Today, as we hear about Solomon's decline, Fr. Mike points out how the consequences of our decisions can have ramifications far beyond ourselves. The readings are 1 Kings 11, Ecclesiastes 10-12, and Psalm 9. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.
Chapter 1: What are the key themes in 1 Kings 11?
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.
Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 153. It is our last day of King Solomon. His last day of 1 Kings chapter 11 is our reading today, as well as the last three chapters in Ecclesiastes. That's Ecclesiastes 10.1. 11, and 12.
We're also praying Psalm 9 today. The Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year.
You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe, and then you will be subscribed. As I said, chapter 11 of 1 Kings. This is where we finally hear what we know was coming. We saw hints of Solomon's cracks. It was hints of Solomon losing his way. And this is finally the time when we see it. We see it happen. And it is horrible. It's devastating. But it also is the truth.
And so pay attention to Solomon in 1 Kings 11, as well as listen to the wisdom of Solomon or of the author of Ecclesiastes 10, 11, and 12. And we then also get to pray with King David in Psalm 9. The first book of Kings chapter 11, Solomon's errors.
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Chapter 2: How did Solomon's decisions lead to his decline?
Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, the daughter of Pharaoh and Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian and Hittite women from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons 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.
He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines, and his wives turned away his heart. 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. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites.
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. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, and for Moloch, the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
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 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. but he did not keep what the Lord commanded.
Therefore, the Lord said to Solomon, since this has been your mind and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 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.
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, which I have chosen. adversaries of Solomon. And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was of the royal house in Edom.
For when David was in Edom and Joab the commander of the army went up to bury the slain, he slew every male in Edom. For Joab and all Israel remained there six months until he had cut off every male in Edom. But Hadad fled to Egypt together with certain Edomites of his father's servants, Hadad being yet a little child.
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. 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 Tapins the queen.
And the sister of Tapins bore him Genubath his son, whom Tapins weaned in Pharaoh's house, and Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh. 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.
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Chapter 3: What lessons can we learn from Ecclesiastes?
You have destroyed the wicked. You have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins. Their cities you have rooted out. The very memory of them has perished. But the Lord sits enthroned forever. He has established his throne for judgment. And he judges the world with righteousness. He judges the peoples with equity.
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. Sing praises to the Lord who dwells in Zion. Tell among the peoples his deeds. For he who avenges blood is mindful of them. He does not forget the cry of the poor. Be gracious to me, O Lord.
Behold what I suffer from those who hate me. O you who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your deliverance. The nations have sunk in the pit which they made. In the net which they hid has their own foot been caught. The Lord has made himself known. He has executed judgment.
The wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all nations that forget God. for the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. Arise, O Lord. Let not man prevail. Let the nations be judged before you. Put them in fear, O Lord.
Let the nations know that they are but men. Father in heaven, yes, give us wisdom.
Give us wisdom to number our days correctly. Give us wisdom to know who we are. Yes, yesterday we prayed that Psalm, Psalm 8, of how, who are we that you mind to care for us? Who are we that as human beings that you even keep us in mind? And now today, Lord God, we just are struck. We're struck by our need to ask you, please be reminded us
of how we need you to care for us, how we need you to pay attention to us because of the fact that there are so many obstacles, there are so many battles, there are so many things that are facing us this day that we just ask you for your grace and for your strength.
We ask for your attentiveness and your love to be present in our lives, especially in the midst of battle, in the midst of struggle, in the midst of this life. We trust in you. We praise you and we love you. Please receive this in Jesus name. Amen. In the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy spirit. Amen. Oh gosh, here we go. You guys.
So King Solomon, and we started off by talking about King Solomon. Here he is in first Kings chapter 11, that he started out well and he did not end well. He started out wise, and he ended foolishly. He started out even as relatively good, and he did not end as a good person. He did not end as a good man. He did not end as a good king.
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Chapter 4: Why is remembering our Creator important?
Chapter 5: What are the consequences of turning away from God?
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. 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 Tapins the queen.
And the sister of Tapins bore him Genubath his son, whom Tapins weaned in Pharaoh's house, and Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh. 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.
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 go. God also raised up as an adversary to him Rezon, the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his master Hazad-Ezer, king of Zobah. And he gathered men about him and became leader of a marauding band after the slaughter by David.
And they went to Damascus and dwelt there and made him king in Damascus. He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon doing mischief as Hadad did. And he abhorred Israel and reigned over Syria. Jeroboam's rebellion. Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zerudah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king.
And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built the millow and closed up the breach of the city of David, his father. 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.
And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shillanite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country. Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him and tore it into twelve pieces.
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. But he shall have one tribe for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.
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Chapter 6: How do adversaries influence Solomon's reign?
because he has forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh, the god of Moab, and Milcom, the god of the Ammonites, and has not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my ordinances, as David his father did.
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." but I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it to you ten tribes.
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. And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel.
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. And I will for this afflict the descendants of David, but not forever. Solomon sought, therefore, to kill Jeroboam.
But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak, king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. The death of Solomon. 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? And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father.
And Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead. The book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 10, Observations of Wisdom.
Dead flies make a perfumer's ointment give off an evil odor, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. A wise man's heart inclines him toward the right, but a fool's heart toward the left. Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.
If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for deference will make amends for great offenses. There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler. Folly is set in many high places and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen slaves on horses and princes walking on foot like slaves.
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