1 Kings 1:2 – His officials told him, “Your Majesty, let us search for a young woman who has never been married. She can stay with you and be your servant. She can lie in your arms and keep you warm.”
Straight face. So none of his million concubines could lie next to him? Why is it for so many men in the Bible their answer is always a young virgin. Sigh. Make it worse, it meant that she could never get married or anything else after.
1 Kings 2:6 – Use your wisdom. Don’t let that gray-haired, old man go to his grave peacefully.
David, this was beyond petty. Joab was far from perfect, yes he tried to make Adonijah king, but he was caption of your army. You should have dealt with him yourself if you had an issue. Why you want your son to take up your fire rage? Smh
1 Kings 4:22-23 – Solomon’s food supply for one day was 180 bushels of flour, 360 bushels of coarse flour, 10 fattened cows, 20 cows from the pasture, and 100 sheep in addition to deer, gazelles, fallow deer, and fattened birds.
Say what now? And one can assume this really mean for his household and not him personally. And fattened cows vs pasture cows. Huh. 1 Kings 4:27: and all who are at his table. Thank goodness.
1 Kings 5:13 – King Solomon forced 30,000 men from all over Israel to work for him.
Soooo. I have issues with this. Why did Solomon have to force them? Why didn’t he just pay them a wage? it “feels” so wrong that they were forced.
1 Kings 6:38 – In the month of Bul (the eighth month) of the eleventh year of his reign, the temple was finished according to all its plans and specifications. He spent seven years building it.
Just a note – 7 years. Completed. Did Solomon plan for it to take 7 years? Though it kinda always puzzled me that the temple took seven years while his palace took thirteen.
1 Kings 8:24 – You have kept your promise to my father David, your servant. With your mouth you promised it. With your hand you carried it out as it is today.
“With your hand.” That’s what Solomon said to Yahweh. We would say Solomon built the temple, but it was actually built by Yahweh. The most practical demonstration that we are his hands and feet.
1 Kings 11:1&6 – King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter. He loved Hittite women and women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon.
So Solomon did what the Lord considered evil. He did not wholeheartedly follow the Lord as his father David had done.
Which is probably why Solomon could later say in Proverbs 31:3 – don’t give your strength to women. Because he sure did and reaped the consequences of it. Plus seriously Solomon? 900 women?!! 900?!!! What strength could you possibly have for 900 women?
1 Kings 13:18 – The old prophet said, “I’m also a prophet, like you. An angel spoke the Lord’s word to me. He said, ‘Bring him home with you so that he may have something to eat and drink.’ ” (But the old prophet was lying.)
This whole story is so sad (1 Kings 13:11–32). The prophet lied to get the man to eat and then come crying tears about, “my brother!: But it is also a reminder, if you know Yahweh told you something, don’t let someone else de-rail you even if they usually do and say what Yahweh says. The old man was still a prophet. He just wasn’t sent with a message.