road2answers

Proverbs 1:1-7 [i] Words, their purpose can be either to build people up or to tear them down.  Words can be used to brag or to praise, to criticize or to compliment.  Some words help and some do harm. Words communicate.  Words hold meaning.  They express thoughts and emotions, represent objects and draw pictures. According to Google, a proverb is “a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice.” Proverbs use words to communicate a truth or a piece of advice. Today, we are looking at the “Proverbs of Solomon.” This word, “Proverbs” is an attempt to translate the Hebrew word “ mashal ,” and is much more than “a short pithy saying.”  The “Pulpit Commentary says: The radical signification of mashal is "comparison" or "similitude," and in this sense it is applied generally to the utterances of the wise. . . .  The predominant idea of the term is that of comparison or similitude, and as such it is better

1 Kings 3 [i] David was king over Israel for years.  At the end of forty years, David made his son Solomon king in his place.  There were a few challenges to Solomon’s authority at the beginning, but he quickly overcame those challenges and was soon firmly established as king over all Israel. This brings us to 1 Kings 3.  Solomon is around 20 years old and he is king. 1 Kings 3 starts out: Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and married one of his daughters.  (v. 1) This is an interesting fact to begin this chapter with.  Later on in Solomon’s life, this is going to play a very significant role.  This verse gives us a glimpse of Solomon’s character as he starts out as a very young king.  God had said, “The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord.”  (Deuteronomy 17:17)  However, Solomon either did not know this or ignored it. This world offers three things to draw our hearts away fr

2 Samuel 11-12 [i] David was established as King of Israel.   It was the spring of the year.  With the winter being over, armies could move about and wars resumed.  By this time, David had been king over Israel for approximately 20 years.  He had made treaties with many nations, and he had fought many wars. At one point, David had been friends with the king of the Ammonites.  2 Samuel 10 tells us that when King Nahash of the Ammonites died, his son Hanun made himself David's enemy.  As we enter into chapter 11 of 2 Samuel, David’s army is still at war with the Ammonites.  However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.  We are not told why he did this, but I've heard lots of speculation.  Nevertheless, he was king and had that right.  He also had many responsibilities. For our purposes here today, let's just say that David was firmly established as ruler and king.  He had a general he could trust with the fighting.  He had a palace, and he could afford to

2 Samuel 7 [i] David is one of the most famous kings that ever lived.  From the slaying of Goliath to his sin with Bathsheba, David is well known. The road to the throne for David was not easy.  For years, he lived as a fugitive, running from Saul, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.  During this period of time, fugitives, bankrupts and those who had fallen on hard times gathered around David.  He soon had an army of 600 men who followed him everywhere. When Saul died, the people of David's tribe, Judah, crowned him king.  However, the rest of Israel remained faithful to the house of Saul and crowned Saul’s son, Ish-bosheth, king.  This resulted in a civil war that lasted seven years. When the civil war finally ended, David captured the city of Jerusalem and made it his capital.  Then, after a period of time, David moved the Ark of the Covenant into the city of Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 7:1-2 says: When King David was settled in his palace and the LO