Day 101 – January 11, 2024: I Kings 1-5 and Proverbs 1

I like this section of Scripture. It provides us with a historical account that serves us well to remember. We begin with David’s family being divided because one of his sins has claimed the throne in the wake of David’s failing health. Remember the kingdom is solid, powerful, and has never seen the prosperity that it is currently experiencing. But David had promised, because God had demanded, that Solomon would take over once David was out of the picture. Sure enough, David crowns Solomon, Solomon takes care of the various factions that were not totally on his side, and we begin with an Israel that is consolidated and powerful.

God asks Solomon what he might want as a ruler. Solomon asks for wisdom and displays that wisdom for the world to see in the famous cutting the baby in two story. Brutal, but compelling. We then see that Solomon is ready to build the temple and that he is able to build the temple because he has created peace among his neighbors, including marrying the daughter of Pharaoh. Could that be Cleopatra?

In Proverbs we see an encouragement to follow the way of the righteous and not to follow the way of the wicked. It is a them repeated over and over again in this book. Some have called Proverbs a cross country road trip with your mother-in-law. NOt my words, but the assumption is that there is a bit of a nagging quality to it because what is mentioned ought to be pretty self-explanatory. But we still don’t pursue wisdom and righteousness, we often just pursue our own desires. Proverbssets out to fight this urge.