It is that time again, A Minute with Henster. Another week has flown by and the pollen season has started, the sky will be yellow now. This week and next week we will be looking at 1 Kings and 2 Kings. Originally, these two books were one but they are split into two different books. 1:1 When King David was old and well advanced in years, he could not keep warm even when they put covers on him. We start out seeing that David was old. Now, he could not keep warm with a lot of covers, so his servants go and find a young beautiful girl to take care of him and her name was Abishag. Now, remember David had a lot of children. Well, Adonijah (his 4th son) said he would be king. His first three sons had died or killed, Ammon, Daniel (not actually sure what happened to him), and Absalom. Adonijah began setting the wheels in motion by conferring with Joab and Abiathar the priest by getting their support. There were a few who did not join such as Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet. Nathan was a wise prophet and cunning. He went to Bathsheba and warned her what Adonijah was doing without David’s knowledge. Nathan had her go to the king and say certain things to make Solomon king. She reminded David that he promised Solomon would be king. David made Solomon king of course. Adonijah hears that David has made Solomon king. 1:49-50 At this, all Adonijah’s guests rose in alarm and dispersed. But Adonijah in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar. The horns are the corners. 1:52 Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be a worthy man, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.” He came down and went home. David is about to die and gives Solomon wise advice/charge. 2:2-3 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, David then tells Solomon about Joab and all he had done, all who he had murdered. 2:6 Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace. Solomon was to show kindness to the sons of Barzillai, and to deal with Shimei, the Benjamite who cursed David. For Shimei, Solomon was to kill him. 2:10 Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. Now, Adonijah shows back up and goes to Bathsheba asking that Solomon give Abishag to him as his wife. She was the girl who took care of David and part of David’s harem. Sounds like a simple request but there is more to it if Adonijah gets her. The law was if a person possessed the king’s harem, it was like claiming the throne. Remember Absalom done this when he rebelled against David. Solomon was no dummy and knew the laws. Solomon had Adonijah killed. He also removed Abiathar the priest (one who helped Adonijah) from his priesthood. 2:27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord, fulfilling the word the Lord had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli. The prophecy was fulfilled of which we read back in 1 Samuel 2: 27-36. Next, Joab fled and took hold of the horns of the altar. Probably thinking, since Solomon spared Adonijah but not this time. Solomon had him struck down. Now, he told Shimei to not leave Jerusalem and if he did he would be killed. Three years later Shimei left searching for his slaves. Solomon had him killed. Solomon was cleaning up things, tying up loose ends to keep his kingdom peaceful. 2:46 …The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon’s hands. 3:1 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. Even though peace was made with Egypt but now Solomon has married a wife from another nation meaning, she worshiped other gods. We go on and God asks Solomon to ask for anything and God will give it to him. You know what he asks for, wisdom. 3:9-10 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. Since, Solomon did not ask for wealth, a long life, or defeating his enemies, God tells him he will get those things also. Then Solomon gets to put his wisdom to use when the two women bring the baby before him. One says it is his son and that the other woman had stolen it from her. Solomon was going to cut the baby into. But the real mother said no while the other woman was going to let him and Solomon figured out the real mother and gave the baby back to her. 3:28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the kin in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice. Ch. 4 we learn of Solomon’s officials and governors. Also learn more about Solomon’s wisdom. 4:29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and breadth of understanding as a measureless as the sand on the seashore. People from all the nations came to him to hear his wisdom. 4:32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He also taught about plants, animals, birds, reptiles and fish. Ch. 5 & 6, we see Solomon building the Temple. Read about all that went into building it – labor, gold, silver, etc. 6:11-14 The word of the Lord came to Solomon: “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, carry out my regulations and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.” So Solomon built the temple and completed it. It took 7 years to build the Temple. After finishing the Temple, Solomon starts to build his palace. 7:1 It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace. Did you happen to catch that? It took 13 years, 6 more than the Temple. Now, it was not just one building but buildings a whole town you might say. Keep reading on how the palace was built. I bet it was spectacular and they built the Temple without modern tools. They did have skilled labor. Once the Temple was finished, all the gold, silver, and furnishings that David had dedicated were brought into temple and placed in the treasuries. Ch. 8 Solomon places the Ark in the Temple. 8:6 The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. A cloud filled the Holy Place. 8:12 Then Solomon said, “the Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.” Then Solomon blesses the people and gives a Prayer of Dedication. Ch. 9 the Lord appears to Solomon a 2nd time. The Lord warns Solomon if he or his sons turn from him and worship other idols, he will reject the Temple and cut Israel off from the land. Ch. 10, the Queen of Sheba visits Solomon. 10:1 When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. As we keep reading Ch. 10, we read about all the splendor of Solomon – his wealth. Here is something interesting. Everything was made of pure gold in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. 10:21 …Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. No silver only gold was used, wouldn’t that be something to see. 10:23-25 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift – articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules. The whole world sought out Solomon – the Jews who were slaves in Egypt are now the nation the world looks at with awe. Remember earlier we read Solomon married an Egyptian, now we find out he married more women. 11:1-2 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter – Moabittes, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittittes. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.