Old Testament Survey – Page 2 – Thoughts on the Old Testament

1 Kings 10

Verses 1-13 parallels 2 Chronicles 9.1-12. The Queen of Sheba’s visit is presented. Many believe Sheba to be a country north or east of modern day Yemen, bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. However, it was also a dual kingdom, which crossed the Red Sea into Ethiopian territory. From whatever side she came, the Queen and her entourage traveled more than 1,400 miles to visit Solomon. Hers was a strong kingdom, gaining power and wealth from Arab traders.

The Queen of Sheba had opportunity to watch Solomon deal with his people and with his God. This was a great witness to her. As the end of verse five presents, she was speechless. Yet it comes after Solomon’s worship, and not his wealth. The Queen went back to give testimony of Solomon’s greatness. Nevertheless, it appears, she also testified of the greatness of Solomon’s God too. It is possible that many converts were made due to this encounter. We read of the Ethiopian eunuch in the book of Acts (Acts 8.25-40). After this encounter we also read of countless numbers of Ethiopians helping God’s people.

Are people going home to tell their family and friends about you or about your God?

Verses 14-29 presents Solomon’s wealth and parallels 2 Chronicles 9.13-28. He received more than twenty-five tons a year in gold as an income. When you read the passage it appears as though gold was running down the streets it was so common. It appears he also had a zoo.

Solomon disregarded God’s commands about horses and trading with Egypt (Deuteronomy 17.16). In one phrase he did both for he was a horse trader with Egypt. These verses, 26-29, lead into chapter 11 and Solomon’s downfall.

What will lead to your downfall? What one area in your life are you overlooking or disregarding from God’s Word that you know you should follow but you are walking away from (James 4.17)?

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Possible location of Sheba

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Ecclesiastes-An Overview

The conclusion of the matter that Solomon comes to after he concludes this book is the realization that life is meaningless without God. The book is to convince man of the worthlessness of any world view that takes into account man’s world alone, i.e., how life would be without God. Today we see this throughout Europe, and we see the beginnings in the United States.
We need to pray that our focus returns to God.

See Pastor David’s sermon on Ecclesiastes: NOTHING EVER CHANGES . . . UNLESS YOU LOVE THE LORD

1 Kings 9

1 Kings 9 (Cf. 2 Chronicles 7.12-22)

Verses 1-9 parallel 2 Chronicles 7.12-22 except for the addition by the writer of the Chronicles of verses 12-18. Second Chronicles does provide an explanation of verses one in the chapter. All that Solomon desired is defined as the two buildings that he built (the Temple and his compound 2 Chronicles 7.11).

God offers two types of promises or covenants in these verses, as was explained in 2 Chronicles 7.12-22. These are conditional and unconditional. For an explanation of these see our discussion in 2 Samuel 7 and Psalm 27.

God appears to Solomon for the second time (see 1 Kings 3.4-15). There are no details, merely the statement. It seems as though God spoke to him through a dream; in other words, there was no audible voice of God. God gives Solomon assurance that He has heard Solomon’s prayers. His answer is the unconditional covenant of a ruler on the throne. God then informs Solomon of the conditional covenant He has made with those He has chosen and created from the beginning of time (i.e., Deuteronomy 28.36–37 and29.24ff.). You obey and God will bless. You disobey and God will chastise. It is interesting in what we see in Israel today. We do not see the Temple. What we see is the Mosque of Omar, which is really the Dome of the Rock. Is this God’s promises fulfilled in judgment?

Verses 10-28 parallel 2 Chronicles 8. What is found in these verses are the buildings and other activities in which Solomon was involved. A reference to corvée is presented again (see our explanation of this in 1 Kings 5). This chapter details cities and strategies of Solomon.

Will God be blessing you today or disciplining you today?

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Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer Map-1

Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer Map-2

Psalm 150

This marks the fifth of the five “Hallelujah Psalms” that close the book of Psalms. Each of these psalms begins and ends with “Hallelujah.” Compare this psalm with Psalm 1. Both have six verses. Psalm 1 opens with the man who is blessed and Psalm 150 closes with the God who is praised.

How do you praise Him? How do you worship? Think about your reaction to your favorite singer, show, or team. What do you do when you hear them, watch them, or see them? That exuberance should dominate your response to God who is everywhere evident. Is it?

Psalm 149

This marks the fourth of the five “Hallelujah Psalms” that close the book of Psalms. Each of these psalms begins and ends with “Hallelujah.”

This psalm is a bit more disturbing in its nature and has caused many to wage war in the name of God. The Peasants’ Revolt and the Thirty Years’ War to name two used verses 6-9 as their marching orders (Davidson, 1989). This is the worst possible interpretation of these verses. This is merely a psalm of praise to God who gave victory over nations to Israel. It is not a call to arms but a proclamation of praise for what has occurred as are the other psalms in this group.

After reading this psalm, where and how do you praise God most often?

Psalm 148

This marks the third of the five “Hallelujah Psalms” that close the book of Psalms. Each of these psalms begins and ends with “Hallelujah.”

Everything is made to praise Him. All creation is made to praise Him, not merely those with breath. The heavens are command to praise Him (1-6), the earth is commanded to praise Him (7-10), and we are called to praise Him (11-14). We are called to praise Him without regard to what others are doing. Praise Him.

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Let Everything That Has Breath – Phillips, Craig and Dean

Psalm 147

This marks the second of the five “Hallelujah Psalms” that close the book of Psalms. Each of these psalms begins and ends with “Hallelujah.”

What is the proper response to the majesty of creation? Praise to God. It’s not that He created all and left; He created all and sustains it for the express purpose of drawing our attention to Him (Colossians 1.16-18). Who alone can truly praise Him? Only those who call Him by Name.

I think we have confused praise with encouragement in our day. We are to praise the efforts of even those who do not do well. We should rephrase this to encourage those who have not done too well to continue toward excellence. We need to cease trivializing what true praise is. Again, is this demeaning of praise and attempt to take the glory from God that is due Him, to belittle what true praise is by praising that which is truly not praiseworthy?

What will God say to us, to you, to me, for what we have allowed to happen to praise? Those who know Him most should praise Him most. Declare your praise!

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Chris Tomlin – Indescribable

Psalm 146

This marks the beginning of the five “Hallelujah Psalms” that close the book of Psalms. Each of these psalms begins and ends with “Hallelujah.”

The claim here is to present ourselves to God and Him alone. There is no alternative to Him (Romans 12.1-2). What follows through the rest of this psalm, verses 3-10, are reasons for us to present ourselves to Him.

Since you are called to imitate God, based on this psalm, what would your life look like? If we are called to do this ministry, what part does government play in our life? Is government meant to be only the enforcer of laws (Romans 13)? If the church did her part, which means all individual Christians, then the social needs of mankind would be met. What happened?

Psalm 134

This is the shortest psalm. It is the last of the Pilgrim Psalms. It is a response of those in fellowship with God, who are giving Him the praise due His name. This praise is to be continual (1 Thessalonians 5.16-17). Praise God on purpose today despite your circumstances. Oh, and this Sunday, give an “Amen” to your pastor during his sermon.

Psalm 136

Psalm 136 (2 Chronicles 7.3, 6)

We can neatly divide this psalm in two parts. The first is proclaiming God’s goodness based on the story of Creation. The second is proclaiming God’s goodness based on how He delivered Israel from captivity. Taking these two parts, we can see this psalm praises God for all that is in the Torah from Genesis to Deuteronomy.

The psalm stands out among all the psalms for the repetition of “for His steadfast love endures forever.” We know this psalm as the “Great Hallel” psalm and it was associated with the Feast of Passover. Today, it is used more as a call to worship (Davidson, 1998).

Attempt to listen to this psalm the way they may have read it by using two choirs to sing the lines. The choir to the left sang the historical truth and the choir to the right sang the refrain of God’s never-ending mercy. Hallelujah!

The meaning of the repeated phrase must include God’s faithfulness to who He is and what He has promised to do. To translate this with that meaning of חסד included: “for His faithfulness to Himself will never end” or “His Word stands with surety.” So, considering the ever-changing economy, culture, and world we live in, isn’t it great to know that He will never change? His truth is always true, no matter the circumstances and no matter what others claim.

Do you readily proclaim God’s goodness to those around you by what you do and what you say? Do they hear the choirs that resound the marvel of God’s faithfulness in your gait?

This might be a good exercise for each of us to do today: write one thing that God has done for you or in your family and write the refrain after it. Now, do this each day for a month. Compile the list in chronological order and upload it here. Let others see God’s goodness in you.

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Psalm 136 – Forerunner
Chris Tomlin – Forever
His Love Endures Forever

©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Used by Permission.

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Teach for God Ministries.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By David R Williamson. ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Website: www.teach4god.com