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First Reading: 2 Chronicles Chapter 9 and 102 Chronicles 9
9:1 The Queen of Sheba's Praise of Solomon
(1 Kings 10:1-13)
Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem
to test Solomon with hard questions, having a very great retinue, camels that
bore spices, gold in abundance, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon,
she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. 2 So Solomon answered all
her questions; there was nothing so difficult for Solomon that he could not
explain it to her. 3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon,
the house that he had built, 4 the food on his table, the seating of his servants,
the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers and their apparel,
and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no
more spirit in her.
5 Then she said to the king: "It was a true report which I heard in my
own land about your words and your wisdom. 6 However I did not believe their
words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness
of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard. 7 Happy
are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before
you and hear your wisdom! 8 Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you,
setting you on His throne to be king for the LORD your God! Because your God
has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over
them, to do justice and righteousness."
9 And she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great
abundance, and precious stones; there never were any spices such as those the
queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 Also, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold
from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones. 11 And the king made walkways
of the algum wood for the house of the LORD and for the king's house, also harps
and stringed instruments for singers; and there were none such as these seen
before in the land of Judah.
12 Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she
asked, much more than she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to
her own country, she and her servants.
13 Solomon's Great Wealth
(1 Kings 10:14-29; 2 Chron 1:14-17)
The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six
talents of gold, 14 besides what the traveling merchants and traders brought.
And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver
to Solomon. 15 And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold;
six hundred shekels of hammered gold went into each shield. 16 He also made
three hundred shields of hammered gold; three hundred shekels of gold went into
each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
17 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure
gold. 18 The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened
to the throne; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat,
and two lions stood beside the armrests. 19 Twelve lions stood there, one on
each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.
20 All King Solomon's drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the
House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this
was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. 21 For the king's ships went
to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the merchant
ships came, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.
22 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
23 And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his
wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 24 Each man brought his present: articles
of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate
year by year.
25 Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand
horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.
26 So he reigned over all the kings from the River to the land of the Philistines,
as far as the border of Egypt. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem
as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in
the lowland. 28 And they brought horses to Solomon from Egypt and from all lands.
29 Death of Solomon
(1 Kings 11:41-43)
Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in
the book of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and
in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30 Solomon
reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 31 Then Solomon rested with
his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his
son reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 10
10:1 The Revolt Against Rehoboam
(1 Kings 12:1-19)
And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him
king. 2 So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was in Egypt,
where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), that Jeroboam returned
from Egypt. 3 Then they sent for him and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel
came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 "Your father made our yoke heavy;
now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke
which he put on us, and we will serve you."
5 So he said to them, "Come back to me after three days." And the
people departed.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon
while he still lived, saying, "How do you advise me to answer these people?"
7 And they spoke to him, saying, "If you are kind to these people, and
please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever."
8 But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the
young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 9 And he said to
them, "What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have
spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?"
10 Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus
you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, 'Your father
made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us' thus you shall say
to them: 'My little finger shall be thicker than my father's waist! 11 And now,
whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father
chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!'"
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the
king had directed, saying, "Come back to me the third day." 13 Then
the king answered them roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders,
14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My
father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with
whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!" 15 So the king did not listen
to the people; for the turn of events was from God, that the LORD might fulfill
His word, which He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam
the son of Nebat.
16 Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people
answered the king, saying:
"What share have we in David?We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.Every
man to your tents, O Israel!Now see to your own house, O David!"
So all Israel departed to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the children
of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in charge of revenue; but the children
of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted
his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion
against the house of David to this day.
Hebrews 1
1:1 God's Supreme Revelation
(cf. John 1:1-4)
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers
by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has
appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being
the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding
all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins,
sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better
than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than
they.
5 The Son Exalted Above Angels
For to which of the angels did He ever say:
"You are My Son,Today I have begotten You"?
And again:
"I will be to Him a Father,And He shall be to Me a Son"?
6 But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:
"Let all the angels of God worship Him."
7 And of the angels He says:
"Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire."
8 But to the Son He says:
"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;A scepter of righteousness is
the scepter of Your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;Therefore
God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions."
10 And:
"You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth,And the heavens
are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish, but You remain;And they will
all grow old like a garment; 12 Like a cloak You will fold them up,And they
will be changed.But You are the same,And Your years will not fail."
13 But to which of the angels has He ever said:
"Sit at My right hand,Till I make Your enemies Your footstool"?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who
will inherit salvation?
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
HEBREWS
Part 1 of 3
The author of Hebrews is not given. Many scholars believe that Paul wrote Hebrews but no one really knows. It was probably written about 63 A.D.
The letter persuasively presents the distinctiveness of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. The letter is primarily written to Jewish Christians who were wavering between Judaism and Christianity. Its primary message was to prove that Jesus Christ is the the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy and symbol. With Christ as the fulfillment, there was no longer a need to make the animal sacrifices, etc. required under the Mosaic Law. Christ is the High Priest and mediator of all believers in all ages who look for the redemption of God.
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