The Heart of God: David and Solomon (4)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

Read and meditate on 1 Kings 3-6 and 2 Chronicles 7 and 8.
David prepared well for his son Solomon to ascend the throne of Israel. Solomon carried on his father’s focus, looking to the Lord for wisdom to carry out the duties of rule, and getting started right away on building the temple in Jerusalem.

For reflection
1.  How would you describe Solomon’s heart for God, as you see it in these chapters? How is it apparent that Solomon was leading the people into the promises of God’s covenant?

2.  How many different ways did the wisdom of God come to light in Solomon’s rule? What is wisdom?

3.  Why was the temple so important in Israel’s covenant relationship with God? How did the temple actually draw together and reinforce the unifying threads of divine revelation – God’s glory, God’s people, God’s work of redemption?

4.  In 1 Chronicles 7.17, 18, God reiterated His promise to David. How can you see that, once again, this promise points forward beyond the time of Solomon to some future fulfillment?

5.  Do you see any hint in these chapters that Solomon’s heart may not have been fully devoted to the Lord?

Summary
Solomon devoted his initial energies to building the temple of the Lord. Here God would come to live among His people. He would meet with them, receive their offerings, renew them in His covenant, and keep them together, focused on Him as His people. In what ways did this temple serve as a foreshadowing of our Lord Jesus Christ? Can you think of a time in His ministry when Jesus used the temple to refer to Himself?

Closing Prayer
Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.
He will judge Your people with righteousness,
And Your poor with justice.
The mountains will bring peace to the people,
And the little hills, by righteousness.
He will bring justice to the poor of the people;
He will save the children of the needy,
And will break in pieces the oppressor.
They shall fear You
As long as the sun and moon endure,
Throughout all generations.
He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing,
Like showers that water the earth.
In His days the righteous shall flourish,
And abundance of peace,
Until the moon is no more.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.

Psalm 72.1-8

T. M. Moore

Two books can help you gain a fuller understanding of the terrain we will be covering in this series. Kingdom Documentsprovides a concise overview of the primary teaching of the Old and New Testaments, and shows, through early Church creeds, how our forebears understood the primary teachings of God’s Word. (click here to order). I Will Be Your Goddevelops more fully the idea of God’s covenant and leads us to consider the practical implications of our covenant relationship with God (click here).

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, offers a parallel study of our theme in this series, using brief video presentations and the workbook God’s Covenant: An Introduction. All courses at The Ailbe Seminary are available without charge.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.