David and Solomon a bible study  with 1 kings 11

 

            Covered in here are the concluding adventures and misadventures of David, and how Solomon took over as king, and built the temple, and dedicated it. God protected David throughout his reign and then made his son Solomon wiser than any king, also wealthy. This version of the note presents a more complete story of Solomon’s reign, including the foreign wives which led him astray of the Lord

The first book to be used is 2 Samuel chapter 22 which is a powerful song of praise to praise God for delivering David

(2 Samuel 22:1)  And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.

 

(2 Samuel 22:2)  He said, "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

 

(2 Samuel 22:3)  my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.

 

(2 Samuel 22:4)  I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

 

(2 Samuel 22:5)  "For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me;

 

(2 Samuel 22:6)  the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

 

(2 Samuel 22:7)  "In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.

 

(2 Samuel 22:8)  "Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry.

 

(2 Samuel 22:9)  Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.

 

(2 Samuel 22:10)  He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.

 

(2 Samuel 22:11)  He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind.

 

(2 Samuel 22:12)  He made darkness around him his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water.

 

(2 Samuel 22:13)  Out of the brightness before him coals of fire flamed forth.

 

(2 Samuel 22:14)  The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice.

 

(2 Samuel 22:15)  And he sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them.

 

(2 Samuel 22:16)  Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

 

(2 Samuel 22:17)  "He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.

 

(2 Samuel 22:18)  He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.

 

(2 Samuel 22:19)  They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.

 

(2 Samuel 22:20)  He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

 

(2 Samuel 22:21)  "The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

 

(2 Samuel 22:22)  For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.

 

(2 Samuel 22:23)  For all his rules were before me, and from his statutes I did not turn aside.

 

(2 Samuel 22:24)  I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt.

 

(2 Samuel 22:25)  And the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.

 

(2 Samuel 22:26)  "With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

 

(2 Samuel 22:27)  with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

 

(2 Samuel 22:28)  You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.

 

(2 Samuel 22:29)  For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness.

 

(2 Samuel 22:30)  For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.

 

(2 Samuel 22:31)  This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

 

(2 Samuel 22:32)  "For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?

 

(2 Samuel 22:33)  This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless.

 

(2 Samuel 22:34)  He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.

 

(2 Samuel 22:35)  He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

 

(2 Samuel 22:36)  You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.

 

(2 Samuel 22:37)  You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip;

 

(2 Samuel 22:38)  I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and did not turn back until they were consumed.

 

(2 Samuel 22:39)  I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise; they fell under my feet.

 

(2 Samuel 22:40)  For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.

 

(2 Samuel 22:41)  You made my enemies turn their backs to me, those who hated me, and I destroyed them.

 

(2 Samuel 22:42)  They looked, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.

 

(2 Samuel 22:43)  I beat them fine as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.

 

(2 Samuel 22:44)  "You delivered me from strife with my people; you kept me as the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.

 

(2 Samuel 22:45)  Foreigners came cringing to me; as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.

 

(2 Samuel 22:46)  Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses.

 

(2 Samuel 22:47)  "The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,

 

(2 Samuel 22:48)  the God who gave me vengeance and brought down peoples under me,

 

(2 Samuel 22:49)  who brought me out from my enemies; you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from men of violence.

 

(2 Samuel 22:50)  "For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.

 

(2 Samuel 22:51)  Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever."

 

2 Samuel 23 records the finish of this praise Psalm as well as the adventures of David’s mighty men

(2 Samuel 23:1)  Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:

 

(2 Samuel 23:2)  "The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me; his word is on my tongue.

 

(2 Samuel 23:3)  The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God,

 

(2 Samuel 23:4)  he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.

 

(2 Samuel 23:5)  "For does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?

 

(2 Samuel 23:6)  But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away, for they cannot be taken with the hand;

 

(2 Samuel 23:7)  but the man who touches them arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they are utterly consumed with fire."

 

(2 Samuel 23:8)  These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.

 

(2 Samuel 23:9)  And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew.

 

(2 Samuel 23:10)  He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the LORD brought about a great victory that day, and the men returned after him only to strip the slain.

 

(2 Samuel 23:11)  And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines.

 

(2 Samuel 23:12)  But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the LORD worked a great victory.

 

(2 Samuel 23:13)  And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

 

(2 Samuel 23:14)  David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.

 

(2 Samuel 23:15)  And David said longingly, "Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!"

 

(2 Samuel 23:16)  Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the LORD

 

(2 Samuel 23:17)  and said, "Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

 

(2 Samuel 23:18)  Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them and won a name beside the three.

 

(2 Samuel 23:19)  He was the most renowned of the thirty and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.

 

(2 Samuel 23:20)  And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.

 

(2 Samuel 23:21)  And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.

 

(2 Samuel 23:22)  These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men.

 

(2 Samuel 23:23)  He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.

 

(2 Samuel 23:24)  Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

 

(2 Samuel 23:25)  Shammah of Harod, Elika of Harod,

 

(2 Samuel 23:26)  Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa,

 

(2 Samuel 23:27)  Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

 

(2 Samuel 23:28)  Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai of Netophah,

 

(2 Samuel 23:29)  Heleb the son of Baanah of Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin,

 

(2 Samuel 23:30)  Benaiah of Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash,

 

(2 Samuel 23:31)  Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth of Bahurim,

 

(2 Samuel 23:32)  Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,

 

(2 Samuel 23:33)  Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite,

 

(2 Samuel 23:34)  Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel of Gilo,

 

(2 Samuel 23:35)  Hezro of Carmel, Paarai the Arbite,

 

(2 Samuel 23:36)  Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,

 

(2 Samuel 23:37)  Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,

 

(2 Samuel 23:38)  Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

 

(2 Samuel 23:39)  Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

 

In 2 Samuel 24 is the account of the ill advised census taken for wrong reasons and which brought judgment on Israel which David made atonement for as well

(2 Samuel 24:1)  Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go, number Israel and Judah."

 

(2 Samuel 24:2)  So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, "Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people."

 

(2 Samuel 24:3)  But Joab said to the king, "May the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?"

 

(2 Samuel 24:4)  But the king's word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel.

 

(2 Samuel 24:5)  They crossed the Jordan and began from Aroer, and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer.

 

(2 Samuel 24:6)  Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites; and they came to Dan, and from Dan they went around to Sidon,

 

(2 Samuel 24:7)  and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba.

 

(2 Samuel 24:8)  So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

 

(2 Samuel 24:9)  And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.

 

(2 Samuel 24:10)  But David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly."

 

(2 Samuel 24:11)  And when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

 

(2 Samuel 24:12)  "Go and say to David, 'Thus says the LORD, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.'"

 

(2 Samuel 24:13)  So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, "Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me."

 

(2 Samuel 24:14)  Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man."

 

(2 Samuel 24:15)  So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men.

 

(2 Samuel 24:16)  And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, "It is enough; now stay your hand." And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

 

(2 Samuel 24:17)  Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, "Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house."

 

(2 Samuel 24:18)  And Gad came that day to David and said to him, "Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."

 

(2 Samuel 24:19)  So David went up at Gad's word, as the LORD commanded.

 

(2 Samuel 24:20)  And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground.

 

(2 Samuel 24:21)  And Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people."

 

(2 Samuel 24:22)  Then Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.

 

(2 Samuel 24:23)  All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God accept you."

 

(2 Samuel 24:24)  But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

 

(2 Samuel 24:25)  And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.

 

In 1 Chronicles 28 David then charges Solomon, David’s son and successor, to build the temple of the Lord specifically as he could not do it because David was a man of war

(1 Chronicles 28:1)  David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, the stewards of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the seasoned warriors.

 

(1 Chronicles 28:2)  Then King David rose to his feet and said: "Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building.

 

(1 Chronicles 28:3)  But God said to me, 'You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.'

 

(1 Chronicles 28:4)  Yet the LORD God of Israel chose me from all my father's house to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah my father's house, and among my father's sons he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.

 

(1 Chronicles 28:5)  And of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons) he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.

 

(1 Chronicles 28:6)  He said to me, 'It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.

 

(1 Chronicles 28:7)  I will establish his kingdom forever if he continues strong in keeping my commandments and my rules, as he is today.'

 

(1 Chronicles 28:8)  Now therefore in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever.

 

(1 Chronicles 28:9)  "And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

 

(1 Chronicles 28:10)  Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it."

 

(1 Chronicles 28:11)  Then David gave Solomon his son the plan of the vestibule of the temple, and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the mercy seat;

 

(1 Chronicles 28:12)  and the plan of all that he had in mind for the courts of the house of the LORD, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for dedicated gifts;

 

(1 Chronicles 28:13)  for the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, and all the work of the service in the house of the LORD; for all the vessels for the service in the house of the LORD,

 

(1 Chronicles 28:14)  the weight of gold for all golden vessels for each service, the weight of silver vessels for each service,

 

(1 Chronicles 28:15)  the weight of the golden lampstands and their lamps, the weight of gold for each lampstand and its lamps, the weight of silver for a lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand in the service,

 

(1 Chronicles 28:16)  the weight of gold for each table for the showbread, the silver for the silver tables,

 

(1 Chronicles 28:17)  and pure gold for the forks, the basins and the cups; for the golden bowls and the weight of each; for the silver bowls and the weight of each;

 

(1 Chronicles 28:18)  for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

 

(1 Chronicles 28:19)  "All this he made clear to me in writing from the hand of the LORD, all the work to be done according to the plan."

 

(1 Chronicles 28:20)  Then David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.

 

(1 Chronicles 28:21)  And behold the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and with you in all the work will be every willing man who has skill for any kind of service; also the officers and all the people will be wholly at your command."

 

1 Chronicles 29 lists all the provisions made for the temple to be built and then David prays for Solomon too to be his successor as king, and David dies at a good old age

(1 Chronicles 29:1)  And David the king said to all the assembly, "Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the LORD God.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:2)  So I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, all sorts of precious stones and marble.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:3)  Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God:

 

(1 Chronicles 29:4)  3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house,

 

(1 Chronicles 29:5)  and for all the work to be done by craftsmen, gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the LORD?"

 

(1 Chronicles 29:6)  Then the leaders of fathers' houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king's work.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:7)  They gave for the service of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze and 100,000 talents of iron.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:8)  And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, in the care of Jehiel the Gershonite.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:9)  Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:10)  Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: "Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:11)  Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:12)  Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:13)  And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:14)  "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:15)  For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:16)  O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:17)  I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:18)  O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:19)  Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision."

 

(1 Chronicles 29:20)  Then David said to all the assembly, "Bless the LORD your God." And all the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the LORD and to the king.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:21)  And they offered sacrifices to the LORD, and on the next day offered burnt offerings to the LORD, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:22)  And they ate and drank before the LORD on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and they anointed him as prince for the LORD, and Zadok as priest.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:23)  Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king in place of David his father. And he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:24)  All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:25)  And the LORD made Solomon very great in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:26)  Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:27)  The time that he reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:28)  Then he died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place.

 

(1 Chronicles 29:29)  Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the Chronicles of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of Gad the seer,

 

(1 Chronicles 29:30)  with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the circumstances that came upon him and upon Israel and upon all the kingdoms of the countries.

 

In 2 Chronicles chapter 1 Solomon establishes his kingdom and the Lord comes to him by dream wanting to know what he wanted of the Lord and Solomon asks for wisdom and not only gets untold wisdom but also riches.

(2 Chronicles 1:1)  Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.

 

(2 Chronicles 1:2)  Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to all the leaders in all Israel, the heads of fathers' houses.

 

(2 Chronicles 1:3)  And Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon, for the tent of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness, was there.

 

(2 Chronicles 1:4)  (But David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place that David had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.)

 

(2 Chronicles 1:5)  Moreover, the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of the LORD. And Solomon and the assembly sought it out.

 

(2 Chronicles 1:6)  And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.

 

(2 Chronicles 1:7)  In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, "Ask what I shall give you."

 

(2 Chronicles 1:8)  And Solomon said to God, "You have shown great and steadfast love to David my father, and have made me king in his place.

 

(2 Chronicles 1:9)  O LORD God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth.

 

(2 Chronicles 1:10)  Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?"

 

(2 Chronicles 1:11)  God answered Solomon, "Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked long life, but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king,

 

(2 Chronicles 1:12)  wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like."

 

(2 Chronicles 1:13)  So Solomon came from the high place at Gibeon, from before the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem. And he reigned over Israel.

 

(2 Chronicles 1:14)  Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

 

(2 Chronicles 1:15)  And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.

 

(2 Chronicles 1:16)  And Solomon's import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king's traders would buy them from Kue for a price.

 

(2 Chronicles 1:17)  They imported a chariot from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150. Likewise through them these were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

 

 

In 2 Chronicles chapter 2 Solomon gathers the manpower including the leaders as well as the resources to go ahead and build the temple to God

(2 Chronicles 2:1)  Now Solomon purposed to build a temple for the name of the LORD, and a royal palace for himself.

 

(2 Chronicles 2:2)  And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens and 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 to oversee them.

 

(2 Chronicles 2:3)  And Solomon sent word to Hiram the king of Tyre: "As you dealt with David my father and sent him cedar to build himself a house to dwell in, so deal with me.

 

(2 Chronicles 2:4)  Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the LORD my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new moons and the appointed feasts of the LORD our God, as ordained forever for Israel.

 

(2 Chronicles 2:5)  The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.

 

(2 Chronicles 2:6)  But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?

 

(2 Chronicles 2:7)  So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.

 

(2 Chronicles 2:8)  Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants,

 

(2 Chronicles 2:9)  to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to build will be great and wonderful.

 

(2 Chronicles 2:10)  I will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, 20,000 cors of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil."

 

(2 Chronicles 2:11)  Then Hiram the king of Tyre answered in a letter that he sent to Solomon, "Because the LORD loves his people, he has made you king over them."

 

(2 Chronicles 2:12)  Hiram also said, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.

 

(2 Chronicles 2:13)  "Now I have sent a skilled man, who has understanding, Huram-abi,

 

(2 Chronicles 2:14)  the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre. He is trained to work in gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood, and in purple, blue, and crimson fabrics and fine linen, and to do all sorts of engraving and execute any design that may be assigned him, with your craftsmen, the craftsmen of my lord, David your father.

 

(2 Chronicles 2:15)  Now therefore the wheat and barley, oil and wine, of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants.

 

(2 Chronicles 2:16)  And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem."

 

(2 Chronicles 2:17)  Then Solomon counted all the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, after the census of them that David his father had taken, and there were found 153,600.

 

(2 Chronicles 2:18)  Seventy thousand of them he assigned to bear burdens, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 as overseers to make the people work.

 

After the temple is build, finished including bringing in the ark of the Covenant, in 2 Chronicles chapter 6 Solomon then prays to the Lord at the temples dedication

(2 Chronicles 6:1)  Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:2)  But I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever."

 

(2 Chronicles 6:3)  Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:4)  And he said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:5)  'Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there, and I chose no man as prince over my people Israel;

 

(2 Chronicles 6:6)  but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there, and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.'

 

(2 Chronicles 6:7)  Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:8)  But the LORD said to David my father, 'Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:9)  Nevertheless, it is not you who shall build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.'

 

(2 Chronicles 6:10)  Now the LORD has fulfilled his promise that he made. For I have risen in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and I have built the house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:11)  And there I have set the ark, in which is the covenant of the LORD that he made with the people of Israel."

 

(2 Chronicles 6:12)  Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:13)  Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court, and he stood on it. Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:14)  and said, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:15)  who have kept with your servant David my father what you declared to him. You spoke with your mouth, and with your hand have fulfilled it this day.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:16)  Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, 'You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.'

 

(2 Chronicles 6:17)  Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:18)  "But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!

 

(2 Chronicles 6:19)  Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:20)  that your eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place where you have promised to set your name, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:21)  And listen to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen from heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:22)  "If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:23)  then hear from heaven and act and judge your servants, repaying the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:24)  "If your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and they turn again and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:25)  then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to them and to their fathers.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:26)  "When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:27)  then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:28)  "If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemies besiege them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:29)  whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:30)  then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways, for you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:31)  that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:32)  "Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:33)  hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:34)  "If your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:35)  then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:36)  "If they sin against you--for there is no one who does not sin--and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:37)  yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity, saying, 'We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,'

 

(2 Chronicles 6:38)  if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name,

 

(2 Chronicles 6:39)  then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:40)  Now, O my God, let your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:41)  "And now arise, O LORD God, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. Let your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let your saints rejoice in your goodness.

 

(2 Chronicles 6:42)  O LORD God, do not turn away the face of your anointed one! Remember your steadfast love for David your servant."

 

Then in chapter 7 of 2 Chronicles sacrifices are offered to dedicate the temple and the people then are encouraged to follow the Lord so that things go well and they are blessed, to repent as need be, and not to fall away

(2 Chronicles 7:1)  As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:2)  And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD's house.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:3)  When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever."

 

(2 Chronicles 7:4)  Then the king and all the people offered sacrifice before the LORD.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:5)  King Solomon offered as a sacrifice 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:6)  The priests stood at their posts; the Levites also, with the instruments for music to the LORD that King David had made for giving thanks to the LORD--for his steadfast love endures forever--whenever David offered praises by their ministry; opposite them the priests sounded trumpets, and all Israel stood.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:7)  And Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD, for there he offered the burnt offering and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar Solomon had made could not hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:8)  At that time Solomon held the feast for seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo-hamath to the Brook of Egypt.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:9)  And on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they had kept the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:10)  On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity that the LORD had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel his people.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:11)  Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king's house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the LORD and in his own house he successfully accomplished.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:12)  Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:13)  When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people,

 

(2 Chronicles 7:14)  if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:15)  Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:16)  For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:17)  And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules,

 

(2 Chronicles 7:18)  then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, 'You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.'

 

(2 Chronicles 7:19)  "But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them,

 

(2 Chronicles 7:20)  then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

 

(2 Chronicles 7:21)  And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?'

 

(2 Chronicles 7:22)  Then they will say, 'Because they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.'"

 

2 Chronicles chapter 8 then lists many of the other deeds that Solomon did as the king of Israel

(2 Chronicles 8:1)  At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the house of the LORD and his own house,

 

(2 Chronicles 8:2)  Solomon rebuilt the cities that Hiram had given to him, and settled the people of Israel in them.

 

(2 Chronicles 8:3)  And Solomon went to Hamath-zobah and took it.

 

(2 Chronicles 8:4)  He built Tadmor in the wilderness and all the store cities that he built in Hamath.

 

(2 Chronicles 8:5)  He also built Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars,

 

(2 Chronicles 8:6)  and Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had and all the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.

 

(2 Chronicles 8:7)  All the people who were left of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not of Israel,

 

(2 Chronicles 8:8)  from their descendants who were left after them in the land, whom the people of Israel had not destroyed--these Solomon drafted as forced labor, and so they are to this day.

 

(2 Chronicles 8:9)  But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves for his work; they were soldiers, and his officers, the commanders of his chariots, and his horsemen.

 

(2 Chronicles 8:10)  And these were the chief officers of King Solomon, 250, who exercised authority over the people.

 

(2 Chronicles 8:11)  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."

 

(2 Chronicles 8:12)  Then Solomon offered up burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of the LORD that he had built before the vestibule,

 

(2 Chronicles 8:13)  as the duty of each day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses for the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the three annual feasts--the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Booths.

 

(2 Chronicles 8:14)  According to the ruling of David his father, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their service, and the Levites for their offices of praise and ministry before the priests as the duty of each day required, and the gatekeepers in their divisions at each gate, for so David the man of God had commanded.

 

(2 Chronicles 8:15)  And they did not turn aside from what the king had commanded the priests and Levites concerning any matter and concerning the treasuries.

 

(2 Chronicles 8:16)  Thus was accomplished all the work of Solomon from the day the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid until it was finished. So the house of the LORD was completed.

 

(2 Chronicles 8:17)  Then Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Eloth on the shore of the sea, in the land of Edom.

 

(2 Chronicles 8:18)  And Hiram sent to him by the hand of his servants ships and servants familiar with the sea, and they went to Ophir together with the servants of Solomon and brought from there 450 talents of gold and brought it to King Solomon.

 

In 2 Chronicles chapter 9 then is the visit of Sheba, to test Solomon,the queen who really is impressed in all ways of Solomon and his wisdom and then the chapter concludes by listing some of Solomon’s wealth

(2 Chronicles 9:1)  Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:2)  And Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:3)  And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,

 

(2 Chronicles 9:4)  the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the LORD, there was no more breath in her.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:5)  And she said to the king, "The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom,

 

(2 Chronicles 9:6)  but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the report that I heard.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:7)  Happy are your wives! Happy are these your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!

 

(2 Chronicles 9:8)  Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the LORD your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness."

 

(2 Chronicles 9:9)  Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. There were no spices such as those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:10)  Moreover, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:11)  And the king made from the algum wood supports for the house of the LORD and for the king's house, lyres also and harps for the singers. There never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:12)  And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what she had brought to the king. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:13)  Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold,

 

(2 Chronicles 9:14)  besides that which the explorers and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:15)  King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels of beaten gold went into each shield.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:16)  And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; 300 shekels of gold went into each shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:17)  The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with pure gold.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:18)  The throne had six steps and a footstool of gold, which were attached to the throne, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests,

 

(2 Chronicles 9:19)  while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. Nothing like it was ever made for any kingdom.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:20)  All King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:21)  For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:22)  Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:23)  And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:24)  Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and of gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:25)  And Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots, and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:26)  And he ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:27)  And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:28)  And horses were imported for Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:29)  Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?

 

(2 Chronicles 9:30)  Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.

 

(2 Chronicles 9:31)  And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

 

Alas Solomon’s reign did not end well as some of his wives turned his heart toward other gods, and he at the end of his reign did not fully serve the Lord God anymore. This would bring consequences in the future as the kingdom was divided, and many more evil kings would follow, especially in Israel and also even some in Judah, the other divided kingdom. The details of these are started in 1 Kings 11, presented here to show that Solomon did not end his reign as king really well.

(1 Kings 11:1)  Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,

 

(1 Kings 11:2)  from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love.

 

(1 Kings 11:3)  He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.

 

(1 Kings 11:4)  For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

 

(1 Kings 11:5)  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

 

(1 Kings 11:6)  So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done.

 

(1 Kings 11:7)  Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem.

 

(1 Kings 11:8)  And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.

 

(1 Kings 11:9)  And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice

 

(1 Kings 11:10)  and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded.

 

(1 Kings 11:11)  Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.

 

(1 Kings 11:12)  Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

 

(1 Kings 11:13)  However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen."

 

(1 Kings 11:14)  And the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was of the royal house in Edom.

 

(1 Kings 11:15)  For when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army went up to bury the slain, he struck down every male in Edom

 

(1 Kings 11:16)  (for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom).

 

(1 Kings 11:17)  But Hadad fled to Egypt, together with certain Edomites of his father's servants, Hadad still being a little child.

 

(1 Kings 11:18)  They set out from Midian and came to Paran and took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and assigned him an allowance of food and gave him land.

 

(1 Kings 11:19)  And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.

 

(1 Kings 11:20)  And the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house. And Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh.

 

(1 Kings 11:21)  But when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Let me depart, that I may go to my own country."

 

(1 Kings 11:22)  But Pharaoh said to him, "What have you lacked with me that you are now seeking to go to your own country?" And he said to him, "Only let me depart."

 

(1 Kings 11:23)  God also raised up as an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah.

 

(1 Kings 11:24)  And he gathered men about him and became leader of a marauding band, after the killing by David. And they went to Damascus and lived there and made him king in Damascus.

 

(1 Kings 11:25)  He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, doing harm as Hadad did. And he loathed Israel and reigned over Syria.

 

(1 Kings 11:26)  Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king.

 

(1 Kings 11:27)  And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of David his father.

 

(1 Kings 11:28)  The man Jeroboam was very able, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious he gave him charge over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph.

 

(1 Kings 11:29)  And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country.

 

(1 Kings 11:30)  Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces.

 

(1 Kings 11:31)  And he said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes

 

(1 Kings 11:32)  (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel),

 

(1 Kings 11:33)  because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did.

 

(1 Kings 11:34)  Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of David my servant whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes.

 

(1 Kings 11:35)  But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and will give it to you, ten tribes.

 

(1 Kings 11:36)  Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name.

 

(1 Kings 11:37)  And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel.

 

(1 Kings 11:38)  And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

 

(1 Kings 11:39)  And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.'"

 

(1 Kings 11:40)  Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

 

(1 Kings 11:41)  Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon?

 

(1 Kings 11:42)  And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

 

(1 Kings 11:43)  And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

 

This is a warning also to be careful of who we marry with, a bad choice can lead one away from God

God was very merciful though to Solomon and to David, setting up the stage through that family line for Jesus to come and take away the sins of the world, by dying on the cross and He did it without hesitation and love because He wanted to establish a relationship with each and every one of us, for He is good and His mercy never ends. The relationship is like nothing we can imagine, either being so perfect. I am now including a prayer which you can use to start a wonderful love relationship with Jesus, inviting Him in your heart for it. Please pray this prayer with me to do just that

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess Jesus as our Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we will be saved. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.

Amen.

God bless you and yours