1 Kings 13

1 Kings 13:18

He said to him, "I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.'"  But he lied to him.

I don't understand exactly why the old prophet lied here, but this is my best guess.  This prophet lived in Israel, not Judah.  Israel has forsaken God's temple, and the old prophet hasn't done anything about it that we've seen.  He hasn't protested, hasn't been given prophecy against it, and he hasn't moved south to Judah so that he can still worship at the Temple.

Now comes a prophet from Judah, who goes and prophesies against the high place and its altar.  In his presence a miracle happens, and Jeroboam's arm withers.  He prays for the king, and the arm is healed.  Then he finds out the man is headed home, without so much as drinking on the way back to avoid contamination.  Could it be that he does all this specifically to get the prophet in trouble, as punishment for disrupting the status quo?  The old prophet apparently doesn't mind the new system, and here this out-of-towner, this near-foreigner, comes in a starts messing with things.  This might have been simple retribution.

I certainly hope I'm not guilty of this, sinning when God is revealing His will and plan, in a selfish attempt to thwart God's work.

1 Kings 12

1 Kings 12:24

'Thus says the LORD, "You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me."'"  So they listened to the word of the LORD, and returned and went their way according to the word of the LORD.

When I read this, I wanted to yell, "Now they listen?!"  The leaders have spent the last while ignoring God's instructions.  Solomon turned from God to idols, then Rehoboam doesn't even ask for God's advice before doing what he wants.  But now, when they're ready for war, God speaks to them, and they suddenly pay attention.

I wish I could say I was different, except for the fact of not hearing directly from God.  I frequently do what I want, rather than what God has instructed me to do in the Bible.  I almost wish God would speak to us directly, as this prophet did.  I think one of the prime reasons he doesn't is because he knows we'd ignore him, and he's almost certainly right.  Too many crackpots claim to speak from God today; we'd write a real prophet off as one of them.

1 Kings 11

1 Kings 11:13

However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."

I find this an interesting situation.  God had promised David that one of his line would reign over Israel forever.  However, He also promised that if Solomon turned away from Him, He would destroy the kingdom.  How do you keep both commitments?

God almost splits the difference.  He leaves a nation for Solomon's line, but then gives most of Israel to another.  With this decree, He shows that while He will keep His promises, He doesn't always do it in the ways we think He will, especially if we fail Him.

1 Kings 10

1 Kings 10:5

the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, and his stairway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her.

I'm not clear why these things were what impressed the queen.  She had come wondering about Solomon's wisdom.  She had found it more amazing than what she had heard, so what is it now that she finds so interesting?  Is it the wisdom in how he handled all these things and people around him?  Was it that they were all so very opulent, befitting a man of Solomon's wisdom and authority?

The food, seats and attire of the servants, and stairway all speak to great wealth and power, which the queen would recognize and appreciate.  However, does wealth buy attendance?  I guess it can, but I first think of it in terms of loyalty and obedience.  The same for the cupbearers, though no details of what impressed her about them is given.  I think she was amazed at his worldly abilities, and completely missed how all this was the blessing of God, and its spillover.

1 Kings 9

1 Kings 9:21

their descendants who were left after them in the land whom the sons of Israel were unable to destroy utterly, from them Solomon levied forced laborers, even to this day.

A couple chapters back, I asked where Solomon got his forced laborers from.  Now I have my answer.  They were the leftovers from when Joshua invaded the land.  They were the people that survived because Israel failed to follow God's command.

This can serve as yet another example of where God can use our failings.  These people shouldn't have existed.  They were supposed to have been wiped out to the last man, woman, and child.  But the Israelites disobeyed, for various reasons, and did not destroy all of them.  So God used them to make the labor force years later.  If they had not been here, God could have found some other way to make a labor force for Israel, obviously.  But since they didn't obey Him, we'll never know what He might have provided.

1 Kings 8

1 Kings 8:61

Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day."

I'm a cynic, by experience if not by nature.  This is the kind of verse that I'd really like to make my "life verse," except I know that it's not currently true.  I feel like if I were to make it my life verse, I'd be being hypocritical now, and would be continually discouraged later, because I'm so far from being able to achieve it.

How devoted to God am I now?  I know it's not fully; there's still way to much of my will acted upon.  I don't even know what his statues and commandments are, really.  How can I walk in them?  I wouldn't feel right making this my "life verse," but maybe it's one that I should keep handy, so that it can server as a constant challenge to strive toward, and further determine His commands.

1 Kings 7

1 Kings 7:1

Now Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.

The last verse of the previous chapter says that Solomon built the temple in 7 years, but here we see his own house took 13.  Why the difference?  It sure sounds like Solomon made his house a lot fancier than God's house.

Was this one of the early signs of Solomon's decline?  Was his pride already getting in the way, trying to make himself bigger than God?  Or perhaps it was a side effect of his worshiping at the high places, and he didn't think God deserved the best of everything?

1 Kings 6

1 Kings 6:7

The house, while it was being built, was built of stone prepared at the quarry, and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any iron tool heard in the house while it was being built.

This verse got my attention, due to the the skill involved in this statement.  I've worked on construction sites, and been around plenty more.  They're noisy places, with saws and hammers and sprayers and everything else.  But here, it says there was no tool noises at the building of the temple.  To do that, everything had to be created to fit together perfectly, before it ever arrived at the site.  Stone blocks, wood beams, fitting together like jigsaw pieces, perfectly formed, virtually airtight.  When they arrived at the sight, all you had to do was slide them together.  No jostling, beating in a spot where the makers glitched.  It all had to be done perfectly.

I imagine this also gave the site a very appropriate reverential air.  Having such a relatively quiet location where such holy work was occurring, building the place where God would inhabit, would be a reverential process in itself for any believer.  If, on top of that, it was a fairly quiet workspace, is something I just can't picture.  The closest I can come would be a monastery being built by monks, all silent and dignified, or perhaps chanting or singing hymns to praise God in their work.

1 Kings 5

1 Kings 5:13

Now King Solomon levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers numbered 30,000 men.

Who were these forced laborers?  We these Israelites, subjects of Solomon, who were basically drafted into a work army?  Were they slaves of the Israelites, either by debt or from their past conquests, who were tasked to work as the price of survival?

And how were they selected?  The only time I remember the term "levied" being used was for taxing.  Was it some sort of tax, where each family had to give someone up to be a laborer?  If so, does that mean richer families were either exempt or could give a servant?  Or was it some kind of lottery, where random people were selected and taken away?  Perhaps all were judged, and the strongest, healthiest 30,000 were selected?

1 Kings 4

1 Kings 4:32

He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.

I have to say, I'm impressed.  I know he wrote the book of Proverbs, and some of the Psalms, but I had not remembered that there was so much more.

However, this brings a question:  where's the rest gone?  Have we lost that much?  It appears the bulk of his wisdom is gone.  I have to trust that what's left is the best and most important parts.

1 Kings 3

1 Kings 3:3

Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.

I'll admit I'm not quite clear on these high places.  A couple verses earlier it says that the people still sacrificed at the high places because the temple had not yet been built.  I would think that means that these sacrifices were to God, but not at the Tabernacle for whatever reason.

But here it says that Solomon failed to follow David in this area.  He sacrificed at the high places, which he shouldn't have done.  Does this mean that the high places were to other gods?  That he was denying God the worship he was due?  But then, why is it at a high place that God appears to Solomon?

One other theory that comes to mind is that the high places exist because people had gotten lazy, so they were still sacrificing to God, but weren't going to Jerusalem for sacrifices.  Maybe things had even been warped, and they'd taken on the practice of sacrificing to God, but in the style of the pagan gods' worship?  It's definitely not clear here, though I'm guessing they were other gods being sacrificed to.

1 Kings 2

1 Kings 2:2

"I am going the way of all the earth.  Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man.

What does it mean to be a man?  This is a question I've been trying to deal with for a long time, though I can't say I've come to many conclusions (except in what it is not).  In the following verses, however, David suggests two things.  The first is to obey God in everything.  There are some promises specifically applied to David here, but those don't exactly apply to us.  However, the command is universally applicable.  We are all to obey God in all that he has commanded.  I wish I could say I was better at this, but some things have happened recently to make me consider what I might change in order to improve.  I pray that I have the strength and will to carry those changes out.

The second thing is to take care of your family.  Here, David asks Solomon to handle some loose ends he either did not or could not complete.  But the universal application would be to care for your family properly.  For most people, that's stuff like loving your wife, and raising your kids properly.  Since I have neither, though, I am not certain what to do with this one.  Is there anything I am failing to do with/for my parents, or sister, or extended family?  Anything I need to make right?  Nothing comes to mind right now, but it's something worth pondering.

1 Kings 1

1 Kings 1:52

Solomon said, "If he is a worthy man, not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he will die."

Adonijah, Solomon's half-brother, and effectively named himself king.  I'm not quite sure why he had decided that he was supposed to be king.  Maybe he was the oldest surviving son, or maybe he was just ambitious.  Whatever the reason, he definitely jumped the gun, and had not been named king by David.  So when word came of what he had done, David immediately named Solomon king and had him anointed.

When word came to Adonijah, he realized he had overstepped, and feared for his life.  His followers abandoned him, and he sought refuge in the temple against Solomon's wrath.  But here, Solomon declared that he was not after vengeance.  It appears that Solomon felt that he had honestly made a mistake and simple overstepped his bounds, he would not take it personally.  But if this was all done with malice aforethought, then he would die.  However, I'm not sure how this could not be with malice aforethought, given that he'd been very specific with the guest list for his "coronation ceremony."  Still, in the next verse Solomon forgives him, so there must have been something we don't know.

2 Samuel 24

2 Samuel 24:24

However, the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing."  So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

David has been sent by God, specifically to make a sacrifice on this property.  I don't know if that required that he own the property first, but David obviously intended to do that.  He comes to the owner, who immediately offers to give him everything needed for the sacrifice, even the burnt offering itself.  But David refuses, because he won't sacrifice to God when it's of no cost to him.  50 shekels probably wasn't pocket change for David, but he still realizes a sacrifice without cost is no sacrifice.

How often do we offer God that which doesn't cost us anything?  How many times do I only do things when it's convenient, or it's someone I like anyhow, or someone who I know will (at least try to) compensate me?  I always try to subtly avoid any kind of "repayment" when I do something for others, but I'm sure I don't always look at it as a sacrifice to God.  I also know I am less likely to do something I'm being nudged to when it's for someone I don't like, and it's something I think God has been working with on my recently.  I hope he succeeds soon, because sometimes the circumstances get very grating to me.

2 Samuel 23

2 Samuel 23:7

But the man who touches them
Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,
And they will be completely burned with fire in their place."

A very interesting warning against confronting the evil-doers.  Not just anyone can go and take them on.  You have to be prepared to make contact, or you will be defeated.  But if you come armed and prepared, you will be victorious and they will be destroyed.

I have to wonder how well prepared I am.  If I were to evaluate myself, I don't think I would score very well.  I have a lot of head knowledge, but heart has always been my failing.  When it came time to actually confront the enemy, would I be able to stand?  Would my armor be strong enough, and my spear long enough, or would I be the one to fall?

2 Samuel 22

2 Samuel 22:27

"With the pure You show Yourself pure,
And with the perverted You show Yourself astute.

This is an interesting contrast.  With several of the previous verses, it's all about God showing his positive qualities to those who already have those same positive qualities.  Suddenly, here we see a different side of God.  First, there's still the positive.  The pure see purity.  I do have to ask who is truly pure, when compared with God?  All we could see would be a pale shadow of God's true purity.

But the second part is what got my attention.  Obviously, God can't reflect a negative quality.  But what's the reasoning between matching perverted with astute?  Twisted and wise, how do those connect?  The best I can think of is that God astuteness (is that a word?) is seen in how he identifies the perverted, and how he deals with them.  They try to twist His good creation into things it shouldn't be, but He in his wisdom plans for this, and always has a path back to what is right.