Psalm 172 from Beyond Psalm 150 After bringing the ark to the temple and dedicating it, the third part of this public ceremony is Solomon’s blessing to God, which emerges as a psalm of praise to him and instruction to the people. Blessed be Yahweh, who has given rest to his people Israel, according to […]
The young girl gazes out into the desert. Something comes towards her. It is Solomon, her lover, traveling by carriage. He is accompanied by a protective band of weapon wielding warriors, tested and poised for whatever threat awaits them. With Solomon—and his army—she will be protected. In a spiritual sense, this is how it is […]
Psalm 171 from Beyond Psalm 150 After bringing the ark to the temple, Solomon stands before the altar, lifts his hands to heaven, and offers these words to God: Yahweh, the God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keeps covenant and loving kindness with your […]
Psalm 170 from Beyond Psalm 150 As successor to King David, Solomon constructs the temple that his father wanted to build. With much fanfare Solomon brings the ark—which contains the two stone tablets God gave to Moses—to reside in the temple. Before the people gather for this momentous event, Solomon blesses God and honors David. […]
A Subtle Source of Distraction King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wasn’t so wise with his love life. In all he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Even worse, many of King Solomon’s wives were foreigners, something God prohibited because he feared they would distract his people from fully worshiping him (Deuteronomy 7:3). […]
Psalm 169 from Beyond Psalm 150 David’s son Solomon replaces his father as king and prepares to build the temple for God. In addition to the materials David had already stockpiled, Solomon requests cedar logs, other resources, and a skilled artist from Hiram (Huram), king of Tyre. King Hiram is pleased to assist and responds in […]
Earlier I wondered if Job was real person or a fictional character. Despite support for both perspectives, my conclusion was that it doesn’t really matter. We can learn from him regardless if his life is a fictitious or historical account. Another debated question, which is without definitive answer, is when was Job written? While some say […]
In reading the book of Ecclesiastes there is one section that may be very familiar. It was used as song lyrics and set to music, which the Byrds recorded in 1965. Compare Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 with the lyrics to Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season). Songwriter Pete Seeger only added six words to […]
Aligning with Like-Minded Peers Can Propel You Forward on Your Christian Walk A mastermind group is a peer-to-peer mentoring alliance where members work together to help one another solve problems, overcome roadblocks, and move forward. I’m part of two author mastermind groups. In them we encourage and support each other as writers, propelling us forward […]
We Can Learn From the Many Wise Sayings in the Bible We consider the book of Proverbs as being a collection of wise sayings from King Solomon. This is mostly correct. However, it also includes proverbs from other people. The book opens with Solomon giving instructions to his son. Then the king adds some more […]