1 Kings

1 Kings 9:1-9

Solomon started the temple in 966 B.C.  The temple was completed in 959 B.C.  The dedication was 11 months later in 958 B.C.  It was at this time that Solomon offered this prayer of dedication and this tremendous offering.  It was then thirteen years later, around 946B.C. when Solomon completed construction of his own palace.  It was then the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time; in this appearance the Lord seems to be responding to a thirteen-year-old prayer offered by Solomon. 

We often forget we serve a God beyond time who is honored and blessed us by His timeless word.  He is unchanging; the same yesterday, today and forever.  His word never fails, never expires, never grows old and irrelevant.  We, however, forget our words, our vows and our promises shortly after they were offered.  But our eternal, unchanging God receives those petitions and praises and they become timeless in Him.

God responds by reinforcing the promises He'd previously given.  If the Israelites followed Him and didn't turn away, then a descendant of David would be on the throne forever.  If they turned away, they would be cut off.  Then after they are cut off, they will ask, "Why has the Lord done this?"  God gives them the answer to the question they would ask: because they had forsaken the Lord.

This is so reminiscent of Katrina or 9/11; people were going about their business with no regard to God or his ways.  When catastrophe hit they looked to the sky and asked, "God how he could allow such a thing."  Folks then filled the churches for a few weeks seeking God.  Then, in a farily short time, folks were back about their business. 

1 Kings 9:10-14

Solomon had paid Hiram during the twenty years with a tremendous amount of food.  This was the agreed upon price at he beginning.  At the end of this twenty year building project Solomon gives Hiram twenty cities, a city for each year of labor.  These cities were in Galilee.  This is surprising that Solomon gives away cities in the Promised land.  This was God's land (as it still is). 

Hiram came to the cities and wasn't pleased with what he saw.  He called the cities the land of Cabul, which means worthless!  Even at that, Hiram responded to sending Solomon 120 talents of Gold.  This was an incredible amount of money – somewhere around 150million in todays dollars.

1 Kings 9:15-28

Nowhere and at no time were the Israelites instructed to put the foreigners into bondage.  They were to drive the foreigners from the land, not make them slaves.  Solomon continued his building projects with these people, building even more.  He didn't put any Israelites in servitude; they were instead the chiefs and officials over this workforce.  Solomon also built ships for himself and then sailed them to Ophir to get more gold.  He had another shipment of four hundred and twenty talents of

©2016 Doug Ford