Today’s scripture: 1 Kings 4:20-34 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Melody Merida):
I quite honestly don’t know what to make of the fourth chapter of 1 Kings. When I read about Solomon’s daily provisions my blood boils. While it is true that the text is not referring to Solomon’s personal need for 30 head of cattle (that’s 10,950 cows a year!) and 100 sheep and goats a day (36,500 a year!), I still get irked that Solomon’s court would need such extravagance. This behavior doesn’t remind me of the coming Messiah who lived simply.
But then I read in verse 33 about Solomon’s incredible wisdom when it came to nature. I can’t imagine a modern day environmentalist racking up the same grocery list of needs that Solomon had; but yet it seems that Solomon knew how to sustain plant and animal life in his kingdom. So what gives? Will the real Solomon please stand up? Was the guy a squanderer of the earth’s resources or a true-blue environmentalist?
These questions and the bigger picture of what they represent have baffled me for days as I wrestled with the text. Then today I started to relax with it a bit more as I came to terms with the idea that perhaps Solomon was both. Many times we place Biblical characters in a box of perfection when the truth is that they were just like us. For me, the significance behind today’s Scripture doesn’t center on the provisions of Solomon or even on his wisdom; instead the significance lies in the humanity of Solomon.
Solomon was brilliant, kind, and generous. He was also selfish, arrogant, and a philanderer. He was human. If I choose to make Solomon one dimensional then I can’t apply what I learn from his life to my four dimensional existence. It just wouldn’t fit.
Instead, I have to choose to see Solomon (and other Biblical characters) as complex — both good and bad; this may just help me recognize that there is a bit of Solomon in me. For example, if God used Solomon with all his selfish ways to bring about peace, then God can use me with all my mixed bag of stuff, to do the same. Now I’m glad that Solomon won’t fit in that box!
Thought for the day: Look again at your favorite Bible character and see their flaws. God used them and their flaws to forever impact human history and God can use you to do the same. Thanks be to God!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.