LET'S SEARCH FOR HIDDEN PEARLS, Week of August 8 to 14, 2022, 1 Kings 3 to 4, Answers.

LET'S SEARCH FOR HIDDEN PEARLS: August 8-14, 2022, 1 Kings 3 to 4.

Let's look for hidden pearls (10 mins.)

1Ki 4:20. Why is it interesting that the expression “as numerous as the grains of sand that are by the sea” is used? (Ge 22:17; w98 2/1 11 ¶15)

It is interesting that this expression also appears in Genesis 22:17, and refers to a promise that Jehovah gave to Abraham and referred to the blessings that would come to his descendants. First they had been offered to receive the promised land. Then give them victory over their enemies, and so it happened when they conquered this promised land.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

And as a third fulfillment, that nation became very large in number of people, so much so that they resembled the grains of sand that are by the sea. In addition, they also referred to the condition that surrounded them in terms of having everything necessary to live happily. This guarantees that Jehovah's promises are reliable and will eventually be fulfilled for the benefit of those who serve him.

Jehovah blessed the descendants of Abraham, already organized as a nation under the law, according to the promise he made to the patriarch. In 1473 BCE Joshua, Moses' successor, brought Israel into the land fulfilling Jehovah's promise to give it to Abraham's seed. As long as Israel remained faithful, Jehovah kept his promise to give her victory over her enemies. This was especially the case during the reign of David. By the time of Solomon, son of David, a third aspect of the Abrahamic covenant was fulfilled: "Judah and Israel were many, like the grains of sand that are by the sea by their multitude, and they ate and drank and rejoiced."

Because that expression reflects the fulfillment of the third aspect of the pact that Jehovah had made with Abraham where it was promised that his offspring would be as numerous as the grains of the sea.

It is interesting because this was the fulfillment of the promise that Jehovah made to Abraham, because after Joshua introduced Israel to the land of Canaan, when the land was divided among the tribes, the promise of Jehovah to give it to the descendants of Canaan was fulfilled. Abraham, and by the time of Solomon in Judah and Israel there were already as many as the grains of sand that are by the sea, thus fulfilling one more aspect of the Abrahamic covenant.

Because it is the promise that Jehovah had made to Abraham that his descendant would become like the grains of sand that are by the sea and how the Israelites had fulfilled their part of the covenant when they entered the land of Canaan Jehovah fulfilled his part by protecting them from their enemies and giving them prosperity and that is why they became as numerous as the grains of sand by the sea.

This expression was not only an example of the blessings of people under God's rule but also more importantly a prophetic picture of the blessings to come for all mankind under the kingdom of Christ who has proven to be greater than the ancient Solomon, so this makes us think that Jehovah is good and loving in letting us know these details, because they strengthen our faith that all the promises of the kingdom will be fulfilled without fail.

What spiritual gems have you found about Jehovah, the ministry, and other topics in this week's Bible reading?

1 Kings 3:1. A century earlier, God had forbidden his servants to marry the women of Canaan, specifically listing various peoples of that pagan land. Did Solomon reason that, since Egypt did not appear on the list, his conduct was not blameworthy? If he did, he was without excuse. He was overlooking a danger that Jehovah had expressly mentioned: being led astray into false religion. He knew there was something wrong so he built her a house outside the city of David.

1 Kings 3:1. Solomon may have married the Egyptian princess for possible political gains. But was his decision justified? No, centuries earlier, God had forbidden his servants to marry the women of Canaan, specifically listing various peoples of that heathen land. Did Solomon reason that, since Egypt did not appear on the list, his conduct was not blameworthy? If he did, he was without excuse. He was overlooking a danger that Jehovah had expressly mentioned: being led astray into false religion.

1 Kings 3:1. Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter and built her a house outside the City of David, Solomon may have married the Egyptian princess thinking of possible political advantages, but God had forbidden his servants to marry the women of Canaan, although Egypt did not appear on the list, it was overlooking a danger that Jehovah had expressly mentioned, being led astray into false religion and that would eventually pass away later.

1 Kings 3:1. There it is mentioned that Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh and married one of his daughters disobeying a very clear mandate that Jehovah had given to the people of Israel, well perhaps he justified himself thinking about what Jehovah for example in Exodus 34 verse 1 onwards gives him a list of nations of which Jehovah forbids him to make marriage alliances and the nation of Egypt was not found, well we do not know but the truth is that he did not see the principle involved that he should be careful with those people that they did not worship Jehovah because this could lead to a bad end as I did shortly after, this teaches us that we have to learn to manage ourselves by principles and not by laws because the principles are eternal and they are those that are not going to allow us to have a good relationship with God.

1 Kings 3:3. Solomon showed his love for Jehovah by obeying the commandments and offering sacrifices, this teaches us that anyone can "say" that he loves God, but not everyone shows it by obeying his commandments and making sacrifices for the Kingdom.

1 Kings 3:3. It says that Solomon loved Jehovah according to the statutes of David, so this teaches me the importance of continuing to teach my children about Jehovah as children, as we also studied in the watchtower and apply it by example because I know that they can observe and the same day in the morning serve the Lord.

1 Kings 3:6. It shows us that Jehovah showed his great loyal love to David and his son Solomon because they walked in his ways, this shows me that to have Jehovah's blessing and his love I have to make an effort to have a spiritual routine attend meetings study and preach.

1 Kings 3:7. “King Solomon began his reign very young, and so he modestly turned to Jehovah for guidance in leading the people of Israel. However, as time passed and he no doubt received many compliments from other people, he began to feel proud and this caused him to make wrong decisions that took him away from Jehovah's approval.

1 Kings 3:7. Modesty is an advantage in our relationships with our creator. He who would like to be used more fully by him must be modest in walking with his God. It is true that it is commendable for one to strive for the position of superintendent, but this should be done, not ambitiously, but with due knowledge of one's limitations.

1 Kings 3:7. Solomon said that he was an inexperienced young man and that he needed Jehovah's help to judge the people as numerous or as difficult to handle as they mention 9, so his humility and modesty were well seen by Jehovah who gave him everything he already had. was commented.

1 Kings 3:9. Solomon felt incompetent when he ascended the throne of ancient Israel. For that reason, he prayed to God for wisdom and knowledge. Furthermore, he requested an obedient heart. With "an obedient heart." With "an obedient heart," Solomon would be able to follow divine laws and principles, enjoying Jehovah's blessing.

1 Kings 3:9. Like Solomon, each one of us can also ask Jehovah for an obedient heart, because in fact we need it because it will help us discern what is right from what is wrong, so we need it because we live in a world today today saturated with the spirit of the disobedient, so Jehovah has provided us with several things so that we can guide ourselves and be obedient to him like the Bible, its publications, the Christian meetings, so we must ask Jehovah to please give us this heart to be able to discern what is good from bad.

1 Kings 3:9. Like Solomon, each of us can ask for an obedient heart, Solomon recognized that he needed it to discern between good and bad and we also need an obedient heart to distinguish between good and evil in a world saturated with the spirit of disobedience, to that end, God has provided us with His Word, Bible study publications, Christian meetings, and kind overseers.

1 Kings 3:9. It makes me see that love in parts is based on giving the most valuable thing one has, which is his time, so he encourages me to show my love for Jehovah and strive to make sacrifices like Solomon did.

1 Kings 3:10. Solomon's preference pleased Jehovah God because he recognized him as supreme. He stated that Jehovah is the only adequate source of understanding and that Solomon was a servant who wanted to serve him faithfully and that the people to be judged were Jehovah's people. This wise preference marks the right way for all of God's servants to proceed, and foreshadowed the right way for their guide, Jehovah's faithful and true servant, the greatest example we have of seeking understanding and understanding, to precede. As far as applying it, it is, of course, Jesus of Nazareth, since he said: «Of myself I do not people do anything: I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me».

1 Kings 3:5,12. The prayer in which Solomon asked Jehovah to guide him and give him wisdom and to reign Israel is a great example for us and that encourages me to always pray to Jehovah to be humble like Solomon to recognize my limitations and trust in Jehovah and not in myself.

1 Kings 3:1,13. That in the first place Solomon married that foreign princess and then recounts that he received the wisdom he had requested, and although he had disregarded God's instructions, we do not read that he immediately rejected him or disciplined him severely, this teaches us that Jehovah understand that humans are made from dust and are imperfect, but let us never forget that our actions have consequences, whether they come immediately or over time.

1 Kings 3:15. When Solomon woke up, he realized that it had been a dream. So he went to Jerusalem, stood before Jehovah's ark of the covenant, and offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings. We, too, can show appreciation for the things we receive from Jehovah when we choose to devote our time and energy to supporting Pure Worship.

1 Kings 3:17. The way of addressing the King when presenting his case is very interesting, the woman was respectful, it is interesting that today in the world respect for others has deteriorated significantly, on both sides, that is why it is so important that as good Christians we are respectful in our way of treating others, not only those who have a certain authority over us but everyone in general.

1 Kings 3:25. From then on he made me see that at first glance cutting a baby in two and dividing it up was not very wise, but this helped Solomon to determine which of the two women was the mother, so this made me think that young Christians They can also make decisions that in the eyes of family, colleagues or teachers seem crazy, such as putting their time and energy into full-time service and for this choosing a short career or simple job, so these good decisions show that they they are wise because Jehovah gives them a life full of meaning and the greatest possible happiness, so we have to support them and encourage them to continue growing with wisdom. 

1 Kings 3:16,27. Why doesn't it help to see or to be attentive when preaching and to be attentive to the attitudes and feelings that people have, knowing that will help me not only to ask questions so that I can reach the heart and give advice so that they can progress.

1 Kings 3:16,28. The wise and understanding way of handling the case of two prostitutes greatly strengthened the people's faith in Solomon as the proper successor to David on the throne of Israel, probably the judges of the lower court could not solve that case, and for that reason it was referred to the king and These women were perhaps not professional prostitutes, but women who had committed fornication, either Jewish, or possibly of foreign descent.

1 Kings 4:4. Here again Zadok and Abiathar are alluded to as priests during Solomon's reign, it is possible that Abiathar is mentioned only in an honorary capacity, or in a historical sense. Some scholars believe that after demoting Abiathar, Solomon made him commissioner of Zadok, and that one officiated on Mount Zion, where the Ark was, while the other did so in the tabernacle, located in Gibeon until the construction of the temple.

1 Kings 4:5. In order to achieve smooth operation and avoid shortages, the twelve commissioners were placed under the supervision of one of Solomon's princes, "Azarias son of Nathan," who was a friend of Solomon, not by influence or influence. exchange of favors, they were sincere friends, in the same way we can work in the congregation as fellow servants and friends.

1 Kings 4:20. By the time of Solomon, son of David, a third aspect of the Abrahamic covenant was fulfilled: "Judah and Israel were many, like the grains of sand that are by the sea by their multitude, and they ate and drank and rejoiced." This was a prophetic picture of what awaits the subjects of the Kingdom, the redeemable humanity under the reign of the Greater Solomon, our Lord Jesus Christ during the millennium.

1 Kings 4:21. Jehovah promised to give Abram's descendants the land that extended from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates river, David conquered the Aramean kingdom of Zoba, which reached to the Euphrates, in northern Syria, and his victories over the Philistines allowed him to expanding his kingdom to the border with Egypt, Solomon ruled from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.

1 Kings 4:25. In the hot Middle Eastern summers, when shade is a real luxury, any foliage that shades the sun is appreciated, particularly if it is close to the house. But the shade provided by the fig trees, with their extensive branches and wide, large leaves, exceeds that of almost any other tree in the area.

1 Kings 4:25. The nation of Israel enjoyed peace as it wholeheartedly supported the worship of Jehovah, centered in Jerusalem. Archaeological findings support this description of Solomon's prosperous reign where wealth poured into the royal court from all directions and flourishing trade, the quality of pottery and the firing process improved markedly, there were monumental buildings, large cities with solid walls, the proliferation of residential neighborhoods with well-built housing groups for the wealthy class.

1 Kings 4:25. He says that during the entire reign of Solomon the people of Israel and Judah lived safely, he had mentioned to us giving the possibility that if they were living in peace and tranquility, right, then this shows us a brushstroke of what the kingdom is going to be. that we proclaim through preaching and the possibility that we still have in this short space of time to be able to continue proclaiming this message and that people have the possibility of living as it was in the past with the blessing of Jehovah having peace and tranquility.

1 Kings 4:30. Solomon surpassed in wisdom and understanding many other "wise men and intellectuals of the time", this reminds us of how Jehovah makes us wise and understanding through divine wisdom, there are people who have a great degree of secular or academic knowledge, but many of they do not have moral standards, biblical principles, and have not felt life, they are not happy instead, there are brothers who do not read or write, but are happy and obey the commandments of Jehovah, they live happier and in that sense They are wiser than many intellectuals of our days.

1 Kings 4:34. It is shown that there were people from all the king nations of all the earth who mobilized to where King Solomon was to hear of his wisdom, today we do not need to move very far to hear of the wisdom of our king or the wisdom of our God, in fact we can even have it in the palm of our hand but we show the same way of valuing this wisdom that these people showed who were willing to travel kilometers to reach Solomon making the effort to have a study routine that now we allow us to value more this wisdom that we have in our hands, without a doubt it is a beautiful example for us to keep in mind.