1 Kings - Lesson 9

• Last week, we finished up the concluding ends of the building of the Temple, the Palace, and the dedication of the Temple.

  • If you have not had an opportunity to listen to Chapters 6-8, I recommend you start there.

    • Because knowing those details will provide a lot more clarity and understanding for the subsequent chapters.

• Chapter 9 becomes an interesting chapter, because as we will see it begins to highlight more subtle shortcomings of Solomon.

  • We have been able to witness the greatness and wisdom of Solomon earlier on in this book.

    • As a matter of fact, we will see within the following chapter, the prominence of Solomon as King over a United Israel.

  • However, amidst the prominence of Solomon lies the subtle shortcomings of Solomon as well.

    • What we should recognize is the writer of Kings, being led by the Spirit, is not choosing to withhold or edit any information out from Solomon’s life.

    • He lays before us the all-encompassing truth of Solomon and his life.

    • And what we should be seeing is that although Solomon is David’s son and his reign was in peace, that Solomon too had his short comings.

  • Chapter 11 becomes the chapter that tips the scales over and lets the cat out of the bag.

    • Up to this point, Solomon has, for the most part, obeyed Torah and has walked well with the Lord.

    • But as time has progressed and prominence has risen, it seems as if Solomon’s confidence becomes more self-reliant with time.

    • Yet at the same time, there is this seemingly keen awareness of His need to depend upon the Lord.

  • And herein lies the tensionthat the writer provides by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

    • That we too become prone to this wandering (even on our best days), if we do not guard our hearts and minds in Christ.

    • Because, within today’s culture, prominence and fortune looks to be a blessing.

    • Yet a heart that is not tethered to the word and dependent upon the Lord is a life bankrupt and devoid of blessing.

    • So, through this chapter, we will have a glimpse into this constant struggle of a balanced life in the Lord.

  • If I were to outline our time throughout the text tonight, we will see the following things:

    • 1. God’s Promise and Warning (vv.1-9)

    • 2. Hiram’s displeasure in compensation (vv.10-14)

    • 3. Solomon’s Forced Laborers (vv.15-28)

  • If I were to put a tag on our teaching, it would be: Flaws in Us All

    • With that being said, we begin tonight with verses 1-9 of Chapter 9 where the Lord provides Solomon with both a promise and a warning.

1 Kings 9:1 Now it came about when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all that Solomon desired to do,
1 Kings 9:2 that the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon.
1 Kings 9:3 The Lord said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.
1 Kings 9:4 “As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances,
1 Kings 9:5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
1 Kings 9:6 “But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them,
1 Kings 9:7 then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight. So Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
1 Kings 9:8 “And this house will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by will be astonished and hiss and say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’
1 Kings 9:9 “And they will say, ‘Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them, therefore the Lord has brought all this adversity on them.’ ”

• At this point in the narrative, Solomon has been ruling over Israel for 20 years.

  • The Lord has blessed Solomon’s rule and Solomon has proven to be a king well fit and obedient to the Lord so far.

    • God had first communicated His covenantal expectations with Solomon at Gibeon, and now He reiterates it a second time to Solomon.

  • The Lord revealed Himself to Solomon after the dedication prayer and worship.

    • And the Lord is well pleased with what was given and confirms with Solomon His perpetual covenantal commitment to Israel.

    • Along with that commitment came the promise of the Lord dwelling with Israel forever, contingent upon their obedience.

    • So, we are seeing that both the Abrahamic covenant and the Davidic covenant are both at play here.

    • One is dealing with the promised seed of David from Genesis 3 and the blessing of the land with the Lord dwelling in it.

  • And with that in mind, Yahweh reiterates the very words He shared with Solomon:

    • “Walk well before me as David did, walk with upright integrity according to Torah.”

    • Doing so, the Lord would establish the Davidic throne over Israel forever.

    • And with that, David’s descendants will not lack a man on the throne of Israel.

    • In other words, this promise of the scepter never departing from Judah would remain in effect. (Genesis 49:10)

  • And what we discovered about this promise is that although it deals with David’s descendants, it also is not dependent on them following Torah to a “t”.

    • Solomon made of this reality in our last session where he said, “there are none who have not sinned”.

    • Therefore, this covenantal promise is upheld by the Lord using imperfect men to accomplish His perfect plan.

    • And we know this ultimately leads us to Jesus Christ, a son of David, but also the Son of God, who is the Promised Seed.

    • One who is perfect and obeys the Torah to a “T”.

  • Remember, the blessings to Israel in the land are contingent upon their obedience to Torah.

    • Therefore, it was of great importance for Solomon to adhere to the instructions as He first did in the beginning of His reign.

  • And what a great reminder: That no matter how long you’ve been in the faith, your commitment to trusting and obeying the Lord should grow all the more.

    • It’s after the Lord provides Solomon with the re-affirmed promise that He responds with a warning.

    • Notice in verse 6, that the good news precedes the bad news with the conjunction, “But”.

  • The Lord stipulates that if Solomon and his sons do not follow Torah and the ways of the Lord and begin to serve foreign gods, that consequences would follow.

    • 1) They would be removed from the Land

    • 2) The Lord would abandon the Temple

  • And the Lord makes this statement recorded in Deuteronomy, Psalm, and Jeremiah regarding Israel becoming a “proverb and a “byword among all people”.

    • The word, “byword” literally means a taunt or an object of ridicule.

    • That when the Gentile nations see them outside of the land and outside of the protection of Yahweh, Israel would become a spectacle of mockery.

  • Verses 8-9 explains further: Because the Lord says that the Temple will become ruin and those who once admired the Nation will now stand in awe due to their vulnerability.

    • And what becomes an interesting foreshadow is that Jesus Himself gives the Jewish people a similar warning in Matthew 23.

    • The very Logos of God (Jesus Christ) made known, in both a verbal and visible manner.

    • Jesus longed for Israel to respond positively to the offer of the Kingdom, and this was directly tied to their obedience to Torah.

    • Check out Matthew 23:37-39:

Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
Matthew 23:38 “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!
Matthew 23:39 “For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

• In the 1st century, Israel’s pride in Herod’s temple was prominent, yet their ability to obey the word of God was absent.

  • And this, in a way, reveals something for the church today: The Lord is not interested in our commitment to these buildings and organizations.

  • The Lord is seeking to renew and transform the hearts in which His Holy Spirit dwells – our bodies!

  • When our hearts and affections are set upon the Lord and His word, in turn, we see the blessings of the Lord in other areas of our lives.

    • At the root of it all, God desires to get the maximum glory out of our lives!

    • But when we become so attached to things and the distractions of life, we end up missing the Lord and what He wants to do – dwell with us!

    • So until Israel calls upon the name of the Lord at the end of Daniel’s 70th week, then the Lord will come.

    • So it first begins with them having to be brought low to the point of desperation that they will have eyes to see and ears to understand.

  • What makes this warning worse is that the Lord uses foreign nations as a tool to chastise Israel and recounts their own history to them.

    • It’s almost as if the Lord’s dwelling with Israel was a public demonstration of the people’s obedience and dependence on God.

    • And the lack of their obedience became a sign to the world of the judgement of the Living God on His own people.

    • This is why the Lord had Moses record the following in Deuteronomy 29:22-29 as a result of Israel’s disobedience. Check out the text:

Deuteronomy 29:22 “Now the generation to come, your sons who rise up after you and the foreigner who comes from a distant land, when they see the plagues of the land and the diseases with which the Lord has afflicted it, will say,
Deuteronomy 29:23 ‘All its land is brimstone and salt, a burning waste, unsown and unproductive, and no grass grows in it, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger and in His wrath.’
Deuteronomy 29:24 “All the nations will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?’
Deuteronomy 29:25 “Then men will say, ‘Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 29:26 ‘They went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they have not known and whom He had not allotted to them.
Deuteronomy 29:27 ‘Therefore, the anger of the Lord burned against that land, to bring upon it every curse which is written in this book;

• So this goes to show how the Nation of Israel was to be a light to the world to show them who the Living God is!

  • So, it’s after verses 1-9 that the writer seems to highlight some things that point to a change in the narrative.

    • Up to this point we have witnessed Solomon rule well following the instructions of the Lord.

  • We have seen how the Lord has blessed Israel because of the King’s faithfulness to Torah.

    • So, it would seem like the perfect story line up to that point, however we begin to see small deviations in Solomon’s decisions.

  • These deviations become more apparent later in the narrative because when you get to Chapter 11 verse 25, the writer makes an interesting statement:

1 Kings 11:25 So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.

• There will be two prior enemies of Israel whom the Lord will raise up as enemies against Solomon and Israel because of Solomon’s future disobedience.

  • So, this confirms my previous statement regarding several missteps that Solomon is taking.

  • And how the narrative is unfolding that the Lord, in His Sovereignty, is setting up particular players to move Israel to exile.

• So, where Solomon’s reign began in peace, it slowly begins to change because Solomon’s heart is beginning to turn.

  • This becomes such an important observation for us today: That we must become very aware of the matters of our hearts.

    • Because the moment that we let up or compromise, we begin to give way to other things taking precedence over the Lord.

  • Solomon’s compromises began very small, such as marrying Pharaoh’s daughter as a political alliance.

    • But soon after that, Solomon began to make other subtle compromises, that although there were no immediate consequences, sin was simply crouching at the door.

  • Sin can be very tricky because the way that it works is the initial action doesn’t flat out kill you, but it paralyzes you to the reality of the impending consequence.

    • So as human beings, if we don’t get the initial disciplinary action, we deem it permissible.

    • Therefore it gives way even further to sin being invited more and more into our hearts.

    • James, Jesus’ half-brother, writes this about how sin roots itself in our lives. Check out James 1:14-16.

James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
James 1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
James 1:16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

• James understood that flirting with sin, even when it appears harmless, is truly harmful.

  • And with all the wisdom that Solomon had from the Lord, Solomon’s lack of obedience to what He knew to be true ultimately led to his and Israel’s fall.

  • So what we will see in the next few verses will further reveal Solomon’s heart and motives. Check out verses 10-14

1 Kings 9:10 It came about at the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the Lord and the king’s house
1 Kings 9:11 (Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress timber and gold according to all his desire), then King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
1 Kings 9:12 So Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, and they did not please him.
1 Kings 9:13 He said, “What are these cities which you have given me, my brother?” So they were called the land of Cabul to this day.
1 Kings 9:14 And Hiram sent to the king 120 talents of gold.

• Solomon and King Hiram’s trade and goods relationship over the past 20 years or so had been quite beneficial for both parties.

  • Solomon was able to have the Temple and his palace built with the finest of building materials.

    • As we will see in later verses, things were so well that Solomon even established a Naval fleet that further increased the nation’s wealth.

    • So as promised, with the work and labor executed by King Hiram, the exchange was proper payment which had been in gold.

  • However, it seems that upon receiving payment for promised inventory and work, King Hiram didn’t receive what was promised.

    • As a matter of fact, the payment that Solomon makes to King Hiram would be the equivalent to a check that bounced due to insufficient funds.

  • The writer records that Solomon gave Hiram 20 cities in the land of Galilee.

    • So, like any good businessman, Hiram goes to survey the land that Solomon is giving him.

    • (This is issue number one, we will discuss momentarily)

  • Secondly, the writer tells the reader that the land “did not please Hiram”.

    • Now from a logical perspective in todays terms, real estate, for the most part, depending on where it is located is a great asset.

    • It can hold its value and when needed can be a valuable liquid asset.

    • So to some extent, one has to ask the question: Why did King Hiram respond in the manner in which He did.

    • He goes to Solomon and says, “What are these cities in which you have given me, brother?”

    • In other words, what am I supposed to do with this!

  • The question that probably is beginning to come to mind is: “Well what’s wrong with the land?”

    • Apparently, the 20 cities in which Solomon gave Hiram were in an area that was not agriculturally productive and favorable.

    • This is why in verse 13b, the region of those cities were called Cabul in that day.

    • Cubal, is a Hebrew word which means, “good for nothing”.

    • And to make matters worse, Hiram sent Solomon 120 talents of gold which is the equivalent to approximately $225 Million dollars (US currency).

  • So, Hiram, in few short words, was getting the “bad end of the stick” while Solomon reaped the benefits of the labor.

• I mentioned earlier that Solomon made a huge mistake in selling 20 cities to Hiram and the reason being was due to it being a covenantal violation.

  • Warren Wiersbe mentions in his writing on 1 and 2 Kings that “All the land belonged to the Lord and could not be deeded away permanently."

    • And when you examine Leviticus 25:23, the Lord tells Moses the following regarding the land. Check out the text:

Leviticus 25:23 ‘The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me.

• If Wiersbe is correct in his analysis, then Solomon had no right to sell any land that was given to him to take care of any debt he may have owed.

  • So, within this landscape of the text, we are seeing some geo-political issues potentially arising.

  • This means that Solomon may need to “beef up” his defense system to protect the Nation.

  • However, if Solomon goes that route, he misses the most important part – depending upon the Lord for all that he needs.

  • And what we will see in verses 15-28 is that Solomon is tightening up his own defenses rather than trusting in the Lord. Check out the text.

1 Kings 9:15 Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon levied to build the house of the Lord, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
1 Kings 9:16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife.
1 Kings 9:17 So Solomon rebuilt Gezer and the lower Beth-horon
1 Kings 9:18 and Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah,
1 Kings 9:19 and all the storage cities which Solomon had, even the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and all that it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land under his rule.
1 Kings 9:20 As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel,
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.
1 Kings 9:22 But Solomon did not make slaves of the sons of Israel; for they were men of war, his servants, his princes, his captains, his chariot commanders, and his horsemen.
1 Kings 9:23 These were the chief officers who were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people doing the work.
1 Kings 9:24 As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the city of David to her house which Solomon had built for her, then he built the Millo.
1 Kings 9:25 Now three times in a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he built to the Lord, burning incense with them on the altar which was before the Lord. So he finished the house.
1 Kings 9:26 King Solomon also built a fleet of ships in Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
1 Kings 9:27 And Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, sailors who knew the sea, along with the servants of Solomon.
1 Kings 9:28 They went to Ophir and took four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.

• Notice now, that the writer moves from the King Hiram issue to taking account of Solomon’s summary of forced laborers.

  • These men were a part of building projects that spanned most of Israel and included some significant buildings such as the Temple and Solomon’s Palace.

    • And what we come to find is that the forced laborers consisted of foreigners.

    • One question that people tend to bring up is the issue of slavery in texts like this.

  • However, it’s important to note that slavery during that time period was a result of being captured during war.

    • But in the case of those who were captured by Israel because of their failure to drive them out, Solomon used these men to accomplish heavy labor.

  • These laborers were also used to button up walls used to protect cities within Israel.

    • Of those cities were Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, Gezer, Beth-horon, Baalath, and Tamar.

  • These building projects centered around the need to protect certain valuables and assets of the King.

    • These projects were considered “storage cities” or utilized for the storing of his horses for war.

  • Now when you consider these building projects during a time that was supposed to be peaceful, it begs the question: Why is Solomon doing this?

    • Perhaps it speaks to the same reason that David took a Census in 2 Samuel towards the end.

    • Because Solomon sees the riches and possessions, all of this begins to go to his head.

    • Oh may we be ever so careful to guard our hearts and minds in Christ and not what this world has to offer.

    • Perhaps this is why Solomon comes to the conclusion that all is vanity.

  • Joseph Free in his book Archeology and Bible History says this regarding excavation in Megiddo:

“The excavation of Megiddo by the University of Chicago has revealed a section of extensive stone stables from the level of Solomon’s time. This particular stable has been estimated to have been capable of housing from three to five hundred horses and illustrates in part the type of stable referred to in the Bible.”

• Ultimately, these were large, fortified cities that Solomon sought to fortify in his own strength rather than depending upon the Lord.

  • And so, to expedite these preparations, Solomon has the foreign capturers as forced laborers and the sons of Israel as overseers.

  • Next, in verse 24 the writer provides a brief explanation of Solomon’s built structure for his Egyptian wife, as previously mentioned in 1 Kings.

    • However, what the writer is suggesting is that the marriage to this foreign wife was also a covenant violation against God.

    • So, these things are mounting up regarding Solomon’s covenant violations and the impending judgement that God will have against Israel.

• Finally, it’s in verses 25-28 that the writer seems to round out the text because Solomon is shown, once again, as remaining faithfully committed to the Lord.

  • This becomes expressed by the three feasts that Solomon officiates:

    • These three festivals that the writer referred to are more than likely the three required feasts: 1) Unleavened bread 2) Pentecost, 3) Tabernacles

  • These responsibilities were to be rightfully upheld by the King as the custodial representative of God’s people.

    • Immediately following verses 25, verses 26-28 mentions Solomon’s naval fleet which further points to his wealth and width of influence.

    • And perhaps this also speaks to Solomon’s sense of growing his wealth, something the Lord forbade the king to do in Torah. (Deuteronomy 17:17)

    • So the fortifying of storehouses and upkeep of these fortresses along with a naval fleet, suggests a divergence from faithful reliance upon the Lord.

    • This sense of, “returning to Egypt” was beginning to happen.

  • Lastly, it seems as if the relationship between King Hiram and Solomon are still intact, and Solomon continued to benefit.

• We are seeing the growing wealth and prominence of Solomon as king and at the same time witnessing the increasing changes of Solomon’s heart.

  • And what a lesson this teaches us to be mindful of, even today – how our reliance upon the Lord can wane when things take priority over the Lord’s prominence in our lives.

    • This is why the book of Deuteronomy becomes such an important book of study in conjunction with 1 and 2 Kings.

    • Because this “Royal Handbook” becomes the blueprint by which either brings blessing to Israel or cursing for them.

    • And in a similar way we can see biblical principles by which to apply to our own lives as Christians.

  • One, we must be constantly reminded of the truth of the word of God and not pulled away from the anchor of our very lives.

    • This is what Paul meant when he said in Philippians 3:1 that, “to write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.”

    • In other words, to grow in Christ and guard yourself from sin, you must constantly be reminded of the truth.

  • In music, we know this as “muscle memory” where because we have practiced time and again, we can close our eyes and our fingers know exactly what to do.

    • And even if you haven’t picked up the instrument in years, and may be a bit rusty, your muscles immediately recall their placement.

    • In the same way, when we are daily abiding in Christ and applying His word, we guard ourselves for the things to come.

  • Two, we must be aware of the dangers around us and our sin nature, within us.

    • There must be a constant inward check on where we are. This sense of awareness is able to be checked by way of the Holy Spirit.

    • King David assessed himself in this manner in Psalm 139:23-24. Check out the text:

Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
Psalm 139:24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

• David is constantly aware that the Lord is ever-present and when he, himself is unaware of his wrongdoing but is made aware, he immediately responds in repentance.

  • Unfortunately, for some Christians, they have become comfortable in thinking that they’re insulated from discipline or judgement.

  • We should have the heart and posture of, “Lord, like an MRI machine, search me, correct me, convict me, and make known what needs to change.”

  • May we never get so comfortable in our sin that we become content in that condition because this breeds dis-fellowship from the Lord.

  • Thirdly, we should see how being “in Christ” changes the very way in which the Church-Age believer is able to approach God and grow in Christ.

    • Meaning, our ability to keep the Law is no longer the way in which makes us “right with God”.

    • Rather, through the work of Christ on the cross, it is His deeds, His goodness, and His righteousness that makes us right before the Father.

    • Therefore, there is no work needed to be done! That because of Jesus’ finished work, we can now walk in Him.

  • This walk now becomes grace-driven and grace-sustained, meaning we now walk in Him in a manner worthy because of what He has done!

    • He has, by His Spirit, given us eyes to now see and ears to now understand.

    • And because we have that illumination, we are enabled to obey and therefore should obey knowing what has been richly done on the cross.

  • May we not think ourselves or trust in ourselves to be so wise that we become fools.

    • We are quick to memorize Proverbs 3:5-6, but verse 7 becomes the why behind the need to do verses 5-6.

    • Check out Proverbs 3:5-7:

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

• • Let’s Pray.

Citation:

• Wiersbe, p. 435

• Joseph P. Free, Archaeology and Bible History, p. 169

• D. J. Reimer, “Concerning Return to Egypt: Deuteronomy 17:16 and 28:68 Reconsidered,” in Studies in the Pentateuch, ed. J. A. Emerton, VTSup 41 (Leiden: Brill, 1990), 217–29. There is evidence that the domesticated horse was known in Middle Kingdom Egypt, but its use, especially with the chariot, proliferated in the so-called Hyksos era (ca. 1730–1580 b.c.). See J. Van Seters, The Hyksos (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1966), 183–85.