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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 And Solomon joineth in marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and taketh the daughter of Pharaoh, and bringeth her in unto the city of David, till he completeth to build his own house, and the house of Jehovah, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. |
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| 2 Only, the people are sacrificing in high places, for there hath not been built a house for the name of Jehovah till those days. |
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| 3 And Solomon loveth Jehovah, to walk in the statutes of David his father only, in high places he is sacrificing and making perfume |
Sacrificed – Unto the Lord. R2045:6
In high places – This was prohibited by Mosaic Law (Deut. 12:13, 14), but was accepted of R2045:6
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| 4 and the king goeth to Gibeon, to sacrifice there, for it [is] the great high place; a thousand burnt-offerings cause to ascend doth Solomon on that altar. |
Sacrifice – Each has a sacrifice to bring: his justified self, his will, his time, his influence, his talents. R4292:1
1000 burnt offerings – Burnt offerings only in the sense that they were offered in connection with a religious ceremony. Certain portions, particularly the fat, were burned and the food portions became the basis of the feast. R3277:3, R5714:2
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| 5 In Gibeon hath Jehovah appeared unto Solomon, in a dream of the night, and God saith, 'Ask what do I give to thee ' |
Appeared – While Solomon's mind was active in religious matters. R3277:6
In a dream – All dreams are not of the Lord, but he is able to use dreams when he so chooses to convey lessons and instructions. The only safe way is to interpret dreams in full accord with the Scriptures. R3277:6, R3278:1, R5714:5
Ask what I shall give thee – So God is asking all who would become his children. He desires to do them good, but wishes them to realize their needs and make requests accordingly. R5714:6
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| 6 And Solomon saith, 'Thou hast done with Thy servant David my father great kindness, as he walked before Thee in truth and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with Thee, and Thou dost keep for him this great kindness, and dost give to him a son sitting on his throne, as [at] this day. |
Thou hast shewed – Indicating that he realized that God's favor was merely the continuation of the divine mercies which had blessed David. R4290:6
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| 7 And now, O Jehovah my God, Thou hast caused thy servant to reign instead of David my father; and I [am] a little child, I do not know to go out and to come in; |
Thou hast made thy servant – This should give strength to all the Lord's consecrated people who have come into present grace and truth, not by their own wisdom but through the wisdom and grace of God. R3278:2
A little child – Teachable, not boastful or self confident. R5714:6
Go out or come in – How to conduct myself in public or in private before the people. R4291:1
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| 8 and Thy servant [is] in the midst of thy people, whom Thou hast chosen, a people numerous, that is not numbered nor counted for multitude, |
Thy servant – Solomon recognized that the people were God's, not his. R4291:1, R3278:2
Midst of thy people – A lesson to those who speak of God's people as "My people," "My flock," "My church." R3278:2
A great people – Estimated 6,000,000. R3278:3
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| 9 and Thou hast given to Thy servant an understanding heart, to judge Thy people, to discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this Thy great people ' |
An understanding heart – The most necessary thing for the welfare of the nation was righteous judgment. R3278:4
Its full realization will be in Solomon's antitype. R2053:5, R1517:2
To judge – To administer justice. Messiah is to accomplish this in the world in the Millennial age. R5715:1, R3278:5
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| 10 And the thing is good in the eyes of the Lord, that Solomon hath asked this thing, |
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| 11 and God saith unto him, 'Because that thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thee many days, nor asked for thee riches, nor asked the life of thine enemies, and hast asked for thee discernment to understand judgment, |
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| 12 lo, I have done according to thy words; lo, I have given to thee a heart, wise and understanding, that like thee there hath not been before thee, and after thee there doth not arise like thee; |
According to thy words – Insofar as the dream was fulfilled in Solomon and his reign, it prefigured the glorious and peaceful reign of David's greater son, Jesus. R2046:5
Neither after thee – Since typical of Christ, it is harmonious with Matt. 12:42, "A greater than Solomon i 2
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| 13 and also, that which thou hast not asked I have given to thee, both riches and honour, that there hath not been like thee a man among the kings all thy days; |
Hast not asked – This was just like our Heavenly Father. R3278:5
Riches and honor – Typifying the spiritual riches and honors given to the true Church. R3278:5
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| 14 and if thou dost walk in My ways to keep My statutes, and My commands, as David thy father walked, then I have prolonged thy days.' |
As thy father David – Showing that the Lord was not expecting absolute perfection, but heart intentions. R2059:6
I will lengthen thy days – Conditional. Solomon lived to 60 years; he would have lived to 80 years had he been more obedient. R3278:6
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| 15 And Solomon awaketh, and lo, a dream; and he cometh in to Jerusalem, and standeth before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and causeth to ascend burnt-offerings, and maketh peace-offerings. And he maketh a banquet for all his servants, |
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| 16 then come in do two women, harlots, unto the king, and stand before him, |
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| 17 and the one woman saith, 'O, my lord, I and this woman are dwelling in one house, and I bring forth with her, in the house; |
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| 18 and it cometh to pass on the third day of my bringing forth, that this woman also bringeth forth, and we [are] together, there is no stranger with us in the house, save we two, in the house. |
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| 19 And the son of this woman dieth at night, because she hath lain upon it, |
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| 20 and she riseth in the middle of the night, and taketh my son from beside me and thy handmaid is asleep and layeth it in her bosom, and her dead son she hath laid in my bosom; |
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| 21 and I rise in the morning to suckle my son, and lo, dead; and I consider concerning it in the morning, and lo, it was not my son whom I did bear.' |
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| 22 And the other woman saith, 'Nay, but my son [is] the living, and thy son the dead;' and this [one] saith, 'Nay, but thy son [is] the dead, and my son the living.' And they speak before the king. |
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| 23 And the king saith, 'This [one] saith, This [is] my son, the living, and thy son [is] the dead; and that [one] saith, Nay, but thy son [is] the dead, and my son the living.' |
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| 24 And the king saith, 'Take for me a sword;' and they bring the sword before the king, |
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| 25 and the king saith, 'Cut the living child into two, and give the half to the one, and the half to the other.' |
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| 26 And the woman whose son [is] the living one saith unto the king (for her bowels yearned over her son), yea, she saith, 'O, my lord, give to her the living child, and put it not at all to death;' and this [one] saith, 'Let it be neither mine or thine cut [it].' |
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| 27 And the king answereth and saith, 'Give ye to her the living child, and put it not at all to death; she [is] its mother.' |
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| 28 And all Israel hear of the judgment that the king hath judged, and fear because of the king, for they have seen that the wisdom of God [is] in his heart, to do judgment. |
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