Tag Archive: solomon


One of my favorite people in the Bible is the Queen of Sheba.  (1 Kings 10 & 2 Chronicles 9)

Queen of Sheba

The Queen of Sheba lived at the time of King Solomon.  Word of the King’s wisdom spread far and wide…not only that he was wise, but that God had given him this wisdom.

Sheba was queen of the Southern Arabian and Northern African territories and likely worshiped many gods but certainly not the One true God who gave Solomon his wisdom.  She was drawn to it and she is not alone.

“All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart.”   1 Kings 10:24

My husband, Jax, has found great favor at his place of employment.  In the short time that God provided this job, Jax has moved up quickly from a grunt transition specialist position to a respected technical project lead and product owner in less than one year.

Jax’s immediate supervisor often finds opportunity to pick Jax’s brain for insight and consult over business plans, project ideas and employee issues.

Recently, this supervisor called Jax into his office to discuss some of the current employees.  Although these people are doing their jobs, they are not doing it to a level that he had hoped.

“How do I motivate these guys?”  He asked.

“How do I get them to take pride in their work?  To put their fingerprint on the project?  To return with not only the bare minimum, but choose to go above and beyond, finishing their work at a greater level than just what is expected?  How do I get them to do their job the way you do?”

“Well, it’s tough” Jax started, “to instill the attitude I have about work into somebody else, because I don’t answer to you.”

With what I can only imagine was clear confusion found in this supervisor’s eyes, Jax continued…

“I don’t answer to this company.  I answer to God and I do my job in a way that will bring glory to Him.”

“being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”  2 Corinthians 3:3

How do you live your life?

Are you a Christ follower?  Are people drawn to you because of Him?

They should be.

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”   Galatians 2:20

 

Related Posts:
Prince Ali Ababwa = King Solomon   (ispygod.net)

The Divided Kingdom (Ca. 930-725 B.C.)

Division Between Israel and Judah

“Just as Solomon experienced a rise to unprecedented  heights of personal prosperity and security, only to fall victim to moral weakness and political conflict, so too his kingdom, in the hands of his son Rehoboam, is headed toward certain disaster.  Rehoboam will cause rebellion among the people of Israel.  Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin will remain with Rehoboam, while the rest of Israel will appoint a man by the name of Jeroboam as their king.”

Read 1 Kings 12, 2 Chronicles 10, 2 Chronicles 11:1-4 & 11:13-17, 1 Kings 13:1-32

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

“In one of the most beautiful poems in the Scriptures, the Teacher shows that there is purpose and balance to all things, even in this present life.  Everyday life takes on significance in the enjoyment of one’s work and the happiness of human love.  The message is aimed directly at the young people for whom much of the wisdom literature is intended.  In conclusion the Teacher urges that all things find their fulfillment in acknowledging the Creator’s purpose for mankind and in obeying his will.”

Life’s True Meaning

PURPOSE AND BALANCE IN LIFE     Ecclesiastes 3:1-17

ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE     Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:8

WHERE LIFE FINDS ITS MEANING     Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

End of Solomon’s Reign

“With that parting advice to those who would follow him in these days ‘under the sun,’ Solomon himself falls prey to the ‘same destiny [which] overtakes all.’  The end of Solomon’s life is given only brief mention.”

Read: 1 Kings 11:41-43/2 Chronicles 9:29-31

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

“Human insight cannot give a clue as to what is meaningful; only ‘the wisdom that comes from heaven’ can imbue one’s life with lasting purpose.  To illustrate the value of divine wisdom, the Teacher then gives several proverbs and wise sayings of the type contained in the more complete book of Proverbs.”

Value of Wisdom

PROVERBS OF THE TEACHER     Ecclesiastes 12:9-10

VARIOUS PROVERBS     Ecclesiastes 7:7-12, 7:19-26, 10:1-11:6

SAYINGS OF THE WISE     Ecclesiastes 12:11-12

WISDOM COMES FROM SORROW     Ecclesiastes 7:1-6

DANGER OF EXTREMISM     Ecclesiastes 7:15-18

FEW CHOOSE WISDOM     Ecclesiastes 7:27-29

ENRICHING NATURE OF WISDOM     Ecclesiastes 8:1

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

“The Teacher considers what there is in this life “under the sun” that has any real or lasting meaning, and his search is both unproductive and discouraging.  None of the things in which man normally puts his trust for happiness and fulfillment can really achieve those goals.  Such things as wealth, power, pleasure, popularity, and human wisdom are all sheer vanity — meaningless and empty.”

Meaninglessness of Human Pursuits

EMPTINESS OF HUMAN WISDOM     Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

EMPTINESS OF PLEASURE     Ecclesiastes 2:1-3

EMPTINESS OF ACHIEVEMENT     Ecclesiastes 2:4-11

EMPTINESS OF LABOR     Ecclesiastes 2:17-26

EMPTINESS OF HUMAN CONDITION     Ecclesiastes 4:1-3

EMPTINESS OF ACCUMULATION     Ecclesiastes 4:4-6

EMPTINESS OF UNSHARED LIVES     Ecclesiastes 4:7-12

EMPTINESS OF FALSE WORSHIP     Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

EMPTINESS OF WEALTH     Ecclesiastes 5:8-20

EMPTINESS OF MATERIALISM     Ecclesiastes 6:1-9

EMPTINESS OF PROSPERITY     Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

EMPTINESS OF DEFIANCE     Ecclesiastes 8:2-6

EMPTINESS OF WICKEDNESS     Ecclesiastes 8:7-13

EMPTINESS OF INJUSTICE     Ecclesiastes 8:14-15

EMPTINESS OF STRENGTH     Ecclesiastes 9:13-18

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

Solomon’s Reflections on Life

“Despite his great sin — or perhaps because of it — Solomon may ultimately have gained the most valuable wisdom of all: a full appreciation of the emptiness of all that he had — even his own wisdom — when compared to things eternal.  The book traditionally known as Ecclesiastes, meaning the Preacher or the Teacher, may have been written either personally by King Solomon or sometime later by a scribe in Solomon’s honor as the patron of the wisdom movement.

Ecclesiastes is a critical essay about the meaning of life.  in its original organization several themes are woven together in an overlapping collage.  For purposes of this presentation, the book has been organized according to topics in order to highlight the obvious themes of the Teacher.”

Ecclesiastes  ——-arranged topically——-

The Search for Meaning

THE ULTIMATE QUESTION     Ecclesiastes 1:1-3

CYCLICAL NATURE OF LIFE     Ecclesiastes 1:4-11

MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING     Ecclesiastes 6:10-12

Importance of Finding Meaning

MORTALITY OF ANIMALS AND MAN     Ecclesiastes 3:18-22

MORTALITY OF FOOLISH AND WISE     Ecclesiastes 2:12-16

MORTALITY OF RIGHTEOUS AND WICKED     Ecclesiastes 9:1-3

IMPORTANCE OF THE PRESENT     Ecclesiastes 9:4-10

THE UNEXPECTANCY OF DEATH     Ecclesiastes 9:11-12

LIFE’S MEANING INSCRUTABLE     Ecclesiastes 8:16-17

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

Solomon’s Glory Fades

“An inspired writer of a later time will issue the warning, ‘If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!’  It is an appropriate warning for both men and nations and surprising that the wisest man of the age could so easily ignore the warning.  Yet how often do men fall at the height of success, and the greater the height, the greater the fall!  Solomon enters into forbidden marriages with women of foreign extract and is soon influenced to worship their foreign gods.  Solomon’s fall stands as a powerful reminder of how easy it is to turn from adoration to idolatry.”

Read: 1Kings 11:1-40

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

Various Observations

JOY AND GRIEF     Proverbs 14:10, 14:13, 15:13, 17:22, 18:14, 25:20, 27:11, 29:6

GOOD NEWS     Proverbs 15:30, 25:25

CURIOSITY     Proverbs 27:20

SAYINGS OF AGUR     Proverbs 30

SAYINGS OF KING LEMUEL     Proverbs 31:1-9

THE WIFE OF NOBLE CHARACTER     Proverbs 31:10-31

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

Persons and Attributes

PARENTS AND CHILDREN     Proverbs 1:8-9, 10:1, 11:29, 15:20, 17:2, 17:6, 17:21, 17:25, 19:26, 20:20, 23:22-25, 28:24

THE ELDERLY     Proverbs 16:31, 20:29

WOMEN AND WIVES     Proverbs 11:22, 12:4, 14:1, 18:22, 19:13-14, 21:9/25:24, 21:19, 27:15-16

KINGS AND RULERS     Proverbs 14:28, 14:35, 16:10, 16:12-15, 17:7, 17:11, 19:12, 20:2, 20:8, 20:26, 20:28, 21:1, 22:11 23:1-3, 24:21-22, 25:2-7a, 28:2-3, 28:15-16, 29:4, 29:12, 29:14

MESSENGERS     Proverbs 13:17, 25:13

COMPANIONS     Proverbs 12:26, 13:20, 14:7, 17:17, 18:24, 24:1-2, 27:8-10, 29:24

Various Concerns

CAUTION     Proverbs 16:17, 22:3/27:12, 22:5

REPUTATION     Proverbs 22:1, 25:9-10

COURAGE     Proverbs 3:25-26, 14:32, 22:13, 24:10, 26:13, 28:1

HOPE     Proverbs 13:12, 13:19, 23:17-18

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

Economic Well-Being

WEALTH AND POVERTY     Proverbs 3:9-10, 10:15, 11:4, 11:28, 13:8, 14:20, 15:16, 17:16, 18:11, 18:23, 19:4, 19:6-7, 22:2, 22:7, 23:4-5, 27:7, 28:6, 28:8, 28:11, 28:20-22

BENEVOLENCE AND GENEROSITY     Proverbs 3:27-28, 11:24-26, 13:22, 14:21, 18:16, 19:17, 21:13, 22:9, 25:14, 28:27

OPPRESSION OF THE POOR     Proverbs 13:23, 14:31, 15:15, 16:8, 22:16, 22:22-23, 29:7, 29:13

INDUSTRIOUSNESS     Proverbs 6:6-8, 6:9-11, 10:4-5, 10:26, 12:11, 12:24, 12:27, 13:4, 14:4, 14:23, 15:19, 16:26, 18:9, 19:15, 19:24/26:15, 10:4, 10:13, 21:17, 21:25-26, 22:29, 24:27, 24:30-34, 26:14, 27:18, 27:23-27, 28:19

CONSERVATION     Proverbs 21:20

SURETY FOR ANOTHER     Proverbs 6:1-5, 11:15, 17:18, 20:16/27:13, 22:26-27

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.
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