WHAT DID SOLOMON DO THAT WAS SO RIGHT?

William Andrew Dillard

Ranking at the top of intellectually stimulating reading in the Bible are the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. These books were written by Solomon, Son of David, King of Israel. He remains the wisest sinner who ever lived. His forty-year reign was the most glorious Israel ever had, and the nation rose to the zenith of its history in the construction of the temple and other works in a time of unparalleled peace. So, one may wonder in view of these things just what did Solomon do that was so right?
Usually, there are a number of things in the lives of people that may be pointed out as the underlying cause. However, it is often the more simple things that become the most profound. Such is true in the case of Solomon.
When Solomon was anointed King of Israel to succeed his father, David, he understood the magnitude of the task before him was overwhelming. He did not see his unique position as a springboard to fulfilling fleshly desires and wallowing in luxury so commonly the failure of many. Instead, he took the responsibility of his position quite seriously, and felt unequal to the task. In that frame of mind, Solomon earnestly prayed to the God of heaven for wisdom to lead His people. He did not pray for health, wealth, fame or any of the other common things men covet.
Accordingly, God both heard and answered his prayer. Moreover, God gave Solomon much more than he asked, including wisdom such as no man before him had possessed, and no man after him would possess. In words Solomon himself would later pen he said, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Solomon looked to God, he trusted God, and sought the help of God to fulfill the task that life had brought to him. In these things what Solomon did was so right!
What about you? Do you operate in the power and wisdom of yourself? Do you trust primarily in the advice of others? So many live their lives this way and it is wrong. Do you look to God in prayer for wisdom to live life as it pleases Him? Do you look to His word for instructions about decisions you must make? If you do, then you are following the example of Solomon, and that is so right!

David’s Charge to His Son, Solomon

David’s Charge to His Son, Solomon

I Kings 2:1-12

Key Verse: “Be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; and keep the charge of the LORD Thy God,” I Kings 2:2, 3.

David was a man after God’s own heart. Very simply that did not mean that David was without sin. It meant that when he did sin, he turned to God for forgiveness. He knew that forgiveness began with God. David was a sinner and committed some heinous sins. He confessed those sins to God and received forgiveness.

Now comes the time that all men experience. Death. He wants to leave some advice to Solomon who will follow David as King of Israel. “Be thou strong.” A simple piece of advice. Strength is what is needed to live life to its fullest before a righteous God. There are many trials and tribulations in this life. Strong living does not mean that we will not mourn events, be broken hearted, or suffer grief and indecision in this life. It means we will lay all our cares upon the LORD and depend upon Him to restore us to the Joy of serving God and living a life of honor.

Notice the part of the passage that says, “and shew thy-self a man:”. David knows that the man was given responsibility to guide the household in a Godly manner. He wanted Solomon to take his place before God and fulfill his duties to his family and nation in an appropriate manner. That means to lead the nation in a Godly manner and to take the lead in the family in worship in the house of God and in family devotion. I am always happy to the man take the lead in service and worship in the church. He then is shewing himself a man.

“Keep the charge of the LORD thy God.” The LORD has given us many instructions for life, living, and serving Him. To the lost, its repent and believe on my Son for everlasting life. For those that are save and heaven bound it is live a life that is an imitation of Jesus Christ while he walked this earth. We have some excellent pointers from the sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5, 6, 7. Matthew 5:1-12 gives us how our relationship with God and our relationship with man should be. The rest is directions for our life and how we should live. This was given to the church. A charge to be faithful and tell others about a Saviour is a charge that each of us should keep.

Thought – “A wise man will hear and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels” (Proverbs 1:5).

James Candler

My Friends Who Refuse to Vote or Vote for a Third Party are Wrong!

My Friends Who Refuse to Vote or Vote for a Third Party are Wrong!

Posted: 03 Nov 2012 06:57 PM PDT

Don Boys, Ph.D.

Some Christians are not going to vote or will vote for a third party candidate, thinking it is the principled thing to do. No, it is folly, faulty, foolish, and frightful to help inflict Obama upon this nation for another four years. This illustrates the truth by Hitler: “What luck for rulers that men do not think.” Some Christians are not thinking clearly.

Those who refuse to vote for Romney (“because of principle”) since he belongs to a cult, are wrong from an historical, biblical, and common sense perspective. James Garfield was a member of the Disciples of Christ and it did not help their group. Truman was a Baptist and it did nothing for Baptists; Kennedy was a Roman Catholic and Roman Catholicism did not surge during his tenure in office; Jimmy Carter was a Southern Baptist and he did not help them. In fact, they split and he went with the split.

The fact is people have already started learning about Mormonism because of Romney. That will be good and thinking people will realize that Mormonism is still a cult no matter what Billy Graham said.

Many of my preacher friends are making a major mistake in not understanding that we have never had and never will have a president who believes and practices biblical truth. Even George Washington and John Adams, both good men who professed to know Christ, fell short of what they said they believed.

The kings of Judah are a good example. Some of them were wicked; others obeyed God for a few years then turned to their own ways; others were godly men who did a fantastic job as king–however, most of them did not remove the high places. God said in 1 Kings 3:3 “And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.”

Before the Temple was built, Israel sacrificed at designated altars on high places as the Bible records. Solomon himself, sacrificed on high places, such as Gibeon, Gilgal, Shiloh, Hebron, Kirjath-jearim, etc. But after the Temple was built, it was rebellion and disobedience to worship at high places and in the groves.

God records the actions of Jehoshaphat in 1 Kings 22:43. “And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.” Jehoshaphat was a great king, even removing the sodomites; however, he permitted the high places to remain. He was so right so many times and wrong this one time. Sounds like a good record to me.

My point, if necessary to emphasize, is that even great men do stupid even wicked things. Everyone is flawed. So, as citizens we must choose from what is available. It is a very wicked thing to vote for Obama (for many, many reasons); and it is also wrong to facilitate his election by not voting.

Of course, Romney is a member of a cult but it is not a violent, Communist cult such as headed by Jim Jones. Only fools or dishonest people put the two groups in the same basket.

I slowly came to support Romney even with his political and religious flaws. I am impressed with his honesty, devotion to family, his work ethic, his decency, his knowledge, his patriotism, and his experience. No doubt he will not do everything right, but you know, I doubt if I would do everything right even though I know I should.

Sometimes we make a wrong, even sinful decision, thinking all along that we are doing the right thing. That’s what repentance is all about.

For those who have told me that they are not going to vote because politics doesn’t interest them, I remind them that Pericles said in 430 B.C.: “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you!”

If Obama wins again, such people will be ruled by a tricky, tyrannical totalitarian who delights in crushing his opponents, at least with oppressive regulations and astronomical taxes.

It won’t be a tragedy if we don’t change our clocks Sunday; but if we don’t change our president on Tuesday, we will enter into four years of tribulation as he leads us down a dead end street.

You’ve been warned. Now go out to vote for a principled man.

(Dr. Don Boys is a former member of the Indiana House of Representatives, author of 14 books, frequent guest on television and radio talk shows, and wrote columns for USA Today for 8 years. Three years ago, the second edition of ISLAM: America’s Trojan Horse! was published, and his new eBook, The God Haters is available for $9.99 from http://www.thegodhaters.com. These columns go to newspapers, magazines, television, and radio stations. His other web sites are http://www.cstnews.com and http://www.Muslimfact.com. Contact Don for an interview or talk show.)

Copyright 2012, Don Boys, Ph.D.

A LOVE STRONGER THAN DEATH

Song of Solomon 8:6 – “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm:
for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave:
the coals thereof are coals of fire, which
have a most vehement flame.

The love of Christ is a seal to those that believe. This love that is strong as death not only seals our soul but His seal is on our arm as a sign to others we are His. This story is replicated in the New Testament where the church is called the light of the world and the salt and Paul expressed to the Ephesian brethren the seal of the Holy Spirit that kept them till the day redemption. Based upon this love, our forefathers in the faith faced death by drowning and fire. They faced many privations and destructions that we only read about today. How strong is our love when compared to the love of God in sending His only begotten Son to die in our stead?

Technorati Tags: Solomon, song, seal, heart, jealousy, Christ, love, Paul, Ephesus.

The Spade Reveals

WALL FROM KING SOLOMON PERIOD REVEALED IN JERUSALEM

Arutz Sheva – Feb. 22, 2010 — Hebrew University archaeologists have revealed an ancient path in Jerusalem believed to date back to the time of King Solomon, along with structures including a gateway and the foundation of a building. Dr. Eilat Mazar, the leader of the archaeological dig, said the findings match finds from the time of the First Temple.

The latest find includes a 70-meter long and six-meter-high stone wall, a small house adjacent to a gateway leading to what was once the royal courtyard, a building that served city officials, and a tower that overlooked the Kidron river.

According to Mazar, the wall is likely to be the wall built by King Solomon. “This is the first time a building has been found that matches descriptions of the building carried out by King Solomon in Jerusalem,” she said.

The third chapter of the Biblical book of Kings describes King Solomon building “his own house, and the house of the L-rd, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.” The wall testifies to relatively advanced engineering capabilities, archaeologists said. It runs through historic Jerusalem, between the City of David and the Temple Mount.

The remnants of a public building discovered along the wall contained shards of pottery that allowed researchers to estimate the date at which the building in use – approximately 10 B.C.E. One of the shards was engraved with Hebrew writing saying “For the chief…” Mazar believes the shard, part of a jug, belonged to the royal baker.

Other jugs bore a seal saying “For the king” in Hebrew. Dozens of seals were discovered using a water sifting technique. The building was ravaged by fire, researchers said, but the jugs that were found at the site were the largest discovered in Jerusalem to date.

From – Interesting Information