1 Kings 8:1-21 - The Covenant Mercy Seat Enters In

1 Kings 8:1-21

The Ark Brought into the Temple (2 Chronicles 5:2—6:2)

1 Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the City of David, which is Zion. 2 Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 So all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 Then they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 6 Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 The poles extended so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 9 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.

12 Then Solomon spoke:
“The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud.
13 I have surely built You an exalted house,
And a place for You to dwell in forever.”

Solomon’s Speech at Completion of the Work (2 Chronicles 6:3–11)

14 Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15 And he said: “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and with His hand has fulfilled it, saying, 16 ‘Since the day that I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there; but I chose David to be over My people Israel.’ 17 Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 18 But the LORD said to my father David, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.’ 20 So the LORD has fulfilled His word which He spoke; and I have filled the position of my father David, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised; and I have built a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 21 And there I have made a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD which He made with our fathers, when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

After finishing the temple of worship and atoning sacrifice, Solomon had the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant containing the commandments of the LORD and the mercy seat above the Law into the Most Holy Palace.  When the priests exited the temple, the Spirit of God’s glory filled the temple so that it was impossible for sinful man to enter into His presence until He lifted it from that holy place.  This is a picture (Hebrews 9:8-9) of the grace of God in the New Covenant in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:12-13) where He as the Word (John 1:1, 14) entered in the temple with everlasting mercy over the requirements of the Law (Colossians 2:13-14) which we cannot keep but He did for us to atone forever (Hebrews 9:23-24, 25-26) for our sins.  We now enter into the most holy place through the lifeblood sacrifice of the divine Himself without having to sacrifice repeatedly to earn what we are utterly unable to do (Romans 6:23) in and of ourselves.  This is the deliverance from the wrath of God on our sins through the ultimate sacrifice of God’s Son that was only a shadow to be seen in the earthly temple!  His grace covers the requirements of the Law that were laid in the Ark until His word became a man to forgive forever as our great High Priest (Hebrews 2:17, 4:14) in heaven and on earth.  When we now sin, we can boldly come to the]at throne of grace mentioned in Hebrews 4:16 to find confidence in forgiveness of confessed sins (1 John 1:9) and His Spirit like a cloud of merciful and worshipful grace filling these temple bodies of His presence in us now.  He has built these beautiful temples and we now build on the foundation of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11, 16-17) to make them acceptable to honor and glorify our Intercessor.  May we adorn our temples with the spiritual gifts given us as utensils used in worship in these temples as a place for His word and mercy before Him forever.  This is the covenant mercy seat we have entered into.  Amen. 

Kings 7:23-51 - Finishing Touches to the Temple

1 Kings 7:23-51

The Sea and the Oxen

23 And he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.

24 Below its brim were ornamental buds encircling it all around, ten to a cubit, all the way around the Sea. The ornamental buds were cast in two rows when it was cast. 25 It stood on twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward. 26 It was a handbreadth thick; and its brim was shaped like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It contained two thousand baths.

The Carts and the Lavers

27 He also made ten carts of bronze; four cubits was the length of each cart, four cubits its width, and three cubits its height. 28 And this was the design of the carts: They had panels, and the panels were between frames; 29 on the panels that were between the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. And on the frames was a pedestal on top. Below the lions and oxen were wreaths of plaited work. 30 Every cart had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and its four feet had supports. Under the laver were supports of cast bronze beside each wreath. 31 Its opening inside the crown at the top was one cubit in diameter; and the opening was round, shaped like a pedestal, one and a half cubits in outside diameter; and also on the opening were engravings, but the panels were square, not round. 32 Under the panels were the four wheels, and the axles of the wheels were joined to the cart. The height of a wheel was one and a half cubits. 33 The workmanship of the wheels was like the workmanship of a chariot wheel; their axle pins, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all of cast bronze. 34 And there were four supports at the four corners of each cart; its supports were part of the cart itself. 35 On the top of the cart, at the height of half a cubit, it was perfectly round. And on the top of the cart, its flanges and its panels were of the same casting. 36 On the plates of its flanges and on its panels he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, wherever there was a clear space on each, with wreaths all around. 37 Thus he made the ten carts. All of them were of the same mold, one measure, and one shape.

38 Then he made ten lavers of bronze; each laver contained forty baths, and each laver was four cubits. On each of the ten carts was a laver. 39 And he put five carts on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house. He set the Sea on the right side of the house, toward the southeast.

Furnishings of the Temple (2 Chronicles 4:11–18)

40 Huram made the lavers and the shovels and the bowls. So Huram finished doing all the work that he was to do for King Solomon for the house of the LORD: 41 the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the two pillars; the two networks covering the two bowl-shaped capitals which were on top of the pillars; 42 four hundred pomegranates for the two networks (two rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on top of the pillars); 43 the ten carts, and ten lavers on the carts; 44 one Sea, and twelve oxen under the Sea; 45 the pots, the shovels, and the bowls.

All these articles which Huram made for King Solomon for the house of the LORD were of burnished bronze. 46 In the plain of Jordan the king had them cast in clay molds, between Succoth and Zaretan. 47 And Solomon did not weigh all the articles, because there were so many; the weight of the bronze was not determined.

48 Thus Solomon had all the furnishings made for the house of the LORD: the altar of gold, and the table of gold on which was the showbread; 49 the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left in front of the inner sanctuary, with the flowers and the lamps and the wick-trimmers of gold; 50 the basins, the trimmers, the bowls, the ladles, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner room (the Most Holy Place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple.

51 So all the work that King Solomon had done for the house of the LORD was finished; and Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated: the silver and the gold and the furnishings. He put them in the treasuries of the house of the LORD.

Solomon directed the finishing touches to the temple of the LORD with the sea that was used by the priests for washing their hands and feet before performing sacrifices to ensuring ceremonial cleanliness, carts for the sacrifices, and smaller lavers (Exodus 30:18) with a bowl and pitcher for the priests to wash when going in and out in their ministry.  Then he had the inner furnishings completed, with all the utensils.  These included the golden altar, table, lampstands and wicks, ladles, censers for incense, and golden door hinges for the main hall and the Holy of Holies of the inner room as well.  When it was all finished, Solomon added the things given by his father David, the dedicated (2 Samuel 8:10-11, 1 Chronicles 18:11) silver and gold articles that had been spoils of conquest over their enemies.  All was to the glory of God in the meeting place of worship and atonement.  Solomon faithfully carried out his task to build what his father was kept from doing to continue the lineage of the Messiah, the Seed of David and promise to Abraham to redeem a people out of all the world, beginning with Israel, that we who are the chosen and called may worship in the temples of these bodies where God now lives as Spirit to enable us as redeemed by His perfect sacrifice as our eternal High Priest (Hebrews 6:20, 8:1-2, 9:11-12, 24, 2 Corinthians 5:1, 5) to serve Him until the temple comes down from heaven to us forever to worship before His very face at last!  God Himself will then put the finishing touches on the eternal temple with his own hand.  We therefore aim to earnestly wait for and eagerly anticipate that day as we strive to minister well in these humble temples. 

1 Kings 7:1-22 - Houses, Pillars, and the House of God

1 Kings 7:1-22

Solomon’s Other Buildings

1 But Solomon took thirteen years to build his own house; so he finished all his house.

2 He also built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with four rows of cedar pillars, and cedar beams on the pillars. 3 And it was paneled with cedar above the beams that were on forty-five pillars, fifteen to a row. 4 There were windows with beveled frames in three rows, and window was opposite window in three tiers. 5 And all the doorways and doorposts had rectangular frames; and window was opposite window in three tiers.

6 He also made the Hall of Pillars: its length was fifty cubits, and its width thirty cubits; and in front of them was a portico with pillars, and a canopy was in front of them.

7 Then he made a hall for the throne, the Hall of Judgment, where he might judge; and it was paneled with cedar from floor to ceiling.

8 And the house where he dwelt had another court inside the hall, of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had taken as wife.

9 All these were of costly stones cut to size, trimmed with saws, inside and out, from the foundation to the eaves, and also on the outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, large stones, some ten cubits and some eight cubits. 11 And above were costly stones, hewn to size, and cedar wood. 12 The great court was enclosed with three rows of hewn stones and a row of cedar beams. So were the inner court of the house of the LORD and the vestibule of the temple.

Hiram the Craftsman

13 Now King Solomon sent and brought Huram from Tyre. 14 He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work.

The Bronze Pillars for the Temple (2 Chronicles 3:15–17)

15 And he cast two pillars of bronze, each one eighteen cubits high, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of each. 16 Then he made two capitals of cast bronze, to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 He made a lattice network, with wreaths of chainwork, for the capitals which were on top of the pillars: seven chains for one capital and seven for the other capital. 18 So he made the pillars, and two rows of pomegranates above the network all around to cover the capitals that were on top; and thus he did for the other capital.

19 The capitals which were on top of the pillars in the hall were in the shape of lilies, four cubits. 20 The capitals on the two pillars also had pomegranates above, by the convex surface which was next to the network; and there were two hundred such pomegranates in rows on each of the capitals all around.

21 Then he set up the pillars by the vestibule of the temple; he set up the pillar on the right and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the left and called its name Boaz. 22 The tops of the pillars were in the shape of lilies. So the work of the pillars was finished.

After Solomon finished the temple of sacrifice and worship for the LORD, he erected his own and other houses before casting the two entrance pillars for the temple named Jachin (He Shall Establish) and Boaz (In It Is Strength).  His own house took thirteen years to complete.  He then made House of the Forest of Lebanon, presumably to honor Hiram king of Tyre who provided cedar and cypress logs for the temple from Lebanon.  He also built the Hall of Pillars and the Hall of Judgment, where he might judge Israel from the throne there according to his God-given wisdom as king.  Then he made a house like his for his wife, the Pharaoh’s daughter, and went on to finish the outside work of the temple.  He began with the temple’s great court using the Lebanese cedar beams, and then finished the inner court and the vestibule of the temple of the LORD.  Then came the already mentioned huge twin bronze pillars at the entrance to the temple, ornately decorated and erected by the vestibule and symbolically named on the right side as established by the LORD and on the left side as demonstrating the strength and power came from God alone in both the construction of the temple and its ultimate purpose to serve the Almighty as His meeting place until He comes forever to dwell (Job 19:25-27, Revelation 7:15, 21:3) with His people at last.  These houses and pillars were built around the shadow of things to come according to the heavenly pattern (Exodus 25:40, Hebrews 8:5, 9:24) of the house of God shown to Moses when he received God’s word for us to point us to His true and lasting sacrifice, a picture of our worship as living sacrifices in these temples of our bodies where He now meets daily with us for our honor, worship, and praise of service that is reasonable (Romans 12:1, Hebrews 13:15) and given with the same desire and effort as Solomon put into building the physical temple and his own house long ago. 

1 Kings 6:1-38 - Worship in the Beauty of Holiness

1 Kings 6:1-38

Solomon Builds the Temple (2 Chronicles 3:1–14)

1 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 reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD. 2 Now the house which King Solomon built for the LORD, its length was sixty cubits, its width twenty, and its height thirty cubits. 3 The vestibule in front of the sanctuary of the house was twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the width of the vestibule extended ten cubits from the front of the house. 4 And he made for the house windows with beveled frames.

5 Against the wall of the temple he built chambers all around, against the walls of the temple, all around the sanctuary and the inner sanctuary. Thus he made side chambers all around it. 6 The lowest chamber was five cubits wide, the middle was six cubits wide, and the third was seven cubits wide; for he made narrow ledges around the outside of the temple, so that the support beams would not be fastened into the walls of the temple. 7 And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built. 8 The doorway for the middle story was on the right side of the temple. They went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle to the third.

9 So he built the temple and finished it, and he paneled the temple with beams and boards of cedar. 10 And he built side chambers against the entire temple, each five cubits high; they were attached to the temple with cedar beams.

11 Then the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying: 12 ”Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My word with you, which I spoke to your father David. 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.”

14 So Solomon built the temple and finished it. 15 And he built the inside walls of the temple with cedar boards; from the floor of the temple to the ceiling he paneled the inside with wood; and he covered the floor of the temple with planks of cypress. 16 Then he built the twenty-cubit room at the rear of the temple, from floor to ceiling, with cedar boards; he built it inside as the inner sanctuary, as the Most Holy Place. 17 And in front of it the temple sanctuary was forty cubits long. 18 The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with ornamental buds and open flowers. All was cedar; there was no stone to be seen.

19 And he prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple, to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there. 20 The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid it with pure gold, and overlaid the altar of cedar. 21 So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold. He stretched gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold. 22 The whole temple he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the temple; also he overlaid with gold the entire altar that was by the inner sanctuary.

23 Inside the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 One wing of the cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the cherub five cubits: ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. 25 And the other cherub was ten cubits; both cherubim were of the same size and shape. 26 The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was the other cherub. 27 Then he set the cherubim inside the inner room; and they stretched out the wings of the cherubim so that the wing of the one touched one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall. And their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. 28 Also he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

29 Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. 30 And the floor of the temple he overlaid with gold, both the inner and outer sanctuaries.

31 For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood; the lintel and doorposts were one-fifth of the wall. 32 The two doors were of olive wood; and he carved on them figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees. 33 So for the door of the sanctuary he also made doorposts of olive wood, one-fourth of the wall. 34 And the two doors were of cypress wood; two panels comprised one folding door, and two panels comprised the other folding door. 35 Then he carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers on them, and overlaid them with gold applied evenly on the carved work.

36 And he built the inner court with three rows of hewn stone and a row of cedar beams.

37 In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid, in the month of Ziv. 38 And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it.

The details of the temple construction show us the many-faceted aspects of worship and of the spiritual significance of each element reflecting God’s presence, honor, and glory in the sacrifices of worship to be carried out there by the priests serving Him and the High Priest interceding for the people at the mercy seat described here.  Good covered everything, not to show wealth, but to demonstrate the permanence and incorruptibility of the LORD and his lasting place to meet His people there.  This magnificent structure took seven years to complete.  The LORD told Solomon and the people he ruled over to keep His word of judgments and commandments by walking them out in life to keep this place of worship where God would Himself dwell with them and not leave them.  Sin would destroy this if left not forsaken and unrepentant, while faithful obedience out of a heart () and life of following all would keep it intact in this covenant of works that foreshadowed the covenant of grace in the work of Christ (1 Samuel 2:35, Hebrews 2:17) for unending and secure deliverance from sin in an overwhelming intercession of eternal redemption, once for all (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 10:10), that mere animals giving their lives in sacrifice could never fully accomplish.  Do,we then who stand now in this covenant of the grace of God in Christ make following Him and His word an essential priority, knowing that apart from this grace in which we stand (Romans 5:2, 17, 2 Timothy 2:1) we would never be able to offer any animal life that only the perfect Lamb could die to give us life?  Let us (Hebrews 4:16) then come to that throne of grace when we falter and fail for strength to follow as pleasing sacrifices to Him out of infinite thanksgiving for His (2 Corinthians 9:15) immeasurable and indescribable gift of grace that mere words cannot do justice to the work He has done in our hearts as we worship in these temples of our bodies and souls made righteous (Matthew 5:48, Hebrews 12:23-24) in the righteousness of Christ in whom we stand!  May we always worship Him with thankful hearts in the beauty of holiness by keeping our temples clean and honoring to Him. 

1 Kings 5:1-18 - Preparations to Build God’s House

1 Kings 5:1-18

Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple (2 Chronicles 2:1–18)

1 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for Hiram had always loved David. 2 Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying:

3 You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the LORD his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the LORD put his foes under the soles of his feet.

4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil occurrence.

5 And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke to my father David, saying, “Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name.”

6 Now therefore, command that they cut down cedars for me from Lebanon; and my servants will be with your servants, and I will pay you wages for your servants according to whatever you say. For you know there is none among us who has skill to cut timber like the Sidonians.

7 So it was, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly and said,
Blessed be the LORD this day, for He has given David a wise son over this great people!

8 Then Hiram sent to Solomon, saying:
I have considered the message which you sent me, and I will do all you desire concerning the cedar and cypress logs.

9 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you indicate to me, and will have them broken apart there; then you can take them away. And you shall fulfill my desire by giving food for my household.

10 Then Hiram gave Solomon cedar and cypress logs according to all his desire. 11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors of pressed oil. Thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year.

12 So the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty together.

13 Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts: they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home; Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens, and eighty thousand who quarried stone in the mountains, 16 besides three thousand three hundred from the chiefs of Solomon’s deputies, who supervised the people who labored in the work. 17 And the king commanded them to quarry large stones, costly stones, and hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the temple. 18 So Solomon’s builders, Hiram’s builders, and the Gebalites quarried them; and they prepared timber and stones to build the temple.

When God settled the kingdom under King Solomon at last, putting the enemies of God’s people under subjection to the divine rule which brought peace within (Romans 5:1) as Christ does when settling His kingdom in us, then he asked his father’s old friend Hiram king of Tyre for help to build God’s temple.  This is a picture of how the Lord, the Seed of David through the lineage to include Solomon, how He delivers us from the enemy’s grasp under sin to be set free in Him and then strengthens and settles that kingdom in us (1 Peter 5:10-11).  Then we are able to be about our Father’s business of testifying to the gospel of grace and freedom from the adversary to make and teach disciples (Matthew 28:19-20) in this kingdom with the help of others as colaborers (1 Corinthians 3:9, 1 Thessalonians 3:2, 3 John 1:8) who have gone before us and work alongside us to build out the house of God (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9, Ephesians 2:20) which is composed of living stones which are every believer founded on Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11) and added to the temple of God.  Solomon had help in constructing the physical meeting place of the LORD to offer sacrifices and worship just as we now offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2) to offer worship in spirit and truth with thankful hearts and willing feet (Romans 10:15, Ephesians 6:15) to show the beauty of salvation and holiness (Psalm 90:17, 96:6, 1 Chronicles 16:29) in our King of kings.  We have the Helper in us now to enable our work together in that peace to build God’s kingdom one stone at a time because the adversary is defeated and we have the peace of God to stand firm and carry on till He returns to bring the heavenly temple (Revelation 21:2) of face to face worship down to us to see His face (Job 19:25-27, Revelation 21:3, 22:4) at last!  May we be committed to make preparations to building the house of the kingdom of God by proclaiming the gospel and bringing others into fellowship with Him and us as we teach them all things and build wisely (1 Corinthians 3:9-10) on that foundation given us for the true temple.  Amen. 

1 Kings 4:1-34 - The Wise King’s Wisdom and Rule

1 Kings 4:1-34

Solomon’s Administration

1 So King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; 4 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and Abiathar, the priests; 5 Azariah the son of Nathan, over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest and the king’s friend; 6 Ahishar, over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.

7 And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year. 8 These are their names: Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim; 9 Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; 10 Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher; 11 Ben-Abinadab, in all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 12 Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, which is beside Zaretan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam; 13 Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him also belonged the region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars; 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; 15 Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife; 16 Baanah the son of Hushai, in Asher and Aloth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor who was in the land.

Prosperity and Wisdom of Solomon’s Reign

20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing. 21 So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22 Now Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, 23 ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.

24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace on every side all around him. 25 And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 And these governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply. 28 They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.

29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. 33 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

Solomon ruled Israel in an ordered manner with the officials appointed by name here as well as twelve governors over all Israel who also provided the king and his household with much food (1 Kings 4:22-23) as 1 Samuel 8:9, 15 warned them when they wanted to have a king like other nations instead of the King of kings alone.  Fortunately, Solomon was a wise and good king after the example of his father David, for he provided wise and caring safety and prosperity for the people.  Under his rule, the nation prospered greatly and expanded as promised through Abraham’s (Genesis 22:17) faith in Him long ago to become as seemingly innumerable as the sand along all the beaches of the sea.  They all ate, drank, and were merry in their peaceful prosperity under the good and wise king who found his wisdom in God and fruitfulness in His promises of grace.  This dominion under Solomon extended peace throughout the kingdom and on ever side of it, a far cry from the wars and conflicts they experienced before him.  Not only did the people multiply like the sand of the seashore, but his heart was enlarged to care for the people as the sand of the seas as well.  He also was gifted such wisdom and understanding that would not be exceeded until the Seed (Luke 11:31, Galatians 3:19) appeared later according to promise at the set and proper (Galatians 4:4) time in God’s promised plan to give us true wisdom and lasting peace (Romans 5:1) in the love of His infinite heart for His children whom He called by faith like Abraham to increase and multiply in the kingdom of God from the root of Israel to the branches (Ephesians 1:10, 2:14-15, 16-18) out of all the nations by that same faith in the Seed, the Son of God and Man, Jesus Christ our true and rightful King.  The wisdom of the wisest Man ever to walk the earth is now imparted by the Spirit of God in us (1 Corinthians 2:12, 16) to give understanding and wisdom as He rules in our hearts, minds, and lives for His glory (Romans 8:28) and our good.  This is the wise King’s wisdom and rule with understanding in us as we gaze into (2 Corinthians 3:18, 4:6) His wonderful face and are transformed day by day in sitting under His teaching and sovereign rule over us in the goodness of His grace and merciful providence and protection. 

1 Kings 3:16-28 - Wisdom of God for Discernment

1 Kings 3:16-28

Solomon’s Wise Judgment

16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him. 17 And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. 18 Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. 19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”

22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”

And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.”

Thus they spoke before the king.

23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’” 24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”

26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!”

But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”

27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”

28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

The account of king Solomon’s first case set before him still echoes down through time to touch our hearts and minds as we reread this passage about the wisdom of God for discernment and justice.  The one woman lost her new baby when she rolled on top of him in her sleep, and then switched him for another’s newborn who was nearby.  The thief contradicted the story the first woman presented before the court of the king’s judgment and tried to turn the story around to portray her as the wronged one.  Solomon settled it with godly wisdom to reveal the true mother’s love for her child.  He took a sword and was ready to cut the baby in half to give each a part of the child, not really intending to do so, but to reveal the truth of who was the one who gave life to the infant before him on the place of judgment.  The true mother had such love for her child taken from her that she would rather let the other woman take him to save his life than allow him to die.  The pretender thief had no such compassion and told the king to go ahead with the plan to divide up the child since it was not really hers as she falsely claimed.  Solomon used this wise approach to reveal the baby had been indeed stolen and he returned him to the loving mother who was ready to give him up to save his life.  This is not a picture of Christ as the Son of God per se, but it does evoke consideration that the Father was willing to actually have us kill His Son on the cross of sacrifice to save us in his compassion for we the children of the Lord.  Either way, from this account we see that the wisdom of God is required for sound judgment and discernment (John 7:24, 1 Corinthians 6:5, Hebrews 5:14, Philippians 1:9) of right and wrong.

1 Kings 3:1-15 - Seeking Wisdom to Discern Good and Evil

1 Kings 3:1-15

Solomon Requests Wisdom (2 Chronicles 1:2–13)

1 Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall all around Jerusalem. 2 Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days. 3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.

4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

15 Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

Like Solomon, we should also be asking the Lord for wisdom to serve Him and one another by Him teaching us to discern good and evil, a capability lost in Eden and needed now as Hebrews 5:14 reminds us to be taught by God.  Solomon loved the LORD and did his best to follow the word of God as given through Moses and recorded in scripture.  As he offered a thousand offerings, the LORD came in a dream to ask him what he wanted as king.  The answer this man gave was wisdom to lead the people of God by Him teaching the king how to see and understand what was good in God’s eyes and what was evil in His sight that he might choose the right and shun the evil.  He realized that he sat on the throne only by God’s grace and promise to his father and humble acknowledged this calling to serve in the footsteps of him in truth, righteousness, and with a pure heart.  That is why he asked for this discernment.  God heard the heart of this servant-king and added not only the greatest wisdom on earth until His Son appeared, but gave abundance of wealth and honor on top of that which he never asked for.  He also was promised a long life if he continued in the walk according to His word as his father had done.  Such wisdom to seek true justice by understanding right from wrong comes only through the Spirit of God in us as we run after Him and seek answers daily through the scriptures and rely on Him to teach us the meaning of what we hear, read, study, memorize and meditate on.  Then we are taught (John 6:45, 1 John 2:27, 1 Thessalonians 4:9) by God Himself through His Spirit as He uses the Word and others in our lives.  May we continue to seek wisdom to discern good from evil and make our lives the pursuit of knowing and knowledge of the Lord!

1 Kings 2:13-46 - Tying up Loose Ends

1 Kings 2:13-46

Solomon Executes Adonijah

13 Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. So she said, “Do you come peaceably?”

And he said, “Peaceably.” 14 Moreover he said, “I have something to say to you.”
And she said, “Say it.”

15 Then he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel had set their expectations on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom has been turned over, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from the LORD. 16 Now I ask one petition of you; do not deny me.”

And she said to him, “Say it.”

17 Then he said, “Please speak to King Solomon, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”

18 So Bathsheba said, “Very well, I will speak for you to the king.”

19 Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her and bowed down to her, and sat down on his throne and had a throne set for the king’s mother; so she sat at his right hand. 20 Then she said, “I desire one small petition of you; do not refuse me.”

And the king said to her, “Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”

21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”

22 And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “Now why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also—for he is my older brother—for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, “May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life! 24 Now therefore, as the LORD lives, who has confirmed me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has established a house for me, as He promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today!”

25 So King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he struck him down, and he died.

Abiathar Exiled, Joab Executed

26 And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth, to your own fields, for you are deserving of death; but I will not put you to death at this time, because you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and because you were afflicted every time my father was afflicted.” 27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from being priest to the LORD, that he might fulfill the word of the LORD which He spoke concerning the house of Eli at Shiloh.

28 Then news came to Joab, for Joab had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. So Joab fled to the tabernacle of the LORD, and took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 And King Solomon was told, “Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the LORD; there he is, by the altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.” 30 So Benaiah went to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said to him, “Thus says the king, Come out!’”

And he said, “No, but I will die here.” And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.”

31 Then the king said to him, “Do as he has said, and strike him down and bury him, that you may take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed. 32 So the LORD will return his blood on his head, because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword—Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah—though my father David did not know it. 33 Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and upon the head of his descendants forever. But upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from the LORD.”

34 So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 35 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army, and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.

Shimei Executed

36 Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere. 37 For it shall be, on the day you go out and cross the Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die; your blood shall be on your own head.”

38 And Shimei said to the king, “The saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so your servant will do.” So Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.

39 Now it happened at the end of three years, that two slaves of Shimei ran away to Achish the son of Maachah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, “Look, your slaves are in Gath!” 40 So Shimei arose, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to seek his slaves. And Shimei went and brought his slaves from Gath. 41 And Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back. 42 Then the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the LORD, and warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and travel anywhere, you shall surely die’? And you said to me, ‘The word I have heard is good.’ 43 Why then have you not kept the oath of the LORD and the commandment that I gave you?” 44 The king said moreover to Shimei, “You know, as your heart acknowledges, all the wickedness that you did to my father David; therefore the LORD will return your wickedness on your own head. 45 But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD forever.”

46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

When Solomon ascended to the throne and his father king David passed away, he began tying up loose ends to establish the kingdom given by the LORD into his hands.  He began by dealing with Adonijah (1 Kings 1:52) after his reprieve for rebellion of an attempted coup as promised when wickedness was then found in him.  The wickedness was the arrogant hubris to ask for Abishag the Shunammite, former concubine of David his father, as his wife.  He dared to go to Bathsheba instead of Solomon with this demand because he thought the throne would be his by the people’s choice even though he acknowledged that his brother Solomon was crowned because it was God’s will, a loaded statement of discontent.  When Solomon heard this, he knew the reason for the outlandish request as another way to steal the throne by taking someone king David had as concubine to further his own legitimacy and make another possible attempt on the throne.  Solomon wisely had him executed as promised for this wickedness that ended his former conditional reprieve.  Then he banished Abiathar the priest (1 Samuel 2:31) as prophesied punishment for Eli’s family.  This was the priest who carried the Ark, was faithful to king David, but later rebelled with Adonijah to attempt to overthrow the king and take the throne for the one just executed for that crime.  Then Joab was dealt with, the man who killed two righteous men, Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the commander of the army of Judah, and also had defected to Adonijah.  This held him accountable for his vengeful murders and cleared the blood from the house of David to brought peace on David’s house.  Then exiled Shimei broke the terms of his banishment after three years by traveling across the brook Kidron against the conditions of his right to live.  The wickedness he did to Solomon’s father David (2 Samuel 16:5, 13) was therefore held to account at last as his reprieve was lifted and he forfeited his life.  After dealing with these loose ends of rebellion against the house of David the LORD’s anointed, the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon at last.  Sin against God’s people must be dealt with, though now through church discipline and not executed, excommunication when unrepentant and persisting in rebellion against the Lord and His word (Matthew 18:15-16, 17, 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15, James 5:19-20) but not with hate or vengeance or violence.  Loose ends must be dealt with or they consume the body of Christ (1 Timothy 1:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:16-17) like a gangrenous cancerous.  Remember Solomon and the kingdom of God in these things given for our (Romans 15:4, 5-6, 1 Corinthians 10:11) example to learn from (2 Timothy 2:16-17) His word to be the men and women He has designed for us to become.