October 5, 2023

God wants to bless His children, but our actions have consequences.

1 Kings 9

Wendy L. Park
Thursday's Devo

October 5, 2023

Thursday's Devo

October 5, 2023

Thursday's Devo

October 5, 2023

Thursday's Devo

October 5, 2023

Big Idea

Wise leaders walk closely with God.

Key Verse | 1 Kings 9:4-5

"And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, 'You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'"

1 Kings 9

The LORD Appears to Solomon

1 As soon as Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD and the king's house and all that Solomon desired to build, 2 the LORD appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 And the LORD said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 4 And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, 5 then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ 6 But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8 And this house will become a heap of ruins. 1 9:8 Syriac, Old Latin; Hebrew will become high Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9 Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the LORD has brought all this disaster on them.’”

Solomon's Other Acts

10 At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD and the king's house, 11 and Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress timber and gold, as much as he desired, King Solomon gave to Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12 But when Hiram came from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, they did not please him. 13 Therefore he said, “What kind of cities are these that you have given me, my brother?” So they are called the land of Cabul to this day. 14 Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents 2 9:14 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms of gold.

15 And this is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon drafted to build the house of the LORD and his own house and the Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer 16 (Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and had killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife; 17 so Solomon rebuilt Gezer) and Lower Beth-horon 18 and Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah, 3 9:18 Hebrew lacks of Judah 19 and all the store cities that Solomon had, and the cities for his chariots, and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 20 All the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of the people of Israel— 21 their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel were unable to devote to destruction 4 9:21 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction) —these Solomon drafted to be slaves, and so they are to this day. 22 But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves. They were the soldiers, they were his officials, his commanders, his captains, his chariot commanders and his horsemen.

23 These were the chief officers who were over Solomon's work: 550 who had charge of the people who carried on the work.

24 But Pharaoh's daughter went up from the city of David to her own house that Solomon had built for her. Then he built the Millo.

25 Three times a year Solomon used to offer up burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar that he built to the LORD, making offerings with it 5 9:25 Septuagint lacks with it before the LORD. So he finished the house.

26 King Solomon built a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 27 And Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, seamen who were familiar with the sea, together with the servants of Solomon. 28 And they went to Ophir and brought from there gold, 420 talents, and they brought it to King Solomon.

Footnotes

[1] 9:8 Syriac, Old Latin; Hebrew will become high
[2] 9:14 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
[3] 9:18 Hebrew lacks of Judah
[4] 9:21 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
[5] 9:25 Septuagint lacks with it

S2:194 1 Kings 9

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | 1 Kings 9

In May, my second son graduated from high school. Imagine if, post-event, I had said to my son, "If you walk with God's ways, all will be well, but if you don't, I'll cut you out of my will. You'll have no inheritance with your siblings." Such a warning definitely would have killed the mood of festivity.

The beginning of 1 Kings 9 is similar. The temple had been dedicated, and everything was joyful. The nation had celebrated together what God had done. God then appeared a second time to Solomon and reissued His covenant promises and warnings of future punishment for falling away. These warnings seem to be a rather down note in the atmosphere of revelry. But why are warnings needed at this glorious moment, the pinnacle of Solomon's achievement?

The second half of the chapter details a series of rather mundane business dealings. These transactions, however, tell us much about Solomon. He seemingly shortchanged his business partner, King Hiram, by giving away parts of the Promised Land in exchange for gold (1 Kings 9:11-14), generated forced labor from enemies that God commanded to be destroyed in Deuteronomy 7:1-2, and drained resources from his people through his massive government. He collected excessive amounts of wealth in violation of Deuteronomy 17:17. He covered his religious responsibilities with three annual visits to the temple. Despite God's warnings, Solomon did not observe His commands and decrees in his work. He cut corners and patched it over with obligatory religious observance. The man who built the temple was not "a man after God's own heart."

1 Kings 9 is a contrast between God's faithfulness and man's. God is calling us to a life of faithfulness in everything we do, including our work. What we do in the commonplace matters. Our lives should shout the story of our God who rescues and redeems us, the One worthy of our obedience and praise. 1 Kings 9 reminds us that our God is always faithful even when we are not.

How can we remind others of God's faithfulness in how we live and work today?

This month's memory verse

5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
6  In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
 

– Proverbs 3:5-6

Discussion Questions

1. Deuteronomy 7:9 states, "Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations." Do you know, love, and celebrate the faithfulness of our God?

2. Even when we are not faithful, God will faithfully forgive if we run to Him (1 John 1:9). Are there any areas in your life in which you are not faithfully following God?

3. How does your life reflect God's faithfulness? To whom can you tell the story of God's mercy and grace in your life and work?

4. Every devo needs a song. Listen to Faithful on Watermark's Sing Hallelujah album.

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Wendy. Love your post about how Solomon’s box checking, double dealing, and other dubious behaviors show a stark contrast with God’s promise and faithfulness. Also love this - “God is calling us to a life of faithfulness in everything we do, including our work. What we do in the commonplace matters. Our lives should shout the story of our God who rescues and redeems us, the One worthy of our obedience and praise.” B.C., I had a really bad temper. One place it came out was in the “commonplace” situations. Specifically, in fast food ordering from the drive through. My tone, volume, and word choice were…not kind. Amy called it my “Burger King voice”. She leaned in enough that I ultimately stopped. It’s embarrassing confess and see that bad example. -------------------------------------- Q1. My awareness of God’s faithfulness and my faithlessness grows consistently. More and more I see a bigger and bigger contrast. In tough moments and tough seasons the contrast gets so big it can be disheartening. Worship music almost always brings me out of it. Q2. My friends are probably tired of hearing this but comparison is still a struggle for me. God has given me every imaginable spiritual and material blessing yet I still compare myself to others. Q3. In Prodigal, each week one of the leaders gives a short testimony to short the evening. Those are GREAT opportunities to testify to God’s patience, grace, and mercy in my life. I can articulate what it looks like to be far away and have God leave the 99 to go get the lost one. Q4. Love that song and so many others our worship team has recorded.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

In wrestling with parenting Prodigals we seek to set boundaries for behavior and the consequences for violation of the boundaries. Early on I was taught to be aware that this can set us up to be the “police” and not the “parents”. What we realized as we went along was that God set the boundaries and consequences on us. Therefore, he calls us to parent as we are parented. In this, I go back to Eden. God “provided” Adam and Eve with everything, including His presence. One boundary. Don’t eat THAT fruit. One consequence. Provision removed. You’ll die. It is with this in mind that my focus today is on verses 1-9, the LORD’s warning to Solomon. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spring 2021. THAT time had finally come. I had to explain this reality to our prodigal again. Now it was time to remove all provision. As you might imagine, it didn’t go well. Eventually, the consequences did the teaching that was not sinking in otherwise. The key that God (again) conveys to Solomon is that playing inside the lines is when promises and blessings happen. Solomon did about as well as I did when I was flying high.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

The notes edify- “1 Kings 9:7–8 Disobedience will lead to loss of the Promised Land, and the magnificent temple will become a heap of ruins to be scoffed at by those passing by (cf. Deut. 29:22–28; Lam. 1:12; 2:15). Israel will be in fact transformed from a nation proverbial for its wisdom (1 Kings 4:21–34) into a nation that is itself a proverb and a byword. This word pair comes directly from the list of covenant curses in Deuteronomy 28 (v. 37), a chapter that lies behind so much of the prayer of 1 Kings 8:22–53. This prayer has assumed the inevitability of sin (esp. 8:46), making it clear that the “if” in 9:6 cannot be anything other than a “when” in reality (8:46); obedience will inevitably give way to apostasy. A dark cloud now looms over the Solomonic empire.” “1 Kings 9:10–10:29 Glory under a Cloud. Solomon’s rule over the surrounding kingdoms, combined with his status in the world in general (4:21–34), put him in a position to build and dedicate the temple (5:1–8:66). First Kings 9:10–10:29 now considers the glory of this Solomonic empire in the light of 8:22–53 and 9:1–9. Earlier themes are picked up again (Solomon’s dealings with Hiram; his use of forced labor; foreigners coming to listen to his great wisdom), but they are repeated in a way that hints not of wisdom but of foolishness. The glory of the Solomonic empire is glory under a cloud, destined to fade away.” We talk a lot about finishing strong. There are many examples of great leaders who didn’t. They were near the end of their time and made tragic mistakes. You know many of the names.
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Michael Sisson

Re: 1Kgs 9:3 1Kgs 9:3 (NASB) The LORD said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by >>>putting My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.<<< G-d commanded sacrifices and the biblical feasts to be observed “perpetually” and “throughout your generations,” (e.g. Ex 12:17,24,42; Ex30:10; Ex 31:16; Lv 23:41; Jer 33:18) yet much of Christendom ignores them and treats them as vestigial, cultural observances significant only for Jews. Moreover, it’s widely taught throughout Christendom that with Christ finished work, Temple worship and sacrifice were abrogated once and for all…doctrines Acts 6:11-14 characterizes as “false” and “blasphemous.” Justapose that with Yeshua saying He will “always” be with us “even to the end of the age,” (Mt 28:20)…a promise in which we find rest. We need to decide if by “perpetually” and “forever” and “always,” G-d really means what He says, and then let that inform our theology.
GJ

Greg Jones

That bio-wow. But I imagine you are probably more a shepherd than a juggler. Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. (Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and had killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife; so Solomon rebuilt Gezer) Those two sentences connected make a lot of 21st century English sense. Solomon got married his father in law gave him a wedding gift. The details hint at some broader stories. To make a greater sense to a Hebrew audience the sentence, “Solomon made a marriage…” is 1Kings 3:1. The second sentence, “Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up…” is 1 Kings 9:16. There’s six chapters of separation between the two sentences but we’re still expected tie them together. It’s an ancient Hebrew thing. Another thought about that, if some of my high school essays would have been translated into ancient Hebrew they probably would have made more sense to my 20th century English teachers. Chapter 3 Solomon’s marriage, the people sacrifice at the high places, God visits Solomon the first time. Chapter 9 Solomon’s dowry, the people sacrifice at the temple, God visits Solomon the second time. Like one of my high school essays it’s hard to follow unless you’re thinking like the author. But why are warnings needed at this glorious moment, the pinnacle of Solomon's achievement? I don’t normally raise my hand when English teachers ask questions. But from someone who is used to tracking with they’re own scattered sentences, connect the warning with Solomon’s prayer rather than trying to make a connection to the timing. 1 Kings says God’s expectation of Solomon, and his descendants are to be shepherd like to the people. Or maybe executors of a will. The fate of the people rest with the king. The Chronicler when recording the former prophets (what Samuel and Kings are known as in the Hebrew Bible rather than history in our OT) inserts 2 Chronicles 7:14-16 into the conversation and takes some of the edge off of the dire warnings. 1 Kings chapter 9 wasn’t written to the original readers of Chronicles it was written and kept for them. Chronicles 7:14-16 was added and written, to, the original readers of Chronicles who after returning from exile has no king. In that same sense Samuel Kings Chronicles wasn’t written to us. It was written and has been kept for us today. In the Hebrew Bible Chronicles is in a section known as the writings and is the last book of the Hebrew Bible. That probably all makes more sense if you’re used to dealing with scattered thoughts. Q4 I have a ear worm right now You rule, you're seizin' the day At B K, have it Hugh’s way
SB

Sue Bohlin

Thanks so much, Wendy! As I was reading God's challenge to Solomon to keep His commandments--"doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules"--I could just imagine the "comments from the peanut gallery" from unbelievers complaining that God must be a self-important deity who wants people to obey him and submit to him in order to feed his ridiculous ego. But no! God is love, and He is good. ALL of His statutes and rules are given "that it may go well with us," a phrase we see 10 times in Deuteronomy. He wants to bless us, He wants us to thrive, and the ONLY way that can happen is if we submit to His intention and design because that's what is best. Every. Single. Time. I think about how civil engineers have built just-right degrees of banking on curves, have set just-right speed limits on curves, have built guard rails on the edges of treacherous mountain roads to keep people from flying off to crash and burn . . . and die. All the specifics of road-building are set in order "that it may go well with us." This is a reflection of a good and loving God who gives us statutes and rules NOT because of Himself, but because He loves us. Which apparently Solomon, for all his wisdom, didn't grasp, since he arrogantly blew past God's very specific commands for kings not to accumulate wealth, horses (for military strength), or wives. He crashed through the guard rails and spiritually speaking, smashed on the rocks below. So sad.
AL

Amy Lowther

1. I learn, love, and celebrate the faithfulness of God everyday. 2. No. 3. God helps me believe in myself and in others. I can tell stories of God’s mercy and grace in my life to my community to help them succeed in their lives. 4. It is always important to practice and discuss faithfulness for best results.
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Michael Scaman

So many things in so many directions. A thoughtful wedding gift from Dad? Sounds extreme. (Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and had killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife; so Solomon rebuilt Gezer) and Lower Beth-horon and Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah, 1 Kings 3:17-19 And a not as easy as it sounds Bible question: The temple wasn't built and the ark went up Zion with 2 of 3 sets of priests and levites ( like Asaph) but 1 of 3 stayed at the old site of the tabernacle of Shiloh. then after being captured moved to Gibeon? Question . But the ark was in Zion and the tabernacle was in the high place in Gibeo. So the 1000 sacrifices of Solomon not near the ark? but at a tabernacle without an ark? Solomon did need the ashes of a red heffer to sanctify the site: By the way, the tabernacle and temple ground must be santified by the ashes of a red heifer and someone in a far away quaint town oddly named Rockwall, Texas sstruck a done deal with the temple building people today about his reddish calves. And these Texan cows were moooooved to Israel and arrived last year sept 20, 2020 https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-717650 A lovely red heiffer here https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_537,w_822/515243
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Linda Green

Solomon had a tremendous responsibility as the leader of God’s chosen nation. God gave him marvelous promises to him and his family after him, if they would just obey. But if he or his sons after him decided not to obey,…. many and foreign wives, many horses, piling up gold and worldly treasures- everything Deuteronomy 17:16-17 and other verses said not to do…. the punishment would fall on the nation of Israel. 1 Kings then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. Wicked leaders bring a terrible judgement on the people. That hasn’t changed.
LG

Linda Green

Thanks, Wendy, for helping me to think today. Your bio is a proclamation of God’s grace- to you and through you.