1 Kings 6:11-13

“Then the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying: ‘Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My word with you, which I spoke to your father David. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.’”

Four hundred and eighty years after entering the promised land the Tabernacle was replaced with the Temple. The Temple was an elaborate structure, sitting above the city of David, on what had been the threshing floor of Ornan. This forty five foot tall building was the prize of Israel, and could be seen from miles away. The inside of the Temple was even more glorious than its exterior. The floor, walls, and ceiling, were made of intricately carved cedar and overlaid in…

1 Kings 5:13

“Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men.”

Building the Temple was a massive undertaking. It was to be a structure like no other. Unlike the pagan temples that were built in an attempt to reach up to the gods, this temple was built so God could reach down to man. The entirety of this structure pointed to the fact that God made a way for sinful man to have relationship with a holy God. As soon as a person approached the temple, they would smell the sacrifices, and be reminded of their need for a substitute to die in their place; removing the guilt and penalty of sin. These sacrifices provided a temporary covering, and pointed forward to Christ, who would die once, for the sins of all. Without question, this was the most…

Psalm 57:1

“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.”

No matter where we live, we are faced with the storms of life. Growing up in California, I was constantly reminded of the great earthquake that was looming on the horizon. We were told that because of the fault lines, one day California would fall into the sea. Upon moving to Florida, the new fear was the hurricane. A few years back, a particularly large hurricane had developed in the warm waters of the South Atlantic. The atmospheric conditions were such to allow this storm to grow larger and larger as it traveled north. All of the models had it making landfall just outside of my home town. Having never experienced a hurricane before…

1 Kings 4:30

“Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt.”

Solomon was known for his great wisdom. We are told that his understanding of psychology, botany and biology surpassed the great teachers of his day. We find people from all over the Middle East would travel to hear him speak, and when they left they declared that the rumors of his intellect did not do justice to how brilliant he really was. The most remarkable thing about his abilities is where they came from. As we read his Biblical biography, we find these gifts were God-given and purchased through prayer.

The early years of Solomon’s life gave no evidence of a truly gifted young man. His father doubted his ability,and when he was told by God to pass the kingdom to Solomon he all but refused. It was…

1 Kings 3:3

“And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.”

Throughout his life Solomon showed evidence of his love for the Lord. He wrote three thousand proverbs to instruct young men how to walk pleasing to the Lord. Although only a few remain, we are told he also wrote over one thousand songs. Because of the influence of his father, it is safe to say most of these would have been songs of worship. Solomon also spent the early years of his reign building the Temple so Israel would have a permanent structure in which to worship he Lord. All of this attests to the statement that, “Solomon loved The Lord”. The problem arises when we continue reading the verse and find, along with his love, he had what the text calls “an…

Psalm 56:8

“You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?”

David refers to God’s book. This is not a reference to the Word of God; for he tells us that the content of this book is David’s tears. He is not the only writer to refer to a book that God possesses. The Apostle John wrote,

“But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” Revelation 21:27

The Old Testament prophet Malachi also refers to this book, “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name.” Malachi 3:16

These…

1 Kings 2:2-3

“I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.”

Israel is facing some very serious challenges. Their beloved king has grown old and is on the eve of his death, and the nation is divided between two drastically different successors. Surrounded by enemies and struggling with an array of internal conflicts, Solomon is chosen to take the throne and lead the nation. With what amounts to his final words, we read of a charge given by king David to his teenage son,

“I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore…

1 Kings 1:36-37

“Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, ‘Amen! May the Lord God of my lord the king say so too. As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.’”

As David’s final days drew near, a dark and ominous cloud hung over the nation of Israel. Following in the footsteps of his brother Absalom, Adonijah exalted himself in an attempt to usurp the nation’s throne. He convinced the princes of Israel, as well as the army, to join his rebellion. However, the palace guard, prophets and the mighty men remained loyal to David and young prince Solomon. The nation of Israel found itself once again on the brink of a civil war that would cost the lives of thousands.

In the midst…

Psalm 54:1

“Save me, O God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your strength.”

This Psalm is a prayer set to music. In It, David is crying out to God to deliver him from those who are seeking his life to end it. The title of the Psalm gives us insight into the situation he is facing.

‘A Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, ‘Is David not hiding with us?’”

Because of the jealous rage of King Saul, David was forced to live in hiding. The Wilderness of Ziph provided a perfect hiding place for David and his men. The many caves made it difficult for anyone to pinpoint their whereabouts. That is, until the Ziphites, or inhabitants of that area alerted Saul to David’s location. When news reached David that King Saul knew where he was hiding, and that he was coming…

2 Samuel 24:10

“And David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.’”

King David committed a sin by taking a census of the people, rather than trusting in the arm of God as Israel’s defense. His sin was forgiven, but the consequences were grave.

This passage is a vivid illustration of temptation, failure, repentance and results. In the parallel passage in Chronicles we read;

1 Chronicles 21:1

“​ Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.”

The initial cause of David’s sin was giving into temptation. Instead of rejecting unbiblical thinking, he chose to entertain his thoughts, and before long found himself giving in. It is not uncommon for us…