Slave to Friend

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

SLAVE TO FRIEND

1 Kings 9:15-23

15 Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the LORD's temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer. 16(Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire. He killed its Canaanite inhabitants and then gave it as a wedding gift to his daughter, Solomon's wife. 17 And Solomon rebuilt Gezer.) He built up Lower Beth Horon, 18 Baalath, and Tadmor in the desert, within his land, 19 as well as all his store cities and the towns for his chariots and for his horses-whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled. 20 All the people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites), 21 that is, their descendants remaining in the land, whom the Israelites could not exterminate-these Solomon conscripted for his slave labor force, as it is to this day. 22 But Solomon did not make slaves of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers. 23 They were also the chief officials in charge of Solomon's projects-550 officials supervising the men who did the work.

NIV

Once again, this portion of Solomon's life is just that: Solomon's life. History has little reference to our lives, as it tells us of the places or cities he built and the people he used to make them. He conscribed forced labor, slaves, with 550 officials supervising the labor. Did he not remember the plight of his forefathers, who lived as forced laborers, slaves, in Egypt under the supervision of Pharaoh's officials? Jesus taught a parable about a man who was forgiven his enormous debt, but then he would not forgive someone who owed him a small debt.  Do we not forget that the Lord forgave us a tremendous debt, that we deserved the penalty of sin, death, but he paid that price for us, so that we could live. Jesus taught about that very forgiveness and how, because God forgave us, we are to forgive those who sin against us. In Fact, if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. Solomon did not learn from his forefathers, who cried out because of their slavery, and enslaved people to do his bidding, building cities, just as his forefathers did in Egypt. We should never forget our past, nor our present, for that matter, because we have not yet attained perfection, and that Jesus took all our sin upon himself. As long as we remain in him, he remains in us, and we have been declared innocent, no longer slaves to sin, but free to worship our Lord. He no longer calls us servants, which implies slaves, but he calls us friends. Surely, Solomon did not confide his plans to those he conscripted, but only to his officials who supervised the slave labor.  However, the Lord has confided in his friends his plans, telling us all what will happen and the place he has prepared or built for us. Isn’t that a turning of the tables? Instead of us building a place for Jesus, as his servants, He is building a place for us, his friends. The Israelites went from slavery to God’s chosen people in a land of promise. We have come from slavery to being God’s people headed to the land of promise. We have gone from being a slave to being a friend.