Welcome to week three of Desiring the Kingdom, a series in which we followers of Christ consider how we desire to live in a better kingdom than the one we have (or, at least, we should). No human king could ever deliver on those expectations; Only King Jesus can.
Chapter 3 of 1 Kings divides into three sections: Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter, Solomon’s prayer for wisdom, and Solomon famously suggesting dividing the baby (some of us can remember when the saying “dividing the baby” was part of our lexicon of American idioms). We will spend one day on the first section, and two days each on the other two.
If you have not yet watched it, we encourage you to take the time to watch the following video from The Bible Project giving an overview of 1st and 2nd Kings. Extremely useful and highly recommended!
Prayer Initiative
Beginning on January 13th and continuing for 11 weeks, Rio Women invite you to join them for their latest prayer initiative, based on the classic book “The Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life.” They meet via Zoom call on Wednesdays at noon. If you can’t attend the meeting, get the book, find a partner, and follow along. (If you have questions or need assistance, email Beth Hendrikse, our Prayer Coordinator, at bethh@riovistachurch.com.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
Marital Drift
1 Kings 3:1-2
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
3 Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.
RELATED SCRIPTURES
1 Kings 7:8-12
8 His own house where he was to dwell, in the other court back of the hall, was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter whom he had taken in marriage.
9 All these were made of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws, back and front, even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of eight and ten cubits. 11 And above were costly stones, cut according to measurement, and cedar. 12 The great court had three courses of cut stone all around, and a course of cedar beams; so had the inner court of the house of the Lord and the vestibule of the house.
2 Chronicles 8:11
11 Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house that he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not live in the house of David king of Israel, for the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.”
Ezra 9:12-14
12 Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’ 13 And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, 14 shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape?
Nehemiah 13:23-27
23 In those days also I saw the Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but only the language of each people. 25 And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, “You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin. 27 Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?”
Deuteronomy 17:14-17
Laws Concerning Israel’s Kings
14 “When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ 17 And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.
Consider
Despite what seems like a loveless beginning to this marriage, we have indication that Solomon genuinely loved Pharaoh’s daughter. Some commentaries suggested Psalm 45 (a song for a marriage ceremony) and the book Song of Solomon were both written by Solomon for Pharaoh’s daughter. What we know for certain is that Solomon built her a palace like his own, since she was not allowed to live permanently in the house of David for religious reasons (although she did for a time as her residence was built). Commentaries also suggest that she converted to the Jewish religion, because there were no Egyptian deities among the foreign gods Solomon introduced to Israel later in his reign.
God had two rules that should have governed Solomon’s choices here: Don’t marry foreigners (which applied to ALL Jews) and don’t have many wives (which applied specifically to the king). Solomon broke them both and while it took time to happen, he drifted away from the Lord just as God warned would be the case.
Questions for Reflection
- Aside from marriage, what are some other relationships we choose to enter into that have a profound effect on us?
- What are some examples, good or bad, of how your relationship with the Lord has been influenced by these choices?
Heavenly Father, every choice I make has consequences but none so much as who I spend my days with. There are bonds I don’t get to choose, of course, family is who they are, but even within them I find those who encourage and those who discourage. Thank you for those family members and friends that have had such a profound impact on my faith! What a blessing they have been! Lord, please let relationships like those continue to form throughout this life and carry forward into the life that is to come. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Day 2
Ask For Wisdom
1 Kings 3:3-15
3 Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. 4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
15 And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
RELATED SCRIPTURES
Proverbs 2:6
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
Proverbs 3:13
Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom
13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
Proverbs 4:7
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
James 3:13-18
Wisdom from Above
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James 1:5-8
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Consider
God wants us to have wisdom, period. How exciting is that? Solomon asking for wisdom pleased God, the Book of Proverbs tells us over and over again to seek wisdom (AND cautions us that wisdom is not useful without understanding), and, in his Epistle, James makes the bold statement that IF we ask for wisdom, God WILL give it.
And wisdom isn’t just the first step toward understanding. The word translated beginning in Proverbs 4:7 can mean either first in a sequence or first in importance, and while the ESV went with the first definition, most other translations favor the second. Wisdom is the most important thing we can receive from the Lord (apart from salvation).
Questions for Reflection
- How do you feel about praying for wisdom contrasted with praying for things or outcomes?
- Proverbs seems to make a clear distinction between wisdom and understanding, so what do you think is different between them?
Dear Lord, knowing how to pray in every situation can be difficult. I’m grateful to see how much you want me to seek wisdom and how pleased you are to give it. The beginning of wisdom is to fear you—worshiping you with reverence and recognizing how awesome you are. I will start there! Let me receive your wisdom every day. Amen.
Day 3
What You Don’t Ask For
1 Kings 3:3-15
3 Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. 4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
15 And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
RELATED SCRIPTURES
Psalm 37:4
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Philippians 4:19
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 81:10
10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Psalm 145:15-16
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Psalm 107:9
9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
Matthew 6:25-34
Do Not Be Anxious
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Questions for Reflection
- What do you think makes it difficult for people to trust God with their futures?
- What has helped, or is helping, you with that trust? When do you still have a struggle with it?
Lord, you are over all things in heaven and on earth. You provide me with what I truly need, but you are also able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power that is at work within us. I want to surrender my worry over future outcomes to you. They are under your control and if I continue to pursue your kingdom and your righteousness, I have done my part. Let me find delight in my walk with you, Father, so that my heart may be filled with the same desires that fill yours. Amen.
Day 4
The Sword Reveals Truth
1 Kings 3:16-28
Solomon’s Wisdom
16 Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. 18 Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house; only we two were in the house. 19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne.” 22 But the other woman said, “No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine.” Thus they spoke before the king.
23 Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and the other says, ‘No; but your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’” 24 And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” 27 Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
RELATED SCRIPTURES
Matthew 10:34-39
Not Peace, but a Sword
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 26:50-52
50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
Hebrews 4:12-13
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Questions for Reflection
- We trust that Jesus isn’t encouraging unrest within our families, so what do you believe his illustration in Matthew 10 is trying to reveal in its comparisons?
- How does the Word of God reveal the thoughts and intents of the heart? What are some examples you’ve seen of that?
Lord, in Isaiah, you prophecy that you will one day bring peace that leads the nations to turn their swords into tools for farming. Let that day be soon, Lord Jesus! Come, soon! A sword in your hand, however, is not to be feared. You use the sword to reveal truth, including the truth about what lives in the dark places of my heart. May your sword cut away any lies, just as it did in Solomon’s court, so what remains are your true followers living lives of true faith. Amen!
Day 5
The Parent Trap
1 Kings 3:16-28
Solomon’s Wisdom
16 Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. 18 Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house; only we two were in the house. 19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. 21 When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne.” 22 But the other woman said, “No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine.” Thus they spoke before the king.
23 Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and the other says, ‘No; but your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’” 24 And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” 27 Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
RELATED SCRIPTURES
Proverbs 3:12
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.
Psalm 103:13
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
2 Corinthians 6:17-18
17 Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
18 and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”
Matthew 7:9-11
9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
1 John 3:1-2
3 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Hebrews 2:5-9
The Founder of Salvation
5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere,
“What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,
8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.”
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
Philippians 2:5-9
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
Questions for Reflection
- What are some examples of parental sacrifice that you have either experienced or of which you have knowledge?
- How does thinking of God as your Father, and a perfect one at that, comfort you?
Heavenly Father, you are perfect in all of your ways and good to me in every respect. As much as I see the woman in this ancient story be willing to do what was best for her child, even at the cost of her own heartache, I am reminded that you also were willing to bear any cost for my sake. You gave up heaven and came as one of us, lived a perfect life, and being innocent of any wrongdoing, your sacrifice made it possible for me to become a child of heaven, a citizen of the heavenly kingdom, and follow you forever. Thank you for loving me that much, Lord! In Jesus name I pray, amen.
Watch for other Personal Worship pushes!
- Friday you’ll receive Worship Prep guidance and Sunday’s songs. Take time to learn those you don’t know so that you can join in worship in full voice!