Day #173

Sermon - Audio
1 Kings 10-11, 2 Chronicles 9 - Audio
1 Kings 10-11, 2 Chronicles 9 - Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

1 Kings 10

1-5) The queen of Sheba came to see for herself if everything she heard about Solomon was true. Contests using riddles or proverbs were commonly used to test wisdom. The queen may have used some of these to see if the reports of Solomon's wisdom were true. When she realized the extent of Solomon's great wisdom and his awesome wealth she was 'blown away" and no longer doubted his power or wisdom. No longer a competitor, she became an admirer. Her experience was repeated by many foreign kings and leaders who paid honor to Solomon.

In chapter 10 and in some earlier portions of 1 Kings we begin to get small hints that Solomon is beginning to drift from the Lord. Great success and money have a way of making us think we are too special to obey all of God's commands. So do cottages, AAU Basketball, and our overall sense of self importance. We skip worship without blinking an eye, but would never think of missing something as important as our kid's basketball game. Solomon's wisdom was from God, but he began to trust his own wisdom instead of simple trust in the Word of God. Perhaps that is the problem with all success; we become numb to our desperate need for God. We begin to feel above it all and that keeping the rules are for other people. Does our life-style indicate we are passionately seeking Jesus? In the recovering community it is well known that we are more likely to relapse when things are going well. We need meetings to constantly be reminded of our need for God and healthy spirituality. The church as well needs to be reminded that we are broken sinners and have a desperate need for God. We need to be following God's Word even more when the blessings flow.

26-29) Solomon begins to acquire horses and gold which is a violation of Dt. 17.16-17. The note from the ESV says, "All but one of the instructions about kingship in Deut. 17:16-17 have thus far been violated by Solomon. That remaining one (he must not take many wives) will be taken up in 1 Kings 11.

1 Kings 11

11-13) Solomon's incredible kingdom did not need to end; instead, it was heading toward a cliff. Solomon enjoyed God's blessing, love, and promises, and yet encouraged sin to remain all around him. Eventually it corrupted him so much that he walked away from God. As a result, he lost everything. It is not enough to start out with faithfulness to God's Word; we must remain faithful to the end.

The sin of Solomon is quite staggering to see, and its impact on the nation was devastating in every way. Solomon married foreign women, worshiped gods which required children to be sacrificed by fire, and introduced slave labor. Ultimately when leaders do not rule by the truth of God's Word there can be no social justice and oppression is the result. As we will see in Chapter 12 the conscription of people, the deaf ears to legitimate concerns, and the confiscation of wealth by leaders will end in serious division. The people who were oppressed in Egypt are now being led by leaders who are oppressing others.


14-22) Edom was the kingdom southeast of the Dead Sea. David had added this nation to his empire (2 Samuel 8.13-14). It was of strategic importance because it controlled to route to the Red Sea. Edom's revolt was disturbing the peace of Solomon's kingdom.


29-39) The prophet Ahijah predicted the division of the kingdom of Israel. After Solomon's death, 10 of 12 tribes would follow Jeroboam. The other two tribes, Judah and the area of Benjamin around Jerusalem would stay loyal to David's family.