Listening to the wrong Counsel

 

 

2 Chronicles 10:12-19

 

June 23, 2023

 

So, Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.”  And the king answered them harshly; and forsaking the counsel of the old men, King Rehoboam spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.”  So, the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by God that the Lord might fulfill his word, which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Each of you to your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So, all Israel went to their tents.  But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah.  Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and the people of Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam quickly mounted his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.  So, Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

King Rehoboam listened to the wrong council and it cost him the kingdom.  Today many of the Corporations, churches, and retailers are doing the same thing.  It always comes with a large pricetag, the king should have listened to the elders and he would not have lost his kingdom.

In the same way, a young man would be wise to do what Jan and I did in our marriage.  We have been married for almost 58 years, and yet in our thirties, our marriage was in big trouble.  I was listening to the wrong council, and it took a wise man named Ted Anderson to get me back on the right path.  So, we began looking for couples that had good marriages to spend our time with them, and we did our best to model the good things they did.  

It seems like many Corporations, Churches, and Retailers are listening to the young marketers coming out of college who have bought into the woke mentality.  Like King Rehoboam, not listening to the elders or understanding the mindset of the people the Corporations, Churches, and Retailers, are not understanding the desire of the Customer, who is 97 percent of their base, and are not happy with the message they are sending.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Revolt Against Rehoboam

 

2 Chronicles 10:1-11

 

June 22, 2023

 

The Revolt Against Rehoboam

Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.  And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt.  And they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and said to Rehoboam, “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now, therefore, lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.”  He said to them, “Come to me again in three days.” So, the people went away.

Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”  And they said to him, “If you will be good to this people and please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”  But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.  And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us’?”  And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to the people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us’; thus, shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's thighs.  And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”

 

Patrick Morley, the founder of Man in the Mirror enlightens us on the absence of strong male role models that deprive young men of essential boundaries necessary for a healthy and fulfilling life.  Solomon did great things but could have been a better role model for his son.  Before we get down on Solomon, David his dad also was not involved, he was good at his job, but a very poor dad.  

Patrick shares the elephant's story with us, as an example of the lack of an older man teaching and guiding a young man, and how it affects their lives.

When Gus Van Dyk, an ecologist at Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa, discovered a series of attacks on rhinos, he found that a group of adolescent male elephants in a state of heightened aggression, known as “musth,” were responsible. These young elephants had killed over 50 rhinos, mutilating their carcasses.

Van Dyk realized that the absence of older bull elephants to regulate the musth behavior was a key factor. To address this, he introduced six giant bull elephants from Kruger National Park, causing the teenage elephants to drop out of Musth immediately. They mentored the younger bulls so they could see what normal male behavior looked like. No more rhinos were killed once the mature bulls arrived.

1 Peter 5:5, gives this council; “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  When young men grow up without the leadership of an older man, they will run with other young men and be like the young elephants.

 

King Rehoboam, went to the elders and got council from the elders, in that he was not trained by his dad, and his dad was not trained by his dad, he sought the young guys he ran with for council, and it cost him to lose the hearts of the northern kingdom and his authority over them.  And it opens the door for Jeroboam to be their king.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Solomon's Death

 

 

 

2 Chronicles 8:29-31

 

June 18, 2023

 

Solomon's Death

Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?  Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.  And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

 

Today is Father’s Day and Solomon did not learn from his dad’s poor parenting.  In fact, his son Rehoboam did not have the wisdom or leadership of his dad or granddad.

 

Now shall we look at some of the men listed above, Nathan the prophet being first.  Nathan was a court prophet in the time of King David. He is introduced in 2 Samuel 7:2 and 1 Chronicles 17:1 as an advisor to David, with whom David reflects on the contrast between his own comfortable home and the tent in which the Ark of the Covenant is accommodated.  God used Nathan in a big way to guide David as king.  Next, we look at Ahijah the Shilonite, and Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam.  Jeroboam was from the tribe of Ephraim, a servant of King Solomon’s, and the son of a widow. He later became the first king of the divided northern kingdom of Israel. He is first mentioned in 1 Kings 11:26: “Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king.”

Jeroboam was a skilled worker, and, “when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work,” he placed Jeroboam over the labor force of the tribes of Joseph (1 Kings 11:28). One day, the prophet Ahijah approached Jeroboam with a prophecy. The prophet tore a new cloak into 12 pieces and said, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes’” (1 Kings 11:31). The idol worship of the Israelites caused God to divide the kingdom (verse 33). The house of David would retain a remnant of the kingdom, including Jerusalem, because of God’s covenant with David (verse 32).

After this, “Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt . . . and stayed there until Solomon’s death” (1 Kings 11:40). Following Solomon’s death, Solomon’s son Rehoboam became king and foolishly threatened to make life more difficult for the people of the land (1 Kings 12:14). This led to a rebellion against Rehoboam, and the ten northern tribes crowned Jeroboam as their king (1 Kings 12:20). The division predicted by Ahijah came to pass (1 Kings 12:15).

Jeroboam had been promised great blessings and a continuing dynasty if he would follow the Lord (1 Kings 11:38). However, Jeroboam did not obey the Lord. Instead, he had two golden calves made for the people to worship in the northern kingdom and made priests and celebrations for them. This idolatry is often referred to as “the sins of Jeroboam” in later chapters of 1 and 2 Kings.

King Jeroboam was confronted by an unnamed prophet from Judah (1 Kings 13:1–10). Later, the prophet Ahijah pronounced a severe judgment on Jeroboam and his family because of Jeroboam’s blatant rejection of the Lord: “I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung until it is all gone. Dogs will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country. The Lord has spoken!” (1 Kings 14:10–11).  (Taken from Got Question)

 

And then the foolish son of Solomon, Rehoboam. Who did not listen to the older and wiser men but took the counsel of the young men his age.

Solomon's son and successor, Rehoboam, ill-advisedly adopted a harsh policy toward the northern tribes, which seceded and formed their own kingdom of Israel. This left the descendants of Solomon with the southern kingdom of Judah.

 

On this day we honor dads, your input in the way you live at home, and the values of honesty, integrity, and your relationship with the Lord have a lot to do with the kind of man your son becomes.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Solomon's Wealth

 

 

 

2 Chronicles 9:13-28

 

June 17, 2023

 

Solomon's Wealth

 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, besides that which the explorers and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon.  King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels of beaten gold went into each shield.  And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; 300 shekels of gold went into each shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.  The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold.  The throne had six steps and a footstool of gold, which were attached to the throne, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. Nothing like it was ever made for any kingdom.   All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon.  For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years, the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 

Thus, King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.  And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.  Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and of gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.  And Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.  And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.  And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.  And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

 

A talent of gold was 75 lbs. and 666 talents of gold in one year is 49,950 lbs.  Today’s price of gold is $1,968 per oz.  You have 16 oz in a pound $31,488 X 75 = $2,361,600 that is what one talent is worth in today’s dollars X 666 over, a billion and a half dollars.  And you thought Bill Gates had money.  And that was not all, besides that which the explorers and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon.  One must recall this fact.  And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.  Note: {Shephelah is a Hebrew word meaning "low" and is usually translated as "lowlands" or "foothills." The term refers to a twelve- to fifteen-mile-wide region in Judea, comprised of foothills that are located between the coastal plain to the west and the Judea Mountains to the east.}  

 

I often get upset with Solomon's many wives and lifestyle, until I recall my own flesh and also read the following.  Thus, King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.  And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.  Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and of gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.   Have you noticed what happens to people who get a little power, and can steal a lot of money, the Congress and Senate of the USA, and they have no one seeking them for their wisdom?  Solomon had flesh just like you and me, and wealth, and fame got the best of him.

Once every three years, the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.  I get the gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks, why apes?  I read a lot of people guessing and I could do that also.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Perils of Power

Good morning, it began with someone calling the house at 5:50 a.m. and no answer when I awoke from a deep sleep.  It has been very windy so far but the sun is breaking through the clouds and I’ve been reading on page 1427 of (The Complete Works of O.C.) titled Perils of Power.  This thought came to mind; the perils of power are taking place in our Congress?  Jan and I were having a discussion on this and she thought because many of them are not Christian, but as Oswald states, it is God who places a person in a position of honor, as he did Pharaoh.  King Nebuchadnezzar, came into my mind, and how God gave him great power till the terrible peril of pride entered his heart, and God hardened his heart, and only after seven years of eating grass did God extend grace and bring him back to rule.  It was at this point, that we see a man who understood that his power was a gift and that the God who gave the gift, was more than able to remove it at His will.  

 

Chambers used this line, “The inevitable result of sin is to destroy the power of knowing it is sin.”  That quote reminded me of what Pastor Joe, the missionary told me as a young Christian, “Sin is akin to darkness, at first it is so dark, but the longer you stay in the darkness your eyes adjust, and before long it is not dark.”  Is that what has happened to Congress, do they not even know that they are sinning; when they, lie, steal, and break the public trust with the very people who sent them to Congress to represent them?

 

Just Pondering,

 

Bob 

 

If you do not have the book “The Complete Works of Oswald Chambers” I am adding the article.

 

Perils of Power (Jeremiah 23:1-3; Luke 22:24-27)

 

Temporal power is merely the manifestation of a Divine purpose leaving ample room for the prostitution of that power.  “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart.”  When once a man is placed in a position of honor under God’s providence and does not maintain a right relationship with God, the very position in which God has put him will harden him away from God.  The power we must have, whether we like it or not, but power is a terrible peril unless life is rooted in God’s grace.

 

Bear in mind the distinction between the results of sin and punishment for sin.  Verse 2 refers to the latter – “ . . . behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord.”  The inevitable result of sin is to destroy the power of knowing it is sin.  The punishment of sin is that God banishes the sinner from His presence.  What is being forgotten today is that there is no punishment –“This is simply the result of having made a mistake.”  The suffering that comes to the children of bad people is the inevitable result of sin, not its punishment; punishment is meted out here or hereafter to the parents who may never suffer in this present life.  In this case, God interfered with the punishment because they were His people.

 

“Ye have scattered My flock, and driven them away . . .” Beware of the possibility of being faced by God at some time with the lives you have been the cause of being driven out.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com/

 

 

Note: this paper was written many years ago, but we see the perils of power taking place in both the Whitehouse and our Congress? 

The Queen of Sheba

 

2 Chronicles 9:1-12

 

June 16, 2023

 

The Queen of Sheba

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones.  And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.  And Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her.  And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.

And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the report that I heard.  Happy are your wives!  Happy are these your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!  Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne asking for the Lord your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness.”  Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There were no spices such as those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

Moreover, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones.  And the king made from the algum wood supports for the house of the Lord and for the king's house, lyres also and harps for the singers. There never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah.

And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what she had brought to the king. So, she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.

 

It is easy to get lost in the account of the queen of Sheba visiting Solomon, about gold and spices, the precious stones, but that is not the meat of this encounter.  Nor was it that King Solomon gave her whatever she asked for.

 

But the queen understood where Solomon's great knowledge and wealth came from, and if we miss that fact you missed it all.  She understood what James was telling us in James 1:7, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  

 

Maybe it would help to read her words, again, Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne asking for the Lord your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, He has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness.”  

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Solomon Follow the Counsel of his Dad

 

 

2 Chronicles 8:12-18

 

June 15, 2023

 

Then Solomon offered up burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of the Lord that he had built before the vestibule, as the duty of each day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the three annual feasts—the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths. According to the ruling of David his father, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their offices of praise and ministry before the priests as the duty of each day required, and the gatekeepers in their divisions at each gate, for so David the man of God had commanded.  And they did not turn aside from what the king had commanded the priests and Levites concerning any matter and concerning the treasuries.

Thus, was accomplished all the work of Solomon from the day the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid until it was finished. So, the house of the Lord was completed.

Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Eloth on the shore of the sea, in the land of Edom.   And Hiram sent to him by the hand of his servants, ships, and servants familiar with the sea, and they went to Ophir together with the servants of Solomon and brought from there 450 talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.

 

I believe both Dad’s and Grandad’s need to park on this Psalms especially verses 14 and 15.  As men who have been taught in the Scripture to train their Children and grandchildren in the ways of God, how are you doing?  Many years ago, I taught the book “Wild at Heart” by John Eldredge.  We began with 12 men, and I asked this question.  Tell me about your relationship with your dad.  Out of the 12, only two had a good relationship with their dad.  Commits were; I did not know the guy, he never was part of my life, never came to anything I did.  My dad worked all the time, a great provider, but a lousy dad.  One of those men said I do not think about him, I get sick to my stomach when I do.  He never came back to the class.

Dad, you are the most important person in your children's life, especially your son.  Will he grow up looking to the God his dad worshiped, in that his life was an example, as David the man of God was?  How many have taught their sons and daughters to obey both in dating and marriage the teaching of 2 Corinthians 6:14-16?  “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?  What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?  What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
    and I will be their God,
    and they shall be my people.”

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Solomon's Accomplishments

 

 

2 Chronicles 8:1-10

 

June 2, 2023

 

Solomon's Accomplishments

At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the Lord and his own house, Solomon rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given to him and settled the people of Israel in them.

And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and took it.  He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities that he built in Hamath.  He also built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars, and Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had and all the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.  All the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel, ^\ from their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed—these Solomon drafted as forced labor, and so they are to this day. But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves for his work; they were soldiers, and his officers, the commanders of his chariots, and his horsemen. And these were the chief officers of King Solomon, 250, who exercised authority over the people.

One item that I did not have any understanding of was store cities, so I searched and found this in the Holman Bible Dictionary.   

Storehouses were built early in human history to protect harvested crops from vermin and extreme weather. The typical storehouse during the Israelite period was a rectangular building with a double row of columns which divided the building into three narrow aisles. Large, thick walls supported the roof, and small side rooms led off of the main hall. Storerooms at Herod's fortress of Masada had walls eleven feet high constructed of stones weighing over 400 pounds. Community storehouses could also be used as public markets. In large cities, certain sections of the town were designated as storage areas, with several storehouses lining the streets. During the Divided Kingdom period, royal storage facilities were established in regional capitals to collect tax payments made in flour, oil, grain, or wine. Specially marked jars held these royal stores which later could be distributed to the army or royal palaces. The Temple complex included special storage areas, both for the utensils of worship and to serve as a sort of bank where valuables might be placed. The picture of a full storehouse served as an image of God's blessing and was often used by the prophets.   By David Maltsberger                                                                                                                       

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

If My People Pray

 

 

2 Chronicles 7:11-18

 

June 1, 2023

 

If My People Pray

Thus, Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king's house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished.  Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.  When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.  For now, I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.  And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to rule Israel

 

Many years ago, a young salesperson I worked with told me this truth, “there are two things you cannot deal with Apathy and Ignorance”.  So let's look at those words; “Apathy, is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something.  It is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, or passion.”  What about Ignorance; “lack of knowledge or information: if you do not know about something, you do not worry about it”. 

 

I’m not sure if these two words define Israel turning from God, but they sure hit the nail on the head when it comes to a large number of those who go by the name Christian.  Oh yes, I’m a Christian I have a Bible on the nightstand, do you read it, not often?  Are you ignorant of God’s promise, and commands?  And the answer will always be; that I’m a good person, and I try to live by the golden rule.  It is called Apathy and ignorance, yet they know a lot about baseball, golf, football, and computers, but not a clue about the written word of their Creator.

 

They look for answers in political parties, and they will not find any, because most of them have one goal to stay in power.  Why because most of them like to be called Mr. or Mrs. Senator, or Congress person, and they make a lot of money.  Not the salary, the under-the-table deals.  Someone ask a question, how could Biden on a Senator's salary own beach property with the home that is on it, and it all be revealed now?  That Bible many do not read tells us that what is done in darkness will be brought into the light.  It tells you to look to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, but many are looking to anything but Jesus, and the reason has to be ignorance and apathy. 

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Call to a Solemn Assembly

 '

2 Chronicles 7:4-10

 

May 30, 2023

 

The Dedication of the Temple

Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the Lord. King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.  The priests stood at their posts; the Levites also, with the instruments for music to the Lord that King David had made for giving thanks to the Lord—for his steadfast love endures forever—whenever David offered praises by their ministry; opposite them, the priests sounded trumpets, and all Israel stood.

And Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the Lord, for there he offered the burnt offering and the fat of the peace offerings because the bronze altar Solomon had made could not hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat.

 At that time Solomon held the feast for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt.  And on the eighth day, they held a solemn assembly, for they had kept the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days.  On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity that the Lord had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.

What is a solemn assembly in the Bible?

 

 

In the Bible, a solemn assembly is a gathering of the people of Israel for a sacred feast, festival, or holy occasion. A solemn assembly included a ritual of purification or observing a state of holiness in which all the people of the community were commanded to do no work. The solemn assembly is also called a “sacred assembly” and a “solemn meeting.”

One Hebrew word translated as “solemn assembly” means “a day of restraint”—primarily from work. Another Hebrew term rendered “solemn assembly” denotes a unique, appointed time set apart for the keeping of festivals. On these special worship occasions, the whole community gathered together for either a feast or a fast day.

 

Today, some Protestant churches periodically hold meetings they call "solemn assemblies"; their purpose is usually to pray and hear the Word during a time of corporate soul-searching and self-examination. Typically, the congregation comes together during a solemn assembly for repentance, confession of sin, and fasting.

 

Taken from Got Question (the above in green).

 

The closest Jan and I have been to what some churches call a solemn assembly was at Spring Baptist Church in Spring, Texas when the Life Actions Singer came we witnessed, corporate soul-searching and self-examination, and we witnessed repentance, and confession of sin, for about three weeks.  And we witness in our lives and the Church many who were free from guilt and sin.

 

The dictionary defines solemn as formal and dignified: a solemn procession. • not cheerful or smiling; serious: Tim looked very solemn. • characterized by deep sincerity: he swore a solemn oath to keep faith. formal and dignified: a solemn procession. • not cheerful or smiling; serious: Tim looked very solemn. • characterized by deep sincerity: he swore a solemn oath to keep faith.

 

That is a long way from having a feast and worshiping God, as the people of Israel did.

 

From the Back Porch, 

Bob Rice

 

My Departure from the Control of being a Culture Christian

 

 

 

My Departure from the Control

 of being a Culture Christian

 

My story began at 13 years of age walking an aisle in a small Baptist Church, sitting by all my friends, when a guy asked me a question:  Bobby do you want to be a Christian?  How that was a good question, but it came with a problem, I thought the whole Church heard him.  So in my embarrassment, I walked down and said I what to be a Christian.  And that day I was welcomed into the Baptist faith, and not one iota changed in my life.

 

Going forward to age 23, married a beautiful young very smart, and more mature lady, who also had her identity as a Baptist.  At age 24, I got a job with the 3M Company in sales, in what was known as the Business Products Division.  It was the first time I knew someone had a plan for my life.  The reason was I did not meet the requirement to work at 3M, it required a college degree, and I had only two years of college.  After 10 interviews they hired me, but only after I told the man you give me the job today or I’m out of here.  He said that was what he had been waiting for me to ask.

 

Life was ok, we were spending most weekends at Jan’s folk's farm, and Church had taken a back seat in our lives.  One day getting a haircut from a guy I had great respect for in that he was the kind of man I wanted to be, he owned his shop, was a real dude, and had the stuff I desired.  But he had got married and it was apparent something had changed in his life.  He was still a dude, but no longer told the joke he was known for.  That day he said Bobby, I know you are a Christian but your dad tells me you do not go to church.  Would you like to attend a Bible study on Wednesday with me?  I went to that Bible study for only one reason, I wanted to know why my barber was going.  We were in a buffet line and the men had bibles, and I prayed a prayer, Please get me in a room where no one will see me with these guys.  Had no desire to come back, but each Wednesday I was back, and it became apparent they knew the Jesus, I was only informed about.  Six months of trying to make a deal with God, also checking out these men at work to see if they were like me a Culture Christian, one foot in the world, and trying to earn God's grace.

 

I was in Victory Texas working, and that night at a bar, just checking to see the actions, came back to my hotel room put the key in the door, and heard a voice in my head, that said this is the last night my Spirit with call you.  How I’m not sure about you but it scared me for I knew that was the voice of God.  I went to my bedside and got the hotel Bible put there by the Gideons.  The Bible opened to Romans 10: and my eyes went to verses 9-10,  ^“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

I acted on those verses, I confessed my many sins, and I told Jesus I had not one thing He needed but He had everything I needed, and ask Him to come in as my Lord and Master.  And He did, Something happen in God’s timeline, that was beyond my understanding at age 27, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (Galatians 2:20)

I was set free from the control of being a Culture Christian, and God’s written Word became the authority in my life.  Am I now perfect, not by a long shot, I'm still a mess, but God who is all-knowing sees my heart and forgives me when I confess, that I have sinned and not obeyed His voice.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Dedication

 

2 Chronicles 6: 32-42

 

May 25, 2023

 

Dedication 

“Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house,  hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.

“If your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea and maintain their cause.

“If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near,  yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’  if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name,  then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you.  Now, O my God, let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.

 “And now arise, O Lord God, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.  Let your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let your saints rejoice in your goodness.  O Lord God,                                          do not turn away the face of your anointed one!  Remember your steadfast love for David your servant.”

Did you understand all have sin, and fallen short of the glory of God.  You and I are included in the all.  So Church, in that all sin, would we not be wise to include ourselves in this prayer with a broken and contrite heart.  

‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’  if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name,  then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you.   

You may be saying I have not been captive, but when sin is present, you will always find the person controlled by the flesh, and the flesh is always battling with the Spirit that lives in you.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice