1 Kings 9-11
Wise Guy
Washes Out

Psalm 50:16-23 Woe to the Wicked Hypocrites

16.But to the wicked God says, "What right do you have to declare My statutes, that you have taken My covenant on your lips,17.seeing you hate instruction, and throw My words behind you?"18.When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have participated with adulterers.19."You give your mouth to evil. Your tongue frames deceit.20.You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother’s son.21.You have done these things, and I kept silent. You thought that I was just like you. I will rebuke you, and accuse you in front of your eyes.22."Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you into pieces, and there be none to deliver.23.Whoever offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies Me, and prepares/orders his way so that I will show God’s salvation to him."

Observations

50:16-18.

God defines the “wicked” as those among His covenant people who don't walk the talk. They recite the law, but don't act righteously nor justly.

50:19-23.

They forget God, and think He doesn't care, but He will rebuke them and tear them to pieces. Scary. Those who have a proper dependent relationship with God will call to Him, have Him answer them (because they are righteous) and they be able to glorify Him. Those who order their ways according to His wisdom (ie, obey) will experience God's salvation/deliverance.

Application

Walk the talk, and worship the God who delivers His people, or face the consequences.

Prayer

God, I thank You that You are the God who answers prayer, and will judge the evil hypocrites who don't obey you, and afflict Your people; I trust in Your justice. Amen.

Proverbs 14:1-4 Building or Blasting?

1.“Every wise woman builds her house, but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.2.He who walks in his uprightness fears Yahweh, but he who is perverse in his ways despises him.3.The fool's talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.
4.Where no oxen are, the crib is clean, but much increase is by the strength of the ox.”

Observation

14:1-4.

There are no obvious links between most individual verses in this and upcoming Proverbs. The meanings are usually pretty obvious. How would a foolish woman tear down her own house? Would she know she was doing it?

Application

Pick a verse and see how it could apply to your life.

Prayer

God, help me walk wisely and uprightly. Amen.

1Kings 9-11 Wise Guy Washes Out

Loved, chosen, blessed and prospered by the one and only Creator God beyond anyone else on the planet, Solomon had it all. The whole world respected him, and many came to God because of his wisdom and exaltation. But he wound up serving the third-rate gods that he knew Israel had defeated, and lost the kingdom and God's blessing. What went wrong? Where was his world-class wisdom? If he blew it, what hope is there for the rest of us?

1 Kings 9 Promise and Prosperity

1.It happened, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of Yahweh, and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do,2.that Yahweh appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.3.Yahweh said to him, "I have heard your prayer and your supplication, that you have made before me. I have made this house holy, which you have built, to put my name there forever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.4.As for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my ordinances;5.then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, according as I promised to David your father, saying, ‘There shall not fail you a man on the throne of Israel.6.But if you turn away from following me, you or your children, and not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;7.then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have made holy for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.8.Though this house is so high, yet shall everyone who passes by it be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, ‘Why has Yahweh done thus to this land, and to this house?’9.and they shall answer, ‘Because they forsook Yahweh their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold of other gods, and worshiped them, and served them. Therefore Yahweh has brought all this evil on them.’"10.It happened at the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Yahweh and the king’s house11.(now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire ), that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.12.Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they didn’t please him.13.He said, "What cities are these which you have given me, my brother?" He called them the land of Cabul to this day.14.Hiram sent to the king one hundred twenty talents of gold.15.This is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised, to build the house of Yahweh, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer16.Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it for a portion to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.17.Solomon built Gezer, and Beth Horon the lower,18.and Baalath, and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land,19.and all the storage cities that Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build for his pleasure in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.20.As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel;21.their children who were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel were not able utterly to destroy, of them Solomon raised a levy of bondservants to this day.22.But of the children of Israel Solomon made no bondservants; but they were the men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots and of his horsemen.23.These were the chief officers who were over Solomon’s work, five hundred fifty, who bore rule over the people who laboured in the work.24.But Pharaoh’s daughter came up out of the city of David to her house which Solomon had built for her: then he built Millo25.Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he built to Yahweh three times a year, burning incense with them, on the altar that was before Yahweh. So he finished the house.26.King Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion Geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.27.Hiram sent in the navy his servants, sailors who had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.28.They came to Ophir, and fetched from there gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.

Observations

9:1-5.

God first appeared to Solomon to give him wisdom, this time it's to give him a warning. God appears to Solomon after the temple dedication (last chapter) to personally let him know that He heard his requests and will put His name/power/glory as well as His eyes and heart at the temple. He also reiterates the Davidic Covenant stipulations to obey. If we're not doing all God commanded, then we lack uprightness and integrity of heart.

9:6-9.

God specifically warns Solomon not to depart from serving Him, or God will destroy the people, land, and even the magnificent temple (which unfortunately happens as promised Dt 29:24-29; 2 Kings 25:9; Dan 9:11-14).

9:10-23.

Solomon apparently uses twenty cities in Galilee as collateral for a loan from Hiram to fund additional building projects. Leviticus 25:23 prohibited selling the land of Israel. 2 Chronicles 8:2 states that Hiram restored them. The gold he got from Hiram equals that from the Queen of Sheba in the next chapter. Solomon places a levy/tax upon Israel for money and labor to carry out the projects. Verses 1 and 19 use a very strong word for desire to refer to Solomon's building projects. In Ecclesiastes Solomon recounts his explorations of what is worth doing “under the sun.” In chapter 2 he explores building projects and concludes: 

Ecclesiastes 2:9 “So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 10 Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my reward from all my labor.11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.”

Application

Without loyal obedience (hesed) anything we build, even an incredible temple, is vanity.

Prayer

God, my chief desire and greatest is following Your will; may all my other activities fit into that grand objective for my life. Amen.

1 Kings 10 Problem of Prosperity

1.When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of Yahweh, she came to prove/test him with hard questions. 
2.She came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bore spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she had come to Solomon, she talked with him of all that was in her heart.3.Solomon answered all her questions: there was not anything hidden from the king which he didn’t tell her.4.When the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,5.and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their clothing, and his cup bearers, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of Yahweh; there was no more spirit in her.6.She said to the king, "It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts, and of your wisdom.7.However I didn’t believe the words, until I came, and my eyes had seen it. Behold, the half was not told me! Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard.8.Happy are your men, happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you, who hear your wisdom.9.Blessed is Yahweh your God, who delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel. Because Yahweh loved Israel forever, therefore made he you king, to do justice and righteousness."10.She gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones. There came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.11.The navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees and precious stones.12.The king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of Yahweh, and for the king’s house, harps also and stringed instruments for the singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen, to this day.13.King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants.14.Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,15.besides that which the traders brought, and the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of the mixed people, and of the governors of the country.16.King Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of gold went to one buckler.17.he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.18.Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold.19.There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the stays.20.Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps: there was nothing like it made in any kingdom.21.All king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.22.For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram: once every three years came the navy of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.23.So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.24.All the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.25.They brought every man his tribute, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and clothing, and armor, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.26.Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, that he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.27.The king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.28.The horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; and the king’s merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price.29.A chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred fifty; and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, they brought them out by their means.

Observations

10:1-13.

The Queen of Sheba is given as an example of those who bless Yahweh as a result of His blessing those who are faithful to Him. She was a real truth-seeker, noting everything from the way Solomon's servants were dressed to the love God had for Israel in giving them a king who reigned in righteousness and justice. God blessed Solomon so all the earth would be drawn to Him.

10:14-25.

Solomon not only exceeded everyone in wisdom, but also in wealth, amassing unprecedented amounts of gold. He made silver a plentiful as stones.

10:26-29.

Ditto for horses and chariots, a symbol of military might. Solomon even got an expensive imported Egyptian sports model (maybe to impress the girls in the next chapter?). God warned of the danger of prosperity. When a person or people is in need, they rely upon God and are careful to limit their desires in order to do His desire. But when their needs are satisfied, they become independent of God in the pursuit of their own desires. Remember, independence is the essence of sin. If Solomon had built an ice-skating rink, the ice would be very thin.

Application

We keep dependent upon God by daily seeking His will in all we do, and wholeheartedly fulfilling the responsibilities He's entrusted to us.

Prayer

God who blesses, may I never forget that all I am and have comes from You, so that I will continually seek You more than anything You could give me. Amen.

1 Kings 11 Perils of Prosperity

1.Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites;
2.of the nations concerning which Yahweh said to the children of Israel, "You shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon joined to these in love.3.He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.4.For it happened, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God, as was the heart of David his father.5.For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.6.Solomon did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and didn’t go fully after Yahweh, as did David his father.7.Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon.8.So he did for all his foreign wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods.9.Yahweh was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,10.and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he didn’t keep that which Yahweh commanded.11.Therefore Yahweh said to Solomon, "Because this is done by you, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.12.Notwithstanding I will not do it in your days, for David your father’s sake; but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.13.However I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen."14.Yahweh raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king’s seed in Edom.23.God raised up an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada25.He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, besides the mischief of Hadad: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.26.Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, he also lifted up his hand against the king.28.The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he put him in charge of all the labor of the house of Joseph.29.When Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field.30.Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces.31.He said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces; for thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you32.(but he shall have one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel);33.because that they have forsaken me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon. They have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my ordinances, as David his father did.34."’However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him prince all the days of his life, for David my servant’s sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes;35.but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it to you, even ten tribes.36.To his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.37.I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel.38.It shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.39.I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not forever.’"40.Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam; but Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.41.Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, aren’t they written in the book of the acts of Solomon?42.The time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.43.Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

Observations

11:1-8.

Solomon not only built a temple for Yahweh, he built ones for other gods. He married a herd of women and had a flock of concubines, from the peoples God had said: “Stay Away! They'll turn your heart away from Me.” The wives turned his heart away from Yahweh, who had blessed him beyond measure. Note that he didn't turn their hearts toward Yahweh, but they were able to contaminate him. There had to be demonic deception at work for him to go and serve the gods Israel had defeated. Even the world's wisest man can be an idiot. Why did he blow it? Before we answer that, let's look at the consequences.

11:9-13.

God is angry at Solomon's sin, even though He let it go on for a while. Eventually (as it always happens) God delivers the judgment. The kingdom will be torn away from Solomon, and given to one of his servants, but not in his lifetime, for David's sake, and not totally, for Jerusalem's sake. The house of David of Judah would have one tribe with them (Benjamin).

11:14-43.

Just like God had raised up Israel and David from nothing, now He raises up adversaries against Solomon. God even offers the same covenant he had offered to Solomon to Jeroboam, his servant. If Jeroboam would obey, God would bless him as He had David building him a dynasty. This offer was conditioned upon obedience, we'll see how it turns out. Solomon rather than repenting as David would have, seeks to fight against God's revelation by trying to kill Jeroboam (who flees to Egypt). Sounds a little like Herod.

Question

Why did Solomon sin? If you were paying attention to Deuteronomy 17, you'd know the answer. Solomon didn't have access to DailyTruthbase, uhmmm, I mean, he didn't have a daily quiet/devotional time. How do we know that? Not only was Solomon the world's wisest person, but he had more cash, cars, and cuties than anyone on earth. And that's the key for understanding his failure. Not that those things are necessarily bad, for God had given them to him. But Deuteronomy 17 instructed:

“14 When you come to the land which Yahweh your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,'15 you shall surely set a king over you whom Yahweh your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, 'You shall not return that way again.'17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. 18 "Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites.19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear Yahweh his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.”

So there were three explicit commands for the king: don't multiply cars, cuties, nor cash. The king was supposed to write a copy of Deuteronomy and read it every day. When he got to chapter 17, he'd say: “Hmmmm, I wonder what God has to say to me today...Oh, look, there's a passage with my name on it; it says, 'king', that's me: 'Kings shall not multiply cars, cuties nor cash. And they definitey shouldn't get one of those imported Egyptian models.' Drats, I guess I'd better cancel that order. Hey, there's a promise: 'The kingdom will be prolonged for me and my kids.' Good deal.” Unfortunately, Solomon didn't invest daily time in God's word, and his heart turned away from the God who loved him, chose him, and prospered him above all others. There probably wasn't anyone in his life who could challenge him either, neither priest nor prophet nor friend. A wise guy should have known better, and planned not to fail. 

Application

If the wisest guy in the world lost out by not investing daily time in understanding and applying God's word, what makes you think you'll succeed by ignoring God's word and commands?

Prayer

God, don't let me wind up like Solomon; help me keep my heart focused on You and Your word every day. Amen.

Digging Deeper

God in a nutshell: God wants to bless those whose hearts are wholly His, so others can see His goodness, and acknowledge Him as their God. If He can't bless his chosen and beloved servants, He'll raise up others to bless, and fulfill His promise to curse, afflict and destroy the disobedient. He will bring down even the most loved and exalted if they fail to serve Him exclusively.

Us in a nutshell: We must be a rather dim-witted species if we turn from our source of goodness and blessing to something that is evil and results in cursing. If we fail to wholeheartedly seek the God of the Scriptures and keep His commands and instructions in front of us, we will wind up serving the god of power, or the god of pleasure, or the god of posessions, or the god of status or security, or the whole pantheon of pagan powers that are not Yahweh. If we follow the ways of the pagan nations He's destroyed, He'll destroy us too.

Where to go for more

Truthbase.net