Category Archives: Purposeful / Intentional

Fasting, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant

Yeshua’s Guidance on Fasting

When our Messiah gives us instruction, we should listen. This may seem obvious to some, but for many they may be missing the point.

Matthew 6:16-18

      16“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17“But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

We should not fast to get attention from men. Quite the opposite. We want to handle our physical appearance and our attitudes so they will not even know we are fasting. It is the LORD we want to notice, not men.

While this does apply directly to fasting, it also applies to many other things also. Do not serve or seek the LORD is such a manner as to get the attention of man. Do so to get the attention of God and because we love Him and want to please Him.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus (hearing from God), Kindness / Gentleness, Learning To Pray Effectively, Pride, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Selfishness, Submitted / Servant

Do Not Practice Righteousness to be Noticed by Man

His ways are surely not our ways. Do not practice your righteousness before men to be noticed by them. Normally we think this would be good. Don’t we want to be noticed? Don’t we want to be a light? Yes we do, but take care in what way. Our motives matter as much as our actions.  The context here is speaking against doing the right things for the wrong reasons. We should seek to honor and glorify God, not get personal recognition from man, lest our motives be impure. If all we are seeking to do is get praise from man, then that is all the reward we will ever get. Let us stay focused on pleasing God.

Matthew 6:1-14

Giving to the Poor and Prayer

      1“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

      2“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

      5“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

      7“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8“So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

      9“Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.

      10‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.

      11‘Give us this day our daily bread.

      12‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

      13‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]
14“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15“But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

For a deeper study of the LORD’s prayer, review our teaching Learning to Pray Effectively. There is so much more to study and digest than this short  article.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Government, Idols / False Gods, Intgegrity / Honesty, Purposeful / Intentional, Wickedness / Evil

Godly Leadership Matters for All of Us

Israel had gone quickly from glorifying Yahweh to idolatry during the reign of Solomon. He started out strong and then turned away from the LORD and embraced other gods alongside Yahweh. When he left the throne. Fast forward into 1 Kings 14 and we see that Yahweh split the kingdom and both kings were bad, and Israel and Judah suffered because of it, because they lost the blessing of Yahweh that comes with obedience and worship in following Him.

1 Kings 14:9 speaks about Jeroboam, who was king of Israel except Judah. You can read more of 1 Kings 14 to find out more on him and the impact it had on Israel, which was very bad.

 9you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back

1 Kings 14:21-31 tells us about Rehoboam, who was king of Judah.

Rehoboam Misleads Judah

      21Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 22Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked Him to jealousy more than all that their fathers had done, with the sins which they committed. 23For they also built for themselves high places and sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and beneath every luxuriant tree. 24There were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD dispossessed before the sons of Israel.

      25Now it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26He took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house, and he took everything, even taking all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 27So King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place, and committed them to the care of the commanders of the guard who guarded the doorway of the king’s house. 28Then it happened as often as the king entered the house of the LORD, that the guards would carry them and would bring them back into the guards’ room.

      29Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 30There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 31And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his son became king in his place.

What we see about us today in our culture is much the same as the wickedness of Jeroboam and Rehobam. Many who try to rule over us, are wicked and reject God entirely or worse, claim His name and then live in opposition to all He stands for. This is very much like Rehoboam and Jeroboam indeed. We have a chance at least to influence our government, where the people of Israel and Judah did not. But we must be active and get engaged in the process and unify.

Sadly, the wicked and those who support them often try to distort who is wicked and who is not, who really follows God, and who just says they do. They end up confusing many who claim to follow Yeshua and we get godlessness in many big cities and states around the nation

A pretty good place to start is to understand the party platform that they identify with. If someone stands for abortion and homosexuality and taking away personal freedom to replace it with bigger government to control us…if someone supports opening casinos, but not churches… these are “tells” or “tips” that disclose their godlessness. If they are trying to emphasize Islam or other false religions instead of Christianity or Judaism, then that is a big tell. Clearly there may be candidates from many perspectives that may not be godly, but the ones who identify with such platform as listed above are clearly lost and many are smearing God’s name, or reputation.

Stand firm. Pray for one another and for righteousness to prevail in our leaders from all sides. Do not look for and expect perfection in candidates that are trying to follow Yeshua. None of us can meet that standard. If we expect perfection and defeat those who would stand for us, then we open the door for those who stand against us to rule. Said another way, if you can’t find what you perceive as a righteous candidate, at least pick one that is less wicked and will by policy support our freedom to worship and live out God’s ways.

Keep in mind, the righteousness of our leaders and their policies influences culture and people and leads us into or away from righteousness. The impact affects us as a nation and a people, not just individuals.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Am I on the path?, Anger (unrighteous anger), Controlling Thoughts, Divorce, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Patience, Guide, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Humility, Kindness / Gentleness, Murder, Purposeful / Intentional, Self Control, Strife, Submitted / Servant, Teachable, Tongue / Gossip / Slander

Truly Being a Light for Christ May Seem Challenging

Earlier in Matthew 5, Yeshua was teaching about the beatitudes and then about disciples being salt and light and pursuing righteousness. Now he continues to expound on that by speaking about personal relationships. The context is still continuing in the line of how to be salt and light and righteous… we are to act very differently than the world around us. If we truly consider the high standard and take it to heart, it can be intimidating. However, rather than throw up your hands and say “I can’t do that”, simply recognize that this is the goal we should be moving towards and ask the Spirit to help you get there.

Matthew 5:21-48

Personal Relationships

      21“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25“Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26“Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.      27“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29“If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30“If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

31“It was said, ‘WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE’; 32but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’ 34“But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING. 36“Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37“But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.

38“You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ 39“But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40“If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. 41“Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42“Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

43“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ 44“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47“If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I do not assume we are to take literally the part about removing our body parts if they cause us to offend, but the language certainly drives home the point. If there are things in our lives, even things dear and close to us, that cause us to stumble before our Father, we should remove them.

Really reflect on the behaviors and the high standard laid out here that is required and desired to separate us and help us stand out as the light to others. We are not to blend in and it is not simply by quoting scripture, but by the very manner in which we live that we are to distinguish ourselves as a light. We truly need help from the Spirit to live it out and we need to remain humble and seek forgiveness along the way as we stumble.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Submitted / Servant

We are the Salt and the Light

The words of Yeshua in Matthew 5 for His disciples are important. Do not breeze through them. Read them carefully and reflect. Really digest what He is saying.

Matthew 5:13-20

Disciples and the World

      13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

      14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

      17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

      20“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

A disciple is a “learner”. One who learns. We are to learn from Christ and follow His example and His teaching. Our walk should look like His to an increasing extent as we get more mature in our relationship with Him.

After teaching about the beatitudes, Yeshua compares the value and purpose of a disciple to salt and light. The salt adds flavor and is a preservative. It was valuable and important for food in that time. One can easily draw a comparison that we as disciples of Christ are very important. We must preserve the teachings of Christ to help followers embrace a lifestyle consistent with His desires for us. We are important in maintaining the message for others to consume and live out. If we “lose our saltiness” it is like saying we are no longer preserving the true message of Christ and as a result the lives of believers will be less full of the flavor intended. What use is a disciple if we are no longer preserving the teachings of Christ as we ought to be? Not much if you follow the metaphor Yeshua lays out.

The light is even easier to understand. We are not to hide or blend in, but to stand out. We are to shed light for others through how we live and what we teach. If we just blend in and hide, perhaps even to protect ourselves, then what use are we? Not much. Like a lamp that is hidden under a basket. We are to be openly and joyfully fulfilling our purpose to show others the way to Christ. It is the world and culture that will be trying to put a basket over our light.

In both examples our value and purpose is in being different, in standing out and not blending in. We become useless as disciples if we simply blend in with culture around us.

Verses 17-19 make a forceful statement that many today simply rationalize away with word games.

      17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Yeshua could not be much more straight forward. The Law is not abolished. The Law will not pass away until “until heaven and earth pass away”. Last time I checked… that has not happened yet. Then why do so many Christians argue that the Law is done away with? Sadly, this is a deception that has crept into the church a long time ago and it keeps creeping further and further. Pastors are not even consistent. How often do you hear about the “tithe” but then hear the Law is done away with? (The tithe is part of the Law.) Or we hear that the Law is done away with exception of the 10 commandments… wait now we don’t keep all of those either (e.g. Sabbath).

The truth is that the Law stands. Christ did not come to abolish it or end it. He came to make it full of meaning. There are elements such as sin offerings for reconciling to God after we sin that are now fulfilled in Christ’s sacrifice to us. However the whole of the Law is not fulfilled or done away with. Each of us should really challenge ourselves to study and learn more about the Law and not just accept that it is all done away with because pastors say so. I heard one pastor of a well known and large church proclaim recently we need not even keep the Old Testament because it confuses people, but rather only “love one another”. He even left out “love God” and “love one another”.

It was not by accident that Yeshua highlighted the Law after speaking about the salt and the light. It is by obeying the Law that He was judged righteous. It is by living according to the Law that we are a light and salt to the world, leading others to live as Yeshua actually lived Himself.  After all, He was a Jewish rabbi. He lived and taught the Law of God. Should we then declare ourselves His followers by declaring the Law over and living differently than He did? Do we live like He is our example? or our excuse not to follow God’s law?

Read more:

Find ministries that focus on teaching us about the Hebrew roots of our faith:

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Blessed, Humility, Jesus (hearing from God), Mercy, Peace / Rest, Persecution / Glorifying God, Purposeful / Intentional

Prayerfully Reflecting on the Beatitudes

There is clearly a lot of study that can be done to more deeply understand the beatitudes, and we will certainly only cover the tip of the iceberg here. I would encourage all to study them and prayerfully reflect on them beyond reading this article.

Matthew 5:1-11

The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes

      1When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

      3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

      4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

      5“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

      6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

      7“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

      8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

      9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

      10“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

      11“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Blessed are the poor in spirit.

Poor in spirit does not reflect material wealth or poverty in any way. This is an interesting area to study and there are many explanations as to what it means, but try to think of it in this way. If I have poverty, I know I am in need. I am not self sufficient and comfortable. In the same way spiritual poverty implies an awareness that we are not self sufficient. We need help. We need to grow and learn and get more. With this in mind, it makes a lot more sense to say that they are blessed. The poor in spirit know they need Messiah Yeshua. Thus the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Blessed are those who mourn.

To mourn is to express deep grief or sorrow. We could ask ourselves what these people are mourning about. They may be mourning over the pain and suffering of others. They may be mourning over their own sin condition and guilt because they, unlike many, recognize it as a problem they can not solve without Messiah. Scripture does not say outright. But from context of this section of scripture being about spiritual nature we can assume they are not blessed for mourning in a way that is contrary to the ways of YHWH. Think about the above examples. To recognize the impact of sin or suffering, or both, draws us nearer to our Messiah and savior and to the Holy Spirit for to be comforted. If we do not even recognize or feel a need to mourn these things, then we are again very much acting self sufficient and will not be as likely to draw near to the LORD.

Blessed are the gentle.

Again, there are many opinions on exactly what this means. I found one that is very helpful to consider from NeverThirsty.org – Blessed are the Gentle (Meek). I encourage you to read the linked document as reference as they build out the meaning well. However the punchline is that to be meek or gentle in this sense is not a weakness. Both Moses and Yeshua were meek or humble in this way. Both were fiery and passionate when they needed to be. However this character trait is more like being power that has been tamed, like a domesticated animal. Still strong, but contained and intentional. Willing to yield to others when it is appropriate.

I can easily see that the meek by this understanding of the word would truly be blessed. The ability to willingly and lovingly submit to others (when appropriate) or to YHWH is a powerful blessing indeed.

Some of the others are easier to digest. Those who pursue after righteousness will be more likely to find it than those who do not. Be merciful and receive mercy.  The pure in heart will see YHWH. Quick point on this one would be that to be pure in heart (perhaps like David) does not mean pure and perfect in living for God according to His commandments. It does mean when you fail, you repent… genuinely. Truly the pure in heart will grow closer to the Father. To be a peacemaker is a good thing. Do not be confused however, as this does not mean peace at any cost. Even Yeshua said he did not come to bring peace, but to bring a sword (bonus reading starting at Matthew 10:34).

The last pair truly strikes home as reminding us that His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). If we are persecuted for righteousness or because of following Yeshua, we should rejoice! Even as they are saying lies about us. I tell you this one has been great encouragement for me. We are not to simply be people pleasers. We are to be first and foremost pleasing to our Father in heaven. That will put us at odds with the world and even our families (refer again to Matthew 10:34. 

Take time to prayerfully reflect on this part of the sermon on the mount from our Messiah. What does it show you that you should change in your life?

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Blessed, Obeying God, Promises, Provider, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant, Wise

YHWH Blesses Those Who Honor Him

Solomon honored the Creator and walked in His statutes and commandments and he was blessed in a truly magnificent way. YHWH told him he would get not only wisdom, but wealth and fame and He delivered big time. Solomon continued to honor YHWH in how he lived in obedience, that was his part.

We will not all see this kind of wealth, wisdom, and fame, but we can count on the fact that if we honor  YHWH and submit our lives to him we will be blessed. It may not be financially, but having a close relationship with our Creator in itself is a wonderful blessing. Seek Him. Spend time with Him. Rejoice in Him and don’t try to coast along with the bare minimum to check a box, like going to church or reading the Bible. We need to have the right attitude and enthusiasm. We need to walk out His instructions in all aspects of our lives.

When we do see and experience His blessing in our lives, no matter what size, remember to give Him thanks and praise and not just pat yourself on the back for what a good job you did to achieve it.

1 Kings 10:14-29

Wealth, Splendor and Wisdom

      14Now the weight of gold which came in to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 15besides that from the traders and the wares of the merchants and all the kings of the Arabs and the governors of the country. 16King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, using 600 shekels of gold on each large shield. 17He made 300 shields of beaten gold, using three minas of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 18Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with refined gold. 19There were six steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its rear, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. 20Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. 21All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None was of silver; it was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon. 22For the king had at sea the ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks.

      23So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 24All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 25They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.

      26Now Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 27The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the lowland. 28Also Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s merchants procured them from Kue for a price. 29A chariot was imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150; and by the same means they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of the Arameans.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Blessed, Faith / Trusting God, Promises, Purposeful / Intentional, Wise

Use the Gifts that YHWH Gives for His Glory

Let us remember that Solomon asked YHWH to bless Him with wisdom so that he could rule YHWH’s people wisely. It was not selfish motives. YHWH blessed him abundantly and said because of the unselfish motives, he would also have wealth and fame, etc. When our Father says He will, He does. 1 Kings 10 tells us of how widely the fame and wealth and wisdom of Solomon was becoming known. And perhaps another key point is that he was through his actions bringing honor to YHWH’s name.

We each may be blessed by YHWH with different talents in different levels. Do not use Solomon as your baseline for whether or not you have a gift. Many have gifts in more humble portions, but gifts to be used for our Father’s glory all the same.  We are not to simply use our gifts for selfish gain. We are to be good stewards of what He gives us, whether small or large. If we are faithful in small things, He will entrust to us larger things. (Reference parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.)

1 Kings 10:1-13

The Queen of Sheba

      1Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions. 2So she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and very much gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. 3Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king which he did not explain to her. 4When the queen of Sheba perceived all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, and his stairway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. 6Then she said to the king, “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 7“Nevertheless I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard. 8“How blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom. 9“Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” 10She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a very great amount of spices and precious stones. Never again did such abundance of spices come in as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.

      11Also the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a very great number of almug trees and precious stones. 12The king made of the almug trees supports for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, also lyres and harps for the singers; such almug trees have not come in again nor have they been seen to this day.

      13King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire which she requested, besides what he gave her according to his royal bounty. Then she turned and went to her own land together with her servants.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Diligent / Hard Worker, Purposeful / Intentional

Solomon Was Busy In Building Up His Kingdom

In 1 Kings 9, we learn about a variety of things going on during Solomon’s reign. He had made alliances with Hiram, King of Tyre, and also with Pharoah of Egypt. He built a fleet and cities for his armies. He was busy with far more in building up Israel than just building a house for YHWH and a house for himself. He did not just sit around complacent or lazy. He was active. He was intentional. He had a vision for what he was trying to accomplish. We may not rule over people as a king, but in our own personal lives or our businesses, we should also have a vision and plan for what we are trying to accomplish and be busy going about working towards it. We should avoid just reacting to what happens to us one day at a time.  We should seek wisdom from our Father.

I suppose it is interesting to consider that he used the remnants of the people who Israel had not been able to destroy when they took the land as forced laborers and did not do so to the sons of Israel. I think most of us living in the context of today’s culture probably struggle a bit with leveraging forced laborers. We have to remember that this was a long time ago in a very different culture and time than today. Personally, I am not sure what to make of the forced laborers. We can likely deduce these were not like slaves we think of today in the history of the USA.  1 Kings 5 shows us that Solomon had some consideration for them and their families as the ones he sent to get the cedar in Lebanon would be sent for one month and then return for two.

1 Kings 9:10-26

Cities Given to Hiram

      10It came about at the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD and the king’s house 11(Hiram king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress timber and gold according to all his desire), then King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12So Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, and they did not please him. 13He said, “What are these cities which you have given me, my brother?” So they were called the land of Cabul to this day. 14And Hiram sent to the king 120 talents of gold.

      15Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon levied to build the house of the LORD, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and captured Gezer and burned it with fire, and killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 17So Solomon rebuilt Gezer and the lower Beth-horon 18and Baalath and Tamar in the wilderness, in the land of Judah, 19and all the storage cities which Solomon had, even the cities for his chariots and the cities for his horsemen, and all that it pleased Solomon to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land under his rule. 20As for all the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel, 21their descendants who were left after them in the land whom the sons of Israel were unable to destroy utterly, from them Solomon levied forced laborers, even to this day. 22But Solomon did not make slaves of the sons of Israel; for they were men of war, his servants, his princes, his captains, his chariot commanders, and his horsemen.

      23These were the chief officers who were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people doing the work.

      24As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter came up from the city of David to her house which Solomon had built for her, then he built the Millo.

      25Now three times in a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he built to the LORD, burning incense with them on the altar which was before the LORD. So he finished the house.

      26King Solomon also built a fleet of ships in Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 27And Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, sailors who knew the sea, along with the servants of Solomon. 28They went to Ophir and took four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Fear / Reverence for God, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Love, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant, Thankfulness, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Don’t Focus on the Bare Minimum “Required” to Please YHWH

Sacrifices are not always something we understand fully in our culture today. The end of 1 Kings 8 does however make one thing clear even for those somewhat unfamiliar with sacrifices… Solomon spared no expense or effort to honor YHWH. He was not concerned about what was the minimum required. He was focused on how to really honor YHWH in a big way. We would do well to adopt this attitude in our lives generally and not only at special occasions.

In fact, if we are always focused on doing the bare minimum to please YHWH, we will not be pleasing to YHWH. He looks into our heart and not just our actions. Solomon acted out of love and desire to honor YHWH. He did not act out of “requirement”. Our attitudes combined with our actions are what can be pleasing to YHWH.

1 Kings 8:62-66

Dedicatory Sacrifices

      62Now the king and all Israel with him offered sacrifice before the LORD. 63Solomon offered for the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to the LORD, 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep. So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD. 64On the same day the king consecrated the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD, because there he offered the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings; for the bronze altar that was before the LORD was too small to hold the burnt offering and the grain offering and the fat of the peace offerings.

      65So Solomon observed the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, for seven days and seven more days, even fourteen days. 66On the eighth day he sent the people away and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David His servant and to Israel His people.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.