ChristianBlessings

Today’s reading: 1 Kings 6-7.

Solomon’s temple was begun 480 years after the Israelites left Egypt. They had worshipped at the tent of the tabernacle since a year after leaving Egypt, though the ark of the covenant had been moved to a tent in Jerusalem by King David. For comparison, 480 years ago was 1534. Columbus had sailed to America just 40 years earlier. The pilgrims would not land at Plymouth for another 90 years.

The temple was built in seven years, but Solomon took twice as long to build his palace. There are two ways to look at this:

1. Solomon placed a higher priority on the temple, building it first and getting it done quickly.
2. Solomon built a home for himself that was even grander than the temple.

From the description of the palace, it’s possible that number two is the correct answer. The palace was called “The Forest…

Today’s reading: 1 Kings 1-2.

Marketing. Self-promotion. Advertising. Today those are the accepted practices, felt to be necessary for success. As Ecclesiastes says, there’s nothing new under the sun, and self-promotion has been the way of the world for ages. Absalom did it as he prepared to steal David’s crown. As a feeble King David approaches the end of his life, his oldest son, Adonijah, practices the same brand of marketing.

Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. (His father had never interfered with him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.) Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. 1 Kings 1:5-7

Adonijah…

Today’s reading: 2 Samuel 19-21.

Natural disasters seem to happen more frequently today and we wonder about the reason. Do we blame global warming? A long famine struck in David’s time, and people wanted to know why. I imagine there were many prayers that went up to the LORD asking for help, but the famine continued. After three years, David received an answer.

The LORD said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.” The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to [spare] them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) 2 Samuel 21:1-2

The Gibeonites were one of the Canaanite tribes who faced destruction when Joshua conquered the land three…

Today’s reading: 2 Samuel 16-18.

Wisdom makes all the difference. In the days before Hurricane Katrina, the people of New Orleans were told to evacuate because of the predicted danger of the storm. Too many people failed to heed the wise counsel, and the result was disastrous. Less than a month later Hurricane Rita stormed ashore in Texas, but the outcome was much better. Almost everyone had evacuated days before it arrived.

King David had an advisor named Ahithophel. He was so wise that people said listening to his advice was as good as hearing from God. Yet when Absalom began his conspiracy to overthrow his father, Ahithophel switched sides and became Absalom’s counselor. It seems a strange choice for such a wise man, but his decision may have been based on vengeance. The Bible suggests that Ahithophel was Bathsheba’s grandfather, and he may have been motivated by bitterness over David’s adultery with his…

Today’s reading: 2 Samuel 13-15.

Dry rot. Termites. Leaky roofs. Peeling paint. A homeowner who ignores these hazards will one day face expensive repairs or even the loss of his home. In 1984 a St. Louis woman noticed a few bees flying in and out of her attic, but ignored them until the whole ceiling caved in under the weight of hundreds of pounds of honey. King David had a much more serious problem than bees or termites. His own children committed grave sins that provoked him to righteous anger, but instead of acting he neglected the problems. His whole kingdom came crashing down as a result.

First crack: Amnon. David’s son, Amnon, lusted after his half-sister, Tamar. He plotted to be alone with her, raped her, then rejected her. David was furious, but the Bible records no steps he took to deal with the problem.

Second crack: Absalom…

Today’s reading: 2 Samuel 8-12.

Abraham Lincoln said,”Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” There’s something about success that threatens and tempts us. David suffered one of the greatest failures of his life not long after the high water mark of his kingship. He had survived the ten-year chase from King Saul, won over all Israel to become king, received God’s promise that his descendant would have an everlasting kingdom, and defeated his enemies to the north, south, east, and west. Then he caved in to temptation and brought disaster upon himself, his family, and an innocent man.

David’s adulterous affair with Bathsheba began because he was in the wrong place. How many people today make the same mistake! We know where our temptation lives, but rather than avoid that spot, or make it inaccessible, we go there anyway…