1 & 2 Kings – Page 16

1 Kings 11:1-13 – Too Big for His Britches

jeans hanging on a clothes line extended between buildings

After all the good things we’ve been reading about Solomon in the last several passages, this may have come as a bit of a surprise. What was Solomon thinking? Did he think he was “untouchable” by God? Did he not realize his disobedience “might” have a consequence or two?

More on that to come, I’m sure. How can one man have that many women? Is that being heroic or too big for his britches? Not sure where that old saying came from. Google defined it simply “behaving as if you are more important than you really are.”

1 Kings 10:14-29 – Is It Too Much?

Read 1 Kings 10:14-29

a handful of gold stars all floating up in the air

King Solomon has quite the reputation. More and more wealth continues to flow his way. He is well-respected, helping many nations, not just his own, with the wisdom God gave him.

The lavish appearance of the palace as well as the multitude of horses, chariots, and such seems a bit like overkill to me. I started to ask myself, “is it too much?” Enough is enough. Aren’t there hungry people somewhere that could use support? Covering everything in gold seems a little excessive to me.

1 Kings 10:1-13 – A Visit From A Queen

Read 1 Kings 10:1-13

Solomon’s wisdom has made quite the impression on the Queen of Sheba. She is almost oozing with admiration over what she has seen with her own eyes.

I had to remember that the Queen would have gotten her “intel” from others who had heard or seen King Solomon. Obviously, their account was not quite accurate. The Queen wasn’t relying on a social media presence, a blog article, or any such thing. Our means of obtaining information these days is not only fast, but it is also not always correct.

1 Kings 9:15-28 – Are You A Good Delegator?

Read 1 Kings 9:15-28

A little girl smiling at the camera while she is sweeping a sidewalk

It doesn’t appear that Solomon spent a lot of down time while construction was underway. It was interesting to me that the Bible states clearly that no Israelites were used as slaves or to do the hard labor. Solomon employed them in other ways. Solomon did delegate that “dirty work” to the remnants of people living in the land that his ancestors had not been able to conquer.

We are also now informed of where Solomon got all of the gold that adorned the temple. Previously, we knew of the cedar and bronze he had procured from allies. I can’t even fathom what 16 tons of gold would look like!

1 Kings 9:10-14 – How Good is Your Word?

Read 1 Kings 9:10-14

3 women walking hand in hand down a small country road with backpacks on

Twenty years is a long time. I remember hitting the 20-year anniversary marking the day my life began to take on so much more meaning standing beside my husband David. Do you have a memorable 20-year span of time in your life yet? Use it to imagine what 20 years to build a temple could look like.

The business arrangement Solomon had made with King Hiram had lasted those many years. Over that time, I can just imagine there would have been meetings, inspections, and other forms of contact. This was a relationship of trust and the common goal to complete the temple and buildings.