Kings & Prophets: From Solomon to Jeremiah - Week 3

Solomon: Builder
    ⁃    Temple construction - 1 Kings 6 (took 7 years to build)
    ⁃    Temple dedication - 1 Kings 8
    ⁃    God appears to Solomon - 1 Kings 9
    ⁃    Solomon’s palace - 1 Kings 7 (took 13 years to build)

Pastor shares archeological discoveries around Solomon in recent years including a massive stone wall and gate and more.

Solomon: Reputation
    ⁃    Fleet at Ezion Geber - 1 Kings (for the first time Israel had its own navy - 1 Kings 9:26-28 - we read that they brought gold from Ophir. Pastor shares ideas of where Ophir may have been.) 
    ⁃    Solomon’s wealth - 1 King 10 (1 Kings 10:14-15 we read he received 25 tons of gold yearly. Solomon brought financial wealth to the nation.)
    ⁃    Queen of Sheba - 1 Kings 10 (Pastor shared the ideas of where this queen came from to visit Solomon. She’s overwhelmed by Solomon’s wisdom and by the wealth that she sees in her visit. Yet we know there is a wisdom and wealth greater than gold and that is our Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 12:42 tells us  … Jesus says, “for the Queen at the South ….came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.” That something is a Someone and that Someone is Jesus, Himself.  It is easy to fall into the trap of wanting stuff and being financially secure. And we can have everything the world has to offer and still be bankrupt if we don’t have a relationship with the living God through faith in Jesus.)
    ⁃    Solomon’s Wisdom - 1 Kings 10 (1 Kings 10:23-24 we read he was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. He wrote Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon and also some Psalms as well.)
    ⁃    Labor Policies - 1 King 5 (Soloon had labor practices that caused difficulties with his people - 1 Kings 5:13-14 we read that 30,000 men were under forced labor.)

Solomon: Decline & Fall
    ⁃    Solomon’s Wives - 1 Kings 11 (One man and one wife for life, that has always been God’s plan. But in 1 Kings 11:3-4 we read that Solomon had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines and his wives led him astray.  As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God as the heart of David his father had been. This incredibly gifted king who started so well descended into idolatry in his last days. Solomon even built a high place for Chemosh and Molek for his foreign wives who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. He was led away from God.)
    ⁃    Solomon’s enemies - 1 Kings 11 (As Solomon wandered further from God, God raised up enemies against Solomon.)
        Three main adversaries:
    ⁃    Haded the Edomite
    ⁃    Rezon in Damascus
    ⁃    Jeroboam son of Nebat was an Israelite (a prophetic word come to Jeroboam - God would give him 10 tribes. And Solomon’s successor, his son Reheboam, would have 2 of the tribes. God told Jeroboam that he was to obey Him and follow Him.)

Conclusion
Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter; Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

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