DEVOTIONAL

In today’s passage the distinct imagery that brings the text alive for me is the figurative and literal foundation laid for King Solomon and Israel. The visit God makes to King Solomon provides an anchor of wisdom from where the new king leads. Also, workers start building the temple for the presence of God to permanently dwell with His people in the City of David. All signs mark a fresh start to a better life.

After King Solomon appoints men he trusts, God visits him in a dream (also in 2 Chronicles 1:7-13). We will see God visit Solomon again in 1 Kings 9, but in this first encounter God says to King Solomon, “Ask what I shall give you.” Think about the possibilities. What if God was speaking to you? How would you answer? Look with me in 1 Kings 3:9 for young King Solomon’s answer. He asks God for an understanding mind to govern Israel and to discern between good and evil. Solomon looks out at the multitude under his kingship and wants more than anything to lead them in the way of God. His answer is powerful. It is humbling. It comes from a deep-rooted trust that God is the better way of life. Maybe Solomon learns this from growing up watching his father, gleaning ways to pray and how to obey God with your life. I do not spend too much time in the details because the response from God in 3:12-13 knocks me off my chair. God gives more than Solomon asks for. As believers we are rescued, redeemed, and loved more than our minds comprehend on this side of heaven. If I am King Solomon, my mind explodes. You promise what? God promises to give King Solomon wisdom in addition to riches, honor, and highest rank above all other kings. And the verses immediately following the visit from God, we see a glimpse into how King Solomon exercises his wisdom. He serves the people well. He acts justly. He really shapes into an authoritative king.

Q: What place of leadership has God appointed you? (ex: mentor, parent, camp staff, coach, supervisor, friend) Do you lead from dependence on yourself or on the Word of God?  

 

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 wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.

1 Kings 3:12-13

The next section of 1 Kings 4-7, I summarize as the palace operations under King Solomon which includes day to day flow and construction of the temple and palace. A completely new kind of Israel is described in 4:24-25. A nation known for war and always on the run now lives in peace, rests in safety, and is lavished with resources. Can you believe it? I feel the confidence of Israel in their king. The reputation of King Solomon’s wisdom spreads to surrounding nations. He is a famous prodigy. Whom does Solomon have to credit this reputation to? God. And does he?

In one hand, King Solomon holds the statues of God and acts in obedience to build the temple. He follows the blueprints and makes sure workers keep the noise to a minimum (6:7) which extends the peace God promises to include the construction of the temple. However, in the other hand King Solomon holds his delight in marriages to foreign women (3:1). Wives that do not worship and serve the God of Israel, but worship their foreign idols. Is it possible to hold both and be successful? There are a few more chapters of the story to read before we reach a conclusion.

The progress Israel makes under King Solomon’s leadership is incredible. Jerusalem becomes an established city. Home for the people of God. The details of the temple are meticulous. I like to nerd out about the descriptions for the Most Holy Place and the innermost sanctuary for the ark of the covenant of the Lord. It is powerful and intimate. Holy. And yet, God does not pull an Oz moment to keep the details a secret. They are included in 1 Kings 6 for us too. The temple is built in seven years, the number of perfection or completion, is no coincidence in my opinion. Do you notice how long it takes to finish King Solomon’s palace? About double the number of years Israel spends constructing the temple. I could run off on a tangent that hit me between the eyes when I read that part. How gracious is God when I pour myself into my life, my work, my people and offer a ten second prayer on Sunday before I get back to the grind? Right, no tangent here.

To close, I want to point out what continues to come up in the story of Israel. It is God’s promise to David and now to Solomon in 1 Kings 6:11-13. My paraphrase of what God says is, “If you walk in My statues and obey My rules, then I will establish My word in you. And I will be with you and not forget about My people Israel.” I love that God sends reminders because He knows we need them. The foundation is laid for King Solomon to lead his people well in this next chapter. The days for Israel shift from wartime and instability to a new cadence of peace and abundance. I wonder whether the wisdom from God and the peace on all sides will be enough to satisfy King Solomon. Is God really the better way of life?

Additional reading: 2 Chronicles 1-4