 1 Kings 1-11 Questions and Answers |
| Q. What problem arose when David was very old? | A. 1 Kings 1:5 = David's son, Adonijah, took advantage of David's old age problem and plotted to make himself king. |
| Q. Didn't becoming the next king involve the current king dying? | A. 1 Kings 1:48 = Yes. |
| Q. How did David handle this problem? | A. 1 Kings 1:28-29 = He quickly made Solomon king. |
| Q. Why? |
A. 1 Kings 1:30 = The throne was long ago promised to Bathsheba's son, Solomon. Note: Remember that sin committed by David and Bathsheba, adultery, then murder, then the punishment of the baby's death after they were wed? Yet God would love Solomon, their soon-after born son. And Solomon would be destined to be king! The wisest man who ever lived and the richest too! Solomon's original name was Jedidah, which means "Beloved of God." God loved this man! |
| Q. What was the ritual started by David for a king's procession? |
A. 1 Kings 1:33 = 1). Solomon would ride on David's personal donkey 2). The priest and the prophet would anoint him king over Israel 3). Blow the trumpets and shout "Long live King Solomon!" 4). The new king would go back to the palace and sit on the throne. |
| Q. Who would be priest and prophet during Solomon's reign? | A. 1 Kings 1:32 = Zadok was priest and Nathan was prophet. |
| Q. Was a blessing spoken as well? |
A. 1 Kings 1:36 = Yes. Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, spoke a blessing as David revealed the plan. Note: Notice the blessing did not wait until Solomon was officially king. Words carry with them the power to make things happen in a mighty way. Speak blessings on plans (Example: May the Lord grant ___ to you..") |
| Q. How was Israel referred to in name at this time? |
A. 1 Kings 1:35 = As Israel and udah. Note: Jesus came from Judah. He is the Lion of Judah. David ruled from Jerusalem. |
| Q. What was Benaiah blessing for Solomon? | A. 1 Kings 1:37 = That Solomon's reign would be even greater than his father's. |
| Q. Did Solomon attend the procession just with the priest and prophet? | A. 1 Kings 1:38 = No. King David's bodyguard accompanied him too. |
| Q. And they were successful in proclaiming Solomon as king? | A. 1 Kings 1:39-41 = Yes. |
| Q. What happened when the procession returned to Jerusalem? | A. 1 Samuel 1:40 = All the people followed, playing flutes and shouting for joy. It was so loud that the earth shook with the sound. |
| Q. And Adonijah was humbled? | A. 1 Kings 1:52-53 = Yes. And his life was spared. |
| Q. It must have beena bittersweet time for David. One son rebelled, but was subdued. What blessing came out of it for David? |
A. 1 Kings 1:48 = He got to see his son become king while he still lived. He was very honored by it! Note: Look for the blessings in the trial. God turns evil for good every time. |
| Q. What did David remind Solomon about? |
A. 1 Kings 2:4 = That if he obeyed God and followed all God's commandments, that their family would always have a king to sit on the throne. Note: This is true of all earthly families. Teach your children God's ways and they will be a godly legacy for you. |
| Q. How long did David rule Israel? | A. 1 Kings 2:11 = 40 years. |
| Q. What brought on Adonijah's death? | A. 1 Kings 2:17 = Adonijah went to Bathsheba to ask Solomon for David's maid, Abishag (the one who kept David warm). This act was one of arrogance. Adonijah made his own plans to be king, and even after Solomon was firmly established as king, he declared that he was the first son to be king (v.15). |
| Q. What happened to Abiathar, the priest and descendant of Eli? | A. 1 Kings 2:26-27 = David deposed him as priest, fulfilling the promise God made that Eli's line would not be in the priesthood anymore. |
| Q. What did Abiathar do? | A. 1 Kings 1:7 = He helped create Adonijah's kingship plot. |
| Q. What happened to Joab, the commander of David's army, when he was exposed as a traitor to the throne? | A. 1 Kings 2:34 = He was executed in the temple by command of Solomon. |
| Q. What was Joab guilty of? | A. 1 Kings 2:32 = The senseless murders of two righteous men, Abner and Amasa, in the plot to make Adonijah king. |
| Q. Who took over Joab's job as commander of the king's army? | A. 1 Kings 2:35 = Benaiah, the man who executed Joab. |
| Q. Who replaced Abiathar as priest? | A. 1 Kings 2:35 = Zadok. |
| Q. So Solomon was firmly established as king now? | A. 1 Kings 2:46 = Yes. |
| Q. Solomon seemed fit to be king. Did he make any early mistakes? | A. 1 Kings 3:1 = Yes. He made an alliance with Egypt and married the pharaoh's daughter. |
| Q. What else did Solomon do that was wrong? | A. 1 Kings 3:3 = He loved the Lord and offered sacrifices at local pagan altars. |
| Q. How was Solomon different than his father, David? | A. 1 Kings 3:4 = He offered a thousand offerings at Gibeon. It seemed Solomon's love for God was greater than his father's. |
| Q. Did God notice? | A. 1 Kings 3:5 = Yes. God told Solomon to ask whatever he wanted and it would be granted to him. |
| Q. What did Solomon learn about God from his father, David? |
A. 1 Kings 3:6 = 1). God was wonderfully kind to him because he was faithful and true. 2). God's kindness continued through Solomon's birth. 3). God grants understanding to those who ask. |
| Q. Did God see David for his lifetime mistakes? |
A. 1 Kngs 3:14 = No. He saw David as obedient. Note: God loves the heart - your desire to obey and love Him and to always return to Him with a repentant heart is the most precious thing to God. |
| Q. When did this conversation between Solomon and God occur? |
A. 1 Kings 3:15 = In a dream Note: God speaks to us in dreams. Anticipate His arrival! |
| Q. Solomon was granted wisdom. How was it displayed? | A. 1 Kings 3:28 = In rendering decisions with justice. |
| Q. Does God see the prostitute as capable of real love to her child? | A. 1 Kings 3:27 = Yes. Children are born into all kinds of circumstances and we should not think less of them because of their heritage, or less of a mother because of her unconvention. |
| Q. What was Solomon's reign like? |
A. 1 Kings 4:2 = He set up his court this way: 3 priests: Azariah, Zadok and Abiathar 2 court secretaries 1 Historian - Jehoshaphat 1 commander of the army - Benaiah 1 presider over 12 district governors 1 adviser to the king who was a priest = Zabud 1 manager of palace affairs 1 person over the labor force 12 district governors |
| Q. What did the 12 district governors do? | A. 1 Kings 4:7 = They were rotated by month to collect food from the people for the king's household. |
| Q. Are there any familiar names of district governors listed here? |
A. 1 Kings 4:8 = Yes! 1). Ben-hur from Ephraim 2). Ben-abinadab of Naphath-dar was married to one of Solomon's daughters 3). Ahimaaz of Naphtali was another who married a daughter of Solomon 4). There was only one governor over Judah. |
| Q. And peace reigned in Solomon's time? | A. 1 Kings 4:24 = Yes. |
| Q. Did Solomon ever not take God's advice? | A. Yes. God said not to amass horses and chariots and Solomon did exactly that. |
| Q. How many of these things did Solomon have? | A. 1 Kings 4:26 = More than 12,000. |
| Q. Did folks find Solomon's wisdom lacking? | A. 1 Kings 4:29 = No. They found it too vast to be measured! |
| Q. What did Solomon do with this wisdom? |
A. 1 Kings 4:32 = He wrote 1,005 songs and 3,000 proverbs. He knew plants, herbs, trees, animals, birds, reptiles and fish. Note: This wisdom came down from God. Science is birthed from God. |
| Q. Who benefitted from Solomon's wisdom? | A. 1 Kings 4:34 = All nations. They sent their ambassadors to listen Solomon. |
| Q. And all this "learned" wisdom came from God Himself? |
A. Yes! Note: God grants wisdom sometimes without the effort of learning. And the world benefits! |
| Q. What prevented David from building the Temple for God? |
A. 1 Kings 5:3 = David first had to subdue all Israel's enemies. Then God told David that his son would build it. Note: In the end, God took the Temple building idea from David because he had innocent blood on his hands. |
| Q. How was the Temple constructed? | A. 1 Kings 5:6 = With wise management! Solomon asked that the Israelites work alongside the people of Tyre (the Sidonians), who worked for whatever wage they asked, complimenting them on their skill at cutting timber. |
| Q. And the king of Tyre, Hiram, agreed? | A. 1 Kings 5:7 = Yes. Hiram praised the Lord for giving David a wise son to be king of all Israel. |
| Q. Did Hiram ask a fair wage for his laborers? | A. 1 Kings 5:9 = He asked only for food for his household. |
| Q. How was it paid? | A. 1 Kings 5:11 = In one annual payment. |
| Q. How much food did Hiram's household require? | A. 1 Kings 5:11 = 100,000 bushels of wheat; 110,000 gallons of olive oil. |
| Q. Who worked for the Temple project? | A. 1 Kings 5:13 = 30,000 enlisted laborers from all Israel, who went in shifts of 10,000 every month, so that they would be one month in Lebanon, 2 months at home. |
| Q. Who was in charge of this rotation schedule? | A. 1 Kings 5:14 = Adoniram. |
| Q. How was the timber transported from Tyre to Lebanon? |
A. 1 Kings 5:9 = They were made into rafts, floated to Lebanon on the Meditteranean Sea, then broken apart in Lebanon. Note: Floating wood is still common practice with timbermen. |
| Q. Who else helped build the Temple? | A. 1 Kings 5:15 = Solomon enlisted 70,000 common laborers; 80,000 stonecutters and 3,600 foremen to supervise the work. Men from Gebal helped the builders prepare timber and stone for the Temple. |
| Q. How long after Israel's deliverance from Egypt and slavery did construction on the Temple begin? | A. 1 Kings 6:1 = 480 years. |
| Q. How was the Temple constructed? | A. 1 Kings 6:7 = All stones were prefab. No tool was used at the Temple site. |
| Q. What covered the interior walls? | A. 1 Kings 6:15 = Cedar paneling. |
| Q. And the decor? | A. 1 Kings 6:18 = The paneling was decorated with carvings of gourds and blooming flowers. |
| Q. What about the sanctuary where the Ark of the Covenant would be housed? | A. 1 Kings 6:20 = It was overlaid with pure gold. The altar was gold too. |
| Q. What were the 2 cherubims made of? | A. 1 Kings 6:23-28 = Olive wood and overlaid with gold. They were 15 feet high and had wings that spanned the entire length of the wall. |
| Q. What other decor was there? | A. 1 Kings 6:29 = All the walls of the inner sanctuary and the main room were decorated with carvings of cherubim, palm trees and blooming flowers. These flowers were overlaid with gold. |
| Q. How long did it take to finish the Temple? | A. 1 Kings 6:38 = 7 years. |
| Q. When did Solomon build his palace? | A. 1 Kings 7:1 = Right after the Temple was completed. |
| Q. How long did that take? | A. 1 Kings 7:1 = 13 years. |
| Q. What was Solomon's palace like? |
A. 1 Kings 7:2 = It had different buildings, which had names: 1). The Palace of the Forest of Lebanon (v.2) 2). The Hall of Pillars (v.6) 3). The Hall of the Throne (v.7), which was also called the Hall of Judgment and used for hearing legal matters) 4). Solomon's house 5). Solomon's wife, daughter of Pharaoh's house |
| Q. What else was stored in the Temple besides the Ark and new utensils and furnishings? |
A. 1 Kings 7:51 = 1). David's dedicated gifts 2). The Tabernacle (8:4) |
| Q. What did the Israelites do before they brought the Tabernacle and the Ark into the Temple? | A. 1 Kings 8:5 = All the people made sacrifices, too numerous to count. |
| Q. How soon after this did God enter the Temple? | A. 1 Kings 7:10 = After laying the Ark down in the inner sanctuary, and before the people were done sacrificing. |
| Q. Did people raise their hands toward heaven when praying? | A. 1 Kings 8:22 = Yes. Solomon did too. |
| Q. What was his prayer? |
A. 1 Kings 8:29 = 1). That God would watch over the Temple day and night 2). That God would always hear their prayers when they prayed toward the Temple, no matter how close or far away they were from it. 3). That God would always forgive those who prayed to Him 4). That the people would recognize that the Temple represented a God that filled the universe and beyond, but that they would pray toward His Temple to Him and He would answer them. 5). Solomon asked for divine intervention when 2 people fought - punishment and acquittal. 6). If Israel lost wars because of their sin and then repented toward this Temple, that God would restore them. 7). If there was drought because of their sin and the people repented, praying toward the Temple, that God would forgive them and teach them to do right and send rain. 8). If God brought famine, bugs, enemies, if people raised their hands toward the Temple, God would hear and forgive them from heaven. 9). God would give people whatever hey deserved because He alone knows the human heart and the discipline would teach them to walk with Him. 10). Foreigners who came to pray toward the Temple would have their prayers answered and word would reach the whole world that God was real 11). In war, going out as God commanded, if they prayed toward the Temple, God would help and uphold their cause. 12). If their sin caused captivity and they repent and pray toward their land, that God would forgive them and make their captives merciful because Israel is God's Chosen Ones. 13). That God would hear all requests. |
| Q. Did Solomon also bless Israel? | A. 1 Kings 8:55 = Yes. |
| Q. What was in the blessing? |
A. 1 Kings 8:57 = 1). May God always be with us 2). May God give us the desire to do His will in everything 3). May these words be before God constantly 4). May all peoples know that the Lord is God 5). May Israel always be faithful and obey like they were doing this day. |
| Q. Did Solomon use forced labor? | A. 1 Kings 9:20-21 = Yes. Those peoples Israel did not completely destroy were forced laborers (the descendants of Ham). Never an Israelite. |
| Q. Did Solomon build a fleet of ships? | A. 1 Kings 9:26 = Yes. King Hiram supplied the sailors. They were trading ships that sailed alongside Hiram's fleet. |
| Q. What cargo did Israeli sailors bring home? | A. 1 Kings 10:22 = Every 3 years, they docked, loaded down with gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks. |
| Q. Did Solomon's wisdom grow? | A. 1 Kings 10:23 = Yes. Along with his wealth. |
| Q. What was Solomon's weakness? | A. 1 Kintgs 11:2 = Solomon fell in love easily, marrying foreign wives against God's will. |
| Q. What consequences occured? | A. 1 Kings 11:3 = He walked away from God in his old age. |
| Q. Why? | A. 1 Kings 11:4 = These foreign women brought foreign gods into his house. |
| Q. So even after all God had done for Solomon, he was just a man and susceptible to the commonest of sins? | A. Yes! So beware. Your sinful body and mind can be turned at any point in your life. Keep your eyes up and obey God, even if the temptation consumes you. OBEY! |
| Q. Was Solomon trapped in love? | A. 1 Kings 11:2 = No. He insisted on loving these women, though God said no. |
| Q. What gods did Solomon worship? |
A. 1 Kings 11:5 = 1). Ashtoreth, the Sidonians (Tyre) god, and the one his friend, King Hiram, worshipped. (Note: Keep friends who love the one and only true God. All others are acquaintances and people God brings to you for you to be a testimony of His great love. Anticipate sharing the gospel with them one day and stay focused. 2). Molech, the detestable goed of the Ammonites (child sacrifice was part of it) 3). Solomon built a shrine to Chemosh, the detestable goe of Moab. He also built a shrine for Molech. |
| Q. Where were these shrines built? | A. 1 Kings 11:7 = On the Mount of Olives. |
| Q. How many times had God appeared to Solomon? | A. 1 Kings 11:9 = Two times. Solomon was warned directly by God. |
| Q. Did God appear to Solomon a 3rd time? | A. 1 Kings 11:11 = Yes. To tell Solomon that his greatness would end. For David's sake, his son would forever sit on the throne of only one tribe. |
| Q. Who took Solomon down? |
A. 1 Kings 11:14-22 = Hadad, who was a child in Deom when Joab's army killed nearly every male there. Hadad escaped into Egypt. God raised him up against Solomon now. Note: God causes our enemies not to fight with us, if it is us who have wronged them. God can easily remind them later on! |
| Q. Who else took Solomon down? | A. 1 Kings 11:23 = Rezon, who was a gang leader and self-made king of Damascus. He was also a bitter enemy of David's. |
| Q. Was there a 3rd enemy to take Solomon down? | A. 1 Kings 11:26 = Yes. Jeroboam, Solomon's own official. Ahijah, the prophet, told Jeroboam the prophesy God gave him, that he would get ten tribes when God would tear the kingdom from Solomon's hands. |
| Q. How did Solomon react to this turn of fortune for him? | A. 1 Kings 11:40 = Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, who fled to Egypt under King Shishak and stayed there till Solomon died. |
| Q. How long did Solomon reign? | A. 1 Kngs 11:42 = 40 years. |
| Q. Which of Solomon's sons reigned after Him? | A. 1 Kings 11:43 = Rehoboam. |
| Q. What lessons can we learn from Solomon's life? |
A. 1). The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Even with such a track record, God instilling in Solomon such wisdom, worldwide respect, and a mouth blessing the world, we are vulnerable to idolatry and every sin mentioned in Moses' Ten Commandements. Our human spirits reach up for God, while our flesh yearns for all the wrong things. God makes His point: We need to be delivered out of this problem. With all the good intentions a man can think of, he cannot succeed in his own right. As Israel sacrificed lamb after lamb to redeem themselves continually (because they were constantly sinning), Solomon displayed in his life perfectly, the human condition. No matter how well you do on this earth, the flesh will master you if you don't follow God's guide for living, the Bible. The blood of sheep and goats cannot take away the sins of the world, so what were the Israelites doing it for? Because each sacrifice reminded them of their inability to keep the Law of Moses. There was never a happy ending for the Law. The Law existed to point out the problem of sin, so that it was in their faces 24/7. God didn't expect sinlessness, but the rituals pointed out the problem of sin. They sacrificed continually until Jesus came and then sacrificed the final Lamb -- without knowing it! God wants the rest of the world redeemed, so the Jacob/Israelites must sleep for awhile. Modern day Jews are accepting of everyone, are upright and honest, still carry with them the talents God endowed them with, still teach their children about Messiah and send them to Hebrew school, expect them to be involved in community service and await their Messiah. Tenacious are they about their ancestry and their God. I can't wait until the veil lifts! 2). Our sensory pleasures can only be satisfied by being in God's presence. How good it is to be in Messiah's presence! How wonderful to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and be able to overcome the flesh! Salvation has come to Israel and the whole earth. We all have access to God's wisdom and power. We are crazy not to use it! I lay my hands on the sick and speak God's healing power on them; I call down, in Jesus' name, God's power for whatever miracle is waiting to happen. I intercede for numerous people and watch history change course. Thankyou Jesus. Not all miracles happen they way I want them to. Even so, I will obey God's word and do it. 3). Solomon's wisdom came because he asked for it. He was preserved for the throne because of David. Both men sinned. One repented continually. God wants repentent people, not perfect people. |