Song of Solomon – Old Testament Survey

1 Kings 4

Verses 1-6 are a listing of Solomon’s administrators.

A major sin of Solomon is found in verse six. He uses forced labor, not only from conquered countries but from Israel. We will discuss this at length when we cover 1 Kings 5.13-14 (see our study).

The Word in Life Study Bible (1997) created the following chart

Name	Position	Responsibilities
Azariah the son of Zadok	High priest	Oversaw worship and religious rituals, representing the people to God.
Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha	Scribes	Similar to secretaries of state or chancellors (1 Kings 4.22–23; 11.3).
Adoniram the son of Abda	Manager of the labor force	Oversaw Solomon’s numerous construction projects (1 Kings 5.13; 7.1–8; 9.15–19).
Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud	Recorder	Maintained written historical records of the king’s business and decisions.
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada (see 1 Kings 2.29)	Military commander	Oversaw the nation’s defenses, including its storage and chariot cities; led the army in military engagements; handled royal police matters (for example, 1 Kings 2.28–35).
Zadok and Abiathar	Priests	Oversaw religious matters and served as custodians of the Law.
Azariah the son of Nathan	General	Carried out the military orders of Solomon and Benaiah.
Zabud the son of Nathan	Personal confidant	Consulted with the king on personal matters.
Ahishar	Manager of Solomon’s household	Oversaw the palace complex and the needs of Solomon’s extensive court (1 Kings 4.22–23; 11.3).
Adoniram the son of Abda	Manager of the labor force	Oversaw Solomon’s numerous construction projects (1 Kings 5.13; 7.1–8; 9.15–19).

Verses 7-19 are a listing of Solomon’s governors.

In both of these, Solomon realized that he was unable to do all things, so he created a leadership team that would support him. The twelve division of governors are displayed in the map of the growth of Israel under Solomon and his reapportioning of Israel.

Verses 20-21 are added to signify the era of peace and prosperity that God introduced through Solomon. It is also given to provide a word of fulfillment of God’s word to Abraham. That word, from Genesis 22.17, states that the descendants of Abraham would be as numerous as the grains of sand on the shore. The borders stretching to Egypt was also a prophecy and a promise given to Abraham in Genesis 15.18.
Verses 22-28 depict his kingdom, wealth, and military. As for his horsemen, read Deuteronomy 17.16. Verse 24 describes the zenith of Solomon’s reign.
Verses 29-34 display the worldwide fame Solomon and wisdom. He wrote most of the Proverbs. His songs are contained in Psalm 72 andPsalm 127 along with the Song of Solomon. He also wrote the lyrical book of Ecclesiastes. His name became synonymous with wisdom (Matthew 12.42).

The four names that appear here are listed as descendants of Judah in 1 Chronicles 2.6, and two of the men, Ethan and Heman, appear in the superscriptions of Psalm 88 and Psalm 89.

Psalm 92

As you grow, what fruit do others see in you? How is this evidenced in church?

Psalm 92

This is a psalm written specifically for the Sabbath, so says the inscription. As the psalm is read, we see that God is lifted high (1-4), God has judged the wicked (5-9), God gives mercy to those who follow Him (10-11), and mercy will continue throughout eternity (12-15). It anticipates the coming ultimate day of rest when the eternal Sabbath rest is ushered in (Hebrews 4.9-11).

Verses 1-4-A call to worship is given by this unknown author. He calls us to declare perpetually the greatness of God. It requires effort to do this, and it requires skill to do this. If we notice the worship given on the Sabbath Day requires us to do more than merely walk in, sit down, sing, give, and walk out. We are called to involve ourselves actively during this time (and all times).

Verses 5-9-God is contrasted with the creation in these verses. He is above all and He is eternal. Creation is simple and brief. Who is like Him? He knows the wicked and disciplines them (this is in contrast to those who follow Him in the next stanza).

Verses 10-11-In the present, God blesses us with His presence, which is the ultimate blessing.

Verses 12-15-In the days to come, He will continue steadfastly with those who pursue Him. In old age, there is new life, a flourishing life, a fruitful life, and a life that show others who He is. The palm tree represents long life and the cedar represents strength. In Song of Solomon 7.7-8 a palm tree describes a beautiful girl.

As you grow, what fruit do others see in you? How is this evidenced in church?

Later a study of the Sabbath for the Christian will be posted.

1 Samuel 25.2-44

David settles in the wilderness of Paran, which is west of En-Gedi. David speaks to a man from Carmel, which was the town Saul created a monument to himself. Sometimes the best places to hide from an enemy is in plain sight.

1 Samuel 25.2-44

What David requests of Nabal in verses 2-8 sounds like extortion. However, this was a common custom due to the presence of robbers. This area was known for having many thieves. David was protecting Nabal’s men and possessions from these men. David should have considered what the response would have been from a man whose name means “fool” (1 Samuel 25.25).

David’s request was rejected by Nabal in the next paragraph. The rejection was a crass statement on David’s legitimacy. This enraged David and he set off to battle Nabal with four hundred men.

The main characters in this chapter each present a way we can respond to what others do for us. This paragraph shows us the response of Nabal and of David. The rest of the chapter shows Abigail’s response.

We see Nabal’s response was to repay evil for good (10-11). When he refused to share what he had with David, he was acting foolish. We see that his household was set up for failure because of this attitude (Proverbs 17.13).

The next response is David’s response to what Nabal did as returning evil for evil (12-13). David’s plan was to punish Nabal and his household for being so disrespectful and inhospitable. David was hurt and reacted in anger. David was stopped from doing this by Nabal’s wife, Abigail. It is interesting that David had greater patience for Saul than he did for Nabal. This presents the truth of Song of Solomon 2.15 that shows the little things can destroy us. Or, this was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.

One of the servants of Nabal reported to Abigail, not Nabal, to inform her of the truth of David’s words (14-17). His words reflected the character of each of the main characters:

David was kind and protective
Nabal was a foolish, disrespectful, and harsh man.
Abigail would know what to do.

Abigail responded with the kindness that is common in the middle east and did what Nabal should have done. She prepared the food as David had requested (18-20). She reflected the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. She went to David, without Nabal’s consent for he would not have given it to her even though it is the right thing to do. When a spouse or authority asks us to do something that is against God’s will or is harmful to others (in this case it was not against God’s law for her not to go to David but would be harmful if she did not go; also, it was not against God’s law for her to go), we need to politely do what God has commanded us to do (Acts 4.13-22)

After David considered what Abigail said and did for Nabal and him (26-31), he repented of his words and did not complete his actions (32-35). Abigail showed David that we overcome evil, not with evil, but with good (Proverbs 20:22 and 24.29 with Romans 12.19). In her speech to him, Abigail reminds David of who Nabal is, who he is, who God is, and the consequences of completing this act. Do you have someone like that in your life?

When Abigail returns to Nabal, he is doing for himself exactly what David requested he do for David. For this pride, God struck him dead.

David is already married to Michal, Saul’s daughter. Saul, after the separation between him and David, gave Michal to another (verse 44). God would later condemn and judge the people of Gallim for this and other crimes (Isaiah 10.30). Second Samuel 3.12-16 presents the end of this story when Michal is returned to David. When he hears Nabal is dead, he courts Abigail and marries her. The writer then lists the other wives of David.

A few sidebars for this chapter:

The only time the term “forgive” is mentioned in this book is in verse 28.
Verse 29 shows that Abigail had rehearsed and practice her speech before she said the words to David. If you read them, they are quite poetic.
In verse three, the writer provides a description of Abigail whose name means “father of joy.” He states she was outwardly and inwardly beautiful.
In this chapter names describe character. If you were to be renamed, what would you be called?