Series is rise and fall of a nation. We're a Sunday behind Because of our snow day back in February and so we finished last Sunday and Galatians and so today we're going to do lessons one and two lessons one and two I think I've gotten back-to-back here. I'm actually going to just teach one lesson and then go to the next lesson. I didn't try to just merge them both, but actually they fit together perfectly. So we'll get through Lesson 1 and 2 and be back on a regular schedule for next Sunday. I think Brother Steeve's going to do that, right? So we'll be back on Lesson 3 next Lord's Day. Rise and Fall of a Nation, the historical books A lot about kings and prophets. A couple of years ago, we did a Wednesday night survey of all the kings, I think, of the Old Testament. In the Hebrew Bible, they number books differently by the Hebrew collection of the same books that we have in our Bible. And sometimes 1 and 2 Samuel would be called 1 and 2 Kings because they were about the kings. And then 1 and 2 Kings would be called 3 and 4 Kings. And then, believe it or not, some people call Chronicles what? 5th and 6th Kings. I'm just seeing if you're awake. It is Time Chains Sunday. So you need to get awake now because in the message this morning I am going to talk about Einstein's Theory of Relativity. So get psyched up for that. It's about time, literally. But anyway, so the interesting thing about Kings and Chronicles, and you can see, are selected passages. We're not actually studying an entire book of the Old Testament, chapters 3-22 of 1 Kings, chapters 1-13 of 2 Kings, and 2 Chronicles 1-24, and 2 of the Minor Prophets. They're called minor because their books were shorter. Minor Prophets, Hosea through Malachi. We're going to be looking at Obadiah and Joel. Probably more familiar with Joel because Peter talks about him on the day of Pentecost. Obadiah, not quite as famous. But it's all part of Scripture. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, profitable for doctrine, for reproof, correction, instruction, and righteousness. So the theme is the rise and fall of the nation. And it's primarily looking at Judah. So we'll talk about that more later. One of the spiritual aims that our author, if you don't have one of our student books, they're still available in the foyer there. Pick one up today and take it home and read some of those things at your convenience. The Bible student will learn that whether God's people receive blessings through obedience or punishment for disobedience, God's glory will prevail in the end. Two caveats here. We have to realize that Israel was a special status nation. Actually, they began as a theocracy, the direct rule of God. Even at the beginning, though, the Israelites pushed back on that. They told Moses, so you talk to God and tell us what God said. We really need someone to be our go-between. But they were a direct rule of God. God spoke to Moses, and Moses led the people as God would instruct him. God would correct Moses directly. But they eventually reject the theocracy. God uses that. God uses that rejection just like he uses the crucifixion of Christ. Evil men slew Jesus, but God used that for our salvation. So God uses the rejection of the theocracy to bring about a monarchy. A king. They wanted a king. They get Samuel. They get Saul. who is the greatest picture of Christ, the King in the Old Testament, and there's Solomon. In the southern kingdom, when it splits after Solomon's reign, the Davidic line continues all the way up to captivity. In the northern kingdom, there are something like 22 different families or dynasties. There's no continuity up north with the kingdoms. The other interesting thing is that in the Hebrew Bible, the Hebrew Bible ends the Old Testament with Chronicles because those history books are written after the exile. Samuel and Kings are written before the 70 year captivity in Babylon. Chronicles, books like Ezra, Nehemiah, and some of the minor prophets are written after the exile. They're called post-exilic, post-exile. So that's the difference. Kings looks at it from the prophetical viewpoint. Chronicles looks at things from a priestly viewpoint. They talk about the same history, but they're emphasizing different perspectives. Quickly, we're going to go to Lesson 1, Solomon Receives Wisdom. Now, I have an advantage here. I suspect if you've been in Sunday school or church at all, and if you're in Sunday school, that usually means you've been in church some. because you care enough to come to Sunday school, thank you for that. But you probably know about Solomon's encounter with God. Where did Solomon get his wisdom? God. God asking, we'll see God asking, what do you want? He had promised David, he would bless David's son. And Solomon did not, what did Solomon not ask for? Money. Money? Anything else? Power, military might. He asked for wisdom. God was really pleased with that. God loves to give wisdom liberally. Now, can God give wealth? Yes. Can God give might or strength? Yes. And we find out that God actually gave both of those other things to Solomon, but he asked for wisdom. So our focus in Lesson 1 is actually in 2 Chronicles Chapter 1. So I guess you could turn there if you want your Bible open. It's always good to have your Bible open, checking up on what the preacher's saying. Verses 7 through 12. And then in Lesson 2, we'll be looking back at 1 Kings, several passages there. But you see the way they blend together. Solomon receives wisdom, and then Solomon builds the temple. So the lessons just sort of dovetail together. So I think this was a good two lessons to put together. 2 Chronicles 1, verse 12 is our key verse. Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee, and I will give thee riches and wealth and honor, and I think the honor implies military might, military security, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like. The golden days of the United Kingdom, it's called, Not so much under Saul, more so under David. David is a man of war and he conquers the city that becomes Jerusalem. He has conflict his entire 40-year reign. He has great successes. He actually is blessed by God in many ways, but he is not allowed to build a temple, and he doesn't really ever know any peace. He's a man of war. But when Solomon takes the throne, that begins, especially in the first half of Solomon's reign, the first 20 years of Solomon's reign, probably the pinnacle of the glory of the United Kingdom. The nation of Israel reaches its political zenith in the first half of Solomon's reign. The kingdom of Solomon reaches to the Euphrates, in the east, of course, to the Mediterranean, in the west, up into the mountains, to the north, and all the way down to the Gulf. Solomon will have a navy. He'll have a massive naval port at Ezeon Geber. Solomon will trade. He'll have trade with all the nations on the globe, especially to the east, toward India and China probably. His ships will sail. And Solomon will build a temple, one If we could know what it really looked like, probably one of the wonders of the ancient world would have been Solomon's temple that he built for God. And Solomon built his house, and then he built constructions all over his empire. He was, for a brief time, Israel was perhaps the superpower of that ancient world. It was a really phenomenal thing. And he also, in that way, becomes a picture or a type of Christ the King, who will one day sit on the throne of David again. Simple outline, Solomon received a request from the Lord, Solomon asked for wisdom, and Solomon pleased the Lord with his request. Verse seven of chapter one says, in that night did God appear. That's after his offering, before the tabernacle, this time before the temple was built, Tabernacle that the children of Israel had used for since the Exodus he had offered a thousand burnt offerings. In that night did God appear in the solemn and said unto him, ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said unto God, thou hast showed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. Now, O Lord, let thy promise unto David my king, my father, be established, for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. God had promised David that he would establish Solomon's throne. Give me now wisdom and knowledge that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can judge this thy people? That is so great. There was a great act of humility here. I know no doubt that Solomon had watched his father reign. To be honest, I suspect he was aware of some of the mistakes that David had made. Later on, I think he may have forgotten some of those mistakes that they've made. But he was overwhelmed by the privilege, by the honor. And so he asked for wisdom. Wisdom and knowledge are related, but not the same thing. Knowledge is information. Wisdom is how to use it. If knowledge were wheat, wisdom would be bread. If knowledge were a bolt of cloth, Wisdom would be a suit of clothes or a dress. Wisdom is what you do with what you know. That's why education is valuable, but wisdom is better. It's not that knowledge is bad. are unnecessary, you do need to have wheat to make bread, but bread is a lot better than wheat to eat. You could just wrap yourself up in a bolt of cloth, I guess, but it's a lot better to have garments designed for you, and wisdom and knowledge are related, but not the same thing. God said to Solomon, because this was in thine heart and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of thine enemies, that's the political strength, neither yet has asked long life, that was another request I forgot about if you want to live a long time. Thou hast wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people over whom I have made thee king. Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee, is our key verse, and I will give thee riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there be any after thee have the like. There will be some good kings in Judah, even after the kingdom divides, but there will not be another solemn. There will not be anyone greater than Solomon until Jesus shows up and he will be the greater Solomon. All right, that's lesson one. Lesson two, Solomon builds the temple. I don't feel like we're rushing you. I think you're familiar with these things. I hope you'll take time to read some of these passages of scripture. Get one of the student books. But now we're going to move quickly on to Solomon building the house of God. 1 Kings chapter 5, and you can turn back there. The word house in the Bible is a fascinating word. House can be used to describe a kingdom or a nation. The house of David is his kingdom. The family of David ruling and reigning over Israel. A house, a man's or a woman's, well anybody's body is said to be a house or a tabernacle. Jesus Christ will be a tabernacle indwelt by, he will be God in the flesh. But house also applies to where we worship God. In the Old Testament, it was first the tabernacle, then it was the temple, And although there are no real instructions about it in the time between the Testaments and the time the New Testament opens, the Jews are worshiping not just at the temple, but they're also worshiping in synagogues. They're gathering together. in groups of at least 10 men or more and their families. And because they couldn't go to Jerusalem for a long time, they gathered and worshiped God there. There's no specific instructions about the synagogue, but there are some interesting parallels between synagogues and the principle of the synagogue and the principle of the church. In the New Testament, God makes local, visible, Assemblies his house Paul will tell Timothy later that The church is the pillar and ground of the truth that it is a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit It's a place of worship One of the reasons God makes The church house pattern is because God has always intended to take the gospel to the whole world. In the Old Testament, the design seems to have been that the nations would come and hear and see. They would be drawn to that land bridge between Europe and Asia and Africa. They would come up the King's Highway, it was called, along the Mediterranean coast. And everybody in the ancient world would hear about Israel. It literally was a city shining on the hill. And in Solomon's day, it was probably the center of world commerce and the center of world trade and probably the center of learning and knowledge. And Israel really was the pivot point of the ancient world. And we have examples where people like the Queen of Sheba heard Maybe her merchants, maybe her tradespeople, probably some of her truck drivers came back talking about Jerusalem. Maybe a different kind of truck. But anyway, they came back and said, you've got to see this place. I mean, they have. They got gold everywhere. They've got silver everywhere. They got buildings like I've never seen before you you got to see this to believe it and I think that's illustrative of what the ancient God's God's plan to tell people about the true and living God was to draw them to Israel and they did come and They Heard about God there. God's plan in the New Covenant, in the New Testament, is actually, in my opinion, my observation, even better. The nations don't have to come to Jerusalem or any particular place on the earth. God takes his house to the nations, literally his houses. The Old Baptist called churches colonies of heaven. and scattered them all over the world. He's still doing that. In the morning service, I want to read to you portions of a letter from Pastor Chuck Hahn over Pleasant View. God's raising up a church in Nepal. I'm pretty excited about it because it's a very difficult region, it's a very Humanly speaking, people are not lining up to go to Nepal. Not for tourism, not for missions, not for business. It's really a difficult place to live. And God is raising up a church there. I'll read the letter, but I'm thinking, how would people in Nepal, who can't hardly travel from one mountain to another in Nepal, no means to get out of there, no money to get out of there, how are they ever gonna make it to Jerusalem? Humanly speaking, not, and I know all things are possible, but what wonderful grace God doesn't know any of us anything, it's all unmerited favor. What wonderful grace that God sent a missionary to Nepal. The missionary, I think he's Indian, an Indian national. He was ordained at Pleasant View Baptist Church in 2015, which is about by my math, ten years ago. So, God has been preparing this man and this work, and I'm thinking, those people in Nepal, wherever they are, whatever little town they're in, whatever place they're in, those people are not going to be able to travel to America or to Europe or Most of them, Chuck told me, he says they never travel more than three miles in their life. They just don't have any means to do it. There's very few roads, very few, very little transportation. So in the New Testament, we're gonna see a difference about that. But anyway, 1 Kings 5, the Lord provides the way, Solomon the purpose to build, And Solomon finishes the temple, chapter six, verses 11 through 14. First Kings, chapter five, Solomon said to Hiram, now that's a man, has the forest up in Lebanon, said, thou knowest how that David, my father, could not build a house under the name of the Lord his God, for the wars which were about him on every side. until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurring. Let me go quickly here. Behold, I purpose to build a house under the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spake unto David my father, saying, thy son, this God talking to David, your son, whom I will set upon your throne in thy room or place, he shall build a house unto my name. David wanted to build the temple. He spent, when he wasn't fighting wars, He was collecting building materials so much so that the treasury of David, the Bible mentions, became a synonym for the collective wealth of Israel. David built a storehouse and he locked up, he gave Eliakim the key and David just kept buying the materials and of course there were some things that would have to be purchased so David accumulated the wealth and probably if I understand the story, I think he was preparing the builders, The organization of the contractors and the actual workers, the laborers. I know Solomon had something to do with that. But I mean, you don't just wake up one day and know how to build a building the size of the temple. There must have been some kind of training. There must have been some kind of preparation, even for the workers. But David was not allowed to build it. God tell Solomon, now that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon, and my servants shall be with thy servants, and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint. For thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians. In other words, there are people that know how to do things. and we're going to use the very best. We're going to use these craftsmen, these workmen. Labor has always been a part of creation mandate. God intended us to be workers. The sin curse has added thorns and sweat and pain difficulty, but we were always intended, we were always created to be workmen, different kinds of workmen. I mean, arts and sciences are part of that, but also just daily labor. God's always designed us to be workers, to be productive. It's part of our image-bearing of God. And so he begins to give Solomon instructions. So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees. I'm told that in the ancient world, the forest, the cedars of Lebanon were just They rival perhaps the forest out west. You've been to the great forest out there. What's the name of it? The Redwoods. The Redwoods. The Redwood forest. You've seen the massive trees. You've probably seen pictures of trees where they have cut a tunnel through a tree. That's a big tree and you have to put the rope through the tree. And I'm told that the cedars of Lebanon were huge, massive cedars, and the logging enterprise that it would have been, and the skill with which they would have prepared the timbers. Hiram gives Solomon the lumber. according to all that he requested. And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying, concerning this house which you are in building, if you will walk in my statues and execute my judgments and keep all my commandments to walk in them, then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. So Solomon built the house and finished it. Kings and Chronicles both talk about the construction of this temple. It goes into very specific details. If you look at the second Chronicles, Chapter 3. This may be part of another lesson, but I'm going to cover it here. 2 Chronicles 3. Solomon begins to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah. If you recall in David's life, that's where that site had been designated. This is no doubt where Abraham had been asked to be willing to offer Isaac. It's that same mount. And then God also stayed the plague that was Devastating Israel because of David's sin of numbering the people In chapter 3 in verse 2 It says Solomon began to build in the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God and It gives you the length, and the portions, and the greater house. In verse 6, he says, he garnished the house with precious stone for beauty, and the gold was of purveyor. Verse 7, he overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, the walls thereof, and the doors thereof with gold. The wood was gold-plated. Now that would have added not only beauty, but it would also add protection. Sometimes when you have a wood house, have you ever put siding on a wood house? What are the materials that you use for covering a wooden house? Vinyl? I guess you could use brick, couldn't you? You could use brick to cover wood frame, brick faced, or vinyl siding. Solomon said, I'm going to use gold, gold plate. I'm told that gold plated lumber is impervious to rot and to termites. Termites don't eat through gold. So there was a practical aspect to this because wood will age and discolor, but the wood was overlaid with gold. Verse 8 tells you about how much gold overlaid the upper chambers, verse 9. And the most holy house, the interior pattern of it follows the tabernacle, the furniture and and the arrangements are following the tabernacle's model. You could read Exodus for that. But the temple itself is much, much larger, and the altars of chapter 4, and then not only the building, But the vessels, verse 19 in chapter 4, Solomon made all the vessels that were for the house of God the golden altar also The tables were on the show bread was set candlesticks with their lamps of verse 20 of chapter 4 of pure gold The lamps perfect gold verse 21 The inner doors verse 22 thereof for the most holy place and the doors of the house the temple were of gold You see a theme here Decorating things, this is literally a golden house. Chapter five, thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of the Lord was finished. Solomon brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated, silver and the gold and all the instruments, put them among the treasures of the house of God. In chapter 5, verse 5, they bring up the ark, which was still in the tabernacle. They bring the tabernacle of the congregation, and the priest and the Levites bring that up. And in verse 6, King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before the ark sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be told nor numbered for multitude. And the priest brought in the ark of the covenant unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even unto the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread forth their wings over the place of the ark. And the cherubims covered the ark on the stage thereof. Verse 11, it came to pass when the priests were come out of the holy place, for all the priests that were present were sanctified and did not then wait by course. And also the Levites, which were the singers, and all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthim, with their sons and their brethren being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, this is their orchestra, their choirs. Verse 13, trumpeters and singers, to make one sound, verse 13 says, to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord. And they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music. and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good, for his mercy endures forever, that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord, so that the priest could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the house. This had happened once before in Exodus 40, I believe, in the dedication of the tabernacle. the Shekinah glory, the presence of God manifesting in a cloud had immersed that tabernacle. It does the same thing here with the temple. Dr. Sadler believed that that's also typological of what happens at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit comes and immerses that first congregation there on the day of Pentecost. Solomon offers a speech or a prayer in chapter 6 The Lord has said that he would dwell in the thick darkness, but I have built a house of habitation for thee, and a place for thy dwelling forever. And he blesses the Lord. Verse 6, he says, I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there, and have chosen David to be over my people of Israel. We won't read all of these verses, but if you want to read chapter 6, about the dedication of, and also a sermon that's preached. Chapter seven, he ends his prayer, and it's completed. When you read the New Testament, You read about Herod's temple. This temple of Solomon is going to be destroyed at the beginning of the 70 years of captivity, which comes later. After the Babylonian captivity, in the post-exile period, there will be a second temple. It will not rival Solomon's Temple for beauty. It will be a place of worship for the Israelites who return from captivity. The old people who could possibly remember anything about Solomon's Temple, they'll weep when they see how paltry and how poor, the second temple is. That temple also will be destroyed. And then as the New Testament opens, Herod is in the process of building another temple. The temple of Herod's day will have been under construction at the time of Jesus, 46 years. Herod would have been building and had not quite completed it. That temple will be destroyed in AD 70. And there is now no temple in Israel. Not that God has appointed or that God has raised up. So, that's lessons one and two. Deliberately have moved quickly and briefly, but these are familiar events. But they are very significant because they demonstrate two things. First of all, God keeps His promises. He made some promises to David. He kept those promises in Solomon. Also, God's made some promises to us. He's promised to forgive our sins. He's promised to give us an inheritance in glory in his kingdom. And God will keep those promises. If you're a child of God, your sins are forgiven. If you're a child of God, you are a citizen of heavenly kingdom. God keeps his word. But also these great events point us to Christ. Christ is the true dwelling place for God. He is God manifest in the flesh. God uses tabernacles, temples, and even churches as pictures of the body of Christ. Sometimes you'll hear the Bible say Your pastor remind you that we are the body of Christ. Now, does that mean we are the body that hung on the cross and paid for sins? No. But we are a pictorial representative with Christ as the head. We are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. And that makes the church very important. Paul says it's the pillar and ground of the truth. We're not important because of us. We're important because of what we do. We are to worship God and to spread the gospel. So many times at the dedication of a church building, I've heard sermons and remembrances of Solomon dedicating the temple. And I think there's a pattern there, asking God to honor a house. And we know the New Testament Church is not a physical building. The New Testament Church is an assembly of people that may use a building. They use, and we're thankful that we do have, a roof over our head, pews in which to sit, heat and air and lights and all those things, but the church is the people. And the tabernacle and the temple help us see great, wonderful pictures of the New Testament church, and more importantly, of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Father, I pray you'll bless the Sunday school hour, bless the children and teens and the other adult classes. Thank you for the time we can spend in your word today. Thank you for Solomon's request for wisdom and the power and glory which you also gave. And then for the building of the temple. To be set on the hill of God and built with the glory and the splendor When the morning or the evening sun caught the gold plate and the gold shining in that building, it must have been breathtaking. But it pales in comparison to the beauty that we see in Christ, who is God before us, Emmanuel. So we worship him today and point people to him and sing to Him and preach about Him today. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. th