“For by Thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall” (2 Sam 22:30, KJV). Yes, it’s Leap Year, and what a good time, with God’s help, to leap over obstacles in our way. It must have been some troop of soldiers David ran through that day, and […]
The tabernacle is explained in the New Testament; the temple is not. So we’ll have to be careful! Chapter 6 of 1 Kings begins: “And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s […]
Adoption, or “son-placing,” is the ultimate goal God has set for believer (Eph 1:5) at the end of time, bringing us into the fullness of eternal realities. In Paul’s writings the ideas of “children” and “sons” are different. Becoming a child is a generative change: we are born into the family and share common life. […]
With the kingdom established and at peace, it was time for Solomon to begin Project No. 1. It was David’s lifelong desire to build an earthly dwelling for the Lord. Now his son contacted his counterpart to the north, “Hiram king of Tyre,” who had already sent him a congratulatory note on his ascension, “for […]
Read More… from February 28, 2024 — Preparing For The Temple
Ungodly wisdom is, well, ungodly; it’s the wisdom “from above” ( Jas 3:15) that we need for living. The first part of 1 Kings 4 (vv 1-19) would fall under the Human Resources department today, but the rest of the chapter introduces Divine Resources. It describes the happiness of Solomon’s people (v 20), the extent […]
Chaos is a consequence of the Fall; order is the reinsertion of the divine will into the world. Solomon’s wisdom was not only used to solve interpersonal problems, as in 1 Kings 3. Chapter 4 explains that it also gave him the ability to set up a functioning order for the expanding kingdom, now reaching […]
When moral compromise is involved, often winning half actually means losing it all. Among the Jews, prostitutes were often foreigners; hence their designation as “strange women.” To accentuate the gravity of their sin, these harlots plied their trade as a part of their devotion to some heathen idol (see Num 25:1-5; Hos 4:14). These demeaning […]
Read More… from February 23, 2024 — The Whole Truth From The Half Story
If the Lord offered you anything, what would you ask? In fact, He’s already given us everything! You would think, with the kingdom established, and Solomon soon to receive a three-fold gift from heaven, that 1 Kings 3 would be full of sunshine. Actually this is where the baleful music begins, ominously warning of trouble […]