Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 9-10; 2 Chronicles 8:1-9:28; Psalm 49

“Solomon did not deviate in any way from David’s commands concerning the priests and Levites and treasuries.” — 2 Chronicles 8:15

The Temple was complete, as well as the royal palace, and the Lord was pleased. God took this building made by men and set it apart as holy. God’s name would be honored in this place, and God would watch over it.

“As for you, if you will follow me with integrity and godliness, as David your Father did, obeying all my commands, decrees, and regulations, then I will establish the throne of your dynasty over israel forever…But if you and your descendants abandon me and disobey the commands and decrees I have given you, then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled and will gasp in horror. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’ And the answer will be, ‘Because the people abandoned the Lord their God…’” — 1 Kings 9:4-9a

FOLLOW ME WITH INTEGRITY AND GODLINESS

God is looking for integrity in those He calls into leadership. He is looking for those who will be honest in their dealings with others, and who will demonstrate strong moral principles. He designed the relationship between God and man to result in godly living, not produced by man’s righteousness but God’s. This was true in the days of David and Solomon, and it remains true today.

Solomon was a great leader and accomplished much during his reign as king. After taking twenty years to build the Lord’s Temple and his own royal palace, Solomon went on to rebuild the towns across the land. He continued to nurture the relationship his father had built with King Hiram, which resulted in timber, gold and craftsmen to help with the many building projects. Hiram sent ships and a crew of sailors to take Solomon’s men to Ophir, where they obtained almost seventeen tons of gold. He gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to King Hiram, who had done so much for him, but the king was disappointed with the quality of the gift and described the towns as worthless.

After hearing about Solomon’s wisdom and success, the Queen of Sheba came to visit. She brought spices, gold, and precious jewels, but she also brought a lot of hard questions. She was impressed with Solomon’s answers, but she was also amazed by his palace, the food that was prepared, the organization of his team, and the splendid clothing worn by his entourage.

She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true! I didn’t believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had not heard the half of it! Your wisdom and prosperity are far beyond what I was told. How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.” — 1 Kings 10:6-9

RULE WITH JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

When the Queen of Sheba saw all that Solomon had accomplished, she gave praise to the God of Israel. She recognized Solomon’s wisdom as being a gift from God and his wealth as being a result of God’s generous blessings. She credited God for all that Solomon was accomplishing, and for his ability to rule the people with both justice and righteousness.

Solomon’s wealth continued to increase over the years. He built a huge throne for himself out of ivory and gold. There were six steps going up to the throne; each step had a figure of a lion on each side. The grandeur of this throne was like no other that had ever been built. He drank from cups of solid gold. Once every three years, Solomon sent ships to bring back gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. He had 1,400 chariots and 4,000 stalls to house his 12,000 horses.

So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. Kings from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. — 2 Chronicles 9:22-24

Solomon had all this wealth and lived extravagantly, yet it was not enough. He allowed his heart to stray from his love for God to his love for women. With 700 wives and 300 concubines, Solomon allowed his heart to turn away from the Lord, and he began to worship the gods these women brought into his household. King Solomon had accomplished so much and was known for his great leadership, but he lost his favor with God because he was unfaithful. Peace was replaced by conflict, and ten of the tribes of Israel were given to Jeroboam, whom Solomon had hired to lead his labor force (1 Kings 11).

What will you do with the blessings God has bestowed on you? What will your response be to the applause and accolades that come from your accomplishments? Will all God has given you be enough? Let’s commit today to be satisfied with the opportunities God has given us, finding satisfaction in His plan for our lives. Let us faithfully follow God with integrity and godliness, recognizing that there is nothing in this world worth letting our hearts stray from the One who created us for His purposes.

Those who are wise must finally die,
just like the foolish and senseless,
leaving all their wealth behind.
The grave is their eternal home,
where they will stay forever.
They may name their estates after themselves,
but their fame will not last.
They will die, just like animals.
This is the fate of fools,
though they are remembered as being wise. — Psalm 49:10-13