantime, we’re going to switch gears for a few days and jump into a most interesting book. Please read through our Introduction to Ecclesiastes from last year, then hold on to your hat — again!

May 14 / II Chronicles 6-7; I Kings 9:1-9

II Chronicles 6-7; I Kings 9:1-9

If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

II Chronicles 7:14

I suspect that at least a few of us may be somewhat familiar with this verse, as it is quoted now and again to spur us to repentance on behalf of our nation. Perhaps you’ve even memorized it somewhere along the line. But with all its familiarity, I also suspect that most of us are (or have been) generally unaware of the context of this verse. Well, no more — now you know that this verse is part of God’s response to Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the Temple. Here God effectively echoes back to Solomon what Solomon had asked, that if anyone were to orient themselves toward God, body and soul, then God would hear from heaven and answer. (See yesterday’s post.)

Now that we see the context, let’s clarify a couple of things that may stand in contrast with how this verse seems to be quoted these days. First, “My people” does not refer to Americans, and second, “their land” does not refer to that portion of North America between Mexico and Canada. That may come as a shock to some, but that’s the truth. (And, by the way, let’s not disregard the previous verse, II Ch. 7:13, in which God clearly claims responsibility for natural disasters. That may also come as a shock to some, but that’s the truth.) All of that goes to say that we should not take this verse as a promise that if some (or even all) Christians in this country repent, then God will bless our otherwise degenerate nation. God spoke this to Israel, not the United States.

Yet we should still heed the message of this verse, that God is inclined to bless those who truly seek Him. We should readily see that God’s posture toward us has quite a lot to do with our posture toward God. We should recognize that it is incumbent upon us Christians to be the first to repent and seek God’s face. All of that should be evident in our lives — in our personal relationships, in our business dealings, in our politics, in our words, and in our actions. Are we going to be part of the problem or part of the solution? Are we going to thumb our noses at God and go our own way? Or are we going to humble ourselves, pray, seek the LORD’s face, and turn from our wicked ways? Which will it be?

May 13 / I Kings 8; II Chronicles 5

I Kings 8; II Chronicles 5

Remember how David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem with great fanfare? (See the April 7 post and I Chronicles 16.) Solomon now takes the next step and brings the Ark out of the tent that David had pitched for it and into the newly built Temple, which acts as a permanent replacement for the Tabernacle that Moses made. He apparently even brings the Tabernacle itself and presumably stores it safely away in one of the Temple’s side chambers. (I Kings 8:4; II Ch. 5:5) The priests place the Ark into the new Most Holy Place under the large cherubim. As with the consecration of the Tabernacle before it (Ex. 40:34; see the January 29 post), the LORD fills the Temple with a cloud of His glory (I Kings 8:10; II Ch. 5:11-14), thereby affirming His presence and His approval of the Temple.

In dedicating the Temple, Solomon prays thus:

But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house that I have built! Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that Your servant prays before You this day, that Your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which You have said, “My name shall be there,” that You may listen to the prayer that Your servant offers toward this place. And listen to the plea of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive.

I Kings 8:27-30

Solomon acknowledges that although the Temple is seen as God’s dwelling place on earth, it is impossible for this building to contain Him. Yet he asks that the LORD would nonetheless stoop down and give heed to the prayers offered in (or even toward) the Temple. And listen in heaven Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive. Solomon goes on to repeat this pattern seven times: If (or when) [anyone turns toward the Temple], then hear in heaven and [answer their prayer]. (I Kings 8:32,34,36,39,43,45,49) Yet in each case it is not merely the orientation of one’s body in relation to the physical Temple that matters, but the orientation of one’s heart, whether there is repentance and a seeking of the LORD.

As we have mentioned before, the ultimate Temple is not this structure built by Solomon but the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we all thus turn toward that True Temple in full repentance, seeking the LORD where He surely dwells, in Christ our Lord.

May 12 / I Kings 7; II Chronicles 4

I Kings 7; II Chronicles 4

Yesterday we read about the construction of the Temple with its gold interior and the cherubim in the Holy of Holies. Today we learn of all the Temple furnishings, both inside and out. We have 2 large pillars with their capitals, the altar for burnt offerings, the bronze Sea (i.e., a very large circular basin or bath tub) upon 12 bronze oxen, 10 smaller basins, each on a four-wheeled cart, 10 lampstands (i.e., menorahs), 10 tables, and assorted utensils.

We do not have the space here to explain all these furnishings or to analyze the symbolism of their decorations. But we should note that they are all real tangible objects, many with very practical functions, and they all stir our senses. We have fire on the altar and water in the Sea and basins. We have gold all over the interior of the Temple and an untold amount of bronze outside in the court. All these things are meant to point the worshiper to the LORD.

We, of course, no longer have Solomon’s Temple, but we do have churches of various shapes and sizes. Some, like the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome, are far larger than Solomon’s temple. Some are much more humble, both in size and ornamentation. Yet nearly all hold some furnishings that stir our senses and point us to God: a cross, an altar table, candles, stained glass windows, etc. The next time you enter a church, take a look around. What things are there that you don’t generally see elsewhere? Why are they there? What is their significance? And how might they point you to God?

May 11 / I Kings 5-6; II Chronicles 2-3

I Kings 5-6; II Chronicles 2-3

Returning to the historical narrative, we see Solomon undertaking the building of the Temple in accordance with David’s plans and preparations. Solomon enters into a contract with Hiram, king of Tyre, to supply lumber. In so doing, Solomon says this:

The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build Him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain Him? Who am I to build a house for Him, except as a place to make offerings before Him?

II Chronicles 2:5-6

Solomon here expresses a desire to honor God along with a healthy dose of humility. He recognizes that God deserves something magnificent but also understands that anything he builds is bound to be wholly inadequate. Even so, Solomon does not let that inadequacy stop him from moving forward. He presses on to do what he can.

We would do well to maintain a similar mindset. We should, of course, strive to honor God in everything we do, but it is ludicrous to think that God is somehow dependent on anything we do “for” Him. He does not need anything that we can offer — not our money, not our time, not our talents — but He deserves everything.