His Reputation

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

HIS REPUTATION

1 Kings 4:26-34

26 Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.   27 The district officers, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king's table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses. 29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite — wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

NIV

Solomon also became the wealthiest king in all Israel, as the LORD had promised him. No one was ever like Solomon, and there would never be anyone like him. Just to consider the number of horses is staggering. The amount of barley and straw and men to tend to that number of horses is more than we can imagine. Yet, when we consider the size of most modern governments, the need for funds to feed and house all the people employed is staggering. However, the story here is about the vast amount of wisdom God gave to Solomon. He was given more wisdom than any man who had ever been considered to be wise. His wisdom was greater than that of any other man. He spoke three thousand proverbs and described many plants and taught about animals and birds, reptiles, and fish. He did not have the wisdom of men, but from God. There is not a person who ever lived, or will ever live, who will have that amount of wisdom that Solomon had, in accordance with what God told him. However, we have already dealt with the fact that we are told if we lack wisdom, we are to ask the Lord, and he will give generously without finding fault. Still, that means we do not have to live in the darkness of human thought or understanding. First, we have the complete word of God, as his word lacks nothing, and thus nothing can be added to it. His word contains God’s wisdom, and he has given us the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all the truth of God’s word, which is the ultimate definition of wisdom. Although Solomon’s reputation spread all over many nations, we also know that Solomon was not flawless, as he was still a man. We know from the end of his story, he did not live in accordance with the wisdom of God. We will get to all that, but for now, let us consider that we can ask God, and he will give us that understanding of his truths through the working of the Holy Spirit within us. However, let us also remember to remain humble or contrite in spirit, for who are we, O Sovereign Lord, that you have even taken us this far, both in understanding and in stature. Who are we that you have called upon us to do what you have asked of us? You, O Lord, are more generous to us than we deserve, yet we praise you and thank you for all you have done for us, in us, and are doing through us. Continue to guide our steps, and inspire our minds and spirits to see and understand you and your wonderful truths. Thank you, Lord, for the wisdom and understanding you have given to us. Although our only reputation is being your servants, friends, and children, that is more than enough. Yet we are also called upon to reflect your reputation or your glory,  yet no one is ever close to your reputation. 

Reigning King

 DEVOTION

REIGNING KING

1 Kings 4:20-25

20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. 21 And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon's subjects all his life. 22 Solomon's daily provisions were thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. 24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. 25 During Solomon's lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree.

NIV

Although we passed by the lists of names and positions they held in the court of Solomon, such as priests, secretaries, recorder, commander-in-chief, in charge of district officers, personal advisor, in charge of the palace, and the one in charge of forced labor. Then there were 12 district governors, each responsible for bringing supplies to the king for one month. So, we now jump ahead to see that the people of Israel were happy. They were living in peace for the first time in a while, and now they could drink and be happy. Under the rule of Solomon, all was well, and he lived as large as any man could. He must have fed his whole court every day with a feast beyond opulence. There  was a total of thirty whole cows devoured each day, along with one hundred goats and sheep. That had to feed hundreds of people in his palace, and how could they do anything else but drink, eat, and party on, because they also enjoyed both deer and male deer, the roebucks, gazelle, and choice fowl. But the point of all this was the reign of Solomon, and that all of Israel lived in safety, with each man under his own vine and fig tree. Of course, that did not mean each man owned his own vineyard, but the idea was that the people no longer had to live within a fortified city, and they could spread out and cultivate their land and eat the fruit of their own labor. This is the premise each person should live by, eating from the fruit of their own labor. Sadly, we have had leaders who would rather have people dependent on the government instead of their own labor. Greed is a killer of all people, but mostly the takers in life. Of course, we follow Jesus, and we are completely dependent on Jesus for life, and we are told to look to Jesus for all our needs. Under the reign of Christ, we can live in peace, enjoy the fruit of our labor, and cultivate our own land. For us, that may not mean becoming farmers, but to cultivate the word of God, the seed into the soil of this land, people. With the parable that Jesus taught about the four kinds of ground, not all that we cultivate will develop into a believer, but some will; but the point is, we need to sow the seed. If we just hang out with our own, then what are we doing? That’s a hard question, and we should ponder this more. How can we enjoy the fruit of our own labor? How can we sow the seed? Is just turning the lights on at church enough? Jesus said that he would build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail, so we should look to Jesus and sow that seed. What does Jesus lead us to do because he is our reigning King? 

Wisdom

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

WISDOM

1 Kings 3:16-28

16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, "My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us. 19 "During the night this woman's son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son — and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn't the son I had borne." 22 The other woman said, "No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours." But the first one insisted, "No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine." And so they argued before the king. 23 The king said, "This one says, 'My son is alive and your son is dead,' while that one says, 'No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.'" 24 Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other." 26 The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don't kill him!" But the other said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!" 27 Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother." 28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

NIV

This is a well-known story of the two women arguing over one baby. Although that seems to be the main plot, the real story is about the wisdom or the discerning heart the LORD gave Solomon and how he delivered his verdict in the case of the one baby and two women. Of course, there is also the truth of a mother's love for her child, as that is how Solomon was able to determine the true mother. But that also takes us to what the true love of the Father is for his children. The mother was willing to give up her child before letting Solomon have it cut in two. The Father was willing to send his Son to be treated with hatred, having some hate him so much that they wanted to kill him. Although Jesus did die on that cross, no man killed him, for he gave his life as a ransom for many. Jesus decided that the moment he would take his last breath, it would be in his hands, his will, not the will of men. It was also the will of the Father to raise Jesus up so that we have a living Savior. This is true love at its finest. The mother demonstrated enough love to give up her child so it would live. But this wisdom of Solomon, who the LORD said no one was ever like him, or would ever be, yet we are told that if we lack wisdom, we are to ask and the Lord will give it to us generously without finding fault. We can have wisdom, and the implication is that it would be the wisdom of God. That would seem really far-fetched to think we could have the wisdom of God, but surely we would not be as wise as God, or have an equal amount of wisdom, for our minds are not capable of that level of wisdom. Yet are they? If we are created in the image of God, and they made us in their image, we should be capable of anything he designed us to be, and desires us to be. He would not have given us all those commands to get rid of certain traits and behaviors if we were not able to comply. The same goes for all the traits, attitudes, and behaviors we are to take on. Although everything is about our faith in Jesus, and not in our works, or being perfect. However, at the same time, we can have wisdom and a discerning heart so we know right from wrong. We also have far more of the word of God than Solomon had, and we have the work of Jesus, which Solomon did not. Yet he still serves to show us that if we ask for wisdom, God will give it to us. 

The Right Response

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

THE RIGHT RESPONSE

1 Kings 3:6-15

6 Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 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. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for — both riches and honor — so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." 15 Then Solomon awoke — and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord's covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

NIV

The Lord had told Solomon that he could ask for anything he wanted the Lord to give him, and now he responds. First, above all, before asking, Solomon gives praise to the LORD for his kindness to Solomon’s father, David. He honors his father by reminding, although the LORD already knows, that David was faithful to the LORD and righteous and upright in heart. Then Solomon thanks the LORD for the kindness he had shown his father by putting his son on the throne this very day.  Now comes the request, and it is different from the give me, let me have, I want more, bigger, and better stuff, or help me lose weight, or look better, anything else that is centered on self. Solomon asks for a discerning heart so that he might be able to govern the people the LORD has chosen, a great people, too numerous to count. I cannot do it alone; I need your guidance, I need your wisdom, and all I ask is for a discerning heart to be able to rightly judge between what is right and wrong. What a response to, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you”. Of course, the LORD was pleased that Solomon did not ask for a long life and wealth for himself, or for the death of his enemies. This should remind us of what we have been told regarding seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. That should be the very heart of our lives. Of course, we would love to have a discerning heart, to know right from wrong, and to live in harmony with each other. We would also ask the Lord to give us the wisdom to live in peace with all men, and to fulfill the calling he has placed on each of our lives. If the Lord wants us to have a long life, that is up to him. If the Lord wants us to have good things, that too is up to him. If the Lord wants to bless us with whatever, it is totally up to him. Although Jesus said that he calls us friends, we are still servants of the Lord, and our desire should always be to do whatever he has for us. Although Solomon lived during a time when offering sacrifices was acceptable, we are only required to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to the Lord. However, let us learn this lesson well, that although we can ask anything in the name of Jesus and he will do it, we should always be asking for his will to be done, and that our hearts would be right before him, and that we would know the difference between right and wrong. When asked, let us give the right response. 

Just Give us Jesus

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

JUST GIVE US JESUS

1 Kings 3:1-5

3:1 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD. 3 Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 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

NIV

We will get to the answer Solomon gave to the Lord, but it is too long to include in this initial portion of information that we think is important. Of course, taking another wife was just the way life was in those days, and as this was an alliance with the king of Egypt, it could have been a purely political reason. Nevertheless, the important issue is that Solomon went to a high place to offer sacrifices to the LORD. Although Israel had been instructed about the high places and not to offer sacrifices because that is where pagans offered sacrifices to pagan gods. But now we see that God accepted these offerings from Solomon because he came to him in a dream during the night and told Solomon he could ask for whatever he wanted the Lord to give him. Jesus told his disciples and us that very same thing. He told us we can ask for anything in his name and he will do it. Of course, we know what Solomon asked for, and it was not material things. However, we wonder if we have not gotten a little distracted and ask for at least some of those material things. Yet, we know the truth of seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Then we would ask for His kingdom to come, His will to be done on earth, that is within us, as it is in heaven. What else is important? Jesus is our righteousness, so if we ask or seek the righteousness of God, we are seeking Jesus. He has to be the most important person in our lives, for without Jesus, we are lost forever. Jesus is the fullest expression of love from our heavenly Father. Of course, we want his will to be done in our lives. But we wonder if we have been distracted by our will at times. Although the words are not found in the scripture, we use the term “freewill” because God gave Adam the ability to choose to do what was right and keep from doing what was wrong, and Adam chose wrongly. So, we have that choice to choose rightly or wrongly, and when we make the choice to pay attention to our will, wanting what we want, and pursuing our goals, aspirations, or desires, we are circumventing God’s will in our lives. We might think we know what is best for us, but we are also confident that Father knows best, and we should always be paying attention to what He wants in our lives. He is still asking what we want him to give us. Our answer should be, “Just give us Jesus”. We know the LORD gave Solomon much more than he asked for, and we know the Lord has promised he will also give us more, but the “more” is not what we ask for. We ask for his will to be done in our lives, and just give us Jesus, his righteousness.

 

In or Out

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

IN OR OUT

1 Kings 2:36-46

36 Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. 37 The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head." 38 Shimei answered the king, "What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said." And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time. 39 But three years later, two of Shimei's slaves ran off to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, "Your slaves are in Gath." 40 At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath. 41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, 42 the king summoned Shimei and said to him, "Did I not make you swear by the LORD and warn you, 'On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die'? At that time you said to me, 'What you say is good. I will obey.' 43 Why then did you not keep your oath to the LORD and obey the command I gave you?" 44 The king also said to Shimei, "You know in your heart all the wrong you did to my father David. Now the LORD will repay you for your wrongdoing. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed, and David's throne will remain secure before the LORD forever." 46 Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and killed him. The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon's hands.

NIV

Although this is the story of Shimei and the kindness of Solomon, it is also a story about making a commitment, or in this case, an oath to stay in Jerusalem, and in doing so, would have life. However, Shimei agreed to stay, and if he left, he would surely die. This could be another tale of the Garden of Eden, where God told Adam he could eat from anything in the garden and he would live, but from that one tree of the knowledge of good and evil, if he ate from that, he would die. But this is about staying in Jerusalem, and that brings us to the commitment we made to the Lord about staying within his kingdom. Because we agreed to stay in his kingdom, it means he is the King, and His word is sovereign. As long as we stay in Jesus, we will live, but if we leave for whatever reason, we will surely die. This idea of once saved, always saved, that some are of the persuasion, is simply not found in the scripture. However, this story is another example of the need to obey our commitment to stay in Jesus, in his kingdom. When he taught his disciples and us the pattern of prayer, he included that we should have the desire in our hearts for his will to be done on earth, that is, within us, just as his will is done in heaven. But we must stay in his kingdom. Shimei shows us the wrong in going after his slaves, which, in his case, was his property, or material possessions. We know we cannot serve both our Lord and material possessions, but is it possible that we let that line between the two get a little fuzzy? There is an inherent danger in leaving the kingdom to pursue materialism. We cannot pursue both Jesus and the world. We cannot be in both; it has to be one or the other. As long as Shimei stayed in Jerusalem, he lived, but if he left, he would die. He could not have it both ways, and neither can we. When we sing the words to that song, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back” that means we have decided to stay in Jesus, to remain there the rest of our lives and not to turn to the right or the left, and not to chase after material possessions, which includes putting our trust in the things while saying we put our trust in Jesus. The question is, are we in or out? 

Peace Forever

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

PEACE FOREVER

1 Kings 2:26-35

26 To Abiathar the priest the king said, "Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark of the Sovereign LORD before my father David and shared all my father's hardships." 27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD, fulfilling the word the LORD had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli. 28 When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the LORD and took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the LORD and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, "Go, strike him down!" 30 So Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, "The king says, 'Come out!'" But he answered, "No, I will die here." Benaiah reported to the king, "This is how Joab answered me." 31 Then the king commanded Benaiah, "Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my father's house of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. 32 The LORD will repay him for the blood he shed, because without the knowledge of my father David he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them — Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel's army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah's army — were better men and more upright than he. 33 May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the LORD's peace forever." 34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried on his own land in the desert. 35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab's position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.  

NIV

More judgment from the hand of God through Solomon. Abiathar was a descendant of Eli, the priest who was the mentor of Samson. However, his sons did something contemptible before the Lord, and thus the house of Eli would be judged. No longer was a priest left in the house of Eli, as the Lord had spoken. But now it was time to put an end to all the insurrection against the throne of David, which had now been passed on to Solomon. It is now Joab’s turn to receive his due reward for his unfaithfulness to King David. Joab was the commander of all the armies of Israel, a position of honor and likely a well-off life. Joab was the commander under David’s orders put Uriah in the front line so he would surely die. But it was also Joab who struck David’s son Absalom with three javelins, killing him as he hung from a tree, defenseless. However, our story is about what Solomon said about David and his descendants, his house and his throne, that they be the LORD’s peace forever. This is the gospel message we hear time and time again throughout the scriptures. Jesus came as a descendant of David, and Jesus is the one who brings peace. He promised he would give his followers peace, not as the world gives, but he would give us His peace. Thus, the words of Solomon are prophetic about Jesus. However, just as we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we also must accept his peace. This peace has several aspects as we experience the peace of Jesus. First, we are no longer at war with God and He is no longer at war with us. It is not that we could ever win against God, as those who war against him are subject  to his wrath. However, we accepted his grace, Jesus, and now we are at peace with God, and He is at peace with us. We are now subject to his grace instead of wrath. Peace with God is everything; without it, we are nothing. Second, as we experience the peace of Christ in our hearts, it does away with all anxiety and fear. We are told not to be anxious about anything, but in everything by petitions and prayer with thanksgiving present our requests to God, and we will have peace. Living with the peace of God in our hearts brings a life of contentment. Stress is a killer, but Jesus gives us peace forever.