The Ark Brought to the Temple

                                                              2 Chronicles 5: 2-14

 

May 17, 2023

 

The Ark Brought to the Temple

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.  And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast that is in the seventh month.  And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark.  And they brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up.  And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.  Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.  The cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles.  And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day.  There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt.  And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions,  and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters;  and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord,

“For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,”

the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Now that is leadership, doing things God’s way God filled the Temple, and the priests were not able to minister because of the cloud. I can only imagine such a day, and I witnessed the moving of the Spirit, but that was an extraordinary day when the Ark of God was brought into the Temple.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

 

 

 

 

The Ark Brought to the Temple

 

 

2 Chronicles 5: 2-9

 

May 17, 2023

 

The Ark Brought to the Temple

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel, in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.  And all the men of Israel assembled before the king at the feast that is in the seventh month.  And all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark.   

 

Being a king helped Solomon in this significant leadership role, in that he got full buy-in from the leaders of the fathers.  In the Church today and in my lifetime most pastors did not have these leadership skills.  As a leader, you should prepare the leaders of households to lead out in their families to join you in God’s plan for the home.  

 

We are allowing the world's concepts to control our families, and they have removed God or His Word, and the Word is Jesus from any authority over their lives.

And they brought up the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up.  And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.  Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.  The cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles.  And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the Holy Place before the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside.

 

When you have fathers leading their families under the authority of God's written word, you will see your world moving away from the empty concepts that end in fear and hate of others.  You will see the joy and giving as Solomon did and unity.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

"A Woman"

 "A Woman" 

 

This is written in the Hebrew Talmud, the book 

Where all of the sayings and preaching of 

Rabbis are conserved over time. It says:

 

"Be very careful if you make a woman 

Cry, because God counts her tears. The woman 

Came out of a man's rib. Not from his feet to be 

Walked on. Not from his head to be superior, but 

From the side to be equal. Under the arm to be 

Protected, and next to the heart to be loved." 

 

This should be required reading for all men, it is well said, and this writer would have been a better husband in the early years of marriage if he had taken it to heart.

The Day God spoke to me from a piece of Wood

 

The Day God spoke to me from a piece of Wood

 

In the back of our new home is a dry creek and a greenbelt that goes all over the neighborhood.  Last weekend, I talked Jan into going exploring with me and I found a large piece of a tree that had broken off and was beginning to rot in some areas.  When we were clearing the property, I had cut a large cedar with the intent of making a cross, I took the tree to a sawmill had it cut, and began to work on the cross.  The cross was finished and it came to my mind that a sign with the following; (All Praise to Jesus, who is risen and at the Father's right hand) would be a good testimony. 

 

So, with that in mind, I picked up this part of a tree and carried it home.  It is the 25^th of November and I began to work on the piece of wood.  As I began to inspect the wood it became clear that I had my work cut out, that the front part that I would write on was good wood and yet the ends and back had a lot of bad wood.  That is when I began to think this can be a lot of work or it can be easy.  If you are familiar with me at all, you know Easy would be my first choice.  It was at that point; that thoughts came into my mind that I did not believe were mine.  I am very simple and do not have these kinds of thoughts, so I am going to tell you I believe it was God speaking to me.

 

This is how it began, Bob you have every right to make the sign any way you desire, but is your purpose to honor Me.  My thoughts were, “Yes, Lord my heart desires to honor You with this sign.”  And that is when God began to explain that much of my life, I had chosen to do with my life what I was now thinking about doing with the wood.  Just clean up the outside and put a good finish so it would appear good.  But it became clear, that it would not last and my time would be wasted.  I chose to begin removing the rot, and once more I had thoughts that I contributed to God.

 

It went like this; this wood is full of rot, and it seems like the rot is below the surface and hard to remove.  Once more thoughts came to my mind, Yes, Bob, that wood is a very good example of your life, when I found you full of self and rot.  As you keep digging into the wood you will find all kinds of grubs and bores and other things eating the life of that wood.  I found all kinds of pollution in you and rot and the only way to remove it was to cut out the bad wood.  I’ve seen that often you have hit your hand while removing the deep rotten wood and the hammer hurts, it was also painful and I found no pleasure in removing the rot in your life.  But I never forgot the goal, to conform you to the image of my Son.

 

I’ve also noticed that after much work sometimes the rot goes too deep and it pains you to remove or break off a piece that you had worked on for such a long time.  I will always break off the areas of your life that are polluted, for my desire is to have a vessel that is usable in my kingdom.  As you discover the grubs eating away at the rotten wood, I also have had to dig deep into your heart to remove wrong thoughts and plans that were not in your best interest and would only bring you harm.  

 

Bob, only My Holy Spirit can teach you truths from this piece of wood, but if you listen, I will show you how to change a rotten piece of wood into something that will bring honor to my Name and glory to my Son. 

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

David Offering

  

2 Chronicles 5:1

 

May 16, 2023

 

Thus, all the work that Solomon did for the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated and stored the silver, the gold, and all the vessels in the treasuries of the house of God.

Often it is easy to read past verses like, David dedicated to the house of God, but Scripture gives us the facts, “Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver, and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen. Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the Lord? (1 Chronicles 29:2-5).  I read the following; 

Let’s examine the figures:

1-Three thousand talents. If this was a regular talent, measured at 75.39 lb. the amount of gold gathered by David would thus be about 113 tons (102 metric tons). However, we cannot be certain of the precise value of ancient weight standards.

2-Seven thousand talents. Based on a talent weighing 75.39 lb., the amount of silver given would be about 263 tons or 239 metric tons.

One may say David was all in, he gave what he could not keep, to gain what he could not lose, to honor his God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Two Kings allowing God's leadership

  

 

2 Chronicles 4: 11-22

 

May 15, 2023

 

Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So, Hiram finished the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of God:  the two pillars, the bowls, and the two capitals on the top of the pillars; and the two latticework to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the top of the pillars; and the 400 pomegranates for the two latticework, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars.  He made the stands also, and the basins on the stands, and the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath it.  The pots, the shovels, the forks, and all the equipment for these Huram-abi made of burnished bronze for King Solomon for the house of the Lord.  In the plain of the Jordan, the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah.  Solomon made all these things in great quantities, for the weight of the bronze was not sought.

So, Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the golden altar, the tables for the bread of the Presence, the lampstands, and their lamps of pure gold to burn before the inner sanctuary, as prescribed; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of purest gold; the snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold, and the sockets of the temple, for the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and for the doors of the nave of the temple were of gold.

It is amazing what man can do under the direction of our God.  Why does that surprise us, we find this about Jesus in 1 John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made.”   Many years later, the apostle John wrote 1 John1:1-3, giving us more insight into the word of God.  “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Temple's Furnishings

                                                                 2 Chronicles 4:1-10

 

May 14, 2023

 

The Temple's Furnishings

He made an altar of bronze, twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide, and ten cubits high.  Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.  Under it were figures of gourds, for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast.  It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward.  Its thickness was a handbreadth. And its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held 3,000 baths. He also made ten basins in which to wash and set five on the south side, and five on the north side. In these, they were to rinse off what was used for the burnt offering, and the sea was for the priests to wash in.

And he made ten golden lampstands as prescribed, and set them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north.  He also made ten tables and placed them in the temple, five on the south side and five on the north. And he made a hundred basins of gold.  He made the court of the priests and the great court and doors for the court and overlaid their doors with bronze.  And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house.

 

Who did all of this, it was   Hiram the king of Tyre who sent a man who was very gifted in many skills, we find the account in 2 Chronicles 2:13-14.  “Now I have sent a skilled man, who has understanding, Huram-abi, the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics, and fine linen, and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your craftsmen, the craftsmen of my lord, David your father.

 

God used 3 kings to accomplish the task of building his Temple, first God put the desire in King David’s heart, but not to build but to prepare, next He allowed David to share this with his son Solomon, and tell Solomon what God had said about him building the temple.  But it all comes back to a relationship that David had with King Hiram of Tyre who provided the Huram-abi and the materials to build God’s Temple.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

Solomon Temple was Amazing

 

 

2 Chronicles 3: 8-17

 

May 13, 2023

 

In the Most Holy Place, he made two cherubim of wood and overlaid them with gold.  The wings of the cherubim together extended twenty cubits: one wing of the one, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and its other wing, of five cubits, touched the wing of the other cherub; and of this cherub, one wing, of five cubits, touched the wall of the house, and the other wing, also of five cubits, was joined to the wing of the first cherub.  The wings of these cherubim extended twenty cubits. The cherubim stood on their feet, facing the nave.  And he made the veil of blue and purple and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and he worked cherubim on it.

In front of the house, he made two pillars thirty-five cubits high, with a capital of five cubits on the top of each. He made chains like a necklace and put them on the tops of the pillars, and he made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains.  He set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south, the other on the north; that on the south he called Jachin, and that on the north Boaz.

 

I can only wonder if the people who came to this amazing Temple that had a Holy of Holies were only the High Priest who was allowed to enter once a year, dressed in their finest clothing.  Did they come with an attitude of worship?  But something happened between then and when Jesus came on the scene, for in 586 BC the Babylonians destroyed the Temple Solomon built.  

 

The second Temple is often called Zerubbabels’s Temple, in that the Jews coming back from captivity were led by a man named Zerubbabel.  It was rededicated in 515 BC.  How we move to a guy named Herod the Great in 37 BC-AD 4.  He was not a great king, but a man who wanted to leave his name in history because of his great building project.  He rebuilt and expanded the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, which was in bad shape.

Jesus was brought by his parents to the Temple to be dedicated to God, and we have the account of Luke’s gospel. Luke 19:45-47

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Late in Jesus' time on earth, he returned to the temple, And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers. “And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him,

And this account from John’s gospel, John 2:14-16

In the temple, he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.  And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my father’s house a house of trade.”

As a child now that was many years ago, no one would have shown up at the building we referred to as the Church, with short or even blue jeans.  But today people will dress up to go to a nice restaurant or play, but wear shorts to the place of worship.  It makes me wonder, what would Jesus do?  For some reason, I do not picture Him in short shorts ladies.  But the question that bothers me is why dress nicely to go to a nice place to eat or the theater, but not to a place of Worshiping the God who died for your sins?  

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Solomon Builds the Temple

 

2 Chronicles 3:1-7

 

May 10, 2023

 

Solomon Builds the Temple

Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to David his father, at the place that David had appointed, on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.  He began to build in the second month of the fourth year of his reign.  These are Solomon's measurements for building the house of God: the length, in cubits of the old standard, was sixty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.  The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and its height was 120 cubits. He overlaid it on the inside with pure gold.  The nave he lined with cypress and covered it with fine gold and made palms and chains on it.  He adorned the house with settings of precious stones. The gold was gold of Parvaim.  So, he lined the house with gold—its beams, its thresholds, its walls, and its doors—and he carved cherubim on the walls.

And he made the Most Holy Place. Its length, corresponding to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and its breadth was twenty cubits. He overlaid it with 600 talents of fine gold.  The weight of gold for the nails was fifty shekels. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.

 

Solomon had a lot of workers and materials waiting for him to build a house for God, David his father had made sure that what was needed would be ready to do this project.  So why did it take Solomon four years to get the project going?  I have no real understanding of why Solomon waited four years to begin building the Temple.  I went to what men who are I’m sure more knowledgeable than I had to say on the subject.  August 15, 2019, Christian Living/Life Issues, States; Two details stand out. First, Solomon took seven years to finish the temple in Jerusalem, but he spent thirteen years building his palace, spending nearly twice as long on his own house as he did on the holy sanctuary (Kings 6:37–7:1). This suggests that for all of Solomon’s devotion to the work of temple building, he was more concerned with the details and size of his palace than with the sanctuary where God would be worshiped. In some ways, Solomon was more devoted to his own glory than he was to the glory of the Lord.  

 

Once again, we, you and I should be very careful with all opinions of men, and that sure includes mine.  Nowhere does God give us the ability to see into a person's heart.  One might wonder if as a child or young man, Solomon had to establish his rule, he had to make sure that the men around him in leadership were trustworthy, and yes it looks as if he put his house before the Temple where God would be honor, but just maybe he wanted to watch how the builders did on his house to make sure the house of the Lord was without error.  See I also can guess, but we just do not know.  But let me share what we do know about this young man, he asked God for wisdom, not for wealth, or power, does that sound like someone seeking their own glory

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

 

 

Who am I

 

Who am I 

 

As I explored my Identity, I had to begin with who I was, and why I am the person I am today.  I was a liar, a thief, a person of little value to the community.  Something changed all of that, it happened long before I was born, and I am not unique, no, not extraordinary, it has happened to millions of people since that one event took place.

 

Often, as I look into the mirror of my true identity, I understand how blessed I am, for who I am today is a gift that cost me nothing, I could not acquire it, it was not for sale, and it could not be earned, and I did not earn or deserve the gift.

 

It was a gift designed in heaven before the foundation of the world came into being.  God saw before creation, and the Creator saw me long before I was.  As I said, I’m not unique, but this is my story, and it must be told.

 

Before I was, God the Father saw me and loved me, and His Son, His only Son was asked to come to earth and die on the cross and shed His blood to cover my sins that were many.  On that day in history, Jesus Christ not only conquered sin but death and the grave!  In three days, the Godman arose in victory, and the gift was mine for the taking.  At the age of 27 in a hotel room in Victoria, Texas, I bowed my knee to a Holy God and asked for His forgiveness for wanting to be in control of my life.  That night around 10:30 p.m. I received my new identity.

 

I am free from the control of sin, it has no hold on me, no authority over my choices.  Am I sinless, no, but it is a choice, and each time I choose to sin I break fellowship with my Father, but I never break our relationship.  I’ve been sealed, I’ve been adopted into the family of God, I am His and He is mine. 

 

As I stated, I’m not exceptional, just forgiven, and it is a grace gift that has eternal value.  My friend Bill worked up a list of Scriptures, this is just one of many, Gal. 4:7, “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

 

What does that verse mean to me?

 

                                    WOW!  I’m family!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Building on his dad's Relationship

 

2 Chronicles 2:11-18

 

May 8, 2023

 

Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, “Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you king over them.”  Hiram also said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, who will build a temple for the Lord and a royal palace for himself.

“Now I have sent a skilled man, who has understanding, Huram-abi, the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics, and fine linen, and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your craftsmen, the craftsmen of my lord, David your father.  Now therefore the wheat and barley, oil, and wine, of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants.  And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.”

Then Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census of them that David his father had taken, and there were found 153,600.  Seventy thousand of them he assigned to bear burdens, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work.

 

Hiram king of Tyre had a great relationship with David and had seen and witnessed all that God had done for David and Israel.  So, he was excited about David’s son Solomon.  Do you see the hand of God in this, in Proverbs 27:10, “Don’t abandon your friend or your father’s friend, and don’t go to your brother’s house in your time of calamity; better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.”  Solomon built on the relationship his dad had made.

 

When it came to skilled labor have you ever known anyone who was the best at all of these; “Now I have sent a skilled man, who has understanding, Huram-abi, the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics, and fine linen, and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your craftsmen, the craftsmen of my lord, David your father.

 

As you read verses 17-18, it is clear that David had gone before Solomon and made sure he had the laborers and they were aliens living in Israel.  David was not allowed to build the Temple but God used him to get everything prepared for Solomon to build the Temple of God.  God has a plan for each of us, and it made be to prepare someone else to do a greater work for the kingdom of God.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Preparing to Build the Temple

 

2 Chronicles 2:1-10

 

May 5, 2023

 

 

Preparing to Build the Temple

 

Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the Lord, and a royal palace for himself.  And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 to oversee them.  And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: “As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me.  Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the Lord my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the Lord our God, as ordained forever for Israel.  The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.  But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?  So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.  Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants, to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to build will be great and wonderful.  I will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, 20,000 cors of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil.”

 

Often, we have little or no understanding of the cors or baths, so I looked it up and this is the answer: A cor is a Hebrew unit of dry volume. It is equivalent to 10 baths or 6 bushels or about 220 L.  Or 58.12 gallons.

 

When you first read this, it sounds as if Solomon is asking the King of Tyre to do this without payment, but yet as you do the math, He is paying a lot for the use of these skills and in all these areas, to work along his skilled workers.

 

What was Solomon willing to pay the king of Tyre for these people, 13,200 bushels of crushed wheat, and the same about of barley?  When it came to wine and oil if my math is correct, it was about 116, 240 gallons.

 

Not only did David have a great relationship with Hiram the king of Tyre, but Solomon also kept that friendship.  It is a wise person that honors the relationship of their parents.

 

From The Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Solomon Given Wealth

 

2 Chronicles 1:14-17

 

May 4, 2023

 

Solomon Given Wealth

 Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.  And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.  And Solomon's import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king's traders would buy them from Kue for a price.  They imported a chariot from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150. Likewise, through them, these were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

 

The title; is "Solomon was Given Wealth", so the question is who gave it to him.  The answer is God, who promises it to him.  Solomon did not ask for wealth, he asked for wisdom and understanding, and because of that God promised him wealth and honor.  Could it be that many of us are asking and desiring the wrong things?  If there has been a time in history when we needed wisdom, it is now.  We do not have sick people doing bad things, we have demon-possessed people killing others who they do not even know.  I once asked where all the demons had gone, and the answer is we just gave them new names, like mentally ill and sick, but they are people who have opened themselves up to Satan, and we know that Jesus said his desire is to kill, steal, and destroy.

 

Now evil does not just lay there, it is in our government, at all levels, it is in some of the most wealthy people on this earth.  Satan owns them, they have chosen to follow him, just as you have chosen to follow Jesus.  The devil is guiding them just like a bridle is used to direct a horse, their actions are being guided.  They have a plan to remove all that you value and turn your heart away from God, and you ask what can I do against such people?

 

Could it be we have forgotten our real identity?

 

Your True Identity in Christ

Rom. 3:24 You are justified and redeemed	Rom. 6:7 Free from sin’s power
Rom. 8:1 Indemnified (God does not reject you just your sinful performance)	Rom. 15:7 Accepted in Him
1 Cor. 1:30 Have wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption	1Cor. 2:16 Mind of Christ is in you
1 Cor. 6:11 Washed, sanctified, justified	1Cor. 6:17 One with the Holy Spirit
2 Cor. 3:3 His laws are written on your heart	2 Cor. 5:17 A new creation (not an old garment with a new patch)
Gal. 4:7 A son/daughter and heir of God	Eph. 1:3 Blessed with every spiritual blessing
Eph.1:4 Chosen, holy, blameless before God	Eph. 1:7 Redeemed, forgiven
Eph. 1:13 Sealed in the Spirit	Col. 2:10 Complete (you can’t improve a perfect identity)
Col. 3:1 Raised up with	Col. 3:3 Your life is hidden with Christ in God  (see this by faith)

 

All of these were taken from my friend Dr. Bill Gillham (Lifetime Guarantee)

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Solomon Prays for Wisdom

 

2 Chronicles 1:7-13

 

MY 3, 2023

 

Solomon Prays for Wisdom

In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”  And Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, and have made me king in his place.  O Lord God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.  Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?”  God answered Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom, and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.”  So, Solomon came from the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.

 

David referred to Solomon as a child, many say he could have been 7 or 20, but I’m going with the seven.  That night God appeared to Solomon and said ask what I shall give you.  Read Solomon's responses, that does not sound like many of the great prophets, such as Elijah who was hiding in a cave in fear of an evil queen.  We joined the account of God asking Elijah what is he doing there, and telling him that He was going to pass by the cave, this does not sound like Solomon's response.  1 Kings 19:11-13, “And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.  And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. “

How about Isaiah the great prophet, saw a vision of God, recorded in Isaiah 6:1-3, “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

 

What was Isaiah's response to seeing God, 1 Kings 6:5, “And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

 

To great men, and one child that had child-like faith, very different responses.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice