I am going to pause in the study of 1 Kings today on Christmas and look again at that first Christmas day.  LUK2:08 says, And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  That first Christmas night there was a group of lowly shepherds going about their normal night.  There was nothing that said it was anything special.  Verse nine adds, And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  Suddenly, the night was no longer normal as an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and they were very afraid.  We may not have an angel appear to us on Christmas day, but as followers of Christ, Christmas should always be a day that reminds us of the good news that the angel was going to share with the shepherds, and we have no reason to be afraid.  Verse ten adds, And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  The good tidings of great joy that the angel shared with the shepherds was for all people.  We may not have been there that night, but this good news was for us as well.  Verse eleven declares, For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  This is the true and only meaning of Christmas.  A Savior was born that day Who is Christ the Lord.  He is the One and only Savior, so let's not forget the reason we celebrate Christmas.  Verse twelve adds, And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  The angel said that the shepherds would find the Savior not as a king in power but as a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.  Jesus was born as any other baby was born, but He was the only begotten Son of God.  Verse thirteen continues, And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,  Verse fourteen adds, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.  For the shepherds, this became anything but a normal night, and if we have met Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, this day should be a celebration of His birth, a Savior Who is Christ the Lord.  

1 Kings 10:14

1 Kings 10:14 says, Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold, Solomon had a large amount of gold coming to him in a year.  The kingdom was prospering under his rule.  Of course, we don't serve God for earthly riches, so we can never judge the faith of a person based on riches.  We will likely be more like Paul than Solomon, working and striving for a living, instead of living with riches.  Verse fifteen adds, Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country.  Solomon also had ships that were trading with all the countries around him instead of being at war with them.  At times, we as Christians may live at peace with those who do not accept God as the only God, and we may even trade with them, but spiritually, we will always be at war with them.  Verse sixteen continues, And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.  Solomon used the gold to make ornamental armament according to Matthew Henry, but he didn't just hoard it.  We need to use the gifts that God blesses us with today, and not just for ornamental reasons.  Verse seventeen concludes, And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.  He kept some of these shields in his house in Lebanon, which would imply that they were not in use every day but were readily available.  Some days, we may not use ever gift that God has given us, but they must be readily available even if we don't.  The spiritual gifts of God should never be hoarded unused.  Verse eighteen states, Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.  I believe that the throne was certainly more for show than for a functional purpose.  We as followers of Christ today can be guilty of doing things that are more for show than for functional purposes in church buildings and in our own homes.  I believe that we bring more glory to God by using the things that He blesses us with to reach out to the lost world than we do by building buildings that are ornate just for show.  Verse nineteen adds, The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.  Verse twenty continues, And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.  These two verses tell us more about the luxury of the throne of Solomon.  We need the world today to see our good works in helping others more than our ornate church building or lifestyle I believe.  

1 Kings 10 :1

1 Kings10:1 says, And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions.  When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's fame concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him asking him hard questions.   Matthew Henry says she mainly came to better understand the ways of God.  If people hear that we are Christians today, and come to us asking hard questions about God, will we prove to be wise in our understanding of salvation?  We need to always be ready to answer anyone who questions us about salvation.  Verse two adds, And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.  She didn't come empty-handed but came with many valuable gifts and communed with Solomon about all that was on her heart.  We can only come to God empty-handed when we come to seek salvation, but we also must share the concerns of our heart with Him.  We cannot just seek facts, but must seek faith.  Verse three continues, And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not.  Solomon answered all her questions under the leadership of the God, which is where his wisdom came from. If we are to answer all the questions people may ask us about becoming a Christian and living a Christian life today, we need to rely on the leadership of the Holy Spirit when we answer them.  Verse four states, And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built,  Verse five adds, And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.  When she saw all of Solomon's wisdom and all that God had blessed him with, there was no more spirit in her.  Of course, of all the things mentioned, the wisdom of Solomon was the first, and if people are going to respond to God's call to salvation today, it is not going to be because of our material wealth but because of our knowledge of and faith in Him.  Verse six continues, And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.  She told Solomon that she had heard of his acts and wisdom in her own land.  As followers of Christ, we need to pray that people will hear of our wisdom and of our good acts for God.  True wisdom can only come from God, and this is the wisdom that we need to share with people of the world.  The question is, are they hearing about our wisdom of God?  Verse seven says, Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.  She told Solomon that she did not believe what she had heard until she came and saw it for herself, and it was even greater than she had heard.  People are not going to believe the gospel until they accept it for themselves, and then it will be even greater than what they had heard.  Verse eight adds, Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.  Shen said that Solomon's men and his servants were happy serving him.  If someone were to observe us as Christians in where we work today, especially if we are in a position of authority, they should see that those that we have authority over are happy in their work situation.  People of the world are going to be observing us as followers of Christ, not just in how we live on Sunday but in how we live our everyday life as well.  Verse nine continues, Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.  The queen of Sheba then gave praise to God as the One Who had made Solomon so wise and powerful.  We need people to praise God for whatever we accomplish as Christians today and not to praise us.  Just as she said God had loved Israel forever, so does He love us as Christians forever today.  Verse ten concludes, And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.  She then gave Solomon gold and more spices than had ever been given to anyone.  She acknowledged that God was to be praised, and then gave gifts to Solomon, I would assume thinking that he would use them for God's glory and not his own.  The blessings that God gives us today as followers of Christ should be used for God's glory and not our own.  Verse eleven says, And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.  Hiram's navy also brought gifts, which included almug trees, which were highly praised for their beauty and fragrance.  Verse twelve adds, And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day.  Solomon used the almug trees in the Temple and his own house and to make instruments for the Temple.  We need to use the things God blesses us with today to do His work and not just use it for our own benefit.  Verse thirteen continues, And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.  Solomon also gave the Queen of Sheba whatever she asked for.  We may not be able to give people a lot of material possessions today, but we can give them the greatest gift of all, and that is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with them.

1 Kings 9:25

1 Kings 9:25 says, And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the Lord, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the Lord. So he finished the house.  Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to God on the altar he built three times a year.  Matthew Henry points out that this was in addition to the normal times of worship.  We need to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God daily, but we also need gather together and offer our tithes and offerings to God regularly and this should be more than three times a year, yet many professed Christians only come to church on Christmas, Easter, and maybe for a funeral.  Then, Solomon had completed the building of the Temple.  Though the physical temple was done away with when Jesus Christ came and died for our sins, if we are Christians, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we should always be working to improve our obedience to Him, so in that respect, this temple will never be complete until He calls us home to Heaven.  Verse twenty-six adds, And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom.  Solomon then began to make ships for a navy.  He had completed the work on God's house and on his palaces, so now he turned to building for the defense of Israel.  We should be more concerned about building our relationship with God than we are about the things of this earth.  No army or navy is ever going to bring us everlasting salvation.  Only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can do that, so we need to establish that relationship first.  Verse twenty-seven continues, And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.  Once again, Hiram sent help to Solomon, sending men from his navy to help those of Solomon's navy learn about the sea and sailing.   When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we may need the help of fellow Christians to show us how to live a successful Christian life.  I know we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, but it is still helpful to have other Christians showing us the way.  God does work through other people to grow His kingdom.  Verse twenty-eight concludes, And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.  The ships were also used in trade, and the first trading venture brought Solomon a profit of four hundred and twenty talents of gold.  Of course, we as Christians should not work just for material rewards, but using our God given talents under the leadership of the Holy Spirit may lead to material success.  Still, I believe that if it does, we need to use what God blesses us with for His glory and not just for personal enrichment. 

1 Kings 9:15

1 Kings 9:15 says, And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the Lord, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer.  We are told that Solomon had raised a levy, or tax, for the purpose of paying for all the building he did.  Taxes are still raised to pay for government work today, but not for church work, so if God's work is to be done, we as Christians must give to support it.  Verse sixteen adds, For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon's wife.  Pharoah, king of Egypt, had taken Gezer and burned it and had given it to his daughter, Solomon's wife.  Of course, it really wasn't his to give, but we do see that the Egyptians were still a threat to the people around them, but he caused Solomon to build a city there.  Sometimes, our one-time enemies may be become our friends, but if they do not become followers of Christ as well, we should not put a lot of faith in their goodness toward us.  Verse seventeen continues, And Solomon built Gezer, and Bethhoron the nether, Verse eighteen states, And Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land,  Verse nineteen adds, And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. As already stated, Solomon built a city at Gezer, but he also built many others to support his army.  We today may not like taxes, but if we are going to have police forces, fire departments, and armies, as well as all the things needed to live our everyday life functioning with ease, they are necessary.  Of course, they can also be abused.  Verse twenty says, And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel,  Verse twenty-one adds, Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this day.  We are told that not all of those who had lived in the Promised Land before God gave it to Israel had been destroyed, but their children lived as bondservants to the people of Israel.  Matthew Henry says this fulfilled God's law that these people would be the bondservants of Israel found in Leviticus 25:44 and Noah's curse on the Canaanites found in Genesis 9:25.  Some people today attempt to use the Bible to justify being morally superior to other groups of people, but we are all but sinners saved by grace.  Verse twenty-two continues, But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen.  None of the people of Israel were made bondservants, but they were men of war and Solomon's servants, princes, captains, and rulers of his horsemen and chariots.  They weren't freed just for a life of leisure, but still had a very important role in Israel.  We are God's servants as followers of Christ today, and we all have our individual calling, but we are all called to be a part of the army of God.  Verse twenty-three states, These were the chief of the officers that were over Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty, which bare rule over the people that wrought in the work.  Solomon had five-hundred and fifty chief officers over the work of Israel.  We have many preachers who are in charge of insuring that the gospel is preached, and God's word is taught today, but they are not solely responsible.  We as Christians all have an equal responsibility to ensure that God's work is done today, and we each have our own responsibility to ensure that it is done.  Verse twenty-four adds, But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which Solomon had built for her: then did he build Millo.  Solomon's wife, the Pharoah's daughter, did not live in Jerusalem but in Millo.  We aren't told why he built her a separate house, but we do know that Solomon had multiple wives and concubines, so maybe this was just a logical decision.

I Kings 9:10

1 Kings 9:10 says, And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the Lord, and the king's house,  It took twenty years to complete the building of the Temple and Solomon's palaces, so evidently Israel was basically at peace during this time.  Even if we as Christians were to be at peace in the world today, I don't think we should spend so much time on building material things that are not going to last anyway.  I believe that our time would be better spent witnessing and helping others.  Verse eleven adds, (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.  Since Hiram the king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with the cedars and gold, Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.  Matthew Henry says these were small cities not in the land of Israel but bordering it and taken over by Solomon most likely.  Matthew Henry also says that Solomon did this above the supplying of Hiram with food which had been their agreement.  We should always try to be fair in our treatment of others, even giving more than is required at times, but we cannot give away what God has set aside for Himself, as He had the land of Israel.  In other words, we cannot help others simply by giving them God's tithes, which should go to the local church to be used collectively.  Verse twelve continues, And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not.  When Hiram came to see the cities, which were an added gift from Solomon, he was not pleased with them.  If we are given something more than what we have been promised in our dealings with others, we should be pleased that we have been given more than required, and the same should be true of those that we may have given more to. Still, sometimes even if we are giving more than promised, some people are not going to be satisfied.  Matthew Henry says the question is whether Solomon gave Hiram something that he knew was of little value, or whether Hiram was just super critical.  If we do make a gift of something to others, we need to make sure that it is of value and not something that we just want to get rid of and if we are given a gift, we should not be super critical about it.  Verse thirteen states, And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day.  Hiram asked Solomon what these cities were that Solomon had given him and called them Cabul, which Matthew Henry says is a Phoenician word meaning displeasing.  At least Hiram went to Solomon to tell him of his displeasure, and we aren't told that he became angry at Solomon.  If we are given something that we don't like, we should tell the person who gave it to us how we feel and not allow it to become a reason to be angry with them.  These cities were still a gift from Solomon and not the payment of a debt. Verse fourteen adds, And Hiram sent to the king six score talents of gold.  Hiram sent Solomon one hundred and twenty talents of gold.  I assume this was in addition to what he had already sent, which would imply that he wasn't angry with Solomon.  Even if we are not satisfied with what someone gives us, we shouldn't allow that to make us angry with them.  

1 Kings 9:1

1 Kings 9:1 says, And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do,  Solomon had finally completed all the building that he desired to do, which we would hope was done under the leadership of God.  We do know that when Jesus Christ died on the cross that the work of redemption was done under God's guidance for all time.  Verse two adds, That the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.  When Solomon had completed his work, then God appeared to him a second time.  God should appear to us daily through the presence of the Holy Spirit, and we will really never be done with His work here in this world.  Verse three continues, And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.  God said that He had heard Solomon's prayer and supplication, and the He had hallowed the house that Solomon built, and His eyes and His heart would be there forever.  Of course, we know that Jesus Christ said He was the Temple of God. and we know that when we accept Him as our Savior and Lord that He is with us forever.  Verse four states, And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:  God then put Solomon's part of the covenant relationship before him.  Building the Temple did not get Solomon an everlasting relationship with God.  Only following God's will for him would and this would point him toward the coming Messiah.  We can only have an everlasting relationship with God by accepting Jesus Christ.  Works will never save us.  Verse five adds, Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.  Since we know that Solomon did not live forever, it was through David's and Solomon's descendant Jesus that this promise was fulfilled.  Verse six continues, But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:  Then, God issued a warning about turning away from Him and following other gods.  Verse seven declares, Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:  If the people of Israel turned away from God, He would turn away from them.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we are forever saved, but if we turn away from God, He may remove His protective hand from us in this lifetime.  Verse eight adds, And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and to this house?  God said if the people turned away from Him, that people would pass the Temple and hiss an ask why the Lord had left it.  God does not live in buildings but in the hearts if people, so if people in the church turn away from Him, the building will be empty. Verse nine continues, And they shall answer, Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the Lord brought upon them all this evil.  The answer was because people forsook God, and not because God had forsaken them.  If we ever find ourselves feeling deserted by God, the problem will never be with God, but with us.