Day 167- The Bible Recap

Today's reading is 1 Kings 9 and 2 Chronicles 8. Here's what stood out to me:

After Solomon finished the temple, the LORD appeared to him and told him He would meet with them there. This is the place to come to be in the presence of the LORD.

It is very encouraging to me that the LORD told Solomon He wanted him to walk closely to Him as his father David did. Despite David's sinful, life-altering mistakes, the LORD used him. But David also confessed his sin and turned from it, and the LORD pointed this out when He spoke of David's integrity of heart. I loved when Tara Leigh mentioned that God is not "just after our obedience; He's after our hearts." This is so that we take hold of Him and continue obeying and following after Him.

The LORD warns that if His people turn from Him, He will cut them off. Today, the site where the temple once stood is now a mosque. The result of Israel forsaking the LORD.

The LORD did not condone Solomon's use of forced labor. He also didn't condone his many wives. I think it says a lot that Solomon didn't allow his Egyptian wife to live in a place that the ark once was. He knew the LORD was not pleased that he married outside of his people. He recognized that the result of that sinful act of marrying a pagan woman was not worthy of being near the ark of the LORD.

There are many things Solomon did well, but there were also many things he didn't do well. This is why God wants our hearts! When He has our hearts, we will do what He desires and not what our sinful desires convince us we ought to do. We can't do it on our own friends! We need Him and His strength!

~Ann Mays