May 4, 2014
Let’s look at an Old Testament type in 1 Kings. What does it take to have a place in the Father’s home? God’s temple was built with wood. Read I Kings 5:8 - 10. Here Solomon asked Hiram for wood to build the temple. Read 2 Chronicles 2:16. First, the cedars in Lebanon had to be cut down. The tree’s beauty is on the outside and all that had to be stripped away. We must have certain ties with the earth severed; all flesh has to be dealt with. The trees were then brought to the water and carried down it to Joppa to be brought to Jerusalem. This is a picture of death. Read 1 Kings 6:14, 15, 21, & 22. The pure gold is a picture of the divine righteousness that God coats us in through His Son. We each have a place in God’s Home because of the work of Christ. The temple was a wondrous sight and all of this speaks of Christ. We are only there because of Calvary.
Hymn 330 – A message came from heaven
Prayer
1 Kings 2:1-4
King David was about to die, and his son Solomon was to take his place as the king of Israel. David called Solomon to give him some important instructions on being a king.
1 Kings 3:1-14
At this time, there was no temple in Israel because Solomon was the one who built the temple. David had wanted to build it, but God told him that it was not for him to build. Solomon had just finished offering 1,000 burnt offerings to the Lord, when the Lord asked Solomon what he wanted to be given. What would you say if you were asked this? Solomon told the Lord that he was a young child and didn’t know how to go out and come in. Solomon was taking the place of dependence. Children are dependent on their parents to guide and to teach them. Solomon asked God for an understanding heart and for the Lord to teach him how to rule the people.
The Lord was very happy that Solomon didn’t ask for things of pleasure, but that he asked for wisdom and understanding. The Lord told Solomon that because he asked for something that wasn’t selfish and had others in mind, he was going to give him riches and honour. V.14 starts with an if: “if you do all this, I will…” If Solomon would obey the Lord he would have blessing. Two very important characteristics that need to be in our lives are obedience and dependence.
Before we go any further in the life of Solomon, let’s look at the requirements of a king in Deuteronomy 17:15 - 20. These are a few commands that the kings needed to follow. If they followed them, their days would be prolonged. We find out that Solomon only lived to 58 years old. By today’s standards and the standards back then, it wasn’t that old. Solomon days weren’t prolonged.
1 Kings 4:28 - 30, 37
One of Solomon’s first tests as king came when two women were fighting over a baby: both said it was theirs. To figure which was the true mother, he decided to cut the baby in half. The real mother was the one that told him not to cut it and to give it to the other mother. God gave Solomon this wisdom.
1 Kings 5:1-5
Solomon began to build the temple and it took seven years to complete it. After it was done, Solomon gathered the people together to dedicate the temple and pray. Read 1 Kings 8:55. Solomon said that God had done everything he had done. God told Solomon again that if he obeyed Him, he would be blessed. But if he turned from following Him, then he would leave them. The Queen of Sheba came for a tour of Jerusalem and she was amazed at the wisdom of Solomon. The Lord had blessed Solomon.
2 Chronicles 26:15
Uzziah began with a good reign. He was marvellously helped, until he was strong. Like Uzziah, Solomon was helped and then sadly there was a turn in his life for the worse. When Solomon was young, he loved the Lord; but as he got older and richer, he wanted more than God gave him. Solomon had lots of gold and silver. This was one of the things that we read that the king was not to do.
1 Kings 11:1-4, 9
The people that Solomon loved turned his heart away from the Lord. It got so serious that he began to worship their gods. Solomon’s heart went after other objects. This was his downfall. The consequence was that enemies rose up and the kingdom was divided. In Proverbs, Solomon wrote, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Sadly, Solomon didn’t listen to his own advice. Having the Bible in our hands doesn’t give us any help, we need to follow it. We need to keep our hearts, because our life depends on it.
Hymn - When we walk with the Lord
Prayer