Month: October 2023

1 Kings 8:6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.

At the dedication of Solomon’s Temple there was a solemn moment when the priests brought the ark of the covenant into the Holy of Holies under the angels’ wings. Then the glory of the Lord filled the temple. Everyone knew where God was, where He could be sought, worshiped, and prayed to. Solomon’s Dedicatory Prayer repeated the refrain: “Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place.”

For NT believers in Jesus, we know where God is and how to reach Him in prayer, through faith in Jesus’ name. The Holy Spirit has brought God into the holy place, the human spirit dwelling within our physical body. The Spirit through the Gospel brings into our temple the name, the presence, the holiness, the power, and the love of God. We worship in Spirit and Truth wherever we are, and He hears.

We bring Jesus in every day when we dedicate and rededicate ourselves to Him by remembering our Baptism, repenting of sin, renewing our faith, and receiving Jesus into the heart again and again. The body is a temple dedicated to housing the living God. We pray for His Name (Presence), His Kingdom among us, and His Will to be done in our lives.

1 Kings 6:12-13 Concerning this house which thou art building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.

The conditional promise of God is applied to the Temple Solomon built. If you keep the Law, then God will keep His promise and live among you. The Mosaic Covenant states that the Lord will keep His promise if you keep your part, the Law. The Temple will stand and I will dwell among My people there as long as they walk in My ways.

But, of course, we know the history of the OT people: They were not faithful, and so the temple was destroyed. But God’s faithful love caused Him to send His Son, who would keep the covenant in our place and earn free and full forgiveness for us. When we believe in Jesus we have walked, executed, and kept the Covenant. Through that Gospel, God made our everlasting bodies to be the Temple in which God dwells with us.

In Christ the condition is met and the promise is real. We have kept the Law by faith. God performs His Word, dwells with us forever, and will never, ever, leave us. Guaranteed.

1 Kings 5;14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adonijah was over the levy.

Solomon drafted three times the number of workers needed for gathering and transporting the lumber needed for the Temple. This was arranged so that the workers wouldn’t be away from home for long periods. This schedule showed concern for the welfare of the Israelite workers and especially placed importance on the welfare of their families. Solomon wisely recognized that family should be a top priority.

As Christians, we also arrange our work and the schedules of others to watch for the impact of our plans on families. We make every effort to strengthen and protect the family. The family is instituted and designed by God to be the bedrock of the community and the foundation of society. For good reason, Christians fathers and mothers spend time with their families and pray with them regularly. Ephesians 6:4: “Fathers, bring your children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

1 Kings 5:5 And behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon my throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.

Solomon purposed, planned, and determined to build a house unto the name of the Lord. And so he did, in response to the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord. This building was in response to God’s will as commanded to David: “Your son will build a house unto my name.” It took seven years to build a lavish and glorious Temple with all the furnishings.

Our God and Father also went to extreme lengths to build a temple in our human bodies, a place within our spirit for the Holy and Almighty God to dwell on earth. At great expense (He sent His Son) to make a home in our heart. The believer’s body is now the temple of the Lord where God dwells. Awesome!

We respond to God’s grace and salvation by building a house for the name of the Lord within. We build by remembering our Baptism, repenting of sin, believing in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, receiving the Gospel, and coming to Him in the Word and in prayer every day and every week. Faith in Christ is not a small thing or an inconsequential matter that the Spirit works in us through the Gospel. It is magnificent and eternal.

Therefore, we respond by praying “Hallowed be thy name.” Daily we ask again and again for God to live in us and work through us. And wonder of wonders, His Glory fills the temple, our bodies.

1 Kings 3:28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.

When the presence of God shows up in a human person to do or say something that is almost super human it strikes fear, faith, in the heart. So the people responded when they saw that the wisdom of God was in someone. The example given is Solomon’s threat of a sword to cut the live baby in half.

Apt and appropriate words can come from a true believer from the Lord. This kind of wisdom makes perfect sense but is not something most people would think of. Any gift of God when evidenced through a believer has the power to strike faith in people. The Spirit uses His gifts operating in life to bring people to God. These gifts are varied and numerous and may not even be recognized by the user. We use God’s gifts in such a way that “they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.” 1 Corinthians 14:25: “He will worship God and declare that God is really among you.”

All believers have Jesus within them, and “Because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God [1 Corinthians 1:30].” Jesus is wisdom, and the more we are in the Word and the better we know Jesus, the wiser we are.

1 Kings 3:9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

Solomon was given a choice from the Lord to ask for whatever he wanted. He asked for wisdom and understanding, to judge well and discern between good and bad. Solomon was humble enough at this point in his life to be aware that he did not know everything. He needed God’s wisdom. He could have asked for riches and glory. It turned out that God gave him these anyway since he asked for the right thing. His humility caused him to know that he needed God.

This story gives us a clue regarding what to pray for. Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.” God promises, “If you ask anything according to His will He hears us.” Jesus says, “Ask, seek, knock.” Then He tells us what to pray for (what we really need) in The Lord’s Prayer.

The wisdom of Solomon is legendary because it is God’s Wisdom. We also can become legendary when we receive what wants to give. Ask, believe, receive, use.

1 Kings 3:3 And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father; only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.

Solomon loved the Lord and was obedient to the Law, except in one thing: he sacrificed at pagan worship sites. This one sin led to other sins, as he married many wives who brought their false gods and idols into the kingdom of God. With his God-given wisdom he ruled well, expanded the kingdom, and dwelt in peace. But the exceptions caused the ultimate division of a United Kingdom.

Most Christians live pretty good lives for the most part, but we still make exceptions, excuses, and rationalizations for our mistakes and shortcomings. But God is not impressed; He still demands perfect holiness in all things. He cannot make exceptions. But we, even good men, fall short of the glory of God. So in love He gave us His Son who graced us with God’s holiness and life. Now in Christ we are 100% acceptable to God.

1 Kings 2:3-4 And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: That the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.

The last words of David to his son Solomon, as he was about to take over the throne of the kingdom, were to keep the faith and live according to the Law of God revealed through Moses. The response of David to his own passing was to charge his son to keep the charge of the Lord. If Solomon would be faithful to the Lord, to His Word, and to his calling as ruler, then he would prosper and his descendants would rule on the throne forever.

David did the right thing by charging his son to keep the charge, but ultimately Solomon failed to remain true to God’s Word, and after his death the kingdom was split in two. Under Solomon the Lord kept the kingdom strong because of David, not because of Solomon. He did prosper because of the wisdom from on high that God gave him, but he did not keep the kingdom intact because of his failure to keep. Therefore, a man was not kept in the throne until the promise of an eternal King would be fulfilled in Christ.

We also have failed to keep the commandments and walk before Him with all our heart and soul. We could not even faithfully keep the charge of our own particular calling in life perfectly. But God still loved us so that He would send the Son of David, a greater than Solomon, to keep the charge in our place. Now believers in Christ prosper and live in the Kingdom under the King of Kings.

1 Kings 1:11, 14 Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?…Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come come in after thee, and confirm thy words.

While David lay on his deathbed, his son Adonijah conspired to succeed him as king, contrary to David’s will, for he had chosen Solomon to be king. Nathan the prophet, Zadok the priest, and Benaiah were on David’s side and knew the transpired events to be wrong. Nathan decided to take action and do something about it. He summoned Bathsheba to speak to the king and then showed up to convince the king to keep his promise. Subsequently, Solomon was anointed king and Adonijah fled.

Sometimes we are needed to stand up for God’s will, take action, and do something. Taking action for what is right is not always easy, but it is necessary. There are times when we can do more than just pray and watch, be lazy and let it go, stand by and let the wrong things happen. We may be called upon to respond and act when led by God.

However, there may be times when evil gets its way, as in the trial and crucifixion of Christ, but Resurrection has the final victory. Wisdom knows when to let go and let God and when to act in response to God’s Word.

2 Samuel 24:18, 25 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite….And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

Because of David’s, and Israel’s, pride the Lord sent a three day pestilence. David was told to build an altar unto the Lord and pray, and so he did. He built the altar in the threshing floor of Araunah. It so happened that this spot became the site of Solomon’s Temple. David responded to the crisis, and to the command, by obeying and praying. The plague was stopped right then and there.

We are also commanded to respond to problems by building an altar. The altar in our case is the cross on which Jesus sacrificed Himself for us to bring us to God. By believing in Jesus and His shed blood we build an altar. That is why we pray in the name of Jesus. This not a magic formula, but it symbolizes a heartfelt faith in Christ. This is how we build an altar when we pray. We intreat the Lord based on the sacrifice, blood, and name of Jesus.

When we pray in Jesus’ name we are building an altar unto the Lord. Our God hears us, not because we prayed good, but because Jesus is the sacrifice (the altar) that brings us into acceptance by and connection with God the Father. And the Lord responds to the altar (the cross) by staying the plague.