Emails to God

Then Solomon prayed, “O Lord, you have said that you would live in a thick cloud of darkness. Now I have built a glorious Temple for you, a place where you can live forever! ” Then the king turned around to the entire community of Israel standing before him and gave this blessing: “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has kept the promise he made to my father, David. For he told my father, ‘From the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have never chosen a city among any of the tribes of Israel as the place where a Temple should be built to honor my name. But I have chosen David to be king over my people Israel.’” Then Solomon said, “My father, David, wanted to build this Temple to honor the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. But the Lord told him, ‘You wanted to build the Temple to honor my name. Your intention is good, but you are not the one to do it. One of your own sons will build the Temple to honor me.’ “And now the Lord has fulfilled the promise he made, for I have become king in my father’s place, and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised. I have built this Temple to honor the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. And I have prepared a place there for the Ark, which contains the covenant that the Lord made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”
1 Kings 8:12-21

Dear God, this is an interesting story because while, on the surface, it seems to be telling the people to worship you, by now, Solomon has been king for a number of years, and somehow he turned it all around to be about him being on the throne.

I started this series on Solomon because I wanted to see if I could get a feel for what happened to turn Solomon from a wise king to a mean and ruthless king. I think some seeds of it can be found here. In that culture, I wonder how hard it was to keep down uprisings and rebellions. I wonder if he struggled to be at peace as king and ended up spending more time than he might have expected thinking about holding on to power.

I’ve posed the question before that I wonder what would have happened if the Israelites had never asked for a king but, instead, if David had succeeded Samuel as judge of Israel. If that had happened then there likely would have been no David and Bathsheba, and, therefore, no Solomon, but this whole concept of life being about establishing a dynasty through someone’s lineage seems to be cancerous.

Father, help me to not look to my children’s lives for my validation. Help me to not gain pride for their accomplishments and not take on shame for their failures. Help me to let go of my own pride and how I look in others’ eyes and release my children to walk the path you have for them. Do all of this for your glory.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

Solomon then summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes—the leaders of the ancestral families of the Israelites. They were to bring the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant to the Temple from its location in the City of David, also known as Zion. So all the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the annual Festival of Shelters, which is held in early autumn in the month of Ethanim. When all the elders of Israel arrived, the priests picked up the Ark. The priests and Levites brought up the Ark of the Lord along with the special tent and all the sacred items that had been in it. There, before the Ark, King Solomon and the entire community of Israel sacrificed so many sheep, goats, and cattle that no one could keep count! Then the priests carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant into the inner sanctuary of the Temple—the Most Holy Place—and placed it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings over the Ark, forming a canopy over the Ark and its carrying poles. These poles were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place, which is in front of the Most Holy Place, but not from the outside. They are still there to this day. Nothing was in the Ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Mount Sinai, where the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel when they left the land of Egypt. When the priests came out of the Holy Place, a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord. The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple of the Lord.
1 Kings 8:1-11

Dear God, I started to do this yesterday, but the story of the Ark was so big that I didn’t know where to start. After thinking about it throughout the day, I started to wonder if I had any Ark equivalents in my life.

It is important to note that the Ark wasn’t you. Your presence was with it and you treated it as holy, but it wasn’t to be worshipped. You were. It was also a container that had two 480-year-old stones in it (the 10 Commandments). It also had history. It had journeyed with the people of Israel for a long time. It spent some time captured by the Philistines and you gave them plagues because of it–so many even that they did what it took to get rid of it. You killed people when they revered you, but didn’t revere it. You blessed people when they worshipped you and cared for it. And now Solomon brought it to the temple with proper worship of you and reverence of it.

So is there anything in my life that I carry with me that has a special role of reminding me of you and who you are? I can think of two books–an NIV Study Bible my mother bought me when I was 18 and a copy of My Utmost for His Highest my dad gave me before I went to college. Both have been used a lot over the years, although I’ve predominantly gone digital with them now. But whenever I substitute preach, it’s that big Bible I use from the pulpit. And I’ve given out My Utmost for His Highest as a gift to others who are starting a Christian journey. But I don’t worship these things. They are reminders of my journey with you.

Father, you are to be worshipped and appreciated, and these things should contribute to that process, not substitute for you. Help me to be sensitive to the idea of worshipping you better, and help me to remember to set up altars to remind me of the specific moments you have been good and faithful to me along the way.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

Solomon also built a palace for himself, and it took him thirteen years to complete the construction…So King Solomon finished all his work on the Temple of the Lord. Then he brought all the gifts his father, David, had dedicated—the silver, the gold, and the various articles—and he stored them in the treasuries of the Lord ’s Temple.

Dear God, in a time when people didn’t always live a long time, Solomon certainly devoted a lot of time to building his palace. I think of Harry Truman not getting to spend as much of his term in the White House because of renovations. I mean, I’m sure Solomon lived in David’s palace and it was fine, but he delayed his own gratification for a while.

Patience can be such an important thing. I journaled yesterday about the 1,000 years between your promise to Abraham and your temple being built. Time is relative. I am slowly learning these lessons. I have a couple of relatives about whom I’m very concerned. I used to be more wrapped up in why you weren’t answering my prayers for them now, or that no perceived progress from my perspective meant there was no progress being made. But now I’ve slowly started to have faith that you are working beyond what I can see and rest in the peace that I might never see the tangible fruit of progress in my lifetime.

Father, love is patient. That means I not only have to be patient with others, but I have to be patient with you too. Rome wasn’t built in a day. And the best meats are slow-cooked, not microwaved. Please use your consuming fire to accomplish your will, and help me to take my eyes off of my own expectations, and to let them settle upon what you have for me to do today.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

It was in midspring, in the month of Ziv, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, that he began to construct the Temple of the Lord. This was 480 years after the people of Israel were rescued from their slavery in the land of Egypt. The Temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high. The foundation of the Lord’s Temple was laid in midspring, in the month of Ziv, during the fourth year of Solomon’s reign. The entire building was completed in every detail by midautumn, in the month of Bul, during the eleventh year of his reign. So it took seven years to build the Temple.
1 Kings 6:1-2, 37-38

Dear God, I have a couple of thing here. First, I’m surprised the temple wasn’t bigger. My wife and I go to a Catholic Church built just after 1900 in a small town. That church would dwarf the temple described here. This was obviously not a place of corporate worship, but of doing business with you on a personal level. Sacrificing. Praying. Whatever. But it was small.

Second, by my count, from the time of your call to Abraham to the temple being built, about 1,000 years passed. So why do I get in such a hurry? Why do I get so impatient. You taught me a long time ago that I measure things in days, weeks, and months while you measure them in years, decades and centuries. I mean, to put this 480 years in perspective, it will 400 years next year that the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts. (Incidentally, I just looked it up and the Mayflower was slightly bigger than Solomon’s temple.)

Father, help me to get out of my own finite mind and adopt your vision of the world. I’m worried about today’s politics while you are worried about mankind on a grand scale. But what you’ve called me to do is the task you’ve set in front of me while you worry about where the big picture is going. At the same time, YOU care about my present. You care about what is happening now and how this all works out. Thank you for all of this. Help me to let go of my own insights and wisdom and to embrace a perspective that is beyond what I will ever understand.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

King Hiram of Tyre had always been a loyal friend of David. When Hiram learned that David’s son Solomon was the new king of Israel, he sent ambassadors to congratulate him. Then Solomon sent this message back to Hiram: “You know that my father, David, was not able to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord his God because of the many wars waged against him by surrounding nations. He could not build until the Lord gave him victory over all his enemies. But now the Lord my God has given me peace on every side; I have no enemies, and all is well. So I am planning to build a Temple to honor the name of the Lord my God, just as he had instructed my father, David. For the Lord told him, ‘Your son, whom I will place on your throne, will build the Temple to honor my name.’ “Therefore, please command that cedars from Lebanon be cut for me. Let my men work alongside yours, and I will pay your men whatever wages you ask. As you know, there is no one among us who can cut timber like you Sidonians!” When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he was very pleased and said, “Praise the Lord today for giving David a wise son to be king of the great nation of Israel.” Then he sent this reply to Solomon: “I have received your message, and I will supply all the cedar and cypress timber you need. My servants will bring the logs from the Lebanon mountains to the Mediterranean Sea and make them into rafts and float them along the coast to whatever place you choose. Then we will break the rafts apart so you can carry the logs away. You can pay me by supplying me with food for my household.” So Hiram supplied as much cedar and cypress timber as Solomon desired. In return, Solomon sent him an annual payment of 100,000 bushels of wheat for his household and 110,000 gallons of pure olive oil. So the Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as he had promised. And Hiram and Solomon made a formal alliance of peace. Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel. He sent them to Lebanon in shifts, 10,000 every month, so that each man would be one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of this labor force. Solomon also had 70,000 common laborers, 80,000 quarry workers in the hill country, and 3,600 foremen to supervise the work. At the king’s command, they quarried large blocks of high-quality stone and shaped them to make the foundation of the Temple. Men from the city of Gebal helped Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders prepare the timber and stone for the Temple.
1 Kings 5

Dear God, this isn’t what I want to get into today, but when I read this chapter this morning I thought of Samuel’s words to the Israelites when they asked for a king 60-ish years before:

“This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves.”
1 Samuel 8:11-17

What would things have been like if David had been Israel’s next judge instead of king? We will never know, but it’s an interesting thought. I’m not even convinced you wanted a temple for yourself. When David wanted to build you one you made it pretty clear it was his idea and not yours before saying it should be his son to build it and not David (2 Samuel 7).

But skipping forward, I like seeing the alliances that Solomon set up. These last few chapters have shown how this wise king was able to have beneficial relationships with other kings. And they found it beneficial to have relationships with him.

And this temple would ultimately be a place for the people to gather and worship you. It would give them something visual to see and a specific place to gather with other worshippers of you. Having a temple for there God made the Israelites more like the other nations who had temples to their gods.

Father, I’m not sure what you have for me here except maybe to question my assumptions about what is necessary and what isn’t. Was this temple necessary? I’m not sure, but I’m doubtful. Are there things in my life that I think are necessary, but you see them as a distraction? Probably. Please reveal them to me so that all of my energy might be focused on the road you have laid before me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

King Solomon now ruled over all Israel, The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They were very contented, with plenty to eat and drink. Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. The conquered peoples of those lands sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime. The daily food requirements for Solomon’s palace were 150 bushels of choice flour and 300 bushels of meal; also 10 oxen from the fattening pens, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep or goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roe deer, and choice poultry. Solomon’s dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace on all his borders. During the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety. And from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, each family had its own home and garden. Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses, and he had 12,000 horses. The district governors faithfully provided food for King Solomon and his court; each made sure nothing was lacking during the month assigned to him. They also brought the necessary barley and straw for the royal horses in the stables. God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite and the sons of Mahol—Heman, Calcol, and Darda. His fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations. He composed some 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. He could speak with authority about all kinds of plants, from the great cedar of Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows from cracks in a wall. He could also speak about animals, birds, small creatures, and fish. And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.
1 Kings 4:1,20-34

Dear God, it’s easy in moments like this to forget all of the hard work that went into getting Israel to this place. Solomon was standing on the shoulders of what You started through Abraham and continued through to Moses and Joshua and all of the way until Solomon’s father, David. A lot of people gave and sacrificed a lot for this wealth. They worshipped you. Sometimes that failed you. I wonder to what extent Solomon appreciates the table that had been set for him.

As for me, I know you have set the table before me through the work of others. In my professional life, it’s obvious. There were a lot of people who came before me at work upon whose shoulders I stand. They had vision. The gave great personal sacrifices. They labored. They prayed and worshipped. The success we are experiencing now is certainly built upon the foundation they laid.

Then there’s my personal life. My parents sacrificed to do the best they could. At any point along the way they could have made decisions that would have greatly changed how I developed as a person. And then there are the recognitions we make for those who founded our country, served it, even unto death, and continue to serve as soldiers or first responders. So many shoulders. So much sacrifice. We now live in a country that could be described like Solomon’s kingdom. Do we really appreciate what it took to get us here? Do we worship you like we should?

Father, thank you. Help me to be a good steward of my personal life, the role you have given me in our community, and the work you have given me professionally. Help me to be a good steward of my wife and adult children. Help me to be the brother and son you need me to be. Let my motivation be love for you and gratitude for what you and so many have done to prepare the table before me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
“Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.
He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.
1 Kings 3:5-15

Dear God, this story is Solomon’s claim to fame. If you ask any Jewish or Christian person (or even secular person) about Solomon, this is the story they know. Solomon got to ask you for anything after he had shown that he was going to follow in David’s path and worship you, and he asked for wisdom. Funny, though. He didn’t ask for “wisdom.” The King James Version and New American Standard both say he asked for an “understanding heart.” The New International Version and New Living Translation say, “discerning heart.” So let’s look at discernment and understanding.

Discernment, in my mind, is the ability to assess a situation and break it down into what the actual truth is. Merriam-Webster defines it as “showing insight and understanding.” As a leader, this is a critical skill. The physical world and situations around us can be very confusing. Relationships have so much more going on than what meets the eye. People’s motives are often difficult to assess. It can be difficult to predict all of the ramifications of one action over another.

Father, I’m almost sorry you gave Solomon all of the other things in addition to discernment and understanding. I wish for his sake that he had been able to live a simpler life as a judge of Israel instead of its king. We’ll get into the rest of Solomon’s life and the decisions he made later, but it still sits in the back of my head that three out of the first four children born to David died violent deaths. Kingdoms, thrones, and power are fool’s gold. Please help me to be discerning and understanding, but don’t do it for my sake. Please do it so that my life will make a difference for you and your kingdom.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and married one of his daughters. He brought her to live in the City of David until he could finish building his palace and the Temple of the Lord and the wall around the city. At that time the people of Israel sacrificed their offerings at local places of worship, for a temple honoring the name of the Lord had not yet been built. Solomon loved the Lord and followed all the decrees of his father, David, except that Solomon, too, offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local places of worship. The most important of these places of worship was at Gibeon, so the king went there and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings.
1 Kings 3:1-4

Dear God, I’m going to give Solomon some love here. Before the famous story about him asking you for wisdom, we get these four verses. The writer tells us that Solomon seemed to be very cognizant of your presence and blessing, and he remembered to thank you for it.

The idea that he “loved” you struck me the wrong way at first, but the lore I thought about it the more it hit me that, given his limited knowledge of you he really did show you a lot of love. The passage intimates that he sacrificed to you even more than David did. He didn’t have to do that.

One of my fears for my own life is that I will take your kindness for granted and become ungrateful. As much as I try to show gratitude to the people who help our nonprofit, you deserve so much more. You give what no one else can give. You absolutely don’t have to care about us, but you do. You don’t have to care about me, but you do.

Father, thank you. Please help me to be publicly grateful to you and to be an example to others of how someone should worship you. You are my God. I give you my allegiance, my heart, and my whole life. Do with it as you will.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen