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I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. (I Kings 3:13) |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Friday, March 14, 2025
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Story of Solomon (4)3] Bible Verse:1 Kings 2:1-12 (Living Bible) "As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon: “I am going where every man on earth must some day go. I am counting on you to be a strong and worthy successor. Obey the laws of God and follow all his ways; keep each of his commands written in the law of Moses so that you will prosper in everything you do, wherever you turn. If you do this, then the Lord will fulfill the promise he gave me, that if my children and their descendants watch their step and are faithful to God, one of them shall always be the king of Israel—my dynasty will never end. “Now listen to my instructions. You know that Joab murdered my two generals, Abner and Amasa. He pretended that it was an act of war, but it was done in a time of peace. You are a wise man and will know what to do — don’t let him die in peace. But be kind to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite. Make them permanent guests of the king, for they took care of me when I fled from your brother Absalom. And do you remember Shimei, the son of Gera the Benjaminite from Bahurim? He cursed me with a terrible curse as I was going to Mahanaim; but when he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, I promised I wouldn’t kill him. But that promise doesn’t bind you! You are a wise man, and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him.” Then David died and was buried in Jerusalem. He had reigned over Israel for forty years, seven of them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. And Solomon became the new king, replacing his father David; and his kingdom prospered. " Message:
The text today is unedited, even though the middle paragraph will be a bit difficult. We have left it in, just to remind ourselves that Solomon takes the throne with a lot of baggage. David burdens him with obligations that, in some cases, were created before Solomon was born.
Solomon is charged to kill two people. Joab, who appears to be something of a villain within the four corners of 1 Kings, actually had a record of long and faithful service; in fact, a good deal of credit for David’s unification of Israel must go to Joab. He disobeyed David only once, by taking revenge on the men who had murdered his brother — and really, it is hard to side with David in the affair. But Joab and Solomon are now fixed as enemies, more by circumstance than any natural enmity.
David Plays the Harp|Gerrit van Honthorst
The story of Shimei is quite strange. Here, David tells us all we need to know; he had promised not to kill Shimei, despite the stream of invective and curses the man had heaped on David’s head as he headed to a battle. (2 Sam 16:5-14) But again, we see the not-so-savory side of David the man. He will keep the letter of his promise not to kill Shimei (2 Sam. 19:16-23), but he still seeks revenge by ordering Solomon to murder him, after David dies.
The final charge, that Solomon honor two men who had helped David during one of the many times he was in danger, is straightforward. Absalom, David’s beloved son, rebelled against him and attempted to usurp the throne. He did a good job, too, and David had to flee Jerusalem; Barzillai fed and kept him while he was on the run, and so David instructs Solomon to be good to Barzillai’s sons.
Finally, we are reminded of David’s great achievement in becoming the king of the entire Hebrew people. To understand this and to follow the events to come, it is important to understand the rather confusing double meaning of “Israel.”
The word “Israel,” in its most basic sense, refers to the entire nation of Hebrews; for it was the name God gave to their forefather, Jacob. But in the history of the Jews, Canaan was often divided into two parts. When one speaks of this division, “Israel” — sometimes called the “Northern Kingdom” to avoid all the confusion — refers to the northern land dominated by ten tribes. The southern kingdom is called “Judah,” the allotted land of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. (See map.) Yet when this division exists (during much of the Old Testament), it is Judah, not Israel, which is the more illustrious “heart” of Judaism, for Jerusalem lies in Judah.
Although David was called the “King of Israel” from the time he was crowned, initially (for seven years) the geographical lands called the “Kingdom of Israel” (“the Northern Kingdom”) was ruled by Ish-Bosheth, the son of Saul! David ruled a small area to the south, with its capital at Hebron; then, a few years later, he conquered the small town of Jerusalem and built it into the great city of the Jews. The critical factors in Judah’s future prominence are, first, that Jerusalem is located there; and second, it is the land of David and his heirs, God’s anointed rulers.
So when the country was united, it was called the Kingdom of Israel. But when it was divided, the Kingdom of Judah was the true home of the Hebrews, even though the northern kingdom kept the name Israel. Go figure. Jesus would live in Galilee, part of the northern kingdom; but notice, Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, in Judah, for Him to be born.
Meditation : Prayer : Let me not forget you as I go forth into the world this day, blessed Lord; may my every word be a prayer, and my every act be testimony to your love and truth, and may I know your presence every second of this day. Amen. |
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