In our last visit we began to do a biographical study of the life of King Solomon using the “3C” study method: collect, correlate and crystallize. I shared where details of his life are to be found in the Bible. You also can find references to his life by going to a concordance.
I determined a fitting title for the outline we established was: The Tragedy of Misused Privilege. Let’s begin to amplify the main points by noting how God showed His love for Solomon. Though David and Bathsheba named him Solomon, God told Nathan the prophet to name him, Jedidiah, which means, loved by the Lord.
David had many sons from many wives, but God chose to love Solomon. It was in spite of his parents sordid past. It was in spite of the fact he was not the firstborn. And it was before he ever did anything. What a privileged person he was – loved by God at the time of his birth.
God showed His love for Solomon in many ways. He exposed a plot by one of his brothers to usurp the throne underhandedly, behind David’s back. He had been chosen by David to be his successor and to build a temple for worshipping God. In fact, God told David to make all the preparations necessary for building the temple, including the blueprint and materials that would be needed. David did his best to instruct his son on how he should live and he pronounced a blessing upon him as he endeavored to lead the people.
God lovingly gave Solomon a good start.
