One Year Bible Readings and Commentary for Sunday, June 12th "Solomon's Fame and Treasures Grow Beyond Belief!" "The Messy Spirituality of the New Testament - When Do People Receive the Holy Spirit, Was the Ethopian Eunuch A Believer Before He Was Baptized?"
The Lord’s Response to Solomon
After Solomon had finished building the temple and dedicating it to the Lord, the Lord responded. First, He says that the temple is near and dear to his heart and that He would always watch over it. Then, he gave Solomon the terms of the promise he had made to his father, David. If Solomon followed the Lord with all of his heart and with integrity like his father did, God would continue to establish his throne forever based on the promise he made with David.
But, if Solomon and the people disobeyed God and started worshipping other gods, He would uproot them from this land and also destroy the temple. Though the temple was impressive now, if they abandoned the Lord their God, He would make them a mockery and a scorn to their neighbors. If they withdrew from God, He would withdraw from them and allow other nations to take away what the Lord had given them.
With such a glorious temple, Israel would be tempted to forsake the God of the temple and make an idol of the temple of God. Here the LORD made them know that He could never bless this error. - Guzik
Solomon’s Agreement with Hiram
In thanksgiving to King Hiram for supplying all of the expensive cedar and some skilled laborers, Solomon gave Hiram 20 towns in Galilee. But apparently they weren't in the greatest area, so Hiram was disappointed. But Hiram still paid Solomon with 9,000 pounds of gold.
This was not good. Hiram was indeed a friend to both David and Solomon, but the land of Israel was given to Israel by divine decree. Trading Israel’s land for a glorious temple and palace was not a good deal. - Guzik
We don’t know exactly why Hiram was displeased with these cities. Perhaps he was displeased with his compromise, knowing that Solomon did something his father David never would. - Guzik
Solomon’s Many Achievements
Solomon's vast empire grew in many ways. He built towns that could store his horses and chariots. The King of Egypt had destroyed some of these towns he gave to Solomon and also gave Solomon his daugther in marriage. We will see if intermarrying is a good thing, but it usually was not, as it was against what God had commanded in the Law.
Some of the Canaanites, who were still living in the land because the Israelites had not removed were conscripted to labor, though none of the Israelites were. Solomon's Egyptian wife also moved to a new palace he had built for her. Three times a year as proscribed by the Jewish Law, Solomon offered sacrifices in the newly built temple of the Lord. He also had a fleet of ships near the port in Edom, and Hiram helped supply him with captains of the ships who brought Solomon even more gold.
This was another apparent compromise by Solomon. God strictly commanded that the remnants of these tribes be driven out of the land, not used as slave laborers in Israel. Solomon didn’t make Israelites forced laborers, but used them to oversee the remnants of the Canaanite tribes. - Guzik
It is possible that this was another transgression by Solomon. It may be that he took upon himself the exclusive duties of a priest, offering burnt offerings and incense. However, as is the case in some other passages, this may refer to Solomon initiating such sacrifice and ceremony properly through a priest. - Guzik
Visit of the Queen of Sheba
Sheba (also known as Sabea) was where modern-day Yemen is today (Southern Arabia). We know from geography this was a wealthy kingdom with much gold, spices, and precious woods. History also tells us that they were known to have queens as well as kings. - Guzik
This was a long trip – up to about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers). She probably came as part of a trade delegation (1 Kings 10:2-5), but there is no doubt that she was highly motivated to see Solomon and his kingdom. - Guzik
The Queen of Sheba had heard of Solomon's great wisdom and came to test his wisdom. She came with large amounts of spices, camels, and gold. Solomon answered all of her questions and then some. She remarked it was far beyond even what she had been told and exclaimed how happy the people must be with such a wise king. Ironically, she even gave praise to God that He had placed Solomon on the throne and blessed him in this way. In return Sheba gave him 9,000 more pounds of gold and all the spices in the world.
If we take the Queen of Sheba as an example of a seeker, we see that Solomon impressed her with his wealth and splendor, and also impressed her personally. But she returned home without an evident expression of faith in the God of Israel. This shows that impressing seekers with facilities and programs and organization and professionalism isn’t enough.
Solomon responded by giving the Queen of Sheba everything she wanted, and then she returned home. Quite an amicable business relationship if you don't say. - Guzik
Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor
If you remember when God asked Solomon what he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom. And when God heard his request, He was pleased and God told him not only would he give them this but all the riches of the world.
This was the promise that God honored from 1 King 3:11-13
So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.
You can read through the rest of the chapter and realize that Solomon was not lacking in anything. Not only did he have massive quantities of things he needed, as people came from all over the world to give him gifts, he also had only things of the highest of quality like gold, and also in weapons, spices, horses, and chariots.
Bottom line is that God kept his promise to Solomon! We will now see in the coming chapters if Solomon keeps his promises to God.
In verses 14-17 we see that when those in Samaria heard the word and believed, they had not received the Holy Spirit yet. They had accepted the message and been baptized in Jesus' name, but had not yet received the Holy Spirit. When Peter and John laid hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit. Obviously they had some way of knowing this had happened. I.e. Some kind of physical manifestation.
These kind of passages have caused quite a bit of stir in different church camps over the years regarding when a person receives, or is filled with the Holy Spirit. One thing you will find that in the first 100 years of the church it was very messy. There was no one formula or way this happened, so we have to be careful to make it linear as our western minds often do.
David Guzik lays out the possibilities which might explain this below. Check it out,
Received the Holy Spirit: The fact that these Christians received the Holy Spirit in what seems to be a subsequent experience to their salvation has caused much controversy; there have been different explanations offered.
i. Some say they were never truly born again (converted) under Philip’s preaching. When Peter and John came, they really trusted in Jesus and then received the Holy Spirit.
ii. Some say they were truly born again. Then, in a subsequent experience, they received the Holy Spirit in a pattern that believers should follow today.
iii. Some say they were converted in response to Philip’s preaching; yet God, in a unique move, withheld the gift of the Holy Spirit until Peter and John could bestow it on them. God’s purpose in this was to ensure continuity between the church in Jerusalem and the new church in Samaria, guarding against division.
iv. Some say they were really born again and did really receive the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion, but were given special gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit at the laying on of hands by Peter and John.
v. The last option seems to best explain what happened. Whatever the Samaritans experienced, it seems to have been more than the “regular” bestowal of the Holy Spirit at salvation. This is a filling of the Holy Spirit we should always desire and seek.
Here is what I would say. I think they Samaritans were for sure believers, as it says they believed and were baptized, so in my mind that excludes i.
For me options ii. through iv. all hold merit for different reasons. I would conclude that we really don't know for sure which is the best answer. In some ways it doesn't really matter. The bottom line is Christians need to believe, be baptized, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. On this much the bible is clear. The exact order or the exact way it is supposed to happen is really God's job!
I pray for everyone to receive the power of the Holy Spirit every day. If they have already received the Holy Spirit, I am sure they wouldn't mind a re-fill!
In this story Simon the Sorcerer, when he sees the power of the Holy Spirit, thinks he can buy it and use it for his own business. Peter strongly rebukes Simon and fortunately Simon realizes this is a sin and mercifully doesn't seem to pay a consequence ill advised plan. Was this enough? Was he a believer?
Again we don't really know because the passage doesn't give us what happens next. Some suggest not.
"Instead of actually humbling his heart before God, Simon asked Peter to pray he would be spared the consequences of his sin. This shows Simon felt a true conviction of the Holy Spirit, but was not yet willing to humble his own heart before God. Peter couldn’t humble Simon’s heart for him." - Guzik
Got Questions.org has an interesting take on Simon as well.
After this event, the Bible never again refers to Simon the Sorcerer. It would appear, contrary to apocryphal and Gnostic texts that seek to glorify his role as sorcerer and his previous satanic abilities, that Simon was repentant and may have continued to be a member of the local church in Samaria. However, Justin Martyr and other Christian apologists like Irenaeus insist he was an antichrist and continued his sorcery, even founding Gnosticism itself. The greed of Simon is recalled in the modern word simony, “using religion as a means of profit.”
Contemporary Christians should take from the account of Simon that the church, even today, must be careful of those claiming to possess supernatural abilities, and those claiming to be Christians who desire to “buy the gift of God with money,” for their "heart is not right before God” (Acts 8:20–21).
Okay enough analyzing. I hope Simon was a true believer for his own sake!
Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
Next, we have the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. If you remember Philip was one of those appointed as a deacon in the early church. In obedience to an angel of the Lord, Philip went south down the road from Jerusalem. Not coincidentally Philip meets the Ethopian eunuch, who was returning from Jerusalem back to Ethiopia. This would mean he is an Ethipian Jew who had gone to the festival and would explain why he was reading the Old Testament.
Meanwhile, as the eunuch is reading from the Old Testament in the book of Isaiah, the Holy Spirit instructs Philip to go up and talk to him. The man invited Philip to get in the chariot and ride with him. This is what we call "a seeker". God was clearly preparing the eunuch's heart, and he just needed someone to share the gospel with him. And in this case. it was how the gospel of Jesus connected to the Old Testament.
Sure enough the eunuch "throws Philip a softball" and asks him if Isaiah is talking about himself or somebody else. Ding, Ding, Ding! "Gee Philip do you think it might be an opening to share the gospel??" Well, Philip does share with him the Good News, and as they are riding near water the man asks to be baptized. Philip agrees, and as the man came up out of the water, Philip was taken by the Holy Spirit to a whole other region.
Once again we have a little bit of a messy situation. Do you notice that Philip didn't necesarily profess faith in Jesus before he was baptized? Or maybe he did? He was baptized then came to belief, or he believed before he was baptized. Again, does it really matter. The bottom line is that he was baptized and became a believer based on Philip's sharing the Good News with him about Jesus.
Interestingly if you read the footnote in your bibles in most newer translations exclude 8:37, which would tidy up this messiness a little. It was probably added in later, as the earliest manuscripts do not include it. The verse says,
Some manuscripts add verse 37, “You can,” Philip answered, “if you believe with all your heart.” And the eunuch replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
Adding verse 37 keeps our theology tidier, but going from 36 to 38 makes more sense as you are reading the story!
I try not to get to caught up in these matters, but it is important to know that they exist if you are going to become a student of the bible, or want to understand what those little footnotes mean. So let me give you a contemporary situation.
You are at the beach and a man is reading the bible, and the Holy Spirit leads you to go up and talk to the man about what he is reading. You proceed to connect what he is reading to the Gospel, and right then he sees the water and asks if you could baptize him. What would you do based on this passage, and other passages in the bible? This is when bible study gets real.
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