2 Samuael 23 starts week 21. The last words of David.And then David numbered his people at 800,000 in Israel, and 500,000 in Judah. He again repents, and God punishes him by killing 70,000 men. David then has an altar built and the plague was averted from Israel.
Now David couldn’t stay warm, so they found him the most beautiful woman in the land to be his nurse and snuggled with him to keep him warm. (but the king knew her not). Adonijah makes himself King, but Bathsheba and Nathan advise him to announce that Solomon is King. Zadok the priest, anoints Solomon and he becomes King.
1 Kings 2 – This is just like the Godfather. David had promised not to harm certain people, but on his death bed, he tells Solomon about each person. And one by one, Solomon has them killed….
1 Kings 3 – Solomon’s wisdom! and the story of the two harlots and the one baby. Solomon say, no problem, I will just slice the baby in half and you both can have half. The real mother says , “No”, and Solomon gives her the baby.
1 Kings 4-7 – God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure….. He then built a house for the Lord. It took him 7 years to build it.
1 Kings 8 – Solomon has his own house built. It took 13 years. If I read this right, this house is bigger than the house he built for the Lord. And they brought the ark of the covenant to the inner sanctuary of the house.
From Kreeft – “One of the most remarkable aspects of Solomon’s wisdom was his ability to handle wealth without being corrupted by it. This is certainly an art that is rare and relevant today. The first thing Solomon did with his wealth was to build God’s house, the great temple. Like a medieval cathedral, it was a labor of love. Into it was poured a great deal of time and money, and (much more important) great passion and commitment. The Israelites considered this the richest and most beautiful building in the world, the best that man could do, for it was for God. The destruction of this temple was more traumatic to the Jews than most of us can realize. The second rebuilt temple was also destroyed, by the Romans in A.D. 70. The rebuilding of the temple is supposed to be a sign of the end of the world and coming of the Messiah.
In God’s providential plan, Solomon’s temple had to be great because it was a symbol of Christ, who compared his body to the temple when he said “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). The temple had to be perfect because it was to receive the Messiah. It was like Mary’s womb that way.”
Psalm 118 – “His mercy endures forever”
John 7 – “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me……”
“No man ever spoke like this man”
Jesus goes to the mount of Olives
John 8 – Jesus does not condemn the woman found in adultery.
“I am the light of the world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”
“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am”
John 9 – Jesus heals the blind man.
“If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say “we see”, your guilt remains”
John 10 – “I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and i know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep……….
Nancy and I listened to a talk on the origins of the 4 Gospels…. amazing. I will write that up as a separate blog. It really helped me understand the different writings and why they were different, in terms of who they were writing for. John was the beloved disciple, and he knew Jesus and Mary….. His was written in the “now”…..
Have a good week everyone….
The Journey Begins 