1 Reis 11

1 Reis 11

Henry says: "God keeps account of the gracious visits He makes us, whether we do or no; knows how often He has appeared to us and for us, and will remember it against us if we turn from Him." Every such gracious visit to us, adds to our responsibility for obedience and holy service. The more we know of God and the greater the favor He shows us—the sorer is our sin if we forsake Him and go back to sin. A sculptor had a vision of Christ, which he reproduced in stone. He believed that he had seen the Christ in his vision, and that the form he had chiseled in the marble, was the very image of the glorious Person who had appeared to him. He grew famous afterwards and was asked to make statues of certain heathen deities. But he refused, saying: "A man who has seen the Christ would commit sacrilege, if he were to employ his art in the carving of a pagan goddess. My art is henceforth a consecrated thing." When Solomon had seen the Lord in vision—not once only—but twice —he should have been forever a consecrated man. The eyes that looked upon the Lord, should never have lusted after earth's pleasures. The hands that had fashioned a glorious temple for God, should never have built chapels and altars for heathen deities. Solomon's sins were far greater because of the special favors God had granted to him. Have we seen Christ? Has He appeared to us in His Word, or in prayer, or at the holy table? Let us not forget that having seen Christ, should set us apart forever for His service and for holy living. The Lord appeared again to Solomon in some way; at least He spoke to him in solemn warning: "Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my laws, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants." God will not leave His work in the hands of those who will not obey Him. The vessels that He employs must beclean. He tries men with trusts. If they prove faithful He continues the trusts in their hands, and adds others. If they prove unfaithful and unworthy, He takes from them the things He has committed to them. It is personal obedience that is here made the test. Solomon may still have been a wise king, a good administrator—but he was no longer a godly man. His heart was not right, his life was not holy, he was disobedient to God's commands; and it was on account of this personal unholiness, that the kingdom was to be torn from him. In these days there is a great deal of talk about public and private character in men who aspire to office. Some contend that the people have no right to inquire into a man's personalmoral character; that they have to do only with the questions of his statesmanship and general ability for government. Very clearly, it was Solomon's private and personal character, that brought upon him the divine wrath. God wants men with pure hearts and clean lives to represent Him in places of power and authority. The Lord was still gracious to Solomon. He would rend the kingdom from him—but not until his life was completed. " But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son." Lives are woven together, and the influence of one falls upon another. A godly man transmits blessings to his children, and one who turns away from God robs his children of blessings that ought to be theirs. David's godly life kept from Solomon the visitation of the full consequence of his sin. There are many of us enjoying blessings on our thoughtless, reckless lives, because we had pious parents who walked in the ways of God and pleased Him. Their prayers form a shelter over our heads that shields us from the consequences of our own sins. But there are many people who, just like Solomon, live so as to rob their own children of the honors and privileges that they might and ought to transmit to them. Solomon's son did not receive the kingdom of all Israel, getting but a fragment of it—and it was Solomon's fault! The man who, by drunkenness or gambling, or indolence or extravagance, wastes the fortune God has given him and transmits beggary to his children—is guilty of like sin. Many children suffer sorely for the sins of their fathers! 1 Kings 11:14 Then the LORD raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal line in Edom. Then the LORD 1Ki 12:15 1Sa 26:19 2Sa 24:1 1Ch 5:26 Isa 10:5,26 13:17 raised up an adversary: 2Sa 7:14 Ps 89:30-34 Related Passages: 2 Samuel 7:14+ “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when (NOT IT BUT WHEN - GOD IS TELLING DAVID SOLOMON WOULD SIN) he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, HADAD AN INSTRUMENT OF GOD'S JUDGMENT Then - This time phrase usually marks progression in a narrative, and again in this context is a prophesied progression! Oh, how the sands of time falling in the hourglass have changed Solomon's tune, for in 1Ki 5:4 he had boasted to King Hiram "now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor misfortune." That was "then," but "then" is now (so to speak)! The LORD (Jehovah) raised up an adversary (satan; Lxx - satanas) to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal line in Edom - Before God tore the kingdom away from Solomon, He raised up 3 adversaries (hinderers, opposers), something Solomon had not experienced for most of his reign. This would in part seem to fulfill the prophecy that when Solomon committed iniquity, Yahweh would "correct him with the rod of men (LIKE HADAD AND REZON) and the strokes of the sons of men (LIKE JEROBOAM)." (2Sa 7:14+) Jehovah is sovereign and here we see His power to stir up an adversary against Solomon. Later God would raise up Nebuchadnezzar as His "servant" to defeat Judah and destroy His House (Jer 25:9). 2 Sa 8:13-14+ describes the enmity of the Edomites even in David's day - "So David made a name for himself when he returned from killing 18,000 Arameans in the Valley of Salt. 14 He put garrisons in Edom. In all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And the LORD helped David wherever he went." It is interesting to note that the same Hebrew word (satan) was used in 1 Chronicles 21:1+ to describe the adversary of David when "Satan (satan; Lxx - satanas) stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel." Undoubtedly Satan was behind the human adversaries, Hadad, Rezon and Jeroboam all raised up by Yahweh against David's son. Adversary (satan) (07854) satan means adversary, opponent, accuser. Most uses refer to Satan the adversary of God and thus related to relate to "the cosmic struggle in the unseen world between God and the opposing forces of darkness." In 1 Chronicles 21:1 "Then Satan (satan) stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel." Complete Biblical Library on satan - In the narrative portions of the OT, sātān generally refers to a person's adversary in military and political realms (1 Sam. 29:4; 1 Ki. 5:4; 11:14, 23, 25). For example, 1 Ki. 11:14 says, "The Lord stirred an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom." In Psalms, sātān takes on the legal sense of verbal accusation by adversaries (Ps. 109:6). Even the angel of the Lord was described as a sātān when he opposed Balaam (Num. 22:22, 32). In late biblical Hebrew, the term "satan" developed the more technical meaning "the prosecutor" (Zech 3:1-2, NLT, "Accuser"); at the same time, it became the actual name for the supernatural being who incites people to sinful actions (1 Chr 21:1) Throughout history, Satan has been mankind's most noted opponent, called "that old serpent" (Rev. 12:9; cf. Gen. 3:1), in reference to Eve's deception in the Garden. Some of the evil one's other biblical identifications include "son of the morning" (Isa. 14:12), "covering cherub" (Ezek. 28:16), "Satan" (Zech. 3:1; Rom. 16:20), "prince of this world" (John 12:31), "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2). See SATAN. The Bible records the progressive failure and ultimate doom of Satan and his demonic plans. God created the one now known as Satan to be a heavenly angel and adorned him with beauty. However, the wicked pride found in Satan caused him to instigate a rivalry of power and majesty with God (cf. the king of Babylon, Isa. 14:12-15; the king of Tyre, Ezek. 28:12-19; 1 Tim. 3:16). Subsequently, God cast him from heaven to earth in disgrace, thus fueling Satan's hatred against God and his beloved creation. Satan's first recorded interaction with mankind came in the Garden of Eden. Although the OT does not directly identify the serpent who deceived Adam and Eve as Satan, Paul makes the connection in the NT (Rom. 16:20). Satan incited David to take a census of Israel despite God's command not to do so (1 Chr. 21:1). The account of Satan's wager with God concerning the righteousness of Job reveals several things about the activities of Satan. First, Satan roams "to and fro in the earth" and travels "up and down in it" (Job 1:7; 2:2). Second, he often dwells in the company of angels (1:6; 2:1). And third, every remnant of power Satan possesses comes from God, Who literally must give his permission before Satan can act (1:12; 2:6). This certainly does not imply that God condones or authors evil, but that He merely allows Satan to function on earth for a time. In Zechariah's vision, the supernatural commander of evil, Satan himself, stands on the right hand of Joshua in order to accuse him of sin (Zech. 3:1), but the Accuser is rebuked by God, Who informs him that Joshua's sin has been taken away. In the NT, Jesus prophesied that after his crucifixion and ascension, Satan's defeat would be complete and he would no longer be able to accuse the brethren (John 12:31; Rev. 12:10). And following the Millennium, Satan will be bound and thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, along with the beast and false prophet. Together, they "will be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (20:10). (Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary) Satan - 27x in 23v- accuser(1), adversary(8), Satan(18). Num. 22:22; Num. 22:32; 1 Sam. 29:4; 2 Sam. 19:22; 1 Ki. 5:4; 1 Ki. 11:14; 1 Ki. 11:23; 1 Ki. 11:25; 1 Chr. 21:1; Job 1:6; Job 1:7; Job 1:8; Job 1:9; Job 1:12; Job 2:1; Job 2:2; Job 2:3; Job 2:4; Job 2:6; Job 2:7; Ps. 109:6; Zech. 3:1; Zech. 3:2 Bob