Click to read 1 Kings 9
Synopsis
In response to Solomon's prayer, the Lord appeared to him the second time (the first was in Gideon - 1 Kings 3:4-15). This time, the Lord declared that as long as Solomon walked uprightly and with integrity, He would always be with him and the nation. The Lord also said that if he and his sons were to turn away from God, then the nation would become the ridicule of the earth.
The passage also describes the relationship between Solomon and Hiram of Tyre.
Major Verses
V4-9 - God demanded Solomon and his people's obedience to His commands and decrees. There were to walk in uprightness and integrity of the heart. In other words, they were to be honorable representatives of God for the world to see. God had also specifically told them that they must not turn to other Gods.
What I learned
Our God is a jealous God and requires our undivided worship and obedience. This is for our own good as there is no other true God; so to be distracted from Him means that we would be attracted to something that is not good. As a loving God, He therefore rewards those who are true to Him. Let us heed His words to walk uprightly and with integrity and not to turn to worship other gods.
V11-14 - Here is an interesting account of the relationship between Solomon and Hiram. It appears that Solomon had shortchanged Hiram, who had supplied 140 talents (or about 4 metric tons) of gold and countless amount of cedar and pine for the building of the Temple. Hiram called the cities the "land of Cabul"; the word Cabul in Hebrew means "good-for-nothing". There is no record in the bible if Solomon was truly short-changing Hiram or if he was giving these cities merely as a collateral until he could repay Hiram appropriately. However, Hiram was eventually rewarded handsomely through Tyre's trade partnership with Israel because Phoenicia was on friendly terms with Israel. This provided an opportunity for Hiram to grow rich through trading with Phoenicia.
What I learned
It was interesting that Hiram did not react adversely beyond declaring his displeasure about the cities given by Solomon. Hiram viewed his relationship as being more important than a feud over these cities. He was aptly rewarded in the end. We must also be careful not to get into unfruitful feuds with our brothers. If we love till the end, God will surely reward us.
V16-17 - Gezer was in Israel's territory but Egypt had control over it until Pharaoh gave Gezer over to Solomon as dowry for his daughter. Intermarriage amongst royal families was common in many dynasties and kingdoms of the past. But this was not endorsed by God as He had clearly instructed in Deut 17:16-17 about how a king must behave. As wise as Solomon was, he disobeyed God in this area.
What I learned
The world has many "norms" that are not endorsed by God. We have to choose wisely which to follow - God or the world. It is a choice that we all have to make in our daily life. Let's ask God for His strength to choose correctly.
Summary
God loves to live in the hearts of those who honors Him. He promises to keep His true believers in His care. We simply need to respond to His love.
Your comments please
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Up next ...
Solomon's fame went far and wide. Queen Sheeba's visit will be studied in the next chapter on 25th Dec.
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