Day 104
What story to tell today? The story about me going back to water aerobics after a year and the 2 new blisters I have on my big toes? Or the story about the baby chicks hatching in the garage or the caterpillars "cocooning" on the kitchen table.....oh well....I'll just blog! :)
Chapter 3 GIVE ME SOME WISDOM!!!!!!!!!!! As a mother, a wife.......oh...that was King Solomon. We should take note though.....God appears to Solomon in a dream offering a gift which is his to choose. He asks for wisdom to rule his people justly. Its is the choice of a man whose heart is right before God and so he is given more than he asks for. THAT already, is our lesson learned. Solomon will be well known for his wise judgment; his fame. And because of his wisdom and justice the kingdom will prosper like never before. I was amazed at how everyone in the kingdom is to take care of the king....each tribe having a different month to feed and provide for him. Hum.....is that the first "fellowship" committee?? :)
Cut the child in two??! OH MY!!! Of course, only the real mother would say to NOT cut the baby and just to give the baby to the other women in order to save the child! How wise and just Solomon already is.....his ruling of the two quarreling mothers is perhaps the most famous of his wisdom in action.
Chapter 4 King Solomon had a much greater bureaucracy than King David....governors, harems, ministers, civil servants, domestics, etc....must have numbered into the thousands. It does take the 12 tribes to maintain them all! The nation is experiencing peace and prosperity like they have never known before. We know they are flourishing because of the vines and fig trees....symbols of fertility and wealth...I do NOT want figs here! :) Two kids are our blessings! :) God repeatedly and repeatedly promised that they would prosper...all they had to do was obey...sound familiar??!! Hum...how long will it last THIS time?! :) A lesson never learned. It will last during Solomon's reign...and check out the temple...using all the resources available to construct a temple to God!!! What resources are you using for and to God?
Chapter 5 Preparing for the temple is a massive effort!! MASSIVE!!! BUT!! OH my...remember what Samuel the prophet said....a king would require and tax the people.....would make great demands! The workers are not actually slaves but they are "drafted" so to speak into the work force and really......have no choice. 30,000 laborers; 70,000 carriers; and 80,000 stonecutters......a monumental project. See the picture below of Solomon's temple. It was David's great ambition to build a temple to God but was realized by his son. More details on the temple tomorrow.
Tomorrow: chapters 6-7
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!! Let the people rejoice...........
This is a Core Term from my new Bible. Use of Reason...God calls us to use our minds. God wants us to use the intellectual abilities with which we have been blessed. John Wesley, who taught logic at Oxford University, emphasized the importance of reason. God asks that we further develop our intellectual abilities. Part of what it means to love God is that we develop our minds in ways that deepen or enhance our expressions of love. Solomon developed his reasoning powers in ways that we now think of as setting the standard for wisdom. His example demonstrates that wisdom involves more than memorizing data. Although there is some value in memorizing information, Solomon's wisdom involves much more than storing up info tidbits. To be wise is to know how to fully integrate the information we have stored with the situation at hand. This integration takes into account the relationship we have with God and others. Wise Solomon sets an example that we ought to emulate.
ReplyDeleteThese are great!! Thanks for sharing!! Keep adding everyday as you wish!!
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