King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Saturday, May 31, 2025
Chapters: I Kings 3-4, II Chronicles 1
Message: I Kings/II Chronicles: Solomon Has A Dream
Hello My Friend,
As we return to the reading of I Kings and begin II Chronicles we learn that God speaks to His people in several ways to get His point across. Wisdom that comes from God not only brings prosperity to the person obtaining it, it does so for the entire nation. And a nation rule under God’s wisdom is not only blessed with provisions and protection, it is also blessed with peace. However, it is all dependent upon our obedience to God, [Luke 12:29-31 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.]
Recently, we learned that Solomon’s first act as king was to take care of the people that his father had told him to take care of before anything else. However, he did do something that may trigger an alarm. Today, we learn that Solomon made a treated with the king of Egypt and married his daughter.
[1 Kings 3:1-3 And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. 2 Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days. 3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.]
This would, actually cause problems later on as Solomon would go on to marry more wives from different nations. The problem was that was they did not all worship God and therefore, they would eventually turn his heart to following their gods. Saved, born again Christians are to never yoke themselves together with nonbelievers otherwise they will turn their heart fro God, [2 Corinthians 6:14,17-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.]
The Book of 2 Chronicles is the fourteenth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains thirty-six chapters. The timeline for these events took place between 1015 BC to 610 BC. The author of the book is Ezra, and was written to the Jews who were in captivity in Babylon for seventy years. The purpose of the book was to record the events that took place in Judah that brought them into captivity. What we are to learn from the book is that the blessings God gives to us comes through humbling ourselves and seeking His wisdom in all that we do, [2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.]
In the beginning of Solomon’s reign he did very well as king, this was solely upon the fact that after all the issues David had with his eldest sons, he taught Solomon to fear God. Now, after his treaty agreement with Egypt, Solomon and the entire congregation sought out the Tabernacle and the brazen altar, which was located in Gibeon so that they could worship God there.
[2 Chronicles 1:1-3,5-6 And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly. 2 Then Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every governor in all Israel, the chief of the fathers. 3 So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness. 5 Moreover the brasen altar, that Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the LORD: and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it. 6 And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.]
Solomon and the people, considering it their duty to present their offerings on the legally appointed altar, willingly sought the brazen altar so they might worship God the proper way. These were burnt offerings so they were not for making atonement, they were simply to give honor and praise to God. One thousand offerings is an incredible number, but it was not really the number of sacrifices that God would be pleased with, it would be their faithfulness to Him. Which is why later that night Solomon had a dream and it was no ordinary dream, God, was in that dream.
[2 Chronicles 1:7-10 In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. 8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. 9 Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. 10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?]
Now, I do not know if God directed the dream, but I am pretty sure that He nudged him a little bit because I never remember dreaming about me asking God for anything. However, if God has something to say to us, He will get our attention one way or another. There is nothing that God places before us that is too hard for us, but the key to seeing it through is asking for the right things. Nevertheless, God, was pleased with his request and answered him.
[1 Kings 3:10-13 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; 12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. 13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.]
In other words, Solomon, did not ask God anything for himself nor to destroy his enemies, he simply asked him for the wisdom on how to be the king that He had called him to be. However, there was on condition to his success, God, goes on to explain, [1 Kings 3:14-15 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. 15 And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.]
Solomon, was so humble with what he had been told in his dream that the very first thing he did was reverence God with more sacrifices. Well, you can be sure that as soon as you ask God for something, He will prove you, and Solomon’s first test of wisdom came as two women who happened to be prostitutes had given birth to babies and one of them died. They sought his help in determining who got to keep a baby.
[1 Kings 3:16-20,22 Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. 17 And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. 18 And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. 19 And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it. 20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 22 And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.]
I understand that this may seem like a strange request to bring before the king, but what was even stranger was the response that he gave them, Since both women claimed that the living infant was theirs, Solomon, came up with a plan to determine who was telling the truth.
[1 Kings 3:24-28 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword 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 spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. 27 Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.]
Why did his decision seem like something that came from God? Those who value life are the ones who would do anything to prolong it, even if that means they have to give up the ones they love. By this simple decision, God, had given Solomon more than ordinary wisdom, He enabled him to make righteous judgment. Because if this, the people reverenced him as a wise, judicious, and faithful king, and feared to do anything of a criminal nature out of fear that he would discover it quickly, and bring them to shame. Godly leadership will always prevail and bring protection and prosperity from God in any nation that exceeds our expectations, and even the world knows it. All of Israel might not have been Godly, but they knew that God’s hand was on Solomon.
[1 Kings 4:1-7 So king Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 And these were the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok the priest, 3 Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder. 4 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests: 5 And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king’s friend: 6 And Ahishar was over the household: and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute. 7 And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision.]
Do you see who it is that is first mentioned in helping Solomon succeed as king? The priests, scribes, and the son of Nathan, who was David’s adviser. We need our pastors and other ministers of God to give us the spiritual wisdom, especially if we are going to have secular jobs. This is proof that not every one of God’s people are called to serve in His Church, He needs faithful, Godly men and women in every position all over the world to serve Him wherever He leads them, [1 Corinthians 12:27-28 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.]
In an interesting fact, Solomon and his brethren we a part of history in the making, in fact, a prophecy too. Both Judah and Israel as a whole was being blessed with great fruitfulness in their families, as well as having no diseases among them, or wars to lessen their number. This was a promise made to Abraham that was fulfilled, [Genesis 22:17-18 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.] I Kings goes on to give the account of not only Israel being blessed, but other nations.
[1 Kings 4:20-24 Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry. 21 And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. 22 And Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal, 23 Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl. 24 For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him.]
Because Solomon ruled with God’s wisdom, God, did as He said He would and he actually prospered greatly. However, Solomon would go on to make another mistake that would compromise his faith later on, [2 Chronicles 1:14-17 And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. 15 And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the vale for abundance. 16 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price. 17 And they fetched up, and brought forth out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so brought they out horses for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, by their means.]
While it was not a bad thing to acquire these things, according to the Law, they must not be in abundance, [Deuteronomy 17:15-17 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. 16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. 17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.]
The king must carefully avoid every thing that would turn him from God and religion. Riches, honors, and pleasures, are three great hindrances of godliness, (the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life) especially to those in high positions as they set the example for the nation. The king was actually told to have a copy of the Law written specifically for himself and have it read often.
[Deuteronomy 17:18-20 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.]
It does not matter if we are a king, queen, prince, or pauper, the same rule applies to all Christians as when it comes to God we all the same, [1 Timothy 2:1-5 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;]
Today’s Prayer: God, It really does bring You great joy to You see Your children blessed with the things they ask You for, especially when they are faithful to You. We do not need to ask You for wealth, weapons, or the desire that our enemies perish to prosper, we only need to ask for Your wisdom to rule our own hearts with a perfect heart. Lord, Lead me and guide me, give me Your wisdom as Your Word teaches me the knowledge I need to be who You called me to be. Let me never forget all that You have done for me, and that I have never lacked when I put my faith and trust in You. You deserve praise and glory for all that I am and have, and I will gladly give that to You. Above all, You deserve for me to give myself to You as a living sacrifice. I love You and ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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