Our text is 1 Kings 1: 1 – 1 Kings 11: 43 – a summary of the life of Solomon
Last time: 1 Kings 4: 1-28
Solomon the manager
Here are the lesson from: 1 Kings 4: 1-28
If you want to be successful in Life and in ministry you must manage your life
And: 1 Kings 4: 29-34
Solomon the academic
Here are the lesson from: 1 Kings 4: 29-34
If you want to be successful in Life and in ministry you apply what you learn
Today: 1 Kings 5: 1-9
Solomon the builder
1-5 King Hiram of Tyre had been a friend to King David, Solomon’s father, and had previously supplied building materials and workers for the construction of King David’s Palace in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5: 11)
Solomon was now ready to build the Temple in Jerusalem and was requesting Hiram to help him 5
6 Solomon requested Hiram to send resources from Lebanon and skilled workers from Sidon
Graphics: Map/Tyre, Sidon and the location of King David’s Palace
7-9 Hiram is pleased with Solomon’s request and agreed to send resources to Solomon in return for Solomon providing food for his Household
What would later become known as ‘Solomon’s Temple’ was Solomon’s greatest construction achievement
But, it was achieved at a very high cost!
When Israel first requested to have their own king, Samuel the prophet warned the people that they would regret asking for a king, and that they would eventually beg for relief from the king demands
1 Samuel 8: 10-20
Samuel the prophet’s warning to the people was right
Solomon’s construction projects demanded too much from the people and included:
Taxing the people 1 Kings 4: 27-28
And, forcing them into labor 1 Kings 5: 13-18
Solomon’s construction projects were so hard on the people that later they rebelled against Solomon and his son Rehoboam which eventually split Israel into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms
The Northern Kingdom made Jeroboam their King while the Southern Kingdom retained Rehoboam as their King 1 Kings 12: 4, 16, and 20
Graphic: Northern and Southern Kingdoms
Here’s the lesson from: 1 Kings 5: 1-9
As Christians, our first priority is to glorify God through our worship
Solomon understood this priority and that’s why he built the Temple BEFORE he built anything else
Today, in New Testament times we don’t need to first build a Temple to worship God in
God’s people gathered together, in a building like this one, or outside by a river, or in a cave underground, are His Temple!
1 Corinthians 3:16 ‘Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you’?
Let’s make the worship of God our priority
Solomon the trader
1 Kings 5: 10-18
Another skill that God blessed Solomon with was the skill of a trader
12
Graphic: Solomon’s trade routes
Just like his construction projects, Solomon’s trading also got him into trouble:
In return for Hiram’s support, Solomon traded 20 cities in Galilee (1 Kings 9: 10)
Later, these cities were returned to Israel (2 Chronicles 8: 1-2)
At this point, again, I am reminded what Jesus said about Himself in comparison with Solomon
Luke 11: 31 ‘Now someone greater than Solomon is here’
Solomon was a great trader but Jesus made the greatest trade of all; and with that trade He secured our salvation – on the cross, He traded His righteousness for our sin
Graphic: the cross
2 Corinthians 5: 21 ‘God had Christ, Who was sinless, take our sin so that we might receive God’s approval through Him’.
As we close today:
Let’s continue to make worship our priority; let’s praise the Lord together for what He has done for us through Jesus Christ our Savior!
revdotdavid 