seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Kings 9:1 When Solomon had finished building the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, 2 the Lord appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3 The Lord said to him:
“I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
4 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, 5 I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’
6 “But if you[a] or your descendants turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you[b] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 8 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All[c] who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 9 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.’”
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And this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight: God answered Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 8, but it was not an unqualified promise to bless the temple in any circumstance. God blessed the temple and filled it with the glory of His presence, but he would cast it out of His sight if the kings of Israel forsook the LORD.
With such a glorious temple, Israel would be tempted to forsake the God of the temple and make an idol of the temple of God. Here the LORD made them know that He could never bless this error.
Israel will become a proverb… everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss: Under the Old Covenant, God promised to use Israel to exalt Himself among the nations one way or another. If Israel obeyed, He would bless them so much that others had to recognize the hand of God upon Israel. If Israel disobeyed, He would chastise them so severely that the nations would be astonished at the hard work of God among His disobedient people, and they would know that the LORD has brought all this calamity on them.
The Living Bible has a vivid wording of 1 Kings 9:7: “Israel will become a joke to the nations and an example and proverb of sudden disaster.”
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I skipped a few chapters again. I skipped Solomon's song about being king. I skipped the verses on how many goods Solomon's kingdom required. I skipped how Solomon built the Temple and then he built his own Palace. I skipped the first 24 years of his reign. We've been clobbered over the noggins about how each goblet was made and how each door jamb was carved and of what wood. But now... Solomon has hit that spot where all his thanksgiving and chores are done. The Temple is beautiful. The Palace makes a statement. Everything is done... and now what's Solomon going to do.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving. Cooks all over the country created a terrific meal. In some cases, the meal was big enough to feed several families. I see on TV that some of the meals prepared yesterday would feed hundreds of people. All the turkeys, hams, and briskets were meant to fill the belly and bring smiles to the faces of all those who would sit at that particular table.
No doubt spouses got drunk and made a fool of themselves. Some at the table would be jealous or hateful. Some would get their butts spanked and sent to their room until they could come back out and behave. I remember one year, my cousin came to the door of the kitchen after being sent to his room, and he sadly said "I'll bee hive... I promise".
Then, all over the country, when the leftovers were carefully distributed or stored, and the dishes were all put away [or the dishwasher was fully loaded for the last time] the cooks sat down and relaxed their aching backs and feet. They didn't revel in the wonder of a fabulous meal. They didn't tell people how pleased they were with the outcome of the meal. They simply sat there, happy to be done.
And then they look around and wonder what to do next.
That's where Solomon was when the Temple and the Palace were complete.
He was still King. He would still have to decide who's baby was who's. He would still have to deal with dignitaries. But there would be no major building to oversee. All the time and energy he exerted on building over the past 24 years was now at an end. How would he fill the void?
God showed up and told him what's what.
God said [roughly paraphrased], "You did a good job on the Temple and the Palace. Now that it's done, you have to behave yourself. You have to lead the nation following the laws I have passed down through Moses. You have to behave. If you don't behave, I'll take the kingdom from you. "
In Momspeak, [or modern language] God told Solomon, "Behave or I'll beat your butt".
