Category: Nation Stream

Posted on

June 5



I Kings 4-7

We are in the Nation Stream and learn about the applied wisdom of Solomon. We are reading from the New Living Translation this week.

 

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

God, we learn of the Temple that was the highest of priorities and so engrossing for so many, …and it is humbling and inspiring to hear, learn and know that WE are the Temple you are interested in.  We are beauty and worth investing in.  Your love for us is a marvel.  Amen.
Solomon's Temple
Solomon’s Temple
King Solomon's Palace
King Solomon’s Palace
4 – Solomon was what gets called, “large and in-charge”.  He inherited the most powerful Kingdom in existence at the time.  His father David had expanded the borders to the greatest they had ever been.  The residents of the newly absorbed areas sent in tribute money and Solomon commenced building the kingdom to even greater and more than it ever had been.  It blossomed to the height of it’s greatness under Solomon.  The peace and prosperity and culture and music and education was a national marvel that left countless people enthralled to visit Jerusalem and the rest of the country.  The national administration of officers and governors are listed.  Just a note in case it is news, the Hebrew prefix “Ben- ” before a name means “son of”. It’s the same as in English putting “son” at the end of a name/ “sen” in Swedish/ the prefix “Mc” in Gaelic – you get it, right?
-the people were numerous, the population along with Solomon’s staff are well fed, the stalls are filled with animals; including horses for royalty. Solomon is writing voluminously, and ambassadors come from the world over to learn from Solomon. Solomon had asked for wisdom in I Ki. 3 [also II Chr. 1] and God granted his request – did He ever!
 
5 – The preparations for the building of the Temple went into high production.  The relationship with Lebanon and her leaders was rich, deep, and warm.  They traded heavily as Lebanon supplied cedar and staffing as Israel offered food in exchange. To put it into what may be simpler to envision–> The wheat shipped north was 12+1/2 full size truck loads per year (and there are no trucks at the time!).  The olive oil sent each year to Lebanon was a volume that would fill four full size in-ground swimming pools. The staffing and labor and construction crews and supervisors were more than 180,000 men.  They began making the timber and the stone for the Temple and more projects that Solomon had planned.
 
6 – The Temple begins construction.  Can you imagine the excitement?  It was 480 years since leaving Egypt and the goal of the culture was under construction. Notice in verse seven that there was no sound of hammer, ax or any iron tool.  There was no sawing sound either.  What?! a construction site that is nearly silent….! This was the house of God and it was a reverent undertaking. Mid-job, God reminded them that they would have God’s presence with them eternally as long as they keep His commands.  The dimensions of the Temple are given again, the details of the interior are listed. the intricacies are boggling and beautiful. The aroma of all the cedar, and the breathtaking beauty of all the gold! good heavens.  The Temple was up in the realm of seven years. And it was astonishing to gaze at. The expense, and the staffing, the transport, the work being done in silence – we’ve heard a clear and intriguingly credible description from a world-reknowned leader that this Temple could not be built today.
 
7 – Solomon then built his palace to be his residence. There was also the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon, the Hall of Pillars, the Throne Room/Hall of Justice. Solomon is quite the architect, y’might say!  Then a man named “Huram” is conscripted to come and do metal work and carvings.  His skill is legendary in his giftedness. The things he made, carved, shaped and formed are mind-boggling. It’s difficult to envision it all.  He made things for the Temple plus numerous furnishings for the Temple.  When the Temple was completed all the dedicated gifts were brought in and stored in the treasury of the Temple.  Such a feat was completed.
Posted on

May 29



I Kings 1-3

We are in the Nation Stream today and we say goodbye to King David. We are reading from the Modern English Version this week.

 

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

“Lord we ask for your wisdom too.  Thank you for granting what is right to those who ask.  Amen.”
 
Kings is good especially for noting dates and chronology. It is the history that is concurrent (much of it is anyway) with Chronicles.  Chronicles is written from the perspective of the south where the Temple and Jerusalem was.  Kings is written in the north and mostly of the activity there.  We see the phrase, “seek the Lord” in Chronicles about two dozen times where in those same stories found in Kings, that phrase is not in the literature.  So Kings [after the split in ch. 12] and the story of the north Kingdom is narrating the lives of these tribes gone deliberately pagan, whereas in Chronicles narrating the life in the south, there are at least periods of reform and an attempt to follow God. Of the 20 kings of the northern Kingdom from 930 – 722 B.C. none were descendants of David. Whereas in the south, 19 of the 20 kings were descendants of David. 
 

1 – Kings opens with David being nearly out of time and it is getting nervy in Jerusalem as Solomon is to be the king in succession, but Adonijah thinks he should be king. Adonijah’s older brothers Absalom, Amnon, and an obscure brother “Chiliab” were all dead so Adonijah assumed it was all his now. Some prominent people sided with Adonijah, but the vital leaders did not. Adonijah became pompous and forceful and started parading and making sacrifices and struck up the party as if he were already the king. In another part of town, Bathsheba; Solomon’s mother, and Nathan met with David to insist that David assert what ought to be done and make the declaration openly about who should follow him as King. So David makes it plain (also in I Chr. 22:6-10). Zadok the priest (“zadok” means ‘righteous’ in Hebrew) was the priest that anointed Solomon. The parade and music for Solomon was thunderous in comparison. Adonijah’s group then heard it and scattered as Adonijah was now fearful for his life. Solomon was gracious here and let Adonijah go free…at least here anyway.

 
2 – David gives his final charge to Solomon –> to follow the Lord completely. He also warns Solomon of a few men in the country who have rebellious hearts.  David then departs this world and Solomon is king outright.  Adonijah had survived trying to take the throne, but his request to have his father’s nurse as a wife gets him executed. Abiathar the Priest is exiled and relieved of duty.  Joab, also in another intriguing story, is executed at Solomon’s orders for not being wholeheartedly yielded to David and the throne.  Looking back, Joab was zealous for the King but his zeal got ahead of his wisdom when he jumped in too quickly with Adonijah and his “FAD” [king For-A-Day.] Shimei also had to die. He had cursed King David during Absalom’s rebellion. Solomon was lenient at the outset but Shimei’s undoing came when he couldn’t adhere to Solomon’s final warning and orders to him. Shimei is executed. Solomon is now king uncontested by rivals or rebels.
 
3 – Solomon married and brought an Egyptian wife to Jerusalem. It was a political move that was a “headwater issue” that would, in time, turn him astray from his faith (I Ki. 11:1 – Solomon, HOWEVER loved many foreign women…). Here he is just starting out and in his first season as King, this is his first recorded stunt. As one wise preacher has said in his observations of life, “the death of many endeavors is programmed right into the birth of it.” It’s an interesting item of concern for sure.  The Temple is not built and it needs to be – as David had urged Solomon (that is mentioned in Chronicles, not Kings).  So Solomon is making a sacrifice one evening and the Lord appears in a dream and grants Solomon his request for wisdom to govern.  Jesus said “ask and you shall receive” almost 1000 years after this but this same trinity/God is granting requests long before it is articulated by our Savior in the flesh.  And Solomon receives!
-his wisdom is put to the test when two unsavory mothers come to him both claiming that the live baby is theirs and the dead one is the other’s. What to do.                    It’s an unfortunate issue in life that the person who cares least about what is right is often the one in charge. For example, at a troubled school in a distressed area, who is in charge in the classroom? The student who wants to learn and grow, the teacher who can’t get kids to behave anyway, or the deviant student who brought a weapon to school?  It’s obvious and it’s sad who’s in charge.  In a strained relationship, who is in control of it, the one who wants to preserve it or the one who doesn’t care about it?! It’s also unfortunate that the one who doesn’t care rules the atmosphere via the  mental vandalism of it.
Well here the woman who crushed her baby in her sleep wants the other baby to die since she is jealous and a lecherous woman anyway.  How does Solomon reveal the truth? His offer brings out her reaction of urging Solomon, “go ahead and cut it in half” is what gave her away.  Solomon employs his wisdom and his ruling leaves the whole nation in awe.
 
Posted on

May 22

 

II Samuel 21-24

We are in The Nation Stream and finishing the book of II Samuel. We are reading from the New International Version.

 

Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis

Dear Lord, we see the greatest of Kings in essence getting his house or rather his soul in order as he is preparing to depart and “be gathered to his people”. May we be souls who have the wisdom to number our days and make sure they count for Christ and His Kingdom.  Amen.

21 – This chapter wraps up the 9 chapters straight of troubles that sprung up in David’s life since the Bathsheba incident. Virtually all of this is in-house trouble.  It’s painful problems that were at an anguish level for David. Life was always turbulent for David since he defeated Goliath. That is the price of leadership. But this last 9 chapters hit close to home since his since was within his own home, among his own home and against his own. One might call the long season of David’s life “when pain hits home.”  The incident of the Gibeonites and avenging the wrong done to them to end the famine was simply awful stuff. That’s one thing about the Bible – it doesn’t gloss over how bad things can get as consequence of breaking a treaty before God or from breaking faith with God. The Philistines took one last swipe at David and his kingdom. It’s legendary as giants came forth and Davids’ army struck and finished them all off.

 
22 – David is sharing one of his last Psalms as he looks back on his life. God has always been faithful. Though David has erred on occasion – David, however, always had unfailing trust in God’s care and David was always grateful knowing that God always took care of him.  It’s placement here has us looking back over David’s life which is among the richest of lives ever lived.  The adventure, the battles and struggles, the triumphs and devotion, the dark nights his soul walked through, the worship and exultation – this life is what has comprised the best of children’s stories that inspire all ages for 3,000 years.
 
23 – This is David’s last Psalm and it is an epochal rendition of God’s majestic work of making the Kingdom of Israel.  God has been just. His Covenant is righteous. And God’s Kingdom will grow eternally.  The list of names of great men and their deeds is like an all=star cast of the superhero movie to end all debates about who is the greatest. It’s really quite something!
 
24 – The census that was taken at the end of David’s life is an issue of puzzlement and discussion that will go on long after today.  To add to a sense of understanding of this reading I Chronicles 21 is the parallel story of this event.  All David’s life he trusted in God alone. This seemed to indicate that, since he was in war much of his life, it was his thinking and orientation so he calculated that he needed some numbers to be assured that the kingdom that had expanded under his reign was sufficient. Satan had urged this census be taken and David complied. Joab was right to question the deed but David prevailed. He got his numbers but there was a plague that swept through in exchange for this faithless deed done with fleshly intent.
The reaction of David and the stopping of the plague was classic David  – though his action was not right initially, his reaction was proper; to commemorate and remember and build an altar to God. Solomon later built the Temple in this same place (II Chr. 3:1)!  It’s marvelous to step back and ponder this, the hand of God that oversees even during and through unfortunate events.