Proverbs 30-31 THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 22, 2019 “THE SCRIPTURES” The last two chapters of Proverbs were not the work of Solomon, but of two named, but unknown individuals. First, allow me to make a brief comment about the words of King Lemuel. It is sound advice from a mother to her son. That does not mean that the advice is not from God. Verses 10-31 are an acrostic poem,…Keep Reading

1 Kings 10-11; 2 Chronicles 9 THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 21, 2019 “OF ALL SAD WORDS OF TONGUE AND PEN” A poet wrote, “Of all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these: ‘It might have been.’” God had appeared to Solomon with a promise: “And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according…Keep Reading

Ecclesiastes 7-12 THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 20, 2019 “THE FINAL WORD” Solomon discovered many things, six of which we note: One, God made man upright, but they sought out evil (Ecclesiastes 7:29). Two, sinners may appear to have the world by the tail in a downhill drag, but God will bring them into judgment (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13). Three, we all have a job to do, a role to plan, and we…Keep Reading

Ecclesiastes 1-6 THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 19, 2019 “LIFE UNDER THE SUN” “Life sucks, but that’s the way it is, so why worry about it.” This was the cynical outlook on life as viewed by a 15-year-old boy in a Bible class. Solomon could relate to the cynicism, if not the language. After having tasted of all that life on earth had to offer, Solomon lamented, “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the…Keep Reading

Proverbs 27-29 THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 18, 2019 “FOUR MORE TYPES OF POWERFUL WORDS” THOUGHT FOR TODAY, JUNE 18, 2019: FOUR MORE TYPES OF POWERFUL WORDS [Proverbs 27-29) Solomon had much to say about the use of words, which we saw yesterday are powerful for good or for evil. We shall explore four more of his teachings on the use of words. Solomon said, “Better is open rebuke than hidden…Keep Reading

Proverbs 25-26 THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 17, 2019 “WORDS OF POWER” Words can be beautiful: “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). Words can be powerful: “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4). Beautiful, powerful words are appropriate words: “Singing cheerful songs to a person with a heavy heart is like…Keep Reading

1 Kings 9, 2 Chronicles 8 THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 16, 2019 “HUSBANDS AND WIVES” In 1 Kings 9:24 we read this simple statement of fact: “But Pharaoh’s daughter went up to the city of David to her own house that Solomon had built for her.” The chronicler gives additional details: “Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the house that he had built for her,…Keep Reading

Psalms 134, 146-150 THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 15, 2019 “PRAISE THE LORD” Psalm 134 sets the stage for the final 15 psalms. The song calls all to worship not in the rituals of sacrifices and offerings, but in the praise of the lips which God himself has made. The word “praise” occurs 38 times in Psalm135-149. In our assigned reading, we are called to praise God for his justice (146:7-9),…Keep Reading

2 Chronicles 6-7; Psalm 136 THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 14, 2019 “SECOND VERSE SAME AS THE FIRST” In 1965 Herman’s Hermits revived the 1910 Music Hall song Henry the Eighth, which became the fastest-selling song in history up to that point. It became their second number-one hit on Billboard Hot 100. The catchy line was “Second verse same as the first.” When Solomon dedicated the temple to God and had…Keep Reading

1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 8 THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 13, 2019 “GOD HAS NEVER TURNED HIS BACK ON TRUTH-SEEKERS” One might conclude from a misunderstanding and misapplication of Ephesians 4:24-27 that when God chose Israel and made a covenant with them that he slammed the door of salvation in the face of Gentiles: “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what…Keep Reading

1 Kings 7, 2 Chronicles 4 THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 12, 2019 “A TEMPLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION” Whereas it took him seven years to build the temple, it took Solomon 13 years to build his own house. He probably did not have 180,000 workers building his house, but be this as it may, it was still a grand dwelling, a castle. The second part of our reading describes the temple furnishings….Keep Reading

Kings 5-6; 2 Chronicles 2-3 THOUGHT FOR TODAY, June 11, 2019 “THE DWELLING PLACE OF GOD” Solomon’s temple was seven years in building, using over 180,000 workers, with at 30,000 of those being forced laborer. These numbers account for only Israelite workmen. King Hiam supplied an unspecified number of woodcutters who worked with the 10,000 Israelites who were rotated in and out of Lebanon each month. In today’s dollars, estimates…Keep Reading