Is it just me, or is something else going on with David and Solomon?

In my last post, I covered the joy of treasure hunting in 2nd Samuel. King David was fascinating, so I went on directly to 1st Kings, in which David dies pretty early on. Figuring there was more to his story, I eagerly began 1 Chronicles, taking notes on all David’s children, their mothers were, their birth places, and the meaning of their Hebrew names.

Fun, but not conclusive. I kept reading. An idea about Solomon began to take shape.

I’ll be the first one to tell you that I’ve really only been reading the Bible (with intent) for less than a year; I’m no expert. Naturally, I’m insecure about what I find, and I often engage others (presumably more knowledgeable and experienced than I) with my ideas, looking for assurance that I’m on the right track.

What a waste of time. Because I know who's guiding me.

Sadly, there are a number of Christian men who love to spout 1 Timothy 2:12 in order to marginalize any insight a woman might offer with this handy line:

“I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.”

Be still my heart.

Hopefully there’s something in the context of that verse that I haven’t yet unpacked, else I might be in big trouble with The Boss. For now, I hold on to the hope that comes from the birth of Jesus being revealed first to Mary, to her cousin, Elizabeth, and Anna, a prophetess. Also in my corner is Deborah, a prophetess who was one of Israel’s judges. See guys? Women don’t have to remain quiet if God is instructing them. Don’t forget Esther.

Are you wondering if I’m led by the Holy Spirit when I study? You really should. I know that I asked God several months ago if I could just study His word, and I believe he said yes. But you don't know that.

We should all confirm this ourselves by reading that Scripture and praying that God will show us what’s true and right. In fact, I beg you to do that. The last thing I want to do is mislead you, or anyone else, especially when it comes to parsing the complex and remarkable Word of God.

Got it? OK. Here goes.

As I read about David and Solomon, it started to dawn on me that the process of Solomon building God’s Temple was a “type” of building the church during the Age of Grace. You’ve heard that the church called the Temple, right? So naturally, the building of the two would be similar in story, wouldn’t they? Based on what I’ve read, it might be pretty important.

A type, if you’ve never heard that term, is a type in scripture is a person (or thing) in the Old Testament which foreshadows a person or thing in the New Testament. Types connect the beginning of God’s story to its conclusion. David, in my previous post, looked an awful lot like a type of Jesus. If you haven’t read it, check it out.

Recall the beginnings of the church and what the conclusion will be for those who are faithful to Jesus. Do you have the story in mind?

Take a look at these data points of the building of both temples:

Building Solomon’s Temple	Building the Church
The temple was built by Solomon, who was chosen by God (not David – he wasn’t allowed to build the temple because of bloodshed)	The Church was built by Jesus, who was chosen by God (not Israel – they weren’t allowed because of their unfaithfulness)
David gathered all the supplies and workmen needed to build the Temple	Jesus gave all the skills and workmen needed to build the Church
Solomon didn’t ask for riches, fame, or destruction of his enemies, instead asking for (and receiving) wisdom to rule the nation	Jesus was tempted by power, riches, and fame by Satan, but refused them, instead imparting wisdom to the Church
Solomon was born of David, tribe of Judah	The church was born out of the Lion of Judah
David brought the Ark to the region, giving strength to Israel	Jesus brought the Holy Spirit to the Church, giving strength to the Apostles
Solomon utilized 153 thousand “aliens” in the land to build the temple (check Hebrew for actual numbers, not regular text). Why would strangers in the land build God’s Temple?	There were 153 fish caught by the disciples when resurrected Jesus appeared to them
The temple has an outer court, an inner court, and the Holy of Holies	There are three harvests of the church (barley, wheat, and gleanings), taken at different times
David consecrated items to be used in the temple, brought into the temple by his son	Jesus consecrated the people to serve in the temple, who were brought in by his disciples
Solomon sends for an expert in building, called Hiram-abi (Father is Noble Born)	Jesus appoints Paul, an man of influence and status, to minister to the Gentiles
Upon dedication of the temple, Solomon acknowledges that every man sins, and that if a sinner sincerely prays to God at (or even toward) the temple, God will withhold punishment	Jesus assures us that nobody is “good” except the Father, and tells us if we are baptized and sincerely pray to God in his name, God will withhold punishment

Enough connection? Just wait…it gets even more interesting.

• Only the tablets with the 10 commandments on them were in the Ark of the Covenant when it was moved inside the temple. There used to be a jar of manna, as well as Aaron’s staff inside. Where did they go? This is particularly interesting because the manna and staff were significant in Exodus, which I think is a type of the Tribulation, and which will have to wait for another post. This one is long enough.  (See update on this point!)
• At the completion and consecration of the temple, all the priests were sanctified together without regard to class or division. Solomon prays the blessing of salvation over all of them. Salvation, not consecration.
• Solomon chose 12 officers over all of Israel, and one over the Tribe of Judah, like Jesus chose twelve apostles over Israel, and Paul for the Gentiles.
• The reign of Solomon is considered the Golden Era of Israel, as they were safe, growing, and well provided for. One can’t necessarily say that about the Church given the persecution people face daily, but generally we have it pretty good. It’s certainly the Age of Grace for us.
• There’s a huge increase in knowledge due to Solomon’s wisdom. Think internet.
• Upon completion of the temple, there was a feast for seven days, followed by a solemn assembly on the 8th day, just like Tabernacles, at the time of Tabernacles. Day 8 is generally regarded as the day of new life. A wedding feast, in old Jewish tradition, lasts seven days. Remember that for later in this post.

So, Solomon sounds like a pretty good guy, right? I mean, he loves God, he’s obeying His commands, he built Him a great temple and he’s a wise and capable leader of Israel. Not so fast, dear reader!

In 2nd Chronicles 9:4 something remarkable is tucked away that isn’t in the RSV, the NLT, the NIV, and not entirely accurate in the KJV. Take note that the number of the chapter, nine, means judgment. Also take note that the number of the verse, four, represents a division of time or season. That’s pretty cool already. Here’s what is says in the NIV, KJV, and Orthodox Jewish Bible:

NIV	KJV	Orthodox Jewish
4 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, the cupbearers in their robes and the burnt offerings he made at[a] the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.	4 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.	4 And the ma’akhal (food) of his shulchan, and the moshav of his avadim, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his aliyah (ascent) by which he went up to the Beis Hashem; there was no more ruach in her.

 

This passage refers to the Queen of Sheba visiting Solomon and testing him with some questions and marveling at his accomplishments. Notice that in the Orthodox Jewish Bible, Solomon makes an ascent to Beis Hashem, literally the “Home of The Name.” Hashem is used in place of The Name that only the High Priest was allowed to pronounce. Hmmmm.

Solomon ascends to the Home of God, and what happens to the Queen of Sheba? The spirit leaves her. Ruach means breath, but it also is used to describe the Holy Spirit.

Do you think it could be a description of the Rapture? Ascent. Spirit gone. Just saying…

Are you rolling your eyes because I said Rapture again? Have you considered that literally every single book of the Bible is pointing us to the beginning, middle, AND END of God’s plan for us, each with a little clue? It would make sense, then, that every book is pointing us to where I believe we are our history. Stop rolling your eyes – they’ll stick that way.

But here’s the final connection. After all is accomplished, Solomon is still around, but he’s changed. All of a sudden, he’s moved his thousand wives and concubines from all manner of nations (dude – put a leash on it, for goodness’ sake) outside of town, and he’s building them altars to their own strange deities (including Moloch, the baby-burning god) whom he begins to worship, in addition to God. Uh-oh. That's commandment number one right out the window.

Looks like Solomon has switched from the Good Guys to the Bad Guys.

And suddenly, he gets 666 talents of gold, builds himself a fantastic throne, with six steps, and two sets of six lions on them. Another 666. Did Solomon suddenly turn into the Antichrist? What does that suggest about the beast system we read about in Revelation?

There are a couple of other questions I’d like you to also think about with me.

Why, upon completion of the temple, was it only mentioned that Solomon celebrate three annual feasts: Unleavened Bread, Weeks (Pentecost), and Tabernacles? Unleavened Bread, I understand. It’s living a life in alignment with God’s commandments (to the extent we are able, we’re only saved by the Blood of the Lamb). And tabernacles makes sense because that's the aforementioned 7 days plus holy convocation. But Pentecost is mentioned in between those feasts (while others are left off)! Does that mean we also fulfill Pentecost when we receive the Holy Spirit? Or, does that mean it’s our day of Aliyah – departure? Does that mean the rest of the feasts are not fulfilled by the Church, but by Israel?

Another thought, in 1 Kings 1:40, we see that Solomon is anointed king over Israel. The specific order was that Solomon was to be placed on the King’s mule (borrowed!) and ride to Gihon (spring, bursting forth), be anointed, then the people were to come up after him. The Hebrew word also means ascend; to meet. Following that, a trumpet was blown and a huge celebration took place. In fact, the people were celebrating so hard that the earth was split by the ruckus. Don’t believe me? Read it yourselves, and be sure to check the original Hebrew. That brings me to my next question: Could Solomon represent Jesus in this passage, as head of the Church (and later Antichrist, since he looks like the same guy, but isn’t)? He was anointed a second time in 1 Chron 29, so when would that cracking of the earth take place?

OK. That was actually more than a couple of questions for you to answer.

Love to hear your thoughts…please comment below.