THE SECOND TIME. 1st Kings 9 Early in Solomon's reign, the Lord appeared to him at Gibeon. The Lord appeared to him the second time after the temple and his house were built. We read that the Lord spoke to him between those two times, so these two times may have been a theophany. There were times in the Old Testament account when this took place. It was visible evidence of God, appearing to men in a human form they could understand and identify with. Abraham recognized that the Lord was one of the three who appeared at his tent door one day. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only One of the Godhead who has a visible form. "In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
On the other occasions when the Lord spoke to Solomon but did not "appear" to him, it was likely that a prophet came to him with a word from the Lord. The usual way was that "God in sundry times and divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets." The fact that His prayer was heard and the Lord noted his request indicates he knew he had full access to the Lord God and complete knowledge of all that he did and the motive behind his actions. More than that, the Lord Himself consecrated the temple and put His name there. His attention was there, and His heart was there.
God knows and cares about all that happens in His house. The "house of God" is an assembly of believers who are gathered in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not an insignificant body, nor are the things we do in the house of God of our choosing. God knows us better than we know ourselves. Integrity of heart, uprightness of life, and obedience to the new covenant to which we are committed allow us to experience the blessings associated with our spiritual life. The promises of God are there and are genuine. So are the consequences of failing to keep ours. To fall short of divine expectations puts us in a position of potential ridicule and the object of mockery as Christians. To have people speak disparagingly of Christians is not uncommon. If we give people a reason to talk in that way, that is a grave sin on our part.
It is a grief to us to see a public testimony of an assembly fail because of division, disobedience, and disregard for God's word. That is far different than when the demographics of a work make it impossible to continue functioning as a biblically gathered New Testament assembly. To do things our own way with no regard for sound teaching brings disaster. Biblically authorized practices and, to a lesser degree, traditions that have worked in an assembly also keep stability in a work. Each assembly has a culture that is unique to it and has functioned for years. When we leave the pattern of New Testament teaching and the practices of an assembly that have worked, disintegration takes place, and eventually, an end comes to public testimony.
God gave Solomon the choice of following Him and keeping His laws and commandments, and he and his throne would be established. He gives us choices, too; if we choose wrongly, there are inevitable consequences. These wrong choices may cause us pain, but they can help us learn, grow, and make better choices in the future. Living with the consequences of our choices teaches us to think and choose more carefully.
Without being able to make choices, Adam would have been like a prisoner, and his obedience would have been hollow. The two trees in the garden, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil provided an exercise in choice, with rewards for choosing to obey and sad consequences for choosing to disobey. When faced with the choice, always choose to obey God.
At first, good pasture and available water seemed like a wise choice to Lot. But he failed to recognize that the evils of Sodom could provide temptations strong enough to destroy his family. Even though you may be strong enough to resist temptations, other family members may not. We must be careful not to become like the people we seek to reach.
Abraham had a choice to make. He decided between setting out with his family and belongings for parts unknown or staying right where he was. He had to choose between the security of what he had and the uncertainty of traveling under God’s direction. All he had to do was follow God’s promise to guide and bless him. Abraham didn’t know how much was resting on his decision to go or stay, but his obedience affected the history of the world. His decision to follow God set into motion the development of the nation God would use when He visited Earth Himself. God's promise was fulfilled when the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth. Through Abraham, the entire world was blessed. You don’t know the long-term effects of most of your decisions. However, the fact that there will be long-term results should cause you to think carefully and seek God’s guidance as you make choices and take action.
God chose Israel and us because of His love and mercy despite the wrong we would do. To represent His way of life, teach His Word, and be an agent of salvation, He chose the “weak things” to confound the strong and the “things that are nothing” to confound the wise. God sets before us, as He did before Israel, a choice between blessings and cursing. How amazing that most choose the curse. We can live for ourselves or live in service to God. To choose our way is to travel on a dead-end road, but to choose God’s way is to receive eternal life [Jn.5:24].
Boaz chose to do what was right because he was sensitive to others’ needs. He also chose to do it right away. He couldn’t foresee all that his actions would accomplish. He couldn’t have known that the child he and Ruth would have would be the ancestor of David, the king, and Jesus, the King of kings. He just did the right thing in the situation facing him. We are often concerned with making the easy choice rather than the right one. Yet, more often than not, the right one is clear. Commit yourself to making the right choices and ask God to give you special awareness of what is right.
When faced with a situation with only two apparent options that seem wrong, don’t lose sight of what God wants. With His help, seek out more options. In that way, you can find a choice that honors God. Little wrong decisions often lead to big mistakes. David and Bathsheba are an example. Bathsheba was bathing where she could be seen, and David was not with his army. The little day-to-day choices we make are very important. They help prepare us to make the right choices when big decisions come. The wisdom to make the right ones in small or large matters comes from God [Pro.1:10-19]. We must learn to choose not based on flashy appeal or short-range pleasure but given the long-range effects. Sometimes, this means steering clear of people who would entice us into activities we know are wrong. We can’t be friendly with sin and be unaffected.
Every choice for good sets into motion other opportunities for good. Evil choices follow the same pattern in the opposite direction. Each decision to obey God’s Word will bring a sense of order to your life while disobeying will bring confusion and destruction. The right choices you make reflect your integrity. Because of our identification with the Lord Jesus, we must honor Him and live as He wants us to. Ask, “What would Jesus have me do?” “What would Jesus Himself do?” Sometimes, the decision to follow Christ requires difficult or painful choices. We must decide to leave behind those things that would keep us from following Christ [Mat.16:26]. Evaluate everything that happens from an eternal perspective, and you will find that your values and decisions align with what Christ wants. Sometimes, we make bad choices, and God allows them to show us what we really are like. When one’s heart is for God, He works for our good. We know His choices are good even if we don’t understand all His reasons.
When God repeats Himself, you can be sure that what He said before, He intends us to heed. Do what He commanded; have your motives pure because you need His blessing in your life. We must conduct ourselves before Him with faith, knowing our need for His strength is necessary. He has shown us His grace many times over, and we would be foolish not to give Him unreserved trust.
Walking in integrity, not just form, has to be renewed and committed daily. That will keep us consistent so that the truth is the norm and that people around us can see what we do and hear what we say. His word is established and unalterable, so with uprightness of heart, we have guidelines to direct us through life. If we make it a practice at the start of each day to read and hear God’s Word speaking to us, then it keeps us until the night.
God allows some tests to see if we are faithful to His Word. When those trials come, turn quickly to Him and again openly and verbally acknowledge Jesus as Lord. The first-time meeting trials and tests may seem easy to answer with assurance and faith. But the second time seems more serious; it’s not the self we are pleasing; God is showing us the continual need of His grace.
The twenty cities Solomon gave Hiram were likely collateral until Solomon repaid him for all the gold and building materials he got from him to use in the building of the temple. If the towns were in payment for all Solomon got from Hiram, they would not benefit a king whose economic base was the sea-faring trade and shipping for which Tyre was well known. As far as the twenty cities that Hiram refused to accept, to him, they were worthless -"Cabul." The term "brother" would have addressed one who leaders would consider their equal.
Solomon did not shortchange Hiram in any way. He likely paid him above and beyond what he spent. The generosity of the leaders of the Middle East was a source of pride to them. It was important to them to seem very generous and go farther than others in giving gifts [2Chr.9]. International trade between the tribal nations flourished during Solomon's reign.
Both Israel and Egypt seemed to be the major nations to be reckoned with among all the other nations of the Middle East. Pharaoh's daughter becoming Solomon's wife was part of the alliance process that Solomon thought was necessary to keep the peace. Yet Solomon's building projects throughout the kingdom must have been because of defending the territory David had brought under Israeli rule. Those ancient building projects have been a great source of interest among archaeologists in recent years, as they confirm the biblical accounts and silence skeptics. The building projects Solomon was so concerned about would have been on major trading routes that crossed the Middle East.
The conscripts Solomon got from the people were likely all non-Israeli residents who were still living among the Jewish inhabitants of the land. There would have been a building of resentment because of this, but it did not fester to the breaking point until after Solomon died. Opposition by the Canaanites to the Egyptians during Solomon's time was crushed, and the Egyptians claimed property the Canaanites had previously. Solomon maintained a standing army and had horses and chariots in various places prepared for war, even though he was a man of peace.
When God's people focus their attention on the world's business practices and are constantly engaged in seeking to gain wealth and power, a nation's spiritual life declines. Salt and light have to be used for them to be effective. It is crucial for us as God's people to do whatever we do "as to the Lord" and not just increase our profits for personal reasons.
Solomon made sure the three feasts were kept: The Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles, so there was still a semblance of spirituality among the people. When we use the things of God for personal advantage, it will not be long before the generation following will get the picture that what I have and can get for myself is more important than what God gives me. Some people attend meetings to interface with others because of making a business deal. Others to gain a foothold that leads to some power.
Our spiritual obligations can look like worship outwardly for a while, but soon, the heart of man is revealed. Success is wonderful when we recognize it is coming from God and give God the credit and all the glory for the outcome. When we begin to think we are accomplishing this success because of our business understanding, skill, and strategy, we place ourselves and the generation in a dangerous position. Solomon started humbly and wisely, but as time passed, he relied on his wisdom rather than God. There is nothing that can take the place of faith when it comes to pleasing God.
Solomon was God's instrument for accomplishing great projects and keeping the nation peaceful. He did this well but at the cost of many discontented people who held their peace until the next generation came into leadership. We are to be servants of God, and to do that right, we need to “have the mind of Christ.” We are created to have divine life: born again into the kingdom of heaven and given the divine nature. To do that, we must drop our deceitful practices, insincerity, defensiveness, envy, and slander and reach out to others in genuine love - not a sloppy, mundane, insincere love. Many find it hard to immerse themselves into the life described in the New Testament because it is unlike their own experience. Real New Testament Christianity lived daily discourages some instead of inspiring them. We must approach and receive the life the Lord Jesus offers correctly.
Soul competence results from taking small steps that lead to our transformation to Christ-likeness in quiet, unassuming ways. Our hidden inner life is invisible to others and often not grasped by ourselves. For better or for worse, we are all being formed spiritually. If we are focused on our Lord Jesus, conformity to Him takes on the outcome of obedience to God's will. Christ formed in a person gives moral and spiritual insight that gives life [Jn.13:34-35; 14:21; 2 Cor.3:6]. Christ-likeness is a gift of God's grace. We are not just acting differently but are different inside. God's grace is demonstrated sensibly and orderly through the word and the Spirit of God.