Monday, 10 March 2008 00:00  |  Written by Steve Hall [a] and posted in Solomon

Solomon loved God and continued to live in the God-honoring ways of David his father, except that he also worshiped at the local shrines, offering sacrifices and burning incense. 1 Kings 3:3

Oh, oh! Danger, danger, high voltage!

One word, except, sets the alarm bells ringing! Solomon loves God, but he doesn’t get rid of the local shrines (places linked with pagan worship and idolatry) and he even dabbles in sacrifices at these places from time to time.

Imagine a husband saying to his wife: I love you and promise to be faithful to you, except… What does that communicate?

Tuesday, 11 March 2008 00:00  |  Written by Steve Hall [a] and posted in Solomon

At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." 1 Kings 3:5

Wow! If God came to you in a dream and said this to you, how would you answer?

Solomon could have asked for gold, military strength, a bigger Kingdom but he asked for wisdom to govern….

God was really chuffed by Solomon’s answer and gave him everything else too! Why? Because Solomon desired a gift that would benefit the people he was to lead.

Wednesday, 12 March 2008 00:00  |  Written by Steve Hall [a] and posted in Solomon

Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him… The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, “Please, my Lord give her the baby! Don’t kill him!” 1 Kings 3:16 & 3:26

This is Solomon’s first act of wisdom we are told about… by threatening to chop the living child in half Solomon reveals the baby’s real mother through her compassion. Clever.

Now notice the women’s occupation… Prostitutes do not normally get an audience with kings, but Solomon is powerfully demonstrating that he wants to see justice for all, even for the outcasts of his society.

Thursday, 13 March 2008 00:00  |  Written by Steve Hall [a] and posted in Solomon

“Honour the prayers of the foreigner so that people all over the world will know who you are and what you're like and will live in reverent obedience before you, just as your own people Israel do” 1 Kings 8:41-43

As Israel’s pride risked swelling at the size of their kingdom and the majesty of their new temple, Solomon draws their focus to those outside of their borders. In a prayer that echoes part of God’s promise to Abraham, Solomon reminds Israel that God had chosen them to be a blessing to others.

This is what God desired for Israel; this is what he desires for you too.

Friday, 14 March 2008 00:00  |  Written by Steve Hall [a] and posted in Solomon

When Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, the Lord appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 1 Kings 9:1-2

Completing a goal in life, (e.g. finishing school, passing your driving test or getting married) marks the beginning of a new season in life. At moments like this it is easy to think we’ve arrived and become complacent about our relationship with God.

We’re told that Solomon had achieved all he had desired to do… and so God comes to him in a dream with a loving warning to stay focused on him.

Saturday, 15 March 2008 00:00  |  Written by Steve Hall [a] and posted in Solomon

Solomon accumulated chariots and horses… made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones… and he loved many foreign women... 1 Kings 10:26-11:1

Solomon turned his blessing into greed. Instead of growing content, Solomon kept on accumulating possessions… chariots, horses, silver and women! In fact, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines!

Worse than that, kings were explicitly forbidden to accumulate all these things (arms, wealth or women) by God in Deuteronomy. God forbade these things to make sure the king remained dependent upon God.

Sunday, 16 March 2008 00:00  |  Written by Steve Hall [a] and posted in Solomon

As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. 1 Kings 11:4-5

The chilling irony of this verse is that Solomon’s first act of wisdom had been to save a child’s life, but in his old age he ends up worshipping a god called Molech to whom followers were expected to sacrifice their own infants to…

How did Solomon, with all his wisdom, end up here…?