“But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster.”
– 1 Kings 5:4
Hi James and Ellen,
What do you think that the future will be like for a kid whose dad is powerful, influential and very wealthy? When Solomon’s dad was a kid, he took care of his dad’s flock of sheep, wrote lyrics that he would sing and spent nights alone under star filled skies. By the time that his planet Earth assigned tenure had come to an end, Solomon’s dad had become a heavy hitter, a power player, and a very deep pocket. At the time of his dad’s death, Solomon was anointed to fill his dad’s shoes of reigning as king over the guys and gals who lived in the land of Israel. Solomon’s mandate was to maintain peace for God’s specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals, who were living in the land of Israel – which once had been the land of Canaan, for expanding the Israelite people group’s kingdom by enforcing allegiances with neighboring and far away nations and people groups of guys and gals and for conscripting a labor force to construct in the city of Jerusalem a majestic temple for God’s presence to reside and where God’s specially chosen guys and gals could go to to worship God with offerings and sacrifices. Solomon’s dad was David. David was the youngest boy in his nuclear family. David was expected to help with the tasks that had to be done each day in his growing up environs. Solomon was not expected to get his hands dirty as a privileged kid of a king. David had a work ethic conditioned into his life. Solomon asked for and was given an extra measure of wisdom. David wrote song psalms. Solomon wrote proverbial truisms. David was a warrior. Solomon was a womanizer. David’s life was filled with ups and downs. Solomon’s life was underpinned through position, prestige and power. Your grandpaa could go on and on comparing David’s life with his kid’s life but . . . have you ever wished that you were someone else – or that you lived at another time – or that life would stop treating you so unfairly? If you look at David’s life and then at Solomon’s life . . .
1 Kings 5 is about something that David instructed his kid to do that God would not let him do because . . . and that was to have a temple built in the city of Jerusalem for God’s holy presence to reside and where God’s specially chosen guys and gals could go to to worship God with offerings and sacrifices. It took seven years to finish building the temple in the city of Jerusalem. The cedar and pine logs that were used in the building of the temple were gotten from the country of Lebanon. Solomon gave Hiram – who ruled as king from the city of Tyre over the guys and gals who lived in the country of Lebanon, 20,000 cors or 120,000 bushels of wheat and 20,000 baths or 120,000 gallons of olive oil for the cedar and pine logs. Solomon alienated himself with his own people group of guys and gals when he conscripted 30,000 Israelite people group guys – 10,000 guys a month, to go to the country of Lebanon to cut down and to haul the cedar and pine logs that were needed to build the temple that David told his kid to see to the building of in the city of Jerusalem. The massive stone blocks that were used for the foundation of the temple were quarried from the limestone hills that are in the land area where the Philistine people group’s guys and gals lived. Solomon enlisted or drafted from the guys who his dad had subdued and who were living among his Israelite people group guys and gals in the land of Israel, 80,000 non-Israelite stonecutters to make immense dressed stone blocks and 70,000 non-Israelite guys to move the enormous stone blocks somehow to the city of Jerusalem. 3,300 Israelite people group guys supervised as foremen this enforced labor force. If you look at how guys came alongside David to . . . and then how Solomon used guys to . . .
David’s tranquil, pastoral life changed the moment that he killed a giant. The day when a smooth pebble from David’s sling struck smack dab in the middle of Goliath’s forehead – knocking down the oversized Philistine people group goon, David’s people group of guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals, had been for days in battle preparedness to go against the Philistine people group’s warriors. Solomon’s life really began when his dad died. Solomon – per verse 4, had it made when his dad’s life ended, “But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster.” Solomon – before his dad died, had a couple of half-bros find self-driven ways to eliminate themselves from being an Israelite people group positioned king – which left Solomon almost through default being handed the position. Solomon appears to presume that he inherited supremacy, status and standing from his dad when his dad was actuality leaving Solomon a legacy of strength, stability and servitude. Solomon spent nearly twice as long to build for himself in the city of Jerusalem an opulent, ornate palace then he spent building the temple in the city of Jerusalem. Even though David’s actions resulted in enemies and friends dying, David was a man of God. Even though Solomon built a temple in the city of Jerusalem and even though his recorded canonical words are a record of Solomon’s unique wisdom, your grandpaa does not think of Solomon as being a man of God as his dad was. Even though Solomon built a temple in the city of Jerusalem, Solomon seemed to be always putting first personal cravings – such as doing whatever he could do to be perceived as being a guy who is potent, prominent and personable. If you look at Who David revered and then at what Solomon prized . . .
1 Kings 5 (1140)