Hold To God's Ways
Sermon
Object:
Life is unfair. It
seems especially unfair when something which has been denied one person is
immediately and without strings given to another person. In the present run of
reality shows on television, one person may be rejected for very little reason
other than that their face doesn't quite fit, whilst another may be welcomed
for equally little reason. They simply look a little different. There's no real
thought behind the rejection, it's just a sort of blind
prejudice.
Perhaps it was God who seemed unfair to King David. When David conceived the brilliant and generous plan of building a house for God, God was angry and prevented him (2 Sam. 7:1-7). Although God said at the time that he didn't want 'a house of cedar', it seems that actually God was quite happy to have 'a house of cedar' as long as it wasn't built for him by David. God said to David, "When your life ends and you rest with your forefathers, I shall set up one of your family, one of your own children, to succeed you, and I shall establish his kingdom. It is he who is to build a house in honour of my name, and I shall establish his royal throne for all time." (2 Sam. 7:12-13)
It was David's son by Bathsheba, originally the wife of Uriah the Hittite whom David had murdered, who was the recipient of God's promise. Solomon succeeded to the throne probably sometime during the 8th century BCE and in his first encounter with God, asked God for the gift of wisdom, a request which delighted God. In today's reading from 1 Kings, we come to Solomon's second encounter with God.
Solomon is established as a person of wisdom, enjoying great wealth. Israel is prosperous, life is idyllic and the building of the temple begins. But perhaps this is where things began to go wrong for Solomon, for he conscripted the labourers to build the temple and this later led to a split between the northern tribes of Israel and the southern tribes of Judah. David his father had united the tribes, but the unity lasted just a generation or so. Once the temple was built and dedicated, it was all downhill for Solomon. The promise of his earlier years fell apart and his wisdom seems to have utterly deserted him.
But we haven't yet reached that sad point in today's lectionary reading. Today, Solomon is at the height of his powers, revered as a great king, perhaps destined to be even greater than his father David. The temple is finished and is magnificent in its splendour. And Solomon's first act is to turn to God in prayer.
Interestingly, although Solomon clearly acknowledges the primacy of God, he still admits that God is one among many gods, for he says, "O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath." 1 Kings is thought to have been written around 200-300 years later, during the exile when the people had been banished to far away Babylon where they were surrounded by many gods and by very different worship. And there is more in Solomon's prayer to bring comfort to the exiles. Solomon affirms God's covenant, although by now it has been subtly altered. Whereas God's covenant with David was unconditional -- "Your family and your kingdom will be established for ever in my sight; your throne will endure for all time"(2 Sam. 7:16) - now with Solomon the covenant has suddenly become conditional - "There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me." (1 Kings 8:25). The author is perhaps saying that the exile is the result of failing to keep to God's ways, but that if that should change and the people once more follow God's laws, then the kingdom will be re-established.
There are more hints for the exiles and more comfort for them. For in his prayer Solomon says, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built!" One of the biggest problems for the exiles was that they thought they had left God behind in Jerusalem in his temple, but when the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE, perhaps God had deserted them forever. But in this wonderful leap of faith, the author realises that God can never be contained on earth and that God is present both on earth and in heaven at the same time.
After the long prayer of dedication, God confirmed that the temple was indeed consecrated and God very clearly reminded Solomon that everything he had was dependent on his total obedience to God's laws (1 Kings 9:4-5). But God warned Solomon that if he was unfaithful, then Israel would lose the land and the temple would be destroyed. Thus the exile was satisfactorily explained. The people were dragged into exile in Babylon because they and their leaders failed to uphold God's laws and failed to remain faithful to God.
Today we don't think of events quite so starkly in terms of reward and punishment by God. Understanding has largely moved on and we are able to see cause and effect perhaps more clearly and without reference to God. But it is still true that our lives begin to fall apart when we lose our connection to God, not suddenly, perhaps, but more subtly. Things don't fit together quite so well. We may begin to feel irritated or fed up, or find other people to blame. Our lives are not quite so rosy as perhaps they once were.
This is not to say that bad things never happen to Christians. On the contrary, we only have to look at the life of Jesus to see that that cannot be true. But with a Christian life which holds firmly to God's ways, there is an underlying strength and support which enables us to grow through our problems and difficulties, rather than allowing those problems and difficulties to pull us under.
God promised Solomon that God would always be there, supporting and upholding him as long as he held firmly to God's paths and didn't allow himself to become distracted by all his wealth and his power. The same holds good for us, too.
Perhaps it was God who seemed unfair to King David. When David conceived the brilliant and generous plan of building a house for God, God was angry and prevented him (2 Sam. 7:1-7). Although God said at the time that he didn't want 'a house of cedar', it seems that actually God was quite happy to have 'a house of cedar' as long as it wasn't built for him by David. God said to David, "When your life ends and you rest with your forefathers, I shall set up one of your family, one of your own children, to succeed you, and I shall establish his kingdom. It is he who is to build a house in honour of my name, and I shall establish his royal throne for all time." (2 Sam. 7:12-13)
It was David's son by Bathsheba, originally the wife of Uriah the Hittite whom David had murdered, who was the recipient of God's promise. Solomon succeeded to the throne probably sometime during the 8th century BCE and in his first encounter with God, asked God for the gift of wisdom, a request which delighted God. In today's reading from 1 Kings, we come to Solomon's second encounter with God.
Solomon is established as a person of wisdom, enjoying great wealth. Israel is prosperous, life is idyllic and the building of the temple begins. But perhaps this is where things began to go wrong for Solomon, for he conscripted the labourers to build the temple and this later led to a split between the northern tribes of Israel and the southern tribes of Judah. David his father had united the tribes, but the unity lasted just a generation or so. Once the temple was built and dedicated, it was all downhill for Solomon. The promise of his earlier years fell apart and his wisdom seems to have utterly deserted him.
But we haven't yet reached that sad point in today's lectionary reading. Today, Solomon is at the height of his powers, revered as a great king, perhaps destined to be even greater than his father David. The temple is finished and is magnificent in its splendour. And Solomon's first act is to turn to God in prayer.
Interestingly, although Solomon clearly acknowledges the primacy of God, he still admits that God is one among many gods, for he says, "O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath." 1 Kings is thought to have been written around 200-300 years later, during the exile when the people had been banished to far away Babylon where they were surrounded by many gods and by very different worship. And there is more in Solomon's prayer to bring comfort to the exiles. Solomon affirms God's covenant, although by now it has been subtly altered. Whereas God's covenant with David was unconditional -- "Your family and your kingdom will be established for ever in my sight; your throne will endure for all time"(2 Sam. 7:16) - now with Solomon the covenant has suddenly become conditional - "There shall never fail you a successor before me to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your children look to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me." (1 Kings 8:25). The author is perhaps saying that the exile is the result of failing to keep to God's ways, but that if that should change and the people once more follow God's laws, then the kingdom will be re-established.
There are more hints for the exiles and more comfort for them. For in his prayer Solomon says, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built!" One of the biggest problems for the exiles was that they thought they had left God behind in Jerusalem in his temple, but when the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE, perhaps God had deserted them forever. But in this wonderful leap of faith, the author realises that God can never be contained on earth and that God is present both on earth and in heaven at the same time.
After the long prayer of dedication, God confirmed that the temple was indeed consecrated and God very clearly reminded Solomon that everything he had was dependent on his total obedience to God's laws (1 Kings 9:4-5). But God warned Solomon that if he was unfaithful, then Israel would lose the land and the temple would be destroyed. Thus the exile was satisfactorily explained. The people were dragged into exile in Babylon because they and their leaders failed to uphold God's laws and failed to remain faithful to God.
Today we don't think of events quite so starkly in terms of reward and punishment by God. Understanding has largely moved on and we are able to see cause and effect perhaps more clearly and without reference to God. But it is still true that our lives begin to fall apart when we lose our connection to God, not suddenly, perhaps, but more subtly. Things don't fit together quite so well. We may begin to feel irritated or fed up, or find other people to blame. Our lives are not quite so rosy as perhaps they once were.
This is not to say that bad things never happen to Christians. On the contrary, we only have to look at the life of Jesus to see that that cannot be true. But with a Christian life which holds firmly to God's ways, there is an underlying strength and support which enables us to grow through our problems and difficulties, rather than allowing those problems and difficulties to pull us under.
God promised Solomon that God would always be there, supporting and upholding him as long as he held firmly to God's paths and didn't allow himself to become distracted by all his wealth and his power. The same holds good for us, too.
