1 Kings 7
Vs. 1-12 Although
it may look as if Solomon was directing the building of the temple and was also
making his house/palace at the same time, later it will say that the entire
time was 20 years. So, he built the temple first, and then his palace. It is
interesting to see that immediately after it mentions that he worked on the
temple for seven years, it says he worked on his own house for 13 years. It
should also be noted that although the ESV doesn't begin v. 1 with a
conjunction, the Hebrew has one. It should either be, "and" or
"but." I don't see this as being negative, per se. The temple was a
fairly small and simple building: No kitchens, bathrooms or bedrooms. A palace
would have been a lot bigger and much more complicated. In retrospect, however,
knowing how the story ends, you know that Solomon's pursuits became obsessions.
As Jesus told Martha, but one thing is
necessary. Solomon definitely missed that memo.
Vs. 13-51
Hiram must have been a popular name. This, obviously, is not the king, but a
very skilled worker/artist. When you read all of this detail, you realize that
Solomon, inspired by the Spirit, was quite an artist too.
Vs. 27-39
These 10 stands in v. 27 were like butcher block tables on wheels, for
preparing the sacrifices. This was not something God had included in the
tabernacle. The 10 basins for washing in v. 38 went with the stands. Definitely
they were a great idea if the preparation of a lot of animals was necessary.
Solomon must have thought this would be a nice touch and an upgrade.
V. 51
We'll read later that David did a lot of planning for the temple and amassed
huge amounts of gold, silver and bronze to build the temple. I don't know if
this means Solomon put what was left over in the treasury, or that he didn't
use what David saved and put it all in the treasury.
I think
for us as disciples, the moral of the story here might be to make sure we are
spending more of our time following Christ in the harvest, making disciples,
rather than falling into the obsession of making a "heaven on earth"
for ourselves on this dying planet.
Acts 7:30-50
Remember
to look for examples of Israel rejecting God and seeking to do things their own
way.
Vs. 30-43
This is the rebellion against God and His prophet Moses. As much as the people
revered Moses, our reading of Exodus through Deuteronomy revealed that the
people only kind-of-sort-of obeyed Moses.
V. 35 Note
how this sentence fits into the "eventual" point Stephen will be
making (v. 51). Also, note how Stephen and the Spirit refer to this Moses. I’m reminded of Jesus’ words
to the Pharisees in John 5:45-47, “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is
one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you
believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe
my words?”
Vs. 44-50
It seems that Stephen is saying that God changed the venue of worship. This
would point to what Jesus said about true worship being in spirit and in truth.
In Jesus, God again was changing (really, pointing to) where real worship would
take place.
Tomorrow
there will be a lot of changes for the church in Jerusalem and we'll meet Saul
of Tarsus.
Psalm 128
This song
sung by the worshipers coming to Jerusalem focused them on true prosperity and
fulfillment.
Vs. 1-2
True prosperity begins with the fear of the Lord (mentioned twice). It changes
us so that what we do in life bears fruit for God.
Vs. 3-6
And this attitude of heart and focus is fulfilled in family, in this case, a
fulfilled wife and children.
Proverbs 16:31-33
Gray hair
is meant to equate age with wisdom. I wish that was always true. So, what does
this person crowned with wisdom know? What have they mastered? They know to be slow to anger and to control their
spirit. They know that in spite of the chaos and the arrogance of man, God is
really in charge and working His plan of redemption to completion in Christ.
Paraphrasing what Paul told Timothy, they know how to act in godliness,
righteousness, faith, love, steadfastness and gentleness, in all situations,
because God is in charge.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year
Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't
work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/
and click on “Every
Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are
following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple,
following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship
culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging
each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make
disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here
or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some
explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My
comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on
Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups
will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with
and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the
harvest.
If you would like a complete description of this model
of being and making disciples you can find it in my book: Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is
still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's
keyed to the NIV, so the result is the commentators are constantly telling you
what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in
fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is
encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the
comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding,
that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but
only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like documents containing an entire month
of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download
these to use on your computer or to print.
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