1 Kings 9 Bible Study (The Lord Appears to Solomon/Solomon's Other Acts) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

First Kings chapter nine. Let's meet there together. First Kings chapter nine. Let's just begin our time by going straight into the text and then taking our time to mind the word of God together. First Kings nine verse one reads, as soon as Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king's house and all that Solomon desired to build, the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.

And the Lord said to him, I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. And as for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel. But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I've set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off from cut off Israel from the land that I've given them.

And the house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight. And Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss. And they will say, why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?

And they will say, because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore, the Lord has brought all this disaster on them. This is God's word. Let's pray and ask him for his help. Father in heaven, with absolute reverence and adoration, we look to you tonight as a church, And we ask with great humility as well that you would come to our aid and expound these truths to us.

The way you intended these things to be learned and explained may come forth by the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. And we ask, Lord, that you would hover over every heart and make it the right soil to receive the seed so that it can germinate and become the harvest that you desire from us. We thank you, oh, Lord, that everything we learn today is on the basis of your grace and mercy. Your love, the love that initiated everything that we are enjoying in this moment. We ask Lord that you would receive the glory that is your due as we respond to this word.

In Jesus' name, amen. First Kings chapter eight, Solomon spoke to God. First Kings chapter nine, God speaks to Solomon. And I want you, from the outset to consider verse one and look at the timing in which this divine manifestation occurred. We read again as soon as Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king's house and all that Solomon desired to build, the lord appeared to Solomon a second time.

When was the first time? When Solomon became king in first Kings chapter three, and he sought the lord for wisdom, And he did so in Gibeon. The Lord appeared to him at Gibeon, in what way? Through a dream by the night. And so here we're saying, we're being told that this happened at Gibeon, the same way that it happened at Gibeon back in chapter three.

So it's through a dream at night. But when did it happen? As soon as Solomon finished building all those major projects, then the Lord in his perfect wisdom decided to manifest himself to the king to not just explain his delight of what was just accomplished for his name, but to also provide warning, to provide warning that Solomon would continue on the path of faithfulness and that he would finish well. God is concerned not just of what we have done or we're even doing in the moment. God is concerned about all of us finishing well.

He wants us to all finish in faithfulness and devotion to him. And the Lord appears to Solomon to encourage him on that path at a very strategic juncture, one that you and I also have to consider. The Lord appears to Solomon and brings himself before him at a time of great accomplishment. At a time when Solomon is advancing with unprecedented success, the Lord chooses to come at this time and say, Hey Solomon, don't forget about me. Hey Solomon, remember me.

Hey Solomon, remember my word. Solomon, remember the conditions of the blessings that you're in enjoying at this time. It's not very difficult to seek the Lord when things are falling apart. It's very difficult to seek the Lord and keep him before you when everything is going extremely well. Everything is going very very well for Solomon humanly speaking.

Even spiritually speaking, he is obeying the Lord at least to this degree with the temple, honoring his name, fulfilling the promise that was made, the command that was made to build a house. That's all done. But Solomon has to understand something. As you move forward, keep me before you. You know David, Solomon's father, sent something incredible in Psalm 16 verse eight.

He says, I have set the Lord always. Right? Did he say sometimes before me? Did he say on Sunday morning before me? Did he say Sunday morning, Wednesday night prayer meeting, Friday night Bible study before me?

I have set the Lord always before me. Always. What does that mean? I've put the Lord as priority, as my focus, as my goal, as my motivation. I filter every event in life through the Lord because he's before me.

And that's a choice David made that's a choice you and I have to make every single day. And the rest of that verse in that Psalm shows and declares the reward of doing so. I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand, I shall what? Never be shaken. Never be shaken.

Implying what? That when you choose to put God first always, God promises you to never be removed from his perfect will for your life. You'll never be shaken. You'll never be intimidated. You'll never have to fear being outside of his perfect provision, his perfect protection, and the abundant life that he promised those who abide in the vine.

I have set the Lord always before me, and here's the Lord saying something with that truth in essence. Solomon, don't forget about me. Don't forget about my my word. Believer tonight, what a wonderful exhortation leading up to the new year. Don't you lose sight of God and his word ever.

And especially when your when your heart is riding on the thrills of achievements and milestones that you've passed in life that should only exhilarate and exalt God more in your heart, not diminish his presence and who he is in your day to day life. So this is what the lord is doing. He's essentially telling Solomon, I am pleased with what you have done, but you have to understand. I want you to continue. And notice what he says here in verse three, and the lord said to him, I have heard your prayer and your plea.

Pause and just simmer there. Consider the wonder of that statement. I have heard your prayer and your plea. The god of heaven heard the voice of a creature on earth. That's amazing.

That's astounding. That's fascinating. And lord assure Solomon that he did in fact hear him. He did in fact hear every word that he said, every request that he made, and he in fact also says, I'm going to do something about that request. Here's a simple truth, but so incredible at the same time.

When you and I speak to God, we can expect for him to hear. You can expect him to hear, and you can expect him to answer in one way or another. Doesn't mean that he's gonna answer in the same way that he did with Solomon, but the same invitation that God gives to this royal king to pray and to be heard and to have an answer to that prayer is the same invitation that's extended to you and I as well. We're invited to have that kind of experience with God, to seek him, to offer these prayers to them, and for God to answer them in his perfect way. But look how the Lord answers.

What stands out to you apart from I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me? I have consecrated this house that you have built. Wonderful. Look what he says. By putting my name there forever, my eyes and my heart will be there for all time.

My eyes and my heart. He could have just said my eyes. Right? But he doesn't just say my eyes. He says my eyes and my heart.

Why do you think that's significant? I'll give you a hint. Consider first Kings chapter eight. Consider within first Kings chapter eight what Solomon's request to the lord was concerning this house. K?

There's there's more there. When Solomon asked the lord to do something for the house or toward the house, what did he ask specifically? It's in chapter eight. Another hint, it's in the twenties of the verses. I'll give you a few more seconds.

Okay. Verse 29. Look at the specific request that Solomon makes when he prayed to the Lord. What did he ask? That your eyes may be open night and day toward this house.

This is what he asked. Any mention of the heart? Did he say, Lord, your eyes and your heart toward this house. Did he say that? Did he ask that?

No. He just said, Lord, your eyes. Just asking for your attention to be on this place. I'm asking that you wouldn't forsake us or turn your back on this place, that your blessing would forever remain as you hold this place in your sight. You know what the Lord does?

In answering Solomon's prayer, he says, I won't just give you my eyes. I'll give you my heart with it. I won't just give you my eyes. I'm gonna give you my heart. What does that say?

What does that testify about God? A pattern that you see throughout the scriptures that when you and I ask of the Lord, he goes above and beyond. When you and I ask the Lord, he answers with surplus that in his enjoyment, he gives in excess. And this is this has happened more than once with Solomon. Remember what Solomon asked in first Kings chapter three?

He asked the lord for what? Crown me with what? Give me wisdom. What did the lord say in response to him in first Kings chapter three? You're gonna get discernment.

You're gonna get discretion between good and evil, but I'm gonna give you what you didn't ask for. Remember that? I'm gonna give you riches. I'm gonna give you all these other things on top of what you asked for. This is the character of God that not only is he willing to meet our request, but in his infinite goodness, he's willing to pour out even more.

Saying why? Because he's good. He's good. That's why. Because he delights in providing and flourishing and showering us with his presence and his goodness and his blessings.

So he tells he tells Solomon, not just my eyes, I'll give you my heart toward this place. Oh, what did that do to Solomon? Oh, I don't know. I'm telling you what it would it would have done for me and say, oh, wow, Lord. You're willing to do that even?

Yes. I'm willing to do that. So how can prayer be something that you're hesitant to do when the option is constantly there that the Lord is willing to do more? And what do you even ask? Bless more than you ask him to bless.

Empower more than he's willing more than you're asking him to empower even more. So he says, I'm gonna give you my heart. And that tells me something else about the Lord. He could have just said, I'll give you my eyes, and that would have been great. That would have been consistent with the faithfulness of God and the goodness of God.

But he's he's not just saying, I'm gonna give you my duty of observing and protecting and shielding and giving what is necessary for this house to remain consecrated. My heart is gonna be attached to my duty. I'm gonna delight in doing this. God has a heart behind what he does. He's not a cosmic robot, and prayers aren't coins that you put into the slot.

And if you just do it with the right amount and you do it at the right time, then he'll dish out what you're asking for. No. His heart is behind his willingness to partner with us in advancing purposes for his glory. I'm just gonna give you eyes. I'm gonna give you my heart with it toward this place.

I love to know that God's heart is connected behind his works. His heart is connected behind there's a there's a heartbeat behind his promises and his commands toward us. Solomon hears this. God says, I'm gonna give you what you didn't even ask for, and that's something that you and I can expect for ourselves. But now with these wonderful assurances, the Lord is going to tell Solomon that he must also continue to adhere to things that if he's going to continue to enjoy what the Lord has in store for him.

So it's it's wonderful that Solomon had obeyed up to this point, but the Lord is interested in wanting Solomon to keep going as I said earlier. And so he gives these commands. He gives this encouragement and he gives a warning. And the encouragement here has a promise of reward for obedience. And then there is a warning of the consequences for disobedience.

So here how here's how he begins with the reward for obedience. Verse four. And as for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I've commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules. Pause. Pause.

Pause. If you do, as who? David. So the Lord points to Solomon's father, David, as a model to emulate in terms of faithfulness, integrity, and longevity of devotion to the Lord. You and I have studied David's life carefully and long enough to be very familiar with his personal failures, have we not?

How can the Lord point to David as an example of righteousness and practical holiness knowing that he had many trip ups and a major fall that would have ripple effects for generations? How is the Lord thinking here? What do we know about God if he again is pointing to David as an example? Any idea? Yes.

Go ahead. He doesn't expect you to be perfect, but he just expects you to go to the moon. Very, very well put. Sinless perfection is impossible on this side of heaven. For any person, David, you and I, except for the person of the Lord Jesus Christ who walked on this earth perfectly.

It's impossible. So the Lord here is not pointing to this clean, immaculate record that David was without sin. No. No. He's pointed at David because there's something about David's heart that David that God longs for all of his servants to possess.

What is it about David? What is it that made him so unique? He was persistently repentant. Persistently contrite in heart. Persistently returning to the Lord after his failure.

That is what the Lord is after. Not that we have permission to fail, but what God longs for is that if we do fail, we would never fail to repent. If you do fail, not when that you're premeditating to fail, if you do fail. John speaks about if we sin, if we do fail, that in our failure, we would not fail to turn back to the Lord. David did that.

David had Psalms about that, and that is what moved God's heart to honor him and even honor him before others. A man who is broken penitent always realizing what sin really does ultimately to your relationship with the Lord and you turning back to him when you fail seeking to never repeat it again. Solomon, that's what I'm after. I saw it in your father and I want you to walk in those steps where if you do fail, you would learn how to repent. That your loyalty to me would be proven in turning back to me even for a moment.

Your glance turns away from me. Isn't that refreshing? Isn't that wonderful to know? And, again, that if that moves you to say, well, god, okay. I have a I have a little bit of loophole here that I can take you you gotta reconsider Jesus Christ altogether.

But if you understand the heart of God in this, then that moves you to be holy. And even as you pursue that and seek that and you fall along the way, you can be assured that the Lord will still honor you because like David, you turned back to him. And this is what Solomon had to do. Question, did Solomon do that? Interestingly, Solomon sinned, but he sinned in a way that David never sinned.

Sin is still sin. David never worshiped idols. He lied a lot. He fell into lust. He committed murder, but he never did what Solomon did.

And according if you just look at the record of kings, you'll find that Solomon will die in apostasy, and there is no indication that he died being devoted to the Lord. It's a very, very sad sight. So the very standard that the Lord gives to Solomon, which again is not perfection, though we should strive to be perfect as our father in heaven is perfect, just to be repentant and constantly leaning on the mercy and grace of lord of the lord, even he couldn't do that, at least in the record of kings. When you throw in Ecclesiastes, there's debate about how Solomon might have ended his life. But if you just look at this account, it doesn't end well for Solomon.

Just just walk like your father David walked. And this is this is the promise. If Solomon does this and his successors follow in those steps as well, they would secure perpetual rule in the throne. They would remain on the throne in the land. This is what they had to do, and this is a wonderful promise associated with it.

But now this positive promise is followed by negative one. Verse six. But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children and do not keep my commitments and my statutes that I've set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them. And for the rest of these verses, there are three particular repercussions that the Lord spells out to Solomon. Let's identify them.

The first one here is in verse seven. Then I will cut off from Israel from the I will cut off Israel from the land. That's number one. I will cut off Israel from the land. There will be a deportation.

You will be exiled. You will be removed from the promised land. I will remove Israel from the land that I have given them. Secondly, and the house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight. So not just a removal of the people from the land, but a destruction of the house of God.

This beautiful, adorned, this project that years went into, god says, I'm willing to bring it down to rubble if you turn from me. So exile from the land, number one, the destruction of the temple, and here's the last one. And Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. In other words, the nation and the people of Israel will become the object of scorn and ridicule in the sight of the neighboring nations. For how low they will be brought because of their sin, it will be a reason for the other nations to look upon them with disdain and to mock them and to say many things about them.

These are heavy consequences. He goes on to say and elaborates, and this house in verse eight will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, why has the Lord done this? Done thus to this land and to this house. Solomon, if you obey, you will know perpetual blessing success for generations to come.

If you turn aside a persistent rebellion and apostasy, say goodbye to the land, say goodbye to the temple, and say goodbye to the holy reputation you could have maintained if you had just obeyed what I had said and watched the nations look at you in a light that you do not want. I've I've stepped back from this and I looked at this, and I thought if I read this in isolation, I can come to very, very strong conclusions about the fate of Israel, the future of Israel. But it's a whole different story when you consider the whole counsel of God. Here's the question that I proposed to you in light of these verses, both the positive promise and the severe consequences. Is the lord, namely about the consequences, speaking about a permanent punishment, or is he speaking about a temporal act of discipline?

Somebody peeped out temporal. Is this a permanent punishment, or is this a temporal act of discipline? This is where knowing our Bibles will come in handy, especially when things like in our culture are taking place. Temporal. Temporal.

Temporal. Okay. Any idea why temporal? Any proof in scripture that this is this is temporal? God is love.

God is love. Well, we can say god is love about a lot of things, but god in his love is gonna throw people into hell. His mercy is prophecy. His prophecy where he all will say it. But if when you go to that land, if you turn back, then Okay.

So there are conditions for restoration. So there isn't a permanent cutoff even if they do head this way toward apostasy, which they will do. Very good. I'm looking for something to sink my teeth into. I'm looking for verses.

I'm looking for something to point to. Something that I wanna see it in my Bible. Right? These are good. That was a good one, brother.

I'm not disqualifying that. But give me we want to be informed about this because it's important for many reasons. Yes. Romans 11. Very, very good.

Romans 11. Sister, you went straight for the jugular. Well, that's good. Well, I did ask. We'll get there in a moment.

We'll get there in a moment. But, Paul is not pulling Romans 11 out of thin air, is he? No. He's not. Paul knows his Old Testament very well.

He knows he knows the theological realities concerning this subject extremely well. Can I show you a verses? There's many verses to go to, but can I show you a collection of verses in one place that ties so beautifully with this warning? Because we see these very warnings come to fruition at one point, especially in Israel's history. Tell me which one it is.

What happens? At what point did they be were they removed from the land, the temple was destroyed, and the neighboring nations mock them? Babylonian exile. There were two exiles. The northern tribes were exiled through and by whom?

The Assyrians came in, but the major one the major one that touched the core of the nation because of Jerusalem and the temple was the Babylonian exile. And the Babylonian exile was warned about as a final set of warning and eventually manifested in the days of Jeremiah. In Jeremiah's day, people heard and were being prepared though they some many of them didn't believe it would happen, but some heard what Jeremiah to say that they were going to be removed from the land, that what what God warned here actually manifested and came to pass. And you know what happened? There was a popular opinion that was swirling around concerning the identity and the fate of Israel as a result of God's punishment in the way that he spells out in first Kings nine.

Can I show it to you? Turn with me to Jeremiah chapter 33, and let's read here together in verse 23. Jeremiah thirty three twenty three. May God equip us and allow us and empower us to recall these verses and remember them when they need to be remembered. Jeremiah thirty three twenty three.

This is so powerful. We read, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. Have you not observed that these people are saying, the Lord has rejected the two clans that he chose? Thus, they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight. So what's happening?

People are beginning to say, because this is what's going to happen to Israel, because of their apostasy, because of their rebellion, because of their sin, god has cast off Israel, not in a temporal sense, but in a permanent sense. That they would be no longer regarded as God's people and that they would even no longer be recognized as a nation. Does this sound familiar? It doesn't? It does sound familiar.

And so here's what the masses believed. Evidently, based on Israel's spiritual condition here and what God's going to do with them, then God's done with them. It's over. And the Lord says something very powerful. He says, they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight.

By refusing to acknowledge them as a people, not just a people, people who have a covenant with God, they are being despised. And then he goes on to say, thus says the Lord. I'm going to respond to this opinion. Thus says the Lord. If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

You know what he's saying here? It's very simple. My covenant with Israel is as fixed as my covenant with the order of nature. My covenant with Israel is as fixed as my covenant is with the order of day and night, with the order of nature. Then he goes on to say, for I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.

I will do it. You know what's so significant about this? This is being declared in the context of severe punishment coming to Israel. This is not in the context of them walking faithfully before god. This is in the context of them ready to receive the most brutal punishment they can receive as a people who have been given a land, having given a house of worship, having given a reputation and responsibility toward the nations.

And so this is what God says. And for some reason, when you when you say something like that, Christians tend to translate it as, then we have to approve everything that the people of Israel do whether that be sinful or idolatry or idolatrous. No. God is saying this ready to punish them. God is saying this while they are going to be chastised.

The idea of covenant with Israel does not excuse sinful behavior, apostasy or idolatry. It's that's not the case at all. People view view this this this conversation with a very simplistic frame of mind and argumentation. You look at Revelation and we're talking about the city in which in chapter 11, the two witnesses will declare the word of the Lord with great signs and power. And the Holy Spirit writes that the place in which they'll do it, which is Jerusalem, which is the holy city, is called Sodom and Egypt, spiritually speaking.

So God can't condemn behavior. God can convict. God can even exercise his judgment. But to say that sin, namely Israel sin can reach a point where it completely deletes all the declaration that god has made concerning their fathers is a grave mistake, is a serious mistake. It's a misguided opinion and a skewed theological idea because even the lord doesn't believe it.

So that how how do we understand that? How do we understand these consequences that seem to indicate being cast off, being rejected, not continuing to enjoy the promises that God has declared to David and declared to Abraham, I think this one verse helps a lot. In Hosea chapter three verse four, we see here that another prophet describes what this punishment looks like in terms of timing, in terms of how far it goes. Here's just one example in Hosea chapter three verse four. For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods.

So Hosea is declaring that it's possible for there to be long periods of time where the people of Israel will not know king, will not know a righteous governance, will not know a place of worship, will not know a sacrificial system along with other things. It's possible for there to be a stretch of time where this is not a reality for the people of Israel. And that's what's happened in Israel's history. That's what's happened to Israel post bible times. Where there was a stretch of time and there is a time now, where this is a reality.

And it was true then for many, many years, many centuries. They didn't know these things. And that's what God is warning about. I am willing to put a pause on these blessings. Your your lack of repentance, your sin, your idolatry is able to interrupt what I'm willing to give you without end and without stop.

Does this make sense tonight? So it's possible for the children of Israel to go many, many days without knowing even the things that are secured by covenant. And I can hear it. I can hear it. I can hear it on YouTube.

I can read it. I can see it. I'm not a prophet nor a son of a prophet. These are Old Testament verses. These are pre Christ, pre cross, pre gospel, pre resurrection, pre ascension, pre inception of the church.

Surely, when the Messiah comes to his people and they reject them, that would be the final straw. That would be the line crossed, the line of no return. That would be where the people of Israel with all the things that were connected to them will evaporate and have evaporated. So we gotta find some evidence post cross, post gospel, post crucifixion, post church. Is there anywhere we can find where we get clarification about God's dealing with the nation of Israel?

Well, our sister already referenced it. Let's look at just verse one of Romans 11. Here's the New Testament version of Jeremiah thirty three twenty three to 26 along with other verses in the Old Testament. Here's what Paul says in Romans 11 verse one. What does he say?

I ask then, has God rejected has God rejected his people By no means. And and here's his first order of proof. For I myself an Israelite. In other words, hey, look at me. For I myself an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham.

Okay. You can spiritualize you can spiritualize Israelite. You can probably spiritualize spiritualize descendant of Abraham, but he goes even further. He goes, I I'm a member of the tribe of Benjamin. Like, I'm trying to hone in as closely as possible to my fleshly identity here.

I'm an Israelite. I'm a descendant of Abraham, and I'll tell you which tribe I'm from. Paul is not speaking about a spiritual Israel here. He's speaking about flesh and blood Israel. He's speaking about being an actual physical descendant of this ethnic people group.

And by God's grace, at some point, we will talk about Romans 11. But let's just fast forward through all of that and go to what I believe is the clearest New Testament statement about this, what some people would deem a controversial theological discussion and topic. Verse 28. What does Paul say in the same breath of Romans 11 verse one. He's speaking about the Jewish people, the people of Israel.

As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. In other words, in the rejection of the Messiah and the rejection of this gospel that saves this eternal gospel that has been prophesied about from the beginning of time, they are enemies. You know what Paul's saying there? They are in rebellion. They they are in a bad position.

They are standing as enemies before God in terms of the truth that they are rejecting, and they are in need of the gospel. They need to repent. They need to bow their knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. They need to be washed by the blood of the lamb of God. They need the gospel.

They need to see the truth and give themselves to this truth. Paul is not dismissing that idea. He's not he's not in defense of the people still having a connection to God's purposes and plans saying that they are exempt from the gospel. You know, there are some people who have said that and believe that. And because of the history and the covenants and the promises and the prophets, they are not as urgent to be reached for with the gospel.

That's not Paul's attitude. Absolutely not. He goes, yes. As regards to the gospel, they are enemies for of God for your sake, but he doesn't finish it there. Let me tell you something so fascinating.

I received a link to a documentary many weeks ago, especially when things started to get crazy in The Middle East. And this document, this two hour documentary was about the very opposite of what Paul preached. That Israel is no longer relevant. Israel has has has nothing to do with the new covenant, has nothing to do with God's future, has nothing to do with eschatology. It's just there's no need to look at Israel whatsoever and consider them as a distinct separate group that God has a special purpose and plan for.

You know what I was I clicked play and I thought to myself, I wonder if they're gonna go to Romans 11. I wonder if they're gonna go to Romans 11. They went to different places, and finally, they quoted Romans 11. Romans 11 and can we go put that verse back up there? Romans eleven twenty eight.

I said, no way. How are they going to explain this? And here's what happened. This is what happened. As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake.

They stopped and they say, see they're enemies of the gospel. That's what they did in the documentary. They didn't finish the rest of the verse. You can make the Bible say anything if you can cut verses in half. You can say whatever you want.

You can come up with any school of thought. Any you can dismantle the deity of Christ by doing that to the Bible. Finish it. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. In terms of election, God made a promise to the forefathers of this people group.

And because of his love for them, he's gonna keep those promises. He's gonna keep those promises. This is not as much about the people of Israel as much as it is about the God of this people, The God of Israel. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. I made certain promises to this people group and I'm gonna see it through because my faithfulness is on the line.

My reputation is on the line. The word that I've said, I am the Lord who do not change. I don't change. Malachi three six, you heard it last Sunday. Therefore, you will not be consumed even in my discipline against you.

And so what does that mean? Well, if you know and if you see the Bible for what it is in terms of even the events of the last days, there needs to be a land with a city called Jerusalem in it. There needs to be because Jesus is gonna plant his feet on the mount of what? Not Mount Everest. The Mount Of Olives.

And there's gonna be a time when the people that Paul describes are gonna see the one whom they have pierced and mourn after him. There's gonna be a dramatic event that's going to take place in the last days that's going to cause this people group as a nation to declare Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the Messiah. You remove that from your eschatology, and you're gonna have a very different looking eschatology. And so Romans 11 is key. In fact, Romans 11 is not just Romans 11.

Connect Romans 11 to nine, ten, and 11. Those are all there to make this main point. What has God done and what will God do with this people called Israel in light of the rejection of the Messiah? And he ends it on this point. He's close to finishing where he says, look, they are enemies in terms of the gospel.

And so people wonder, well, as a Christian, how should my attitude be toward this people group, the Jews, the nation the same as Paul's, I argue. What was Paul's heart? Oh, that they would be saved. Oh, the great sacrifice and the great lengths I'm willing to go through for them, my brethren, to hear the truth and be saved. You evangelize them.

You pray for them. Just like anybody else who needs the gospel, that is your mandate in mind as the church of Jesus Christ. And so this is not speaking about permanent punishment, but a temporal act of discipline. God spells that out in Jeremiah 33, many other scriptures. Hosea three four tells us by way of inference about how that would play out.

And Romans 11 in our New Testament declares what these prophets knew that even in the rebellion that the people of Israel are walking in, that will never irreversibly nullify these promises because God is going to save this nation. Let's come back to first Kings nine. How will Solomon respond to the word of the Lord? Unfortunately, in this next section that will be read here is an early indication that he did not take complete heed to the warnings that were given to him. Let's read from verse 10.

At the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the Lord and the king's house, and Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress timber and gold, as much as he desired, king Solomon gave to Hiram 20 cities in the land of Galilee. But when Hiram came from Tyre to see the cities that Solomon had given him, they did not please him. Therefore, he said, what kind of cities are these that you have given me, my brother? So they are called the land of Kabul to this day. Hiram had sent to the king a 120 talents of gold.

Here's the first questionable decision, a flag, if you will, following this clear warning from the Lord. This seems to be a very clear business transaction. Right? Hiram provides certain things to Solomon, and Solomon as a collateral gives back what? The the set of cities from the land of Galilee.

Why is this a flag? This is the land of Israel. This is the land of Israel. No king, no person, no matter how influential, no matter what neighboring nations have done, have the right to give away God's land. This was issued by divine decree.

This was solely for the people of Israel. And if you want a reference to solidify what my brother said because what he said is absolutely true, it's in Leviticus chapter 25 verse 23. It says here, the land shall not be sold for the land is mine. So God says, this is my land. I'm giving it to you, but it belongs to me.

It belongs to me. So no Israelite have had any right, especially toward outsiders, to give away portions of God's promises, the prize that he consecrated for these people. They didn't have the liberty to do this. And Solomon for some reason felt like he could do this. I mean, there was even a celebration, an event called the year of jubilee.

You've heard of this. Right? And in the year of jubilee, what would happen is, in very simple terms, everything that was passed on or given over through business transactions must return to the original owners, lest they be deprived of their inheritance, lest they are cut off separate from that which belong to them by God's original declaration. And so they couldn't just do this. Solomon does this.

And I don't know what's going on through Solomon's mind. Maybe he thinks they're just 20 cities. It's not a big deal. But these 20 cities sat on this property that God had consecrated. And Solomon, for some reason, felt like he can do this, that he even allowed something to happen as you read in verse 16.

Look at verse 16. This is astounding. We read, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had gone up. And what does he do? And captured Gezer and burned it with fire.

Gezer is in Israel, by the way. And had killed the Canaanites who lived in the city and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife. So at some point, the king of Egypt goes into the promised land, takes over a city, kills the remaining Canaanites, and takes that city, and gives it to an unbelieving idol worshiping woman, Solomon's wife. Remember he married her back in chapter three. So now even that is given over to someone who has no right to put their hands on.

What is Solomon thinking? He clearly has a low view of what God esteems and longs to protect and shield. And so we see here right away that there is a flag in Solomon's devotion to the completeness of God's decree and word. And we look at this and we think to ourselves, where is this gonna go? Well, it's gonna lead to many other things in a moment.

But notice that Solomon was not the only one who had a low view of the land of promise. What was Hiram's reaction when he saw these 20 cities? What's this? Are you serious? We don't know why he said this.

We don't know what it was about these cities that made him feel this way. But regardless, that's God's land. And and Hyrum showed disrespect, disdain, and he lacked the insight of the preciousness of what God had given his people. You know what you learned from that? Don't expect nor be surprised if the world and the unbelieving don't see the preciousness of the inheritance that you have in Christ.

Don't be surprised. This is what Hyrum is reflecting. As a gentile, someone separated from the people of God, he lacks he lacks the necessary adoration and approval and acknowledgment that this is a blessing from God. And you and I, as we look out into this world and as this world observes us, don't expect them to understand the joy of prayer. Don't expect them to get why you take your Friday night out of your brief weekend to come here willingly and actually enjoy this.

The blessing of fellowship, the joy, the peace of holiness, positionally and practically. Peter talks about how the world in first Peter four four is surprised when you do not join them in their filth and their debauchery. So they're surprised when you don't join them on Friday night sinning against God. And I'm sure they are equally surprised that you're willing to do this instead of pleasing the flesh and advancing your own purposes and your own plans and your own priorities. So Hiramir is a wonderful illustration of those who are outside of our relationship with Christ, and they don't esteem and value what you and I esteem and value.

It's frustrating, yes, but your heart has been made new. Your heart sees. Your heart has been regenerated. And so this man here says, I don't even want this. And you read in the Chronicles account that Solomon takes it back and he builds it for Israelites to live in again.

But that's just the first flag. Let's read the second flag. From verse 15 down to verse 19, we read of these different projects that Solomon undergoes. But notice here in verse 20, all the people who are left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who are not of the people of Israel, their descendants who are left after them in the land whom the people of Israel were unable to devote to destruction, these, Solomon, drafted to be slaves, and so they are to this day. Flag number one is that Solomon gave pieces of the land away.

Flag number two is what? Solomon kept people in the land that he should not have kept. When Israel was in Joshua's generation entering into the promised land, they were called to lay lay siege and to bring total deliverance from the inhabitants of the land who have heaped up mountainous sins throughout centuries that deserve to be punished. And God used Israel as a divine instrument of judgment for that to take place. But you read Joshua we've studied Joshua in great length, and we saw that in many instances, as these people established their tribes, they they did not remove all of the Canaanites.

And in some cases, in their human wisdom, they took these Canaanites and they made them slaves instead of driving out of the land as God commanded. Solomon is following in the footsteps of the failure of Joshua's generation. And you know what's so crazy? I mean, what did we just hear about the king of Egypt and what he did with certain Canaanites in Gezer? What did he do with them?

Did he make them slaves? No. He he destroyed them. A picture of us destroying sin. That's what the picture is.

We're not called the holy war and take up arms. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood nor our weapons carnal. But we see here that even the king of Egypt indirectly and unintentionally is doing what was originally commanded. And what does Solomon do? I can make use of these guys.

We have a lot of things that we still need to do, a lot of projects, a lot of things I wanna accomplish, and why not take them and make them slaves? Just another compromise added to more compromise. And clearly, Solomon, as a king, did not understand the repercussions, the potential dangers that awaited, maybe not in his lifetime, but in a time to come, like Joshua's generation failed to see and understand in their time. Let me give you an example. This is a a scripture that came to mind.

This is the beauty of being able to have a reservoir of the word of God in systematic study. In Joshua eleven twenty two, in one of the attempts to eradicate these people, we read in Joshua eleven twenty two, there was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. And I noticed this, only in Gaza I know that's a that's a tough word these days, but it's in the Bible. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain. So when they destroyed these Anakin, right, we're told they're very specific that there were certain of these Anakin that were left in these respective cities, and they left it alone.

They didn't think it's just only a few. It's only some. What stands out to you about this verse? There's one particular, city that should ring a bell, especially after our study in first and second Samuel. Very good.

Gath. You know why that's important? Who's from Gath? Goliath's from Gath. So you didn't deal with Gath then, and what you end up having?

To deal with a giant many years later. A bigger problem down the road that you could have dealt with early on. Not that there weren't giants then, there were giants then, but the picture is so clear that if you don't deal with these things early on, they will come back to haunt you. And I've said this back in Joshua. I remember it so clearly that if you don't deal with things in your single life, your marriage isn't going to heal those problems as you get married.

Your wife isn't gonna heal them. Children's your promotion's not gonna do it. You you whatever you do, only Christ can deliver you. And Christ wants us to have this urgency of dealing with these things now because they can take root, and they can build walls that become much more difficult to overcome. Solomon didn't see it as that.

He didn't he didn't recognize that this can potentially go wrong down the road. So that is his second compromise. Not only did he give pieces of the land away, he kept people in the land that he shouldn't have kept. Let's look at the third one. This one's a little bit more subtle, but it's there nonetheless.

In verse 22, but of the people of Israel, Solomon made no slaves. There were soldiers. There were his officials, his commanders, his captains, his chariot commanders, and his horsemen. There's compromise there. This sounds like a noble thing.

This sounds like a respectable thing. This sounds like something to praise Solomon for. Yeah. He didn't make slaves of the people of God. He gave him high ranking positions, and he didn't degrade them.

And but where's the issue here? Anybody see it? Very good observation. Chariots and horsemen. Why is that a problem?

That's one thing. When you go to Deuteronomy seventeen sixteen, you know this very well, where kings, not just Solomon, but kings as a rule for all the rulers and the monarchs were not to have many, what, horses. Don't acquire many horses. Not no horses. Don't acquire many to the point where you put your trust and strength in the arm of the flesh.

Did Solomon have many horses? How do we know that? All you have to do is go to chapter 10 of first Kings and look at verse 26. Here's the exact number. And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen.

He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed, look at this, in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. That's a lot. Those are a lot of horses. That's in direct violation of what? Of what God had said in Deuteronomy 17.

So you see that when he had these leaders of horsemen and horses, he was violating the law of God. And so already, if we honor the sequence of first Kings chapter nine, we see that there are even more cracks to this man's faith. There are now more footholds in his devotion to the Lord. This is not gonna end well for Solomon, and we're being told that if we know our our Bibles well, which you do, you said this is you should be reading and saying, Solomon, you gotta change quickly. Things are gonna come crashing.

There is a mighty fall waiting to happen, and all you have to do is wait two chapters for that mighty fall to come. Chapter 11. So here's here's a summary of this chapter as we read the last few verses. Verse 24. But Pharaoh's daughter went up from the city of David to her own house that Solomon had built for her, then he built the Mila.

We we read this, and we looked at this many weeks ago. Now look at this. This is interesting. In verse 25, three times a year, Solomon used to offer up burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar that he built to the lord, making offerings with it before the lord so he finished the house. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Solomon is not assuming the role of a priest. Solomon is participating in these feasts, and he even, by way of example, goes to these three pilgrim feasts that was commanded in Exodus that you were to be present at the house of God. This is a praiseworthy thing. This is an excellent thing. But, again, you take that in isolation.

You say, okay. Solomon seems to be doing well. But what's the backdrop? It's interwoven with compromise. And this is an illustration of how us in compromise, we can become very strategic when we are intentionally doing things that we know we're not supposed to be doing.

And partial obedience has a incredible way of quieting sprinkled conviction in our lives or or compromise in our lives. Partial obedience has a wonderful way of quieting sprinkled compromise in our lives. So what does this really mean? What does this really mean in light of what God asked of him in verse four of the same chapter, first Kings chapter nine? What did the Lord ask of him?

And as for you, if you walk before me as David your father walked with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all, all, all, all that I have commanded you. Not some, not almost, not 95, all. I'm asking for all. And and, Solomon, if you fail to meet me with that request, be like your father David. Repent and turn to me.

I'm willing to embrace you and restore you and walk hand in hand again. But Solomon found a place where he thought he can do some and and others he can operate in his own wisdom, and this is gonna cost him greatly. Verse 25. Here's how we're ending. We read that where he goes three times a year, and then interestingly ends with this thought.

King Solomon, verse 26, built a fleet of ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent with the fleet his servants, seamen who were familiar with the sea together with the servants of Solomon. And they went to Ophir and brought from their gold 420 talents, and they brought it to king Solomon. So the last thought that we're supposed to have with the backdrop of compromise partial obedience, god speaking and visiting to Solomon with these instructions is that he was, at this time, advancing economically, politically. He was growing as an entrepreneur.

He was expanding his his administrative abilities, and now he is he is now executing trade by the sea, and he's able to enlarge his international relationships and and import and export. You you know, you read that, you think, wow. He's able to bring this vast amount of gold. And humanly speaking, you think this is impressive. Naturally speaking, in the carnal, you would say this is wow.

This is something this is something remarkable. But here's what we're seeing. Here's this man growing in wealth, growing in popularity, growing in power, and yet at the same time, his heart is hardening. And he's weakening in devotion, weakening in his worship, weakening in his commitment to the things of God. So in one sense, he's going this way, but in the most important sense, he's declining.

And it's possible for people to do that. You know what's so amazing? The Lord appeared to Solomon twice. If the Lord appeared to you and I once in our lifetime, what would that do? What would that do for you and I if he appeared in a way that was undeniable?

It wasn't because you had pizza late at night. It was a real visitation from God. What would you do? How would that mark you? Would that not be a life changing event?

Solomon didn't get it once. He got it twice. You know, read later on, and when he is going to fall in the way he falls, the Holy Spirit is gonna make the comment of how the Lord appeared to him twice. And still with those appearances, he was willing to turn his back. You know, sometimes you look at people and you see the trajectory of their lives, and you think to themselves yourself, you you look at this one portion of their lives, you go, they seem to be so devoted.

They seem to have a genuine experience with the Lord. But how did they end up here? And you know what some people say? Well, that must have not been real. That's not the case.

That's not the case. The appearances of the Lord to Solomon at this juncture, at this point, were very real. They weren't imagination. They weren't hallucination. They were genuine.

It's possible to have a genuine encounter with Christ. It's possible to have a taste of the miraculous. It's possible for the lord to come in in a very special way, and down the road, you make money your god. It's possible. It is possible.

It's possible to, at some point, have great priority toward the kingdom of God and, eventually, other things take priority, and the kingdom of God is not even a secondary thought. It's an afterthought. It's possible for us to understand through Solomon's life for someone to do even great things for god yesterday, but turn away from him tomorrow. This is the tragedy of Solomon's life. And I think it's a providential illustration that has been brought before us as we prepare to enter into a new year with new hopes, new desires, new dreams, new longings, new vision.

Let me circle it back to how this whole thing started. Don't fail to bring God before you always. Always. His word above all things. No matter what goes for you, no matter what goes against you, I have set the Lord always before me.

May that be true of 2024 and the years beyond until we see him face to face. Let's pray. Father, with great delight, we have tasted the morsels of these truths, and we feel nourished. We feel equipped. We feel stirred, and we feel challenged.

Lord, your mind is brilliant. Your word is irrefutable. It's so clear. And, Lord, you've invited us to investigate and discover your heart, your mind, the consistency and the harmony of your word from beginning to end. Thank you for confirming things to us.

Thank you for bringing new things to our attention. Lord, we just ask that no matter what, we would be people who know the truth and love the truth and submit to the truth. Lord, even if the truth tonight has challenged us here or would challenge viewers online, may one thing be said of what was shared, it was found in God's word. And it was, by God's grace, honestly and faithfully explained. Lord, would you keep us faithful to your word?

No matter what shifting opinions come or go, may we stand firm on the rock of your truth. And, Lord, we just pray that Solomon's example would not be taken lightly. We would see him as a divine as a divine inclusion of your word to be careful that we can fall in the same traps. And at the same time, may we see the encouragement that you, oh lord, with David and even with Solomon, you're willing to work with imperfect people, and you're willing to take us back and walk with us and and wash us and strengthen us and even use us on top of that even after we have fallen into into any kind of failure. Lord, as we seal up this time together, we pray that you would receive worship not just in our singing and closing, but in our obedience to say, Lord, help me help me apply this to my life.

Show me in the areas of my life where I am not in alignment with what I just heard, and may I be in alignment with what you desire for me. Lord, we give you praise and honor. We thank you. We thank you with all of our hearts that you are truth, and we rejoice that we are in the truth. We rejoice that we've been rescued from deception.

We rejoice that what we have in our hands can keep us free from any lies that would make us miss out on the promises of your inheritance that we have in Christ Jesus. We rejoice now together as a family and saying thank you for your word. In the name of the word who became flesh, Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.

Amen. What a mighty god we serve. Well, let's stand and worship the lord on this wonderful evening.