35 - God's Faithfullness - Our Faith Rest [A]

God's Faithfulness: Our Faith-Rest. 1 Kings 1 – 11

Review

What happens in 1 Kings chapters 1-11 covers a forty-year period. There are three basic divisions contextually. The first two chapters cover the establishment of Solomon's throne as the kingship passes from David—God's chosen kings, the one to whom God gave an unconditional covenant—to Solomon. That talks about Solomon's accession to the throne, the various executions that take place, following his accession to the throne of David his marriage to the daughter of Pharaoh.

In 3:1-29 we have the rise of Solomon. His first love is God. (That bears a hint of foreboding at the beginning of the third chapter but we don't see its fruition until we get to chapter eleven) He loves the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind and strength, he is obedient to God. When God comes to him and says he will give him all that he asks Solomon demonstrates tremendous humility and rather than asking for power or riches or the defeat of his enemies he asks for wisdom because he is grace oriented. He is humble and because he loves the Lord God is going to favour him and bless him with everything he didn't ask for along with wisdom. He is the most blessed of all the kings of Israel and the kingdom is going to be prospered magnificently under Solomon's leadership. This section talks about his administration, his building projects and the dedication of the temple. In this section, too, we have two appearances by God to Solomon in a dream; one in chapter three, the other in chapter nine. These function as bookends to this crucial section.

Then he blesses Solomon in chapter nine with a conditional covenant, not unconditional like David's. Because Solomon fails to live up to those conditions by being obedient like his father David he is going to come under divine discipline. The eleventh chapter describes the divine discipline and the decline of Solomon because of his second love, his love for his wives. Chapter three starts off with his love for God; chapter eleven starts of with his loves for his wives. His polygamy is politically motivated and leads to idolatry, multiculturalism, internationalism, and as a result of that God indicts him for those sins and outlines his punishment. But because of God's grace and love for David (stated twice) God does not bring about the extremities of the discipline in Solomon's time, but postpones it until after his death. He had led the nation into idolatry and as the king of Israel this was a sign of disloyalty to the first commandment which was the foundation for Israel's whole covenant relationship with God. So God is going to split the kingdom as part of the divine discipline, the outworking of the Mosaic covenant.

So when we think through this section we have in the first two chapters the establishment of Solomon's throne; chapters 3-10, the rise and the glory of Solomon's kingdom and how God blesses him; and in chapter eleven the disloyalty of Solomon, his decline, and God's discipline on Solomon for his idolatry.

At the beginning of the book we see that David is old, bordering on senility, physically weak and disengaged. What happened in the first chapter what we see is that God secures Solomon on the throne of David in fulfilment of his promise to David in the Davidic covenant. It is not just a story about inheritance, about transitions or revenge; it is a story about how God is fulfilling His promise to David. God had forbidden David to build the temple but according to 1 Chronicles 22:9ff he would allow his son to build the temple, and that would be Solomon. In 1 Kings 1 David's son Adonijah is attempting a coup. He is going to conspire with Joab, David's general, and Abiathar the high priest. Abiathar convinces Adonijah that he would make a better king than Solomon and so they involve themselves in this coup that Adonijah is planning.

But God works behind the scenes and we see how the information leaks out. The prophet Nathan finds out about it, and Zadok the priest, and a plan is worked out to foil the lot. As Adonijah s preparing an incredible ceremony word gets back to David. Nathan and Bathsheba make a plan to alert David. David immediately takes charge and generates a plan to have Solomon anointed before Adonijah can be anointed. Solomon is anointed king and when word of this gets to Adonijah and those who are supporting him the co-conspirators flee in terror. Adonijah himself flees to the altar on the temple mount, the worship site where the temple will be built, to grab hold of the horns of the altar in order to seek sanctuary and protection from Solomon's vengeance.

What we see in this chapter are two basic doctrines. We have the faithfulness of God to His covenants and to His promises. He is faithful. Even though we don't have the overt expression or description of God here God is the one who is making sure that the information gets to David and that the attempt to usurp the throne from Solomon is shut down. And David operates on the faith-rest drill. That is what gives David the strength and the courage to do the right thing, because he knows that God promised to give the throne to Solomon. So David acts firmly and with direction and shows fantastic leadership at this point because he trusts in God's promise. That is what happens when we are operating on the faith-rest drill. The foundation is trusting His Word, and when we grab hold of the promises of God it changes our mental attitude. We are not grabbing hold of God's promises if it is not changing our mental attitude. When we grab hold of the promises of God and have that confidence in Him then we are going to change the whole dynamic of our mental attitude.

In chapter two we have the establishment, the securing of Solomon's throne at the time of David's death. We summarise it by saying that God secures Solomon on the throne through the wise decisions of David and Solomon in dealing with their enemies. Where did they get this wisdom? They got this wisdom from the Word of God. As we take in the Word of God and as the Holy Spirit makes it usable in our souls [epignosis/e)pignwsij] then when we use it and as we develop skill in practicing and applying it we develop what the Old Testament refers to as wisdom—that skill at living. So as we practice the Word of God that wisdom develops. That is what we see here, they make wise decisions. We have a repeated statement, a thread that runs through these two chapters, that indicates God will bless Solomon and establish the throne of David forever. See 1:30, 36, 37, 48; 2:4, 15, 45. They are relying on a promise from God, so that gives them tremendous fortitude and strength in a very difficult situation.

In the rest of the chapter, following the death of David, Solomon has to deal with the left-over problems from his father's administration which were not only David's enemies but also his own enemies. He knows from divine viewpoint that they represent the enemies of God who would seek to destroy the lineage that God has promised to David for the line of the Messiah. This isn't just a political problem, it is a plan of God/spiritual problem. God has promised that the descendants' seed will go from David and Solomon is the designated heir, and if there is a successful coup against Solomon then this violates the promise that God has revealed. So it is up to them to do something about it. We learn later on that this is a conditional promise to Solomon and because of disobedience he is going to miss that path of blessing, but for now they don't know that. Solomon has to deal with the problems raised by Adonijah, Abiathar, Joab and Shimei. Each of these have played into the hands of the enemy of God, which of course is Satan, and so Solomon must deal with them on the basis of the Mosaic Law. First of all he deals with them in grace but they each show that they aren't to be trusted. They continue to reveal their inner character flaws and their betrayal of Solomon and it is for this reason that they are executed.

After David dies Adonijah is going to make an underhanded claim to the throne. He is going to send Bathsheba in to make a request that Abishag should be given him as a wife. In that culture when any woman who was in the harem of the king who became the wife of another it was a sign that that other man was trying to usurp the authority and power of kingship. So this is clearly a statement on Adonijah's part that he was still trying to make a claim to the kingship. Therefore he is going to be executed for treason. Abiathar is treated in grace, he is the high priest; he is banished for his treason but is not executed. Joab is executed for, as it is stated in 2:32, it is the Lord who returns his blood on his head. It is God dealing with him in justice even though he does it through Solomon. Then Shimei violates the rules of his parole and was executed. Solomon said that he must stay in Jerusalem and that if he leaves for any reason whatsoever he would be executed. It is all done according to the Law. The major doctrine we see in chapter two is grace in judgment. Grace and judgment work together. God is always gracious even in the midst of judgment. Grace often precedes judgment. We see that in Solomon's behaviour. He is wise, gracious to his enemies, but when they make it clear that they are still his enemies then he has to deal with them in justice. The second thing we see is that God is faithful to His promises.

Chapters three and four. Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh, married his daughter and brought her to the city of David. There is a second important statement in 3:3 ^NASB "Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places." Deuteronomy says that the way to show we love the Lord by obeying Him. Again and again in Deuteronomy it says that if you love the Lord you will keep His statutes, keep His ordinances, keep His commandments. It is objective. How do we know that we love the Lord? By what we do in relationship to His Word. So notice how Solomon's love is defined with walking in the statutes of his father David – except, the ominous foreshadowing here—" except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places."  That weakness of his sin nature is going to get exploited by Satan eventually. He will give into it in terms of his own volition. He will give in to prise and arrogance, thinking that he achieved all this on his own, and the final years of his reign are going to be marked by rebellion against God. He is going to promote idolatry which is viewed as high treason in the Mosaic Law. Chapters three and four work together. Chapter three describes God's gift to Solomon, chapter four gives evidence of its reality. Chapter three highlights what made Solomon great—not his own talents or abilities but his humility, his grace orientation, his love for the Lord, his knowledge and application of the Word of God. But there are overtones of the problem.

In chapter three we see that God deals with Solomon in grace and personally appears to him in a dream, offering to give him whatever he desired. Solomon requests wisdom. He shows tremendous humility here. Rather than requesting that God destroy his enemies or give him power or wealth he requests wisdom. In response God blesses Solomon by not only giving him wisdom but saying that because he asked for wisdom and not these other things He would also give him these other things in abundance more than anybody else. So the remainder of Solomon's story really emphasises and illustrates the greatness of God's blessing upon him, all the way up through chapter ten. The last half of chapter three, starting at v. 16, gives the illustration of Solomon's wisdom in solving the problem between the two harlots who both laid claim to one child, and how he dealt with that shows his wisdom. Chapter four is another illustration of his wisdom for there we see it displayed in his organisation and administration of the kingdom. The empire is going to run smoothly and well. Major doctrines that we see in chapters 3 & 4 have to do with humility and grace orientation. They go together. When we are oriented to God's grace we know that nothing is from who and what we are, it is all based on who God is and what Jesus Christ has done for us. Everything that we have comes from God; it doesn't come because of our talent. Chapter 4 describes all of this blessing that God gave to Solomon and begins to hint at his worldwide fame. It closes with an emphasis on Solomon's love and devotion to God. He writes over three thousand proverbs and over one thousand psalms extolling the greatness of God's character. He is a man oriented to God—oriented to grace and to doctrine.

Chapters 5-9 focus on the building of the temple. His preparations in chapter 5 are developed, his organisation is evident. He goes to Hiram king of Tyre for resources which are not available in Israel and works out a trade agreement with Hiram. Hiram is a man who is very likely a believer because of his response in v. 7 ^NASB "When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, 'Blessed be the LORD today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.'" There is this divine orientation on the part of Hiram. We are reminded in v. 12 ^NASB "The LORD gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant." All of this in chapters 5-9 is at the centre of God's promise to Solomon and it forms the heart of this section from chapters 1-11.

1 Chr 22:6-9  Then he called for his son Solomon, and charged him to build a house for the LORD God of Israel. David said to Solomon, "My son, I had intended to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed {so} much blood on the earth before Me.Behold, a son will be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days.'" That is the core promise that underlies these eleven chapters in 1 Kings and the trust that David and Solomon have in that promise that God is going to fulfil it through them. [10] "He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever. [11] Now, my son, the LORD be with you that you may be successful, and build the house of the LORD your God just as He has spoken concerning you. [12] Only the LORD give you discretion and understanding, and give you charge over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. [13] Then you will prosper, if you are careful to observe the statutes and the ordinances which the LORD commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed." The point is that God promises that Solomon will build the temple and so Solomon is executing on the basis of that promise. Chapters six and seven are going to describe all of the details related to his planning and his design of the temple. All of this is related to the promise of God which is clarified by God in 1 Kings 6:12, 13.

Chapter seven gives the detailed descriptions of the temple and its furniture. Chapter eight gets into the great dedication of the temple. It covers the initial bringing of the ark into the temple an how Solomon honoured God in terms of the correct approach and circumstance, obeying the Law making sure that all of the protocol was correct, and as the ark is brought into the temple then the dwelling glory of God fills the house of the Lord—v. 11. God makes His dwelling on earth in Jerusalem. Beginning in v. 14 Solomon gives his introductory prelude for his prayer of dedication. In that prelude we see once again that  the very heart of the issue is the faith-rest drill. It is trusting in the promise of God, not only in the Davidic covenant but also in the Mosaic covenant. There is a reference in v. 16 to God redeeming the nation, bringing them out of Egypt, and God says, "Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel {in which} to build a house that My name might be there, but I chose David to be over My people Israel." Then He refers to the Davidic covenant. So all of this is Solomon's application of a promise. It illustrates the faith-rest drill. He leads, he builds, he establishes his kingdom on this single promise of God.

When we get into the next part of the chapter from 8:22ff we have Solomon's great prayer of dedication, the longest prayer in the Bible. It has been seen that all of the requests that Solomon makes are based upon the cursing judgments in Leviticus 26, the cycles of discipline. Again and again and again Solomon pleads with God to be faithful to His Word—reference to God's promise that if Israel turns to Him He will restore her to the land. Israel's ultimate restoration hasn't taken place yet, and it won't take place until we come to the end of the Tribulation period. Solomon concludes with a blessing, a benediction upon the people in v. 56 ^NASB "Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant." Then the chapter closes with the dedication of the temple.

In chapter nine God again appears to Solomon and gives him a conditional promise of a dynasty. 1 Kin 9:4, 5 ^NASB "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, 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." But this is conditional and Solomon is going to violate that condition. Again in this chapter we have an emphasis on the faithfulness of God in His covenant with David and the operation of the faith-rest drill by Solomon.

From 9:10 to the end of chapter ten highlights the many ways in which God blessed Solomon—the wealth of the kingdom, the extensiveness of their trade. And what we learn from chapters three through ten is that God has blessed Israel richly. It shows God's grace and it also shows His faithfulness to the promise to David.

Then we have chapter eleven where God indicts Solomon for covenant unfaithfulness. The description of his violation of the covenant and the Law and the indictment is given in the first eight verses. 1 Kings 11:1 ^NASB "Now King Solomon loved many foreign women …" That stands in contrast to what we saw in 1 Kings 3:3 where Solomon loved the Lord. He becomes distracted, he loses focus, and he loses his priorities. He has shifted his focus from trusting God to trusting in human alliances. When he brings in these foreign women they bring with them their national gods and he begins to compromise, setting up altars and worship centres for these false gods, and this is a violation of the first commandment. It is an act of political treason against God who is the true King of Israel. [11:4] "For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father {had been.}" So God announces the judgment that the kingdom would be torn from him and then we see how God raises up these adversaries during the last 10-15 years of Solomon's reign. It is through Jeroboam that God is going to bring this discipline on the nation.

What is the lesson? It is that we can really trust God. God is true to His Word no matter what is going on in the human realm. When we step out and try to solve problems on our own without trusting in His Word then the consequences are divine judgment and divine discipline, and then there is a whole realm of unintended consequences that flow as a result of that which we can't imagine. Solomon's defection from God in the last years of his reign arguably can be seen in a big part of the problems that we see in the Middle East today.

The only solution to life's problems is God's solution, and that begins with trusting Him to be faithful to His Word.

Illustrations