Author: John Tillman

Scripture Focus: 1 Kings 4.20, 25
20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy…25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.

1 Kings 5.13-18
13 King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel—thirty thousand men. 14 He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, 16 as well as thirty-three hundred foremen who supervised the project and directed the workers. 17 At the king’s command they removed from the quarry large blocks of high-grade stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. 18 The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and workers from Byblos cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple. 

Reflection: Rosy Idealism vs Gritty Reality
By John Tillman

One chapter paints a glowing, idealistic picture of Solomon’s reign, packed with prophetic references. The people are “numerous as the sand on the seashore,” referencing God’s promise to Abraham. (Genesis 22.17) They ate, drank, and were happy, with “peace on every side,” as promised to their ancestors. (Joshua 21.44) They lived in safety, everyone “under their own vine and fig tree,” an idyllic state that would be referenced by the prophet Micah and many others. (Micah 4.4)

The next chapter is a reality check. The idyllic portrait was a partial picture. For at least 30,000 Israelites, the reality included forced labor. Everyone lived under their own vine and fig tree for two out of three months. The other month, they were slaves.

The version of slavery in the Bible was less brutal than the North Atlantic slave trade, yet God opposed even the gentler version. God liberated Israel from slavery. Scripture cites this experience as part of their identity. “For you were slaves in Egypt” is a frequent refrain. God commanded that they never enslave another Israelite. God commanded that they prevent fellow Israelites from being enslaved by outsiders. God commanded that they always set free escaped slaves. Yet, here is Solomon, building a Temple for God by breaking these rules.

Societies supported by slavery always have a rosy, sanitized vision of themselves. They say things like, “Slaves were like family,” “slaves learned skills,” “slaves lived happy lives,” and “slaves were rarely mistreated.” Even if these are or were always true, it doesn’t change God’s opinion of slavery as a practice to avoid and oppose. 

Pointing fingers at the past is not scripture’s intention. Jesus condemned those who looked to the past and claimed they would not have joined their forebears’ sins. (Luke 11.47-48) He would say the same to us. It does no spiritual good to claim we would have opposed past wrongs. Spiritual good comes from sober examination of our present.

Do we have a rosy, glowing, idealistic, and sanitized vision of ourselves? Have we allowed a “gentler version” of slavery to rise up, unnoticed, except by the tens of thousands trapped in it? Or if not slavery, a gentler version of empire, greed, or lust?

Recognizing the sins of the past is important, but not without repenting of the sins of today. God, wipe away rosy idealism. Grant us the mercy to see gritty reality and repent of today’s sins.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
The heaven of heavens is the Lord’s, but he entrusted the earth to its peoples. — Psalm 115.16

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.


Today’s Readings
1 Kings 4-5 (Listen 7:21)
Psalms 22 (Listen 3:49)

Read more about Better Temples
Jesus is our Temple and Solomon’s prayers are better answered in Jesus than in the structure Solomon built.

Read more about Supporting Our Work
Please consider becoming a donor. Support ad-free content that brings biblical devotionals to inboxes across the world.

Scripture Focus: 1 Kings 1.50-53
50 But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Then Solomon was told, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and is clinging to the horns of the altar. He says, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’ ” 
52 Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be worthy, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.” 53 Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said, “Go to your home.” 

Reflection: Who Is the True King?
By John Tillman

David is rightly remembered as the greatest of Israel’s kings. For generations, every good king will be described as following in David’s footsteps, and every bad king will be described as forsaking them. But David’s reign and personal life are far from perfect. The writers of the scrolls of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles go out of their way to show us that even the “man after God’s own heart” fell short.

The cracks caused by David’s flaws showed early. David’s taking of multiple wives and concubines and his inability or unwillingness to deal justly with crimes and corruption within his family explode into bloodshed over and over.

At the end of David’s reign, Israel found itself with two would-be kings. Which one is lawful? Which one is the usurper? Did Adonijah know David planned to place Solomon on the throne? Did David forget? Did Bathsheba or Nathan deceive David, making him think he forgot a promise he never made? Palace intrigue and conspiracy theories are always interesting to us.

Adonijah’s three older brothers were dead. According to tradition, he was the rightful heir. The writer carefully points out David’s failure to correct Adonijah or warn him about his presumptions. Adonijah and his supporters may have taken this as David’s tacit approval.

Some have proposed that Nathan and Bathsheba plotted against Adonijah by manipulating poor, old, senile David. However, David doesn’t seem weak or senile in his response. In addition, Chronicles has a fuller account of David’s public declaration that Solomon would be the next king. This public knowledge makes it hard to see Adonijah as innocent.

The sins of a normal person harm the individual, friends, and family. But even the tiniest flaws in rulers are multiplied by their wealth, influence, and power—and they slay multitudes. The warning tremors of instability we see during David’s lifetime grew after his death. Solomon’s reign would end with a nation-splitting earthquake of a civil war that cost tens of thousands of lives.

More powerful rulers are more likely to do greater harm, even with good intentions.

There are no perfect rulers on Earth, but that doesn’t mean character is a poor political strategy or that victory outweighs virtue. As we select rulers, remember: The more powerful rulers are, the more important character becomes. And in a democracy, the true king is the voter. And God will hold us to account.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting
Hosanna, Lord, hosanna!… Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the house of the Lord — Psalm 118.25-26

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.


Today’s Readings
1 Kings 1 (Listen 7:52)
Psalms 18 (Listen 5:47)

This Weekend’s Readings
1 Kings 2 (Listen 7:45), Psalms 19 (Listen 1:52)
1 Kings 3 (Listen 4:29), Psalms 20-21 (Listen 2:37)

Read more about Limits of Human Grace
On his deathbed, David sounded hurt, petty, vindictive…David, left Solomon a mix of things, including a hit list.

Read more about Supporting Our Work
Our work needs your support. Ad-free content isn’t free to produce. Please consider becoming a donor.