The Wise Man's Gifts

asked, 'Did they do the same thing with the foundation?"

He laughed and said: "Oh... you can't do THAT with a foundation."

A contractor will tell you that a building is only as good as its foundation. If the foundation is faulty, the building is doomed. But if the foundation is solid, the building will stand a long time.

2. Yeshua (Jesus) and Foundations

24 "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; 25 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; 27 and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it." Matthew 7.24-27

3. Today we look at Solomon -- famous as the wisest king in the history of the united Israel; also failed to exercise his wisdom; wrote scripture; built the temple/house of God

4. 1 Chronicles 28.1-10

I. Solomon Was a Gift from God

A. His Names

1. "Jedidiah" -- "Beloved of the LORD"

2. Solomon (Shlomo) from Shalom -- "Peaceful" (David was a man of War; Agony of the loss of the first child)

3. God had not given up on David (and Bathsheba -- lineage of Messiah)

B. A Reminder: PEOPLE are gifts from God

1. Babies -- For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted me my petition which I made to him. 1 Samuel 1.27

2. In the Life of a Congregation -- 11 And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; Ephesians 4.11-13

II. Solomon Was Gifted by God 1 Kings 3:7-9

THREE GUYS ON A DESERT ISLAND, THEY FIND THE MAGIC LANTERN. FIRST GUY, I MISS MY WIFE AND KIDS, WISH I WAS HOME. SECOND GUY, I MISS MY JOB, I WISH I WAS HOME. THIRD GUY, I MISS MY BUDDIES, I WISH THEY WERE BACK. IF YOU WERE GRANTED A WISH, WHAT WOULD IT BE? SMARTER, RICHER, TALLER, SKINNIER, MORE WISHES? AS YOU CONSIDER THIS, AND BTW, GOD IS NOT A MAGIC GENIE TODAY TO GRANT YOUR WISHES.

Abraham went 10-12 years between hearing from God

Moses in the wilderness of Midian did not hear for 40 years; on the desert journey to Canaan, he heard daily

A. God Gave Solomon:

1. Wisdom -- 1 Kings 3.16-28 (cutting baby in two)

2. Wealth -- 1 Kings 10 (Queen of Sheba -- the half was not told to me)

a. Solomon's wealth is symbolized by gold, highlighted by the shields of hammered gold and the great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with fine gold.

b. In one year--probably the year of the queen of Sheba's visit--the gold revenues of 2 Chronicles 9.13 (666 talents of gold; approximately $700 Billion -- US Debt-- $17.2 Trillion+)

c. Solomon's tableware was made of gold. Prosperous kings were expected to have such tableware and display their wealth flamboyantly.

d. Solomon has a fleet of trading ships that travel a far-reaching route and bring back exotic items every three years.

e. Israel's king is greater in riches and wisdom than all other kings. The whole world comes, bearing gifts, to hear the wisdom God has put in his heart.

f. An expensive horse and a chariot from Egypt are singled out to put an exclamation point on the king's actions. As already observed, the law of the king prescribed, "The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, 'You are not to go back that way again' "

God's blessings on Solomon abound. God has kept all of His promises but will Solomon uphold his end of the bargain.

3. Authority

a. Promise of God

b. Aid of Bathsheba and Nathan -- 1 Kings 1.15-31

c. Theologically, Solomon did not sit on David's throne. Chronicles places him on the throne of the Lord. The kingdom belongs to God, and the one who sits on the throne does so by grace rather than right. Solomon's kingdom is a manifestation of the kingdom of God on earth.