August
16th, 2015 “Life Goes On” Rev.
Heather Jepsen
Summer Sermon
Series: Dancing with David
1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12
and 3:1-15
Today we finish our summer sermon
series, “Dancing with David”. For nearly
three months we have charted the story of King David through the Old Testament
books of 1st and 2nd Samuel. We read about David’s anointing as a shepherd
boy, his famous battle with Goliath, his joyous dance as he brings the ark to
Jerusalem, and his desire to build the temple only to find out that God would
build a dynasty in his name. We also
examined David’s darker hours; his sinful mistreatment of Uriah and Bathsheba,
his judgement and the death of his young son, as well as the mess of arrogance
and violence that seems to spin out of control in his household. Today we will look at Scriptures in 1 Kings
and finish our study of Israel’s greatest king.
Prior to this morning’s reading there
continues to be trouble in the kingdom, though not nearly as bad as things had
been. There are some uprisings with
groups outside the kingdom as well as rebellions from inside, but mostly it is
politics as usual. As David nears old
age and grows weak, his eldest living son, Adonijah makes a bid for the throne
with the help of David’s military right hand man, Joab. But, before things get too far along, the
prophet Nathan and Bathsheba conspire to place Solomon on the throne instead. Though there are 3 other brothers ahead of
him in age, Nathan and Bathsheba are convinced that Solomon is the one that God
has chosen as a successor since he was the one God blessed at birth. David agrees, and Solomon receives his
father’s blessing and is anointed as king of Israel.
Our reading begins with David offering
some final words of wisdom to his son. David
reminds Solomon that the key to being a successful king of Israel is to follow
the word of the Lord. One is to keep the
commandments, and to be strong and brave as they walk in the way of the
Lord. David has a stake in Solomon’s
success as he continues to hold on to God’s promise that a successor from his
line will always sit on the throne in Jerusalem. The author then tells us that David died
peaceably, having ruled in Israel for forty years.
In the sections of chapter 2 that we
skipped, Solomon is busy securing his place on the throne. He orders his older brother Adonijah killed,
so that he no longer poses a threat to his rule. He also orders the death of Joab, David’s
military commander who had supported Adonijah’s campaign to be king. Solomon is careful to wipe the slate clean,
so that he and he alone will have the power and claim to rule over Israel.
When we begin chapter 3 we read of
Solomon’s first acts as king of Israel.
As soon as he is in power, Solomon makes a marriage alliance with
Pharaoh King of Egypt, taking Pharaoh’s daughter as his wife. Solomon brings her to live in Jerusalem, even
though he has yet to build his own palace or the temple. It is a good move in world politics as it
expands the reach of Israel into politics on a more global scale as they enter
into trade relationship with Egypt and its allies. It is a gamble though for the king of Israel,
as the marrying of foreign wives is against the Mosaic Law.
The writer of 1 Kings goes on to tell
us that Solomon loved the lord and walked in the statues of his father David,
even though he worshipped in the high places.
Again, like marrying outside the faith, worshipping with locals at
community shrines is a really good political move. It is also a risk for the king of Israel who
is commanded by Mosaic Law to only worship at the holy tabernacle in Jerusalem.
While sacrificing at a high place in
Gibeon, Solomon has a vision of the Lord.
God asks what he can give Solomon, and Solomon replies that he and his
family have already been richly blessed by the steadfast love of the Lord. What Solomon asks for is not wealth or
blessing, but wisdom. “Give your servant
therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between
good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?”
God is pleased with this request and
decides that this is the path to blessing.
Because Solomon has asked for wisdom, God will also give him riches,
honor, and a long life on the throne.
One cannot help but think of the words of Jesus in the gospel of
Matthew, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added
unto you.” The reading ends with the
note that Solomon wakes to realize this has been a dream. He returns to Jerusalem to worship at the tabernacle,
and shares his joy at God’s blessing by providing a feast for all of his people
there.
As the story continues beyond this
morning’s reading, Solomon’s wisdom will come into question. While he appears to have a heart for the
Lord, like his father he has a penitent for bending the rules. He will be slow to build the temple and
fortify the walls of Jerusalem. He will
be greedy in his political endeavors, eventually forcing the people of Israel
into stiff taxation and slave labor conditions.
He will be greedy with women as well, marrying 700 princesses as well as
300 concubines. His relationships with
women of other cultures will eventually lead his heart astray, and upon his
death the kingdom of Israel will once again be split into two separate
kingdoms, the northern tribes and the southern ones.
So, this is where our story ends. With a request for wisdom, a desire to serve
the Lord, and yet the reality of the mistakes of a king that are also an
important part of the story. It seems to
me that this is where we have been headed all along. For what is wisdom but an amassing of life
experience, a telling of a life story?
Life is something we learn how to live as we go along, and I think faith
works like that as well.
On his death bed, the words of David
were certainly wise. After 40 years in
the throne, he had gained a deep awareness of how to rule Israel. He had a wealth of knowledge that he gained
through making mistakes and suffering hardships. David had a deep faith that had developed
over time. Though it was not a gift God
could give in an instant, Solomon’s request for wisdom is certainly a gift he received. Like his father though, he had to earn it
through a lifetime of trial and error.
Though the stories we tell ourselves
about these kings may not be the whole picture, they certainly contain a kernel
of truth. David’s heart for the Lord is
clear and can be seen as a thread woven throughout his story, even in his
darkest hours. Solomon is famous for his
wisdom, for surely it was wise to have asked for wisdom in the first place.
I think this morning that this is
where we find ourselves in the story.
Though we are not kings of Israel, we all have power and control in our
own lives. We can choose to seek after
wisdom, to walk in the ways of the Lord.
Or we can choose to go our own way.
Many of us will move back and forth between the two during our
lifetimes, for like our kings we are human and we will make mistakes.
Hopefully, like our kings, the end
results for all of us will be the same, wisdom.
For what else can we gain from a lifetime of living a roller coaster of
ups and downs? And like our kings, we
will be richly blessed. Not prosperity
gospel blessing, where God gives you money, but the true blessings of wisdom
and thankfulness. For certainly if we
are seeking the kingdom of God above all else, then we will be more aware of
the blessings and riches around us from the kindness of a stranger to a bounty
of fresh tomatoes.
As we close our sermon series for this
summer, and close the book on David for the time being, I want to bring us back
around to our very first reading from early June. I want to go back to the beginning of the
story, 1 Samuel 16 where the prophet Samuel stands before the sons of Jesse,
looking for the next king. As he stands in
front of the brave and handsome boys, the word of God whispers in his ear, “Do
not look on his appearance . . . for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they
look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
As we close our sermon series, let
this be the message for us. From the
outside, from our point of view centuries after these texts were written, David
doesn’t seem that faithful, and Solomon doesn’t seem that wise. They certainly don’t look like the greatest
kings to rule the land. And yet, the
Lord does not see as we see. The Lord
looks at the heart, and the Lord sees faithfulness and wisdom in these men.
So too, God looks on our own hearts
this morning. As our lives move on, in
and out of messes, through the hills and valleys of daily living, God is
looking at our hearts. God knows if we
are faithful, God knows if we are seeking wisdom, God knows what kind of people
we are, and perhaps more importantly what kind of people we are longing to be.
As we end our dance with David and
step off the dance floor for the summer, make we take kernels of wisdom with
us. Life is hard, we will make mistakes,
and things will get messy. But the
steadfast love of God is always with us.
If we seek God’s wisdom, if we seek the kingdom of God before other
things; then eventually we will be richly blessed. May God look upon our hearts with favor this
morning, and may God bless us as God blessed King David. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment