Time with Jesus - 18
Nov 2013
King Solomon is one of the most contradictory men of the
Old Testament. On the one hand he was a man of tremendous wisdom and insight.
On the other he was a womaniser. He was a king who knew great power over others
and was perhaps the richest man who ever lived. How does the average man deal
with such a trial? There was nothing he was unable to do, nothing he was unable
to buy. He was able to secure just about any woman he wanted. It is recorded
that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Nevertheless he does not seem to have
had very many children; certainly not as many as his royal “harem” might
suggest.
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| Solomon's Throne |
Solomon's rise to power met with widespread approval
from the people. However, David's officials were slow to accept the new king.
They did warm up considerably, when they realized David was determined to
anoint Solomon as his heir. Solomon became Israel's king, because God had told
David that he should reign after him. Thus, Solomon became king, although he was
not David’s eldest son.
He received the throne directly from the hand of his
father David. He consolidated his power by executing his elder brother Adonijah,
who had tried to take the throne earlier. He also executed Joab, the commander
in chief of David’s army. Joab had sided with Adonijah against Solomon. He was
responsible for the death of Abner who had participated in the death of Uriah the
Hittite. Abner also put Absalom to death, apparently from a sense of duty.
Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the LORD.
Abiathar had sided with Adonijah. Three years later Solomon also executed
Shimei for leaving Jerusalem when warned, on pain of death, not to do so. Solomon
was David’s son by Bathsheba. The trauma of David & Bathsheba’s adultery
was never really forgotten, so Solomon was not as popular as he might have
been.
1 Kings11:42 informs us, Solomon was about 20 years old
when he was crowned king. He assumed leadership of Israel at a time of great
material and spiritual prosperity. During his 40-year reign (970-931 B.C.), he
expanded his kingdom until it covered ±50,000 square miles - from Egypt in the
south, to Syria in the north and to the borders of Mesopotamia in the east.
Solomon’s passion for women is indicated in 1 Kings 3:1 ESV He made a marriage alliance, with
Pharaoh, King of Egypt. He took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city
of David. Then he finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and
the wall around Jerusalem.
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| Queen of Sheba |
It was very much a political marriage. However the
Jews suggest she was a Jewish proselyte. It is unlikely Solomon would marry her
otherwise. Some of the Jews suggest Psalm 45:1 and the Song of Solomon was
written for that occasion. She does not appear to have enticed or drawn him
into idolatry. The list of all the idols his wives drew him into worshipping, makes
no mention of any Egyptian deities. The Jews say Rome was built the same day
Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter!
She was not Solomon's first wife. He was married to
Naamah, the Ammonitess before he was king. Rehoboam, her son, was born a year
before his marriage to this Egyptian princess. This comes from the fact that
Solomon reigned only forty years. Rehoboam, who succeeded him, was 41 years of
age when he began to reign. (1 Kings 11:41)
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| Visit by Queen of Sheba |
Some 3000 years after the reign of Solomon, we tend to
look at him through Christian eyes, instead of the eyes of the history and
culture of the day. Certainly we are offended that he could have 700 wives and
300 concubines. What we forget, is that he was one of the greatest kings of his
time. Kings had absolute authority. The fact that David and Bathsheba’s
adultery was not legally prosecuted, confirms this. We also have a different
attitude to marriage and physical relationships between husband and wife. It’s
inconceivable that the marriage relationship we have today – one man one woman
– could cope with the prospect of one man loving 700 wives and 300 concubines
consecutively, much less simultaneously. In all probability, many of these
women did not get to “sleep” with him throughout their lives.
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| 700 wives & 300 Concubines |
Solomon’s wisdom was a gift to him from God. 5
At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream
by night, and God said, "Ask what I shall
give you." 6 And Solomon said, "You have shown great and
steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in
faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you
have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit
on his throne this day. 7 And
now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my
father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come
in.
8 And your servant is in the
midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be
numbered or counted for multitude. 9
Give your servant therefore an understanding
mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who
is able to govern this your great people?"
1 Kings 3:5-9 ESV
Lord John Acton, first Baron Acton (1834–1902) wrote in
1887: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Great men are almost always bad men”. From his life, Solomon might be said to
epitomise this.
Shalom
Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – 18 Nov 2013
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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©
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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GOD
WITH US
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None
of us know what Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem really looked like. It must
have been quite a sight. I’m told that it was the most expensive buildings
ever built. We are told that the design was David’s. We also know that
David’s personal fortune was donated to the building of this temple. The fame
of this, along with Solomon’s great wisdom, resulted in him having an
international reputation for prosperity and wisdom. How long it took for this
information to reach the ears of the Queen of Sheba, is not known. Much
depends on the location of Sheba. The most likely place, is in the South
Western portion of the Arabian peninsula. The Sabeans or people of Saba or
Sheba, are referred to as traders in gold and spices; and as inhabiting a
country remote from Jerusalem. Such traders would, no doubt, have brought
news of Solomon and his prosperity, fairly quickly to the queen of Sheba.
Some believe she was queen of what we now call Ethiopia.
The
visit of the Queen of Sheba was not merely an exercise in satisfying her
curiosity. The Bible tells us of some of the questions she posed to Solomon,
to test his wisdom. 1 Kings 10 gives details of her visit. It is said that in
her society, women had equality with men. We know she gave Solomon 9,000
pounds of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones. 1 Kings 10:10 GW. We also know that Solomon gave
her anything she wanted, along with considerable gifts. It’s been suggested
she returned to Sheba proudly pregnant by the world’s wisest man! It is
thought this child went on to become king of Ethiopia.
In Matthew 12:42, Jesus, speaking angrily to the
Pharisees, referred to the visit of the Queen of the South (the Queen of
Sheba) to Solomon. He pointed out she came to see if he was as wise as she
had heard. Indeed, she found him to be wiser than anyone she had heard!
Jesus,
standing in front of the Pharisees, was far wiser than Solomon had ever been.
Jesus was telling them the truth. They didn’t believe Him! I must say I feel
a morsel of sympathy toward the Pharisees at this point. Only the Wisdom of
God could be wiser than the wisdom of Solomon. Here was Jesus telling them He
had that wisdom! He was either a liar or a direct representative from God.
Two thousand years later, we know He was speaking the truth. But to men
brought up in that tradition, it would be very hard to believe. Thank God,
some of them did. For many, such a thought was unthinkable. What would you
think, if a baker from Bloemfontein, stood in front of you today and said he
is God? Have some sympathy for those sad religious leaders. They were blind
guides. We should learn from them. Listen carefully to what you hear. Then
commit it to God for a decision!
Jim &
Phyllida
Strickland
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7 But I (Queen
of Sheba) did not believe the reports until I
came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me.
Your wisdom (King Solomon) and prosperity
surpass the report that I heard.
1 Kings 10:7 ESV
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We know the Queen of Sheba, could not
believe her eyes.
She’d heard about King Solomon; she’d
heard that he was wise.
But when she came to visit him, she
said she’d never seen,
Such wisdom and prosperity. Not in her
wildest dream,
Had she expected anything as wonderful
as this.
She was so glad she saw it. The
thought of what she’d miss,
By never seeing Solomon and all that
he had done.
This was a vast accomplishment by God,
through David’s son.
Now Jesus said in Matthew Chapter
twelve verse forty two,
This Queen wanted to find if what
she’d heard of him was true.
She went to visit Solomon. She’d
travelled from afar.
But standing now before them, was a
more illustrious star!
Solomon had been the king. But Jesus
was far more!
The day would come when Solomon would
worship and adore.
The One Who came from heaven. Right
from His Royal throne.
The Son of God incarnate, sent here by
God alone.
Some had seen His Glory. Full of God’s
truth and grace.
Some of us had walked with Him and
seen His Holy face.
Those who had accompanied Him,
listened to Him speak.
Never complicated and He would always
seek,
To talk to them in parables and never
to complain,
About the people whom He loved. He
would not cause them pain.
But He was very caustic with religious
hypocrites.
He would take their customs and smash
them into bits
If, by through their teaching, they
opposed God’s written Word,
They would be lambasted. “Woe unto
you” they heard!
He did His best to teach us, but we
could not digest,
Much of what He told us. Although we
did our best,
We found what he was saying was so far
above our heads.
We couldn’t comprehend ‘til by His
Spirit we were led.
We saw Him in His splendour; we saw
Him crucified.
We watched Him in His suffering; we
watched Him as He died.
The grave could never hold Him; He
walked out of the tomb.
His resurrected body walked right into
our room!
The risen King of Glory; we met Him by
the lake.
We witnessed His ascension. We know,
when we awake,
From “sleeping through life’s
journey”, we know whom we will see.
The “richest and the wisest One”; both
Man and Deity.
Jim Strickland
Written
18th November 2012
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42 On Judgment Day, the Queen of Sheba will come forward
and bring evidence that will condemn this generation, because she travelled
from a far corner of the earth to listen to wise Solomon. Wisdom far greater
than Solomon's is right in front of you.
Matthew 12:42 MSG
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14 The
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We
have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the
Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 TNIV
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4 And my message and my preaching were very plain.
Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I
relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power
of God.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NLT
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9 But as Scripture says: "No eye has seen, no ear
has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for
those who love him." 10 God
has revealed those things to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything,
especially the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 2:9-10 GW
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17 Your eyes will see the king in all his splendour,
and you will see a land that stretches into the distance.
Isaiah 33:17 NLT
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2
Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared;
but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
1 John 3:2 ESV
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26 And
after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my
flesh I shall see God,
Job 19:26 ESV
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15 I
will see your face when I am declared innocent. When
I wake up, I will be satisfied with seeing you.
Psalms 17:15 GW
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