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I fell behind again. Go figure
God’s message to me: It’s easy to lean on God when everything is going wrong and you feel you have no where else to turn. It’s also easy to forget where your loyalty should lie when everything is going right. When life is good and God’s blessings are overwhelming it is all the more important to remember Who provided your good life.
Promises: This portion describes all God did for Solomon. Solomon asked only for wisdom and because that is all he asked for he received wisdom greater than anyone before or since. He also received wealth and power as God had promised so that he was the richest and most powerful king in the world.
Commands: Do not turn from God. God had commanded that the Israelites not intermarry with the people of the surrounding nations and the nations that he was rejecting from the promised land because they would turn their hearts to false gods. Solomon took 700 wives and 300 concubines most of whom came from the nations they were not supposed to marry into.
To keep his wives happy he built temples and alters to the false gods they served and he worshiped those gods with them. This act against God resulted in the second half of God’s promise. The kingdom of Israel was divided after Solomon’s 40 year reign and those who David and his generals had put down were the ones who came back and took over the portion that was not under control of the house of David. For the sake of His promise to David and His promise to place his name in the temple Jerusalem and the territory it was in remained under control of David’s decedents.
Timeless principles: The greatest blessing can lead to the greatest fall. Solomon had it all, literally. He had more power, wealth and wisdom than anyone. He got to comfortable in it and turned from God who had given it to him. He sacrificed the future for the pleasures of today.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: “it’s not hurting anybody” is not an excuse. Doing the right thing is required even if the wrong thing doesn’t seem to do any harm. We answer to God in the end and He judges on whether we followed His law, not on whether others liked us, not on how successful we were and not on whether we did something that didn’t hurt anyone.
more to learn for in-depth study: The book of the acts of Solomon is yet another reference to a book that is not found in the bible. Many books of Jewish history are mentioned throughout scripture. They are not scripture but historical reference. Some can be found in the Talmud and other works of significance to the Jewish faith and might prove useful to historical interest. They should not; however, serve as a replacement to scriptures. The bible is the divinely inspired word of God and is meant to provide us with all we need to know in order to serve Him. While other books are of interest to learn of the times in which biblical events occurred they are merely historical reference and not religious guidance. The books of the Apocrypha found in the Catholic bible are such documents. The Rabbis who provided the original document later translated into our modern bibles specified that these books were not seen as or treated as scripture which is why the translators of bibles used by most of the protestant faiths did not include them. Following the tradition of separating scripture from reference they left these books out of the bible so that the bible would remain purely the word of God.
tomorrow: First Kings 12-13
Showing posts with label wisdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wisdom. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
First Kings 2-4
God’s message to me: Learn from your mistakes and don’t repeat them. Don’t pass on your problems to the next generation so that you can live the life of the politically correct.
Promises: God can give you everything you ever imagined and a great deal more. Solomon asked God only for the wisdom to judge Israel with justice. God made him the wisest man who ever lived in history. In all of time before and after Solomon there has never been one who was wiser. He was the richest and most powerful king despite a rule marked by peace. The military he commanded was more than sufficient to overcome any enemy. Solomon asked for wisdom and was granted wisdom, wealth, health, long life, power and strength beyond what any king of that time could have hoped.
Commands: Follow God’s commands and live within his statutes.
Timeless principles: An old dog can learn new tricks. David made a lot of promises and showed a lot of kindnesses he shouldn’t have. He saw and survived the aftermath of those bad decisions and so he reminded Solomon not to repeat the folly and to eliminate the problems he had protected. David’s oaths kept him from dealing with the trouble but his son could do so without breaking any promises.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Borrowing trouble for the next generation in order to make your own lifetime work the way that makes you comfortable is not a mark of wisdom.
more to learn for in-depth study: Adonijah never seemed to learn from his mistakes. He gained safety from his brother Solomon by showing he would respect him as king. Then he spoke to Bathsheba as if her son had stolen the throne. He also demanded, in marriage, the young woman who had tended David in his last days. Solomon could see trouble coming. The arrogance of his brother in the manner he claimed he had lost the throne and his desire to marry a woman who might help strengthen his claim to the throne because of her previous duties were enough to show he would be a problem. Having already attempted a coup once, Solomon didn’t wait for him to do so again. He ordered Adonijah killed.
Joab and Adonijah each went to the tabernacle and took hold of the alter expecting to be spared from execution. Aside from the fact that this action violated the law in regard to who could go where or touch what in the temple, this is also an early attempt to claim sanctuary. No one ever claimed sanctuary effectively in the tabernacle of meeting or the temple. Each person mentioned, hid there knowing their own guilt and expecting others to spare them for the temples sake. Every one of them was executed before the alter. This isn’t the first case nor will it be the last to be mentioned in the bible.
tomorrow: First Kings 5-7
wow, I caught up, who knew?
Promises: God can give you everything you ever imagined and a great deal more. Solomon asked God only for the wisdom to judge Israel with justice. God made him the wisest man who ever lived in history. In all of time before and after Solomon there has never been one who was wiser. He was the richest and most powerful king despite a rule marked by peace. The military he commanded was more than sufficient to overcome any enemy. Solomon asked for wisdom and was granted wisdom, wealth, health, long life, power and strength beyond what any king of that time could have hoped.
Commands: Follow God’s commands and live within his statutes.
Timeless principles: An old dog can learn new tricks. David made a lot of promises and showed a lot of kindnesses he shouldn’t have. He saw and survived the aftermath of those bad decisions and so he reminded Solomon not to repeat the folly and to eliminate the problems he had protected. David’s oaths kept him from dealing with the trouble but his son could do so without breaking any promises.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: Borrowing trouble for the next generation in order to make your own lifetime work the way that makes you comfortable is not a mark of wisdom.
more to learn for in-depth study: Adonijah never seemed to learn from his mistakes. He gained safety from his brother Solomon by showing he would respect him as king. Then he spoke to Bathsheba as if her son had stolen the throne. He also demanded, in marriage, the young woman who had tended David in his last days. Solomon could see trouble coming. The arrogance of his brother in the manner he claimed he had lost the throne and his desire to marry a woman who might help strengthen his claim to the throne because of her previous duties were enough to show he would be a problem. Having already attempted a coup once, Solomon didn’t wait for him to do so again. He ordered Adonijah killed.
Joab and Adonijah each went to the tabernacle and took hold of the alter expecting to be spared from execution. Aside from the fact that this action violated the law in regard to who could go where or touch what in the temple, this is also an early attempt to claim sanctuary. No one ever claimed sanctuary effectively in the tabernacle of meeting or the temple. Each person mentioned, hid there knowing their own guilt and expecting others to spare them for the temples sake. Every one of them was executed before the alter. This isn’t the first case nor will it be the last to be mentioned in the bible.
tomorrow: First Kings 5-7
wow, I caught up, who knew?
Second Samuel 20-21
God’s message to me: Not every bad situation is a result of God’s wrath. When it is learned that something bad is resulting from such wrath it is our duty to do what God wants to turn that wrath. This nation has faced many disasters of financial, natural and even hostile origin in conjunction with actions taken against God’s people Israel. In each case the problems were resolved and the country found prosperity when our leaders turned their support in favor of Israel. I suspect we will soon find the recession is the least of our worries and it may deepen greatly itself as our leaders demand Israel bow to it’s enemies. i suggest we all keep that in mind next time we enter the election polls.
Promises: God finishes what he starts. The last of the Rephiam Giant’s were among the Philistines. David Slew Goliath and his generals and soldiers killed the other 4 that David had gathered stones for the day he killed Goliath. The descendants of the fallen ones (nephilim) were targeted for destruction by God and He saw to it they were wiped out.
Commands: Do not tolerate those who rebel against God. Not only did Sheba rebel but, David’s newly appointed general failed his duties in his first command by delaying the pursuit of the Rebels. Both men were killed.
Timeless principles: You really can teach an old dog new tricks. When famine came on Israel and David learned that God brought the famine because Saul violated a treaty with the Gibeonites that had been made before God. When the Gibeonites demanded the lives of 7 descendants of Saul he turned over 7 descendants to be killed. He protected the children of Jonathan because of his oath before God to Jonathan but he didn’t carry his protection of Saul’s house to an extreme that would harm Israel.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: People are often easily lead into both good and bad. Sheba managed to get a lot of followers to rebel against David. When one wise women convinced others to execute Sheba it ended the war and the rebellion without having to destroy all the other rebels. Without bad leadership they turned quickly back to God and the king God anointed. Frankly, this is the reason the leaders have a responsibility to eliminate threats. By killing, imprisoning, banishing or otherwise getting rid of the criminals we prevent them from leading others into evil.
tomorrow: Second Samuel 22-24
Promises: God finishes what he starts. The last of the Rephiam Giant’s were among the Philistines. David Slew Goliath and his generals and soldiers killed the other 4 that David had gathered stones for the day he killed Goliath. The descendants of the fallen ones (nephilim) were targeted for destruction by God and He saw to it they were wiped out.
Commands: Do not tolerate those who rebel against God. Not only did Sheba rebel but, David’s newly appointed general failed his duties in his first command by delaying the pursuit of the Rebels. Both men were killed.
Timeless principles: You really can teach an old dog new tricks. When famine came on Israel and David learned that God brought the famine because Saul violated a treaty with the Gibeonites that had been made before God. When the Gibeonites demanded the lives of 7 descendants of Saul he turned over 7 descendants to be killed. He protected the children of Jonathan because of his oath before God to Jonathan but he didn’t carry his protection of Saul’s house to an extreme that would harm Israel.
How can I apply what I’ve learned: People are often easily lead into both good and bad. Sheba managed to get a lot of followers to rebel against David. When one wise women convinced others to execute Sheba it ended the war and the rebellion without having to destroy all the other rebels. Without bad leadership they turned quickly back to God and the king God anointed. Frankly, this is the reason the leaders have a responsibility to eliminate threats. By killing, imprisoning, banishing or otherwise getting rid of the criminals we prevent them from leading others into evil.
tomorrow: Second Samuel 22-24
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