Tag Archives: Solomon

Day 117: Sin, Repentance and Grace

2 Samuel 10-12; Psalm 51

Key Verses

2 Samuel 11:13-15
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.” Then Nathan went to his house.

Psalm 51:3-4
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight (Psalm 51:3-4).

Chapter 10 begins the war against the Ammonites. And nestled in this story of war… is David’s great sin.

It is obvious from 11:1 that David was lounging at home when he should have been at war with Joab (the commander of his army). Verse 2 even begins, “David arose from his couch…” This is a very different David than the one that was fleeing from Saul and scrounging for food with his vagabond army in the wilderness. David has grown accustomed to leisure and luxury. Not only has he become lazy physically, but the ease of his life has lulled him to sleep spiritually as well.

This is the only explanation for how David, a man after God’s own heart, could have slipped so far away from God’s ways that he would covet, commit adultery, and then cover it all up with murder.

When Nathan confronts David with his gross sin, David repents. Psalm 51 is David’s cry for mercy…

God is gracious to David and spares his life. But there will be consequences. Horrible consequences that we will read over the next few days.

Mysteriously, God brings good out of the ashes… through Solomon – son of Bathsheba and in the family line of Christ – he will be the King of Israel at its height!

Day 342: The Reverse of the Curse

Song of Solomon 5-8

Chapters 5 & 6 record an argument between the newly married couple. What do you think they argue about?? Sex!

He asks to come into her chambers (5:2), and she complains in verse 3… “I’m in my nightgown—do you expect me to get dressed? I’m bathed and in bed—do you want me to get dirty?” She’s being self-centered and is not considering him.

But instead of reacting angrily toward his new wife, the husband somehow reaches his hand through the latch of the door and leaves fragrant and sweet myrrh as a sign of his love (5:4-5), and then he leaves…not willing to force his way into her bed chambers. He doesn’t react to his mate. Instead, he responds to God.

His gentle reproach melts her heart toward him as we read of her love in verses 5:10-16.

And then we see reconciliation and forgiveness in Chapter 6. Their reconciliation is based on their covenant commitment to one another. She says in 6:3, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” Their commitment is steadfast.

Chapters 7-8 show a deepening faithfulness and intimacy between the couple. As time goes by, their knowledge of one another deepens and their passion increases! It is in this context of God’s design for marriage that we see a subtle lifting of the curses given in the first garden to the first married couple…

In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve sinned, God handed down curses to the serpent, the woman and the man. The woman’s curse was this:

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16).

The Hebrew word translated “desire” is used only three times in the Old Testament…The first instance is here in Genesis 3. The next is in Genesis 4. God is warning Cain.

…sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it (Genesis 4:7).

The Hebrew word translated as “desire” in these instances does not necessarily mean a good sexual desire. Within the context of Eve’s curse and Cain’s warning, it is best understood as a passionate desire to consume or control.

The curse on Eve – which is inherited by every woman in every generation – is the desire to have control. Married women want to control their husbands. Single women want to control their futures. And all women want to feel in control all the time. This desire for control is part of the woman’s sin nature and must be fought against – especially in the marriage relationship!!

In the last half of the Song of Solomon, we see the ideal marriage. We watch as the couple faces conflict in Chapters 5-6, and we read as their devotion and intimacy deepen in Chapters 7-8. It is in the context of a vibrant, intimate, tender and exciting marriage relationship that we see the third and final use of the Hebrew word “desire.” The woman says,

I am my beloved’s,
and his desire is for me (Song of Solomon 7:10).

He is the one with the desire to consume, and she is the one with the power to satisfy him. In this context, the desire is good, for contrary to her sin-nature default of desiring to control her husband, she has given herself totally to him and rejoices in the fact that she is pleasing to him.

May we look forward to the day when every curse is not only reversed, but vanquished and our new Garden awaits its bride!!! For we, the church, are the bride of Christ, ready to meet our husband and enjoy him forever!!

Day 341: A tender & passionate Love

Song of Solomon 1-4

Song of Solomon has many different interpretations. Some interpret the book solely as a figurative portrayal of the love of God for his people. Others interpret it literally as the love story between Solomon and a Shulammite woman. Still others argue that since the Bible has no record of Solomon marrying a Shulammite woman, that it is the love story between an unnamed shepherd and a Shulammite woman with Solomon as a background figure.

No matter what your interpretation, this is a beautiful book of love poetry that reminds us that the love shared between a man and his wife, specifically erotic love, is holy and good. Song of Solomon is full of erotic images that quench the old notion that sexual desire is sinful.

In our two, brief days in this book, I am using Tommy Nelson’s sermon series as my primary resource. He teaches that Song of Solomon is the literal love story between Solomon and his Shulammite bride. (You can listen to his six-part sermon series on Song of Solomon at his church’s website, dentonbible.org.)

The first three chapters describe the courtship between Solomon and the Shulammite woman. Notice how the woman is initially attracted to Solomon’s character:

…your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the young women love you! (Song of Solomon 1:3, NIV)

His name is sweet like perfume. His name refers to his reputation or character. She was initially attracted to his sweet and tender nature, not necessarily to his physical appearance.

We learn from the woman that she, unlike other women, did not protect her skin from the sun with a customary veil, but was forced to labor in the vineyards – making her skin dark from the sun (vs. 5-6). From her words, we can infer that she was submissive to authority, hard-working and responsible. She, like Solomon, was a woman of noble character.

In verses 1:9-3:4, we read of how they relate to one another. Above all, they are tender. The man calls her “darling,” the Hebrew word for “an intimate buddy,” or “best friend.” He esteems her in public and speaks tenderly to her in private. His tenderness awakens her sexual desire (2:5-6), but he stops the fire of her desire with the refrain,

I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases (Song of Solomon 2:7; 3:5).

Chapter 3 ends with the exciting scene of King Solomon arriving to his wedding. The imagery is anticipatory and vibrant,

Go out, O daughters of Zion,
and look upon King Solomon,
with the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
on the day of the gladness of his heart (Song of Solomon 3:11).

Which brings us to Chapter 4!! The first seven verses are Solomon’s thoughts toward his bride. And then we read of the honeymoon!!

(He) A garden locked is my sister, my bride,
a spring locked, a fountain sealed. (4:12)

(She) Let my beloved come to his garden,
and eat its choicest fruits.

(He) I came to my garden, my sister, my bride,
I gathered my myrrh with my spice,
I ate my honeycomb with my honey,
I drank my wine with my milk (5:1).

This, friends, is the consummation of their love.

Interpreting this book as a literal love story can leave the unmarried or unhappily married feeling despondent. But no matter your personal interpretation, your marital status or degree of marital bliss, we will all experience the joy of this wedding scene!!!

We, as members of Christ’s church, wait expectantly for our bridegroom, Jesus Christ. At the end of the age, we will be united with the lover of our souls – the one who fulfills our deepest longings – who loves us tenderly and passionately.

In verses 3:1-4, the Shulammite woman searches the city for her lover because she cannot bear to be separated from him. This is the love we are to have for Christ. We are to seek his presence with the passion of a lover. He is our bridegroom, and we are his radiant bride!

Day 296: Ending Remarks

Ecclesiastes 10-12; 1 Thessalonians 5

Wow! I think this might be the first time in 296 posts that we come to the end of both an Old and New Testament book on the same day! So yes, we end both Job and 1 Thessalonians today :)

After Paul reassures the young Thessalonian church of their salvation and exhorts them to continue working (as opposed to being idle) until the day of the Lord comes, like a thief in the night…Paul ends his book with a plethora of miscellaneous commands.

Similarly, after Solomon makes his case that wisdom is better than folly, he spends the last few chapters of Ecclesiastes giving a plethora of wisdom sayings.

With so much miscellaneous information, it’s hard to find a common thread! But each man makes a focused summary at the end of his book.

Solomon ends Ecclesiastes with the decisive statement:

Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

And Paul ends his letter to the Thessalonian church with profound encouragement:

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

I can’t think of better ending sentiments… A command to fear God, a prayer for God’s sanctification, and the assurance of God’s faithfulness to complete the work he’s started in us. That sounds like the gospel. That sounds like good news!

Day 295: Life beyond the grave

Ecclesiastes 7-9; 1 Thessalonians 4

Paul continues his letter to the Thessalonians by exhorting them to continue in their faith “more and more,” encouraging them in their sanctification. And then Paul turns to address a great concern of the young converts in Thessalonica.

Some of the new Christians had died, and not knowing what happened to a Christian at death, the people fell into a hopeless depression. They assumed that since they died before Jesus’ 2nd coming, they were lost, and missed the promised salvation.

Can you imagine how grieved these new Christians would have been without the hope of life after death?

The writer of Ecclesiastes (most likely Solomon) gives us insight into the hopelessness of life “under the sun,” as if there were no spiritual realm beyond this life – no eternal hope for which to live…

But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun (Ecclesiastes 9:4-6).

But Solomon also knows that divine revelation is more trustworthy than his limited perspective, so he writes,

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13).

Yes, without God’s clear instruction on the eternal nature of life, every possible human conception leads to despair.

Solomon despaired because death was inevitable for both the righteous and the wicked.
The Thessalonians despaired because they believed death prevented the salvation of the righteous.

Paul gives us the truth about life after death… that those who have died before the 2nd coming of the Lord go ahead of those on earth to be with God (1 Thessalonians 4:14-15). And when Jesus comes again, all believers on earth will be “caught up together [with those who have died] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). So all believers both asleep and on earth will be “with the Lord.”

The details of this passage can be difficult to comprehend or imagine, but the heart of Paul’s words are clear. All believers will be with the Lord! Death has lost its sting. It no longer has any power over the believer. No longer are the days of our lives as “the wind,” meaningless or “vanity.”

Jesus’ life, death and resurrection give us hope beyond the grave!

Day 293: Vanity, Vanity

Ecclesiastes 1-3; 1 Thessalonians 1-2

I think Ecclesiastes is an apt counterpoint to Job in that both the afflicted Job and the prosperous author of Ecclesiastes conclude that the fear of God is the only satisfying pursuit of man.

Even though the author of Ecclesiastes is anonymous, many scholars believe the author to be Solomon because no other king in the line of David possessed such wisdom and possessions as described in the book of Ecclesiastes. If the author is indeed Solomon, it makes the book all the more meaningful because Solomon had every worldly possession and privilege known to man – yet he still concluded it was all “vanity” apart from God.

Wisdom, Possessions, Pleasure, even hard work – Solomon argued that they were all meaningless “under the sun.” When Solomon used the phrase, “under the sun,” he was referring to all things in this fallen world.

Without God placing eternal value on our lives, everything “under the sun” is fleeting and meaningless – leading to death.

Solomon writes about the vanity of “work”…

So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. (Ecclesiastes 2:20-21).

In contrast, Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, speaks about the eternal significance of his work. Paul says that coming to Thessalonica was “not in vain” (1 Thess. 2:1). And Paul also speaks of “toil” but his “toil” has purpose…

For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God (1 Thessalonians 2:9).

Paul finds value in his work because of the gospel. His work supports, enables, and is motivated by the gospel. The gospel is eternal, so Paul’s work has eternal significance. In fact, Paul even calls the church at Thessalonica his “glory and joy” (1 Thess. 2:20) because they signify his eternal work in this fallen world.

As Solomon considers the temporary nature of work in this fallen world, he turns to look at God’s eternal nature…

I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him (Ecclesiastes 3:13).

Without the fear of the Lord, Solomon concluded that life was vanity.
Without the fear of the Lord, Job’s suffering was hopeless.
Without the fear of the Lord, Paul’s work was purposeless.

Everything is “vanity” apart from the fear of the Lord!

Day 215: Forcing our eyes forward

2 Chronicles 8-9; Acts 27

As we read the final chapters in the Chronicler’s description of Solomon, I am struck by all that was omitted from Solomon’s life…

There is only a brief mention of Solomon’s many wives, and nothing is mentioned of how his great wealth turned his heart from the Lord. All of his possessions and prosperity are presented in the most positive way.

I have to remember the Chronicler’s purpose in writing. He focused on all the goodness of David and Solomon’s reign in order to encourage the post-exilic community – who were living in a Jerusalem far removed from the wealth and glory of Solomon’s days.

The Chronicler wanted to force the people’s eyes forward. By reminding them of the promises of the Davidic covenant, he gave his readers hope in the sure promises of God – that God would send a Righteous Branch from the seed of David, and that He would restore His Kingdom on earth.

This is our hope as well. But because we live in a later time in history, we understand more of how God has initially fulfilled his promises. He has sent the Righteous Branch and He has restored His Kingdom on earth – but only partially. The work will not be completed until Christ comes again and we live together with him in the new heaven and the new earth. Then, Christ’s reign will surpass the prosperity of Solomon!

But just like the exiles, these truths must be our comfort – a hope to force our eyes off of our tragic circumstances in this world tainted by sin. Consider Paul in today’s reading from Acts… he literally had lost every physical possession. He was a prisoner sailing to Rome, and at the end of Acts 27, even the ship was destroyed. The only thing Paul had to claim as his own on this earth was his life. And even his life, he had given to Christ.

Where was Paul’s comfort? Where was his hope? His hope was in the resurrected Jesus. His eyes were focused on the future promises that Christ would come again.

As we read of Solomon’s glorious reign over Israel, we are encouraged to fix our eyes on Jesus. We must force our eyes off of our longings, anxieties and difficult circumstances – and let the promise of peace and prosperity under the rule of Christ encourage us to march forward in faith.

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again!

Day 214: God dwells among praise

2 Chronicles 4-7

The theme of God’s glory dwelling in God’s temple is prevalent throughout Scripture.

This theme was especially meaningful to the original readers of 2 Chronicles, the post-exilic community. They had sacrificed so much to rebuild the temple – and still, it paled in comparison to Solomon’s temple. The Chronicler recounts how the Shekinah glory descended on the Holy of Holies “when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord” (2 Chronicles 5:13).

The external grandeur of Solomon’s temple didn’t cause God to descend; rather, it was the praise of His people that drew God’s glory down.

Later, after Solomon’s heartfelt prayer of dedication (6:12-42) and God showing his approval of Solomon’s prayer by consuming the offerings with fire and filling the temple with His glory (7:1-3), God appeared to Solomon and made this well-known promise.

…if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

This is one of the clearest descriptions of repentance and the blessings it brings. Repentance results in forgiveness for the individual and healing for the community. God’s loving-kindness is revealed in the face of true repentance. He loves the penitent heart!

Think of the impact these truths would have had on the post-exilic community!!!

We serve a God who not only forgives, restores and heals – but who also dwells among the praise of His people! What sort of Sovereign and All-Powerful being chooses to live among the lowly and sinful? Only One who is good and filled with loving-kindness. 

These chapters helped to restore hope and faith in God among the post-exilic community. And they do the same for us – living in the church age – as we wait for the return of our Forever King!

Day 213: A Great Purpose & Work

2 Chronicles 1-3; Acts 26

A Great Work typically flows from a Great Purpose…

Consider Solomon, ruler of Israel in its most prosperous time. He describes the people of Israel as “numerous as the dust of the earth.” Solomon prays for wisdom to rule such a large people. And then he gets to work building the temple. This is his great purpose – to build a house for God. Solomon understands the weight of the work when he says,

But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him? (2 Chronicles 2:6).

Solomon was given a Great Purpose and the privilege of a Great Work.

In Acts 26, we read of Paul’s testimony to the Palestinian king, Agrippa. How is it that Paul is standing before the king of Palestine?? Two years ago, the Jews created such a riot in the temple that the Roman tribune had to arrest Paul. And to save Paul from their conspiracy to kill him, Paul was sent to the Roman governor (first Felix, and now Festus) who lived on the coast in Caesarea.

Think of how God has used the false charges created by the Jews… Paul has been able to testify to the resurrection of Jesus to a Roman tribune, two Roman governors and now the king of Palestine! This two-year “interruption” has been used to bring the gospel to the highest ranking officials in the land!!

Jesus had given Paul a Great Purpose on the road to Damascus. Listen to His words:

I am sending you [to your people and to the Gentiles] to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me (Acts 26:17).

His purpose was to open their eyes with the gospel of truth – to testify to the death & resurrection of Jesus. Paul’s great purpose led him to do a great work! Just as Solomon built the temple of God, Paul worked to build the temple of the New Testament… he worked to build the church.

Two men. Two great purposes and Two great works.

Which leads me to ask…. What is your purpose? And what is your great work? Not all of us are called to build the house of God or plant churches in distant lands – but all of us have been given a Great Purpose.

Whether a missionary or a box maker, a CEO or a janitor, we are all called to work in a way that gives God glory. This is our purpose – to glorify the God of the universe in all that we say and do!

We have been given a Great Purpose. We have been given the Holy Spirit to equip us to carry out a Great Work! The question is… are you willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to do the Great Work that God has prepared for you? 

Day 210: The power of the weak

1 Chronicles 22-24; Acts 23

Today we read the beginning of the end of 1 Chronicles. David has brought the ark to Jerusalem, subdued his enemies and purchased the land for a permanent temple. The rest of the book will now detail all of the preparations David made for the building of and worship within the new temple.

David’s devoted preparations for the temple are reminiscent of Moses preparing the people to enter the promised land. Neither David nor Moses would live to see the fulfillment of their work, and they were both commanded to raise up a younger leader to finish what they had began…For Moses, it was Joshua who led the people across the Jordan into the promised land. And here we read of David commissioning his son, Solomon, by reiterating the covenant promises of God, “[Solomon] shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever” (1 Chronicles 22:10).

The Davidic covenant would not be fulfilled in the expected way. If I would have lived in the age of peace and prosperity during Solomon’s reign, I would have thought that no earthly power could destroy what God had promised would last forever!!! But we know the history, and who would have ever predicted that a descendent of David, born in a stable hundreds of years after the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s great temple, would be the King through which the prophecy would be fulfilled?! It is so often that we expect God to fulfill His will through pomp and power – yet he surprises us by working through the weak and lowly.

As I read Acts 23, again I marvel at God’s ways… From this point until the end of Acts, Paul would be a prisoner. Human logic would propose that God could accomplish more through a “free” Paul than an “imprisoned’ Paul…

Consider this… Solomon and Joshua would have never risen to be two of the most effective leaders in biblical history if Moses and David were still in the picture. Paul’s imprisonment gave room for other leaders to emerge. The spread of the gospel didn’t stop because Paul was imprisoned. Rather, God used Paul’s imprisonment to stir the passion of the early church – and God raised up others to multiply Paul’s work among the churches.

This is the fingerprint of God… His modus operandi… He breathes power into the weak and lowly to accomplish His Great work in the world. He turns the impossible into possible. And in so doing, He receives the glory!