Elul 3, B”H 5783

The Hebrew month of Elul

You may recall my post from July about Tisha b’Av. In that post, I introduced the Hebrew months of the year to help ubicate us in understanding the significance of certain dates on the Biblical calendar.

One of those months is called “Elul.”

Elul (Heb. אלול) comes from the root word “to search.”

This is the time of year when we are reminded that the LORD searches our hearts and knows us and we repent for those things which we continue to struggle with in our ongoing journey in holiness.

We are to search inside of ourselves and turn away from that which harms our relationship with the LORD Most High as we enter a new Biblical year.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

Medieval Jewish sages realized that each letter of the word “Elul” in Hebrew can serve as an acronym for the well-known phrase from Song of Solomon 6:3 “Ani l’dodi, v’dodi li” (Hebrew for “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine”).

When we reflect on this time of preparation, we see that Elul is a time of preparation for the Bride, for truly the Bridegroom is coming. This is a time of self-examination as we prepare to meet our Coming King. He accepts us with the deepest of love when we come before Him with a pure and contrite heart, made beautiful by our relationship with Him.

Elul, the High Holy Days, and the Coming of the Bridegroom

The month of Elul precedes what are known as the High Holy Days. These days include Yom Teruah (also known as Rosh Hashanah) and Yom Kippur. Yom Teruah occurs on the first day of the next month which is known as Tishrei. The High Holy Days are customarily a time of introspection as Yom Kippur serves as the yearly day of atonement. Israel pleads to be written in the Book of Life, and sealed for another year.

Now that our Messiah and Almighty Savior Yeshua (Jesus Christ) has come, those who have confessed Him as LORD and King have the assurance that the names of the saved are written in the Book of Life, never to be blotted out.

Elul is like the month before the wedding. Preparation is made because soon the Bridegroom will come. The Bride may prepare for the Coming Bridegroom with grace, dignity, and confidence because she has been set apart, consecrated, made ready for the moment when her King comes.

Repentance and Holiness

As saved and sanctified children of God, we continue to pursue holiness and the path of righteousness.

Hebrews 12:14 exhorts us to “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”

Though we may not experience all that which tremendously occurred at Mount Sinai, we now spiritually experience the glory of Mount Zion.

The writer of Hebrews continues: “For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.  (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” 

And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”)

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven . . . ” Hebrew 12:18-25, emphases added.

We are to live our lives with quiet and holy fear (reverence).

To do this fully, a true believer and follower of the LORD will very obviously seek to live in humility, all too aware of our faults and failings, but awesomely and intimately aware that He is perfecting us each and every day. We live with an attitude of repentance, thankful that His mercy blots out a multitude of sins. We do the work of ministry, always seeking to share the Word with those who do not yet know Him – not to gain a place in heaven, but to demonstrate our heavenly citizenship! The world glorifies sin. We glorify only Jesus (Yeshua), the One who died to take away our sins and the One who will return for us!

“. . . let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” James 5:20

On the Day of Shavu’ot (Pentecost), Peter urged his listeners to repent:

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.  

For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’

Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.  You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.” Acts 3:19-26.

Teshuvah: Biblical Repentance

The Jewish understanding of the concept of “teshuvah” is slightly different than the traditional Christian interpretation of repentance.

Standard Christian repentance is about simply turning away from sin. There is nothing wrong with that. But teshuvah, true Biblical repentance, goes deeper than that.

Teshuvah is a “return.” More specifically, a return to our first love after being astray.

Inherent in teshuvah is the acknowledgement that we have sinned, but this is more about returning to the Way of the LORD than about guilt: it requires an action on our part to strive to right the wrong.

“Teshuvah” is seen as an action. It is often said one is “doing teshuvah.”

Teshuvah means the individual identifies the wrongs they have committed and actively works toward a behavioral change “to right the wrong.” The sinner confesses to God, but also goes back to the one he or she has wronged to ask for forgiveness and attempt to right the wrong.

Christians know that we cannot earn our salvation, so the concept of “teshuvah” gets a bit difficult for many Christians to understand. I have even found that some Christians simply do not want to understand because they would rather remain complacent. Some use texts about grace to shirk any semblance of responsibility, which is a truly irresponsible way to view YHVH’s immense and perfect grace. I believe in grace. I also believe in doing what is right.

Teshuvah is something the Christian can do in gratitude for salvation. Any decent person of faith ought strive to right their wrongs, right? The difference is, we know that we will never be able to erase the evil we have done to another so we cannot completely right our wrongs and we know that. We trust in our Merciful LORD, the Righter of Wrongs to bring healing, restoration, and ultimately wholeness.

Elul is the time of year when teshuvah is emphasized. Hosea uses the term “teshuvah” in admonishing the people of Israel to return to the LORD.

“Take words with you,
And return to the LORD.
Say to Him,
“Take away all iniquity;
Receive us graciously,
For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.” Hosea 14:2, emphasis added

Biblical repentance is about returning to the LORD with nothing hindering our relationship. We are cleansed and made new by the blood of the Lamb and we are victorious by the word of our testimony.

We are ready to meet our Beloved.

“Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all sins.” Proverbs 10:12

40 Days of Repentance: Elul or Lent?

The time of repentance observed in the month of Elul is set by Biblical precedent.

It sounds very much like a Hebrew “Lent” for those familiar with Lenten practices.

I will be controversial here, but I’m not one to shy from that . . .

Lent is a manmade invention championed by the liturgical world. It is not Biblical.

Historically, significant efforts were made to distance the “church” from its Jewish (and Biblical, mind you) history. It is no secret that Catholic and Lutheran churches alike were plagued with antiSemitism for many many years.

Those who invented Lent took the concept of Elul (a 40 day time of prayer and fasting lasting from 1 Elul to 10 Tishrei) and “Christianized” it, citing a time to prepare to honor the death and resurrection of Christ. Sadly, the Western inventions of things like Advent and Lent have served to confuse the body of Christ and isolate us from the true Biblical feast days and their significance.

Elul is about returning. Let us return to the basic (Hebraic!) tenets of our faith – to seek to walk on the path of righteousness, guided by the LORD Himself as written in His Holy Word.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Word of God is available to us and if we are not spending time in the Word, that is another reason for repentance.

Collectively, we should repent that the church has strayed so far and has actually contributed to the unbelief of the Jewish people as they observe the glaring discrepancies of many unBiblical “Christian” practices.

May we return to the essence of Elul.

Cheshbon haNefesh: The accounting for the soul

Cheshbon haNefesh is a Hebrew term used frequently throughout the month of Elul. “Cheshbon” is used in modern Hebrew to describe an invoice or bill, such as at a café. Cheshbon: what is owed, what must be paid, the account. Nefesh refers to the soul or what makes you you – it is a word that is also translated as “life” or “being.” Nefesh is the life force within you.

During Elul, we are reminded of His gracious gift. We fall on our knees in the humblest of gratitude, thankful that Yeshua (Jesus) shed His precious blood in payment to redeem our souls.

We owe everything to our Savior yet we know our account has been paid in full.

Elul is a time to reflect on how we are using our nefesh – how are we using the life that is within us to advance the Kingdom of God? It is a time to take ourselves to account.

This is a time to realize where we truly fall short in our relationship with our Creator. In what ways do we fail to love? Do we truly love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind?

HaMelech ba’sadeh: The King is in the field

It is often said during Elul that “the King is in the field.”

The King of all kings, who may seem unapproachable, who is far in His heavenly palace seated on His throne is the same King who reaches out His scepter even when we are unworthy of His mercy. The King of all kings is the same King who comes to our level – He humbled Himself and walked in those fields ripe for harvest.

The Chassidic interpretation is that the King comes when the laborers are in the field – meeting His workers where they are. Surprising them with His presence. Demonstrating kindness.

The King is coming.

The King is in the field.

The King of all kings is approachable and He loves you.

You can go to Him and He will receive you with open arms.

And you will be raptured away in love together.

Personal Prayer and Devotional Time during the month of Elul

It is traditional to read Psalm 27 daily during the month of Elul.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,
And to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”
Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the LORD will take care of me.

Teach me Your way, O LORD,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.

Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Perhaps you would like to reflect on this passage during this time, as well. This Psalm truly speaks to the relationship aspect of our faith: that we call upon Him and He answers and we are to seek His face.

The King is in the field and the harvest is ready but the workers are few.

Will you meet Him in the field?

Will you share the Good News that the King is coming back again!?

Repent and Rejoice!

Our King is coming for us!

Please comment below! I’d love to hear your thoughts about the month of Elul and the coming of our Almighty King!

(Zechariah 9; Luke 19:28-48) 5783 B”H

It is already nearly Palm Sunday and Passover! We still have snow on the ground here in the northwoods, but the joy of our Savior’s Resurrection warms our hearts and helps us remember that the spring flowers are just about to burst forth.

Zekharyah: God remembers

Have you ever read the full prophecy found in Zechariah 9?

Zechariah (זְכַרְיָה (Zekharyah) was a priest and prophet by heritage and lineage and God used him to reveal one of the most important Messianic prophecies!

The Hebrew name “Zekharyah” means “God remembers.”

God remembers His people, He remembers His promises, and prophecy is fulfilled precisely because the LORD has spoken and His Word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11).

The chapter begins with judgment on Israel’s enemies – highly appropriate given the promise of Zion’s Coming King who would defeat evil. God remembered all that Israel had endured and reassured them that He would send the Righteous One.

Zechariah 9:9-17 contains the prophecies that were fulfilled on Palm Sunday. Additionally, this passage prophesies that the coming King would speak shalom and salvation to the nations:

Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!
        Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!
    Behold, your King is coming to you,
        a righteous one bringing salvation.
        He is lowly, riding on a donkey—
        on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will banish chariots from Ephraim
        and horses from Jerusalem,
        and the war bow will be broken.
    He will speak shalom to the nations.
    His rule will extend from sea to sea,
    from the River to the ends of the earth.
As for you also, by the blood of your covenant,
        I will release your prisoners from the waterless Pit.
Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope!
    Today I declare that I will restore twice as much to you.
I will bend Judah as my bow
        and fill it with Ephraim.
  I will rouse your sons, O Zion
        against your sons, O Greece.
    I will wield you like a warrior’s sword.

Then ADONAI will be seen over them
    as His arrow flashes like lightning.
ADONAI Elohim will blow the shofar
    and march in whirlwinds of the south.
ADONAI TZVA’OT will defend them.
    They will consume and conquer with sling stones.
    They will drink and roar as with wine
        and be filled like a bowl,
        like the corners of the altar.
ADONAI their God will save them on that day
        as the flock of His people.
    They will be like gems of a crown
        sparkling over His land.
How good and beautiful it will be!
    Grain will make the young men thrive
        and new wine the virgin women.” Zechariah 9:9-17, emphases added

Isn’t this beautiful to picture?

“They will be like gems of a crown sparkling over His land.” Zechariah 9:16b

He loves you so much you sparkle like a regal gem!

As you can see, this Bible passage describes the overwhelming and awesome power of the LORD Most High. His arrows flash like lightning and shofars will sound and the LORD of the Armies will defend us. It is really impactful to dwell on this passage for a time. Meditate on God’s Word! You will always be blessed.

Our Humble King, Owner of all things

Do you notice that the Zechariah passage ends with all such fanfare and victorious imagery, but it sure didn’t start out that way. It tells about a lowly Man, riding on a donkey. But, despite the humbleness of the passage, it does make a bold announcement:

“Behold, your King is coming to you.” Zechariah 9:9

What a statement!

The King was coming! And not just any King – your King. The One who will hold out His scepter of righteous forgiveness and allow you into His Presence with all-consuming love, mercy, and passion.

Do you need to hear that today?

Do you need to know that there is One who holds all Authority, the Majestic King of all kings, and He is coming once again? No one knows the day or the hour of Yeshua’s (Jesus’) Second Coming, but I can assure you this: He is coming back for His own.

As Zechariah records, Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ our Lord) is the Righteous One and He is bringing salvation. He will save you, deliver you, and set you free of your burdens and your sins and even the curse and sting of death. He will give you new life, if you will trust in Him today with all your heart.

Luke documented the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy that the Messiah would ride on a colt. (Luke 19:30ff).

I love how the owners of the colt ask the two disciples in Luke 19, “Why are you untying the colt?” Luke 19:33

That was a reasonable question. The disciples didn’t own the colt, but the Master, the LORD Himself can given them permission to take it! They were instructed to simply say,

“The LORD has need of him.” (Luke 19:34, NKJV).

“The Master needs it.” (Luke 19:34, TLV).

God owns everything, so He owned that young donkey, too.

The LORD needed the donkey because He was absolutely fulfilling in every minute detail the words of Zechariah‘s triumphal prophecy.

Luke describes the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

Even though our LORD chose to use a lowly donkey as His transportation into Jerusalem, the events of that first Palm Sunday were far from lowly.

During what is commonly described as “the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem,” there was now a full multitude of people who would consider themselves Yeshua’s (Jesus’) disciples. They were celebrating because they knew He was the Anointed One, the Promised King!

Scripture says that they praised God with a loud voice!

Do you, too, praise Him with a loud voice?

Do you let it be known that you and your household serve this King?

“When Yeshua came near the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began to rejoice. They praised God with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen, saying,

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of ADONAI!”
Shalom in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”

But answering, Yeshua said, “I tell you that if these keep silent, the stones will shout out!”

As He drew near and saw Jerusalem, He wept over her, saying, “If only you had recognized this day the things that lead to shalom! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with barricades and hem you in on all sides. And they will smash you to the ground—you and your children within you. And they won’t leave within you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:37-45).

Blessed is the King!

What has often become a repetitive custom to say, “Baruch haba b’Shem Adonai” was in that moment the most powerful declaration of allegiance and praise!

Shalom in Heaven and Glory in the Highest!

Shalom in heaven!

Glory in the Highest!

Doesn’t that reach the depths of your heart?

The joy of knowing the King of kings has come!

I imagine the overwhelming experiential joy that the disciples must have been feeling at that moment!

The Pharisees missed the mark and wanted to hear a public rebuke.

But Yeshua (Jesus) knew the condition of their hearts.

He wept over the Holy City, knowing that despite their daily greetings to one another saying, “Shalom,” they truly didn’t understand shalom.

More than a greeting and more than a temporary condition, true shalom comes only from being in right relationship with the Holy One, learning to love and seeking His mercy. Keeping every jot and tittle of the law could not save the people. They needed to know the Lord of Shalom.

Rejoice Greatly and Shout

Zechariah 9:9 proclaims we are to rejoice greatly and shout because of the announcement of the Coming King!

As we enter this Holy time of Passover and celebrating the FirstFruits of the Resurrection, I pray you will rejoice greatly. That you will not be ashamed to shout praises unto God Most High!

The tomb is empty. Our King will return!

Celebrate! And may we pray for those who do not yet know Him. That they, too, would shout “Hoshiana!” (Hosanna!): Please, save!

I was reading a book last night by Dr.Amy-Jill Levine. It was sent to me and I’m going to be writing a blog review for it soon. Update: Here is a link to my review: The Difficult Words of Jesus. While Dr. Levine and I definitely have our theological differences, I was struck by one very simple, but poignant question she posed. The rich young ruler of the Gospels was so preoccupied with storing up treasures in both earth and heaven that he wanted to know what he had to do to inherit eternal life – so he could fill up his heavenly “vault,” as Levine put it. The question that sparked my interest was this: if you were in that situation, able to stop Jesus in His tracks to ask Him any question in the world, what would you ask? What would you say?

What would you ask Yeshua?

Would you ask Him what it takes to “earn” eternal life? Demand a heavenly inheritance? Plea for salvation? Would you humbly ask for a healing? Would you ask something deeply theological, or would you stick to something more temporal?

In 1 Kings, King Solomon has the opportunity to ask anything of God.

He could’ve asked for details about what happens in the next life or the world to come. But he asks for something quite unexpected, and much much different than the riches sought by the young ruler in the Gospel story.

The fact that the Eternal One directs Solomon to ask Him for something, to ask for anything at all is shocking.

It is shocking because it is unexpected, but it is also shocking because at the time, Solomon was walking in obvious disobedience.

King Solomon knew full well who God is, and his duty to honor the God of Israel as he ruled. After all, his father was King David who wrote most of the Psalms! Surely King Solomon had no excuse when he practiced idolatry and lustfully sought out his many wives. Solomon knew better than to worship pagan gods!

This Psalm, penned by King Solomon’s father, King David, speaks of the glorious ascent to the hill of YHVH.

“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
He shall receive blessing from the LORD,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.“

Psalm 24:3-5

It is certainly conceivable Solomon had his father’s words ringing in his ears as he

climbed up . . . not to a Holy Place, but to

the pagan

high place in Gibeon

to singe a thousand burnt offerings and incense.

On top of that, Shlomo (Solomon in Hebrew) had just married Pharaoh’s daughter. Shouldn’t he be feeling ashamed by now?

Many of us are well aware that Solomon’s foreign wives inspired him to pursue pagan practices. Yet even to this day Solomon is known for something else: his wisdom. God’s mercy, long-suffering, and patience really are remarkable.

What Solomon had in his favor is recorded in 1 Kings 3:3, “Solomon loved the LORD . . . “

Loving the LORD makes up the difference. His mercy endures forever.

On one particular trip up the Gibeon mountain, the trek plus the mountain air allowed Solomon to fall asleep that night. He probably didn’t have to count Israeli sheep in order to fall asleep. I imagine he fell into a fairly deep sleep just from the day’s activities.

The LORD Almighty, the Sovereign One, the Only True God, came to Solomon in a dream.

No messenger sent, no angel. God Himself appears to Solomon in the dream and says to him,

“Ask! What shall I give you?” (1 Kings 3:5)

Solomon burned sacrifices not to YHVH, but to false gods, in this very place. But to demonstrate His Omnipresence and Perfect Sovereignty, Adonai challenges Solomon to go ahead, ask for something.

A conversation King to king

Solomon is king (melech) of Israel and in a sense, the LORD is treating him that way. Being a king, surely Solomon was used to asking for things and getting them. There are no restrictions, there are no asterisks, no strings attached.

There are no limits because the LORD is God of the entire universe.

Any other supposed deity would have to place a limitation. A blue genie could get trapped in a bottle along with the three wishes he might be offering. A less-than-Almighty god would have to say:

“Ask for something within reason.”

“Please keep it under 100 shekels.”

“There will be a 10% service charge, which will be handled by your next tithe.”

Solomon is allowed to ask the LORD Most High for absolutely anything because He is able to do absolutely anything.

If you could ask God for anything, would you want jewels? tools?

If you were the king or queen of Israel, what would you want? More wealth and riches?

Solomon doesn’t ask for any of these things, not even a new pet camel.

“What do you want, Solomon, what should I give you?

King Solomon is ready to answer, but first he is sure to flatter YHVH a little. Smart thinking. Maybe he felt an extra need to show honor and deference to Elohim if he was laden with guilt from his unfaithfulness. That or, like a wife trying to butter up her husband to complete a honey-do list, first she reminds him how much she loves him, appreciates him, and couldn’t live without him. Right? 🙂

Solomon begins to praise God and thank Him for the kindness He has shown to his father David. Solomon acknowledges his immaturity and demonstrates humility (1 Kings 3:6-8). He expresses how he views the situation he lives in, this context of governance over a chosen, great, and numerous people.

Only after all of that does Solomon dare to say what he would like from God.

“Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 1 Kings 3:9, emphasis added

Understanding and discernment.

In other words, wisdom.

Notice, King Solomon never says “wisdom.” He only describes it.

In Hebrew, the word for wisdom is chokhmah, and it is not found anywhere in this text, even though traditionally wisdom has been ascribed to Solomon. The Proverbs attributed to Solomon, however, do employ this term frequently. Here in 1 Kings 3, a form of the word chokhmah is used, chakham, but only by God Himself. God answers Solomon’s request for understanding and discernment by calling it wisdom (chakham).

It is quite evident that King Solomon avoids using the word chokhmah or any form thereof in his request of God.

So we must ask the question: why?

Perhaps it can be dismissed as too much of a technicality, but I do believe there is more to it.

Solomon may have been hesitant to ask for wisdom because in the culture of his day, despite being a king, he was asking a lot.

As early as the writings of Job, Jewish tradition has always held that wisdom is costlier than gold and silver (Job 28:12-15).

Maybe he thought it was too much to ask.

Wisdom is also personified in Scripture, interpreted as a divine attribute of God and embodied by Messiah Himself. While Solomon did not yet know his Messiah, Wisdom Incarnate, he would have had reverence regarding the subject of God’s Wisdom.

He had mustered his courage, and this pleased the LORD.

The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

1 Kings 3:10-14, NKJV, emphasis added

The LORD assures Solomon that he will give him wisdom and fame. He adds riches and honor to the package, but now He does add an asterisk:

“You will have all of this and a long life, if you walk in My ways as your father David did.”

God will hold King Solomon accountable – He wants Solomon to do what is right.

Solomon awakens from his dream, heads straight to Jerusalem to offer legitimate sacrifice there to Adonai, and holds a party for his servants (1 Kings 3:15).

“And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.” 1 Kings 4:29

King Solomon had so many great achievements, most importantly, the construction of the Temple. He was known for his sayings and proverbs, his riches and influence. But despite all of that, his heart strayed from the LORD. Lust was in the family line, and he seems to have inherited a generational curse. Because Solomon continued in disobedience, the Lord assured him the kingdom would be torn away under the reign of his son and that is exactly what happened.

What would you ask Yeshua?

We are all given the opportunity to ask God anything because He has made a way for us through Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). He might not come to us in a dream, but He is willing to listen to us because of His amazing grace.

He may not give us exactly what we want, but we definitely have the opportunity to share our heart with Him and He knows our deepest desires. Next time you are in prayer, ask of Him, and I know He will answer you in love. Learn from Solomon’s mistakes: keep a repentant heart, and go after the things of God, not the ways of the world.

The Father sent His Son to die for you. He loves you. Surely it is not too much for you to ask for something that is weighing on your heart, if you ask in humility, it shall be done for you.

Are you able to have a conversation with the LORD?

Are you in relationship with Him?

If you are sincerely sorry for your sins and your mistakes and your character flaws that sometimes get the best of you . . . and you have decided that you will trust in Him to help you change and turn away from continuing in sin, and if you have accepted the Truth that Yeshua (Jesus) is the King of Israel and would like Him to be the King of your heart, then you absolutely can be in communion and conversation with Him. Nothing can separate you from His love – and Messiah Yeshua bridged the gap between sin and darkness to enable you to be able to trust Him today with your life and your salvation. Believe in Him, obey His Word, and do not be afraid to go to Him in prayer. He hears you when you pray!

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