We did use this one last year. Anyway, a happy Christmas to you all/both (?)
A blog featuring whatever I fancy, often on the Christian faith but not exclusively
Showing posts with label Repeat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Repeat. Show all posts
Another chance to see 03
This was the first post in our long running series on King Solomon. It first appeared December 07 2006.
Solomon is one of the great characters of the Bible. His name is well known. He had a very important role in the story of God’s people. He is quite familiar to some but ought to be better known to more people. There are many, especially Jews and Christians, who know Solomon’s name but are largely unacquainted with the facts about him. He is a figure to whom certain legends have attached themselves, especially in regard to his vast wealth, his great wisdom and, in particular, the fascinating story of the Queen of Sheba’s visit to him, a subject which has spawned at least one Hollywood film and endless legends.
Why the shortage of studies? However, take a look along the shelves of your local Christian Bookshop or evangelical library and the section marked Bible Biography. What do you find? You will probably see plenty of material on Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah and New Testament characters such as John the Baptist or Paul. You will even find books on Job, Jacob, Elisha or Luke. What you are unlikely to find, however, is a biography of Solomon. Why is that? There seem to be a number of problems. 1. Solomon lived a rather pedestrian life. He was not in the habit of going out to fight wars. He made no great journeys. He had no difficult rebellions to put down and was confronted by few real crises that we know of. As for inner struggles, we know very little about them. On the face of it, Solomon’s life may seem a little dull, a little mundane. It does not seem to be the stuff of adventure or excitement. 2. It is true to say that Solomon’s greatest achievement was probably the building of the Temple that bore his name. Although this was certainly a great accomplishment, unless we have a bent for architectural detail, the descriptions of it in Scripture do not immediately strike most of us as gripping literature. The difference between reading such passages and the narrative, say, of David fighting Goliath or on the run from King Saul or Absalom could not be more stark. It is a little like the difference between the front or back page of the newspaper and the stock exchange listings tucked away in the business section. For most people there is no competition. 3. Another problem for many is the way Solomon presided over what came to be a divided nation. Shortly after his son Rehoboam succeeded, the nation was permanently split into southern and northern factions, precipitating war and idolatry for years to come. Many see the seeds of this destruction in certain of Solomon’s policies and so aspersions are cast with regard to his worthiness to be thought of as a truly great king. 4. The major problem, however, seems to be whether Solomon is a man that we want to encourage people to emulate at all. There is clear evidence that at a certain point he lost his way and fell into idolatry under the influence of his many pagan wives. Evidence of his repentance is not easy to come by and some are convinced that he continued to follow these misguided ways and was never recovered for the truth. With such a black question mark hanging over him many prefer simply to move on to other characters. Abraham, despite his faults, was clearly a man of faith. Moses may have lost his temper with the people but what a man of God. David, for all his iniquity, certainly knew all about repentance. Elijah was a sinner like us but he knew how to pray. As for Solomon, as far as many are concerned, the jury is still out.
Next Chapter
Why the shortage of studies? However, take a look along the shelves of your local Christian Bookshop or evangelical library and the section marked Bible Biography. What do you find? You will probably see plenty of material on Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah and New Testament characters such as John the Baptist or Paul. You will even find books on Job, Jacob, Elisha or Luke. What you are unlikely to find, however, is a biography of Solomon. Why is that? There seem to be a number of problems. 1. Solomon lived a rather pedestrian life. He was not in the habit of going out to fight wars. He made no great journeys. He had no difficult rebellions to put down and was confronted by few real crises that we know of. As for inner struggles, we know very little about them. On the face of it, Solomon’s life may seem a little dull, a little mundane. It does not seem to be the stuff of adventure or excitement. 2. It is true to say that Solomon’s greatest achievement was probably the building of the Temple that bore his name. Although this was certainly a great accomplishment, unless we have a bent for architectural detail, the descriptions of it in Scripture do not immediately strike most of us as gripping literature. The difference between reading such passages and the narrative, say, of David fighting Goliath or on the run from King Saul or Absalom could not be more stark. It is a little like the difference between the front or back page of the newspaper and the stock exchange listings tucked away in the business section. For most people there is no competition. 3. Another problem for many is the way Solomon presided over what came to be a divided nation. Shortly after his son Rehoboam succeeded, the nation was permanently split into southern and northern factions, precipitating war and idolatry for years to come. Many see the seeds of this destruction in certain of Solomon’s policies and so aspersions are cast with regard to his worthiness to be thought of as a truly great king. 4. The major problem, however, seems to be whether Solomon is a man that we want to encourage people to emulate at all. There is clear evidence that at a certain point he lost his way and fell into idolatry under the influence of his many pagan wives. Evidence of his repentance is not easy to come by and some are convinced that he continued to follow these misguided ways and was never recovered for the truth. With such a black question mark hanging over him many prefer simply to move on to other characters. Abraham, despite his faults, was clearly a man of faith. Moses may have lost his temper with the people but what a man of God. David, for all his iniquity, certainly knew all about repentance. Elijah was a sinner like us but he knew how to pray. As for Solomon, as far as many are concerned, the jury is still out.
Next Chapter
Another chance to see 02
Originally posted November 30, 2006 as The Bloggy Man Again, this was the second in the Bloggy Man series.
Another chance to see 01
This repeated entry was first posted Nov 25 2006 under the heading 'Days of glory'.
The internet is great for nostalgia. I had some early Christmas money and sent for two things that arrived today. The first was the 'new' Beatles CD Love - more on that another time perhaps.
The second was the book Days of Glory, a 168p school history textbook. Published 1961 (3rd impression 1964) it was my favourite book in Junior School. (My mother bought me a copy but it was lost). By Rowland W Purton (b 1925 and the author of several books for kids) its 45 chapters go from 'How things began' to 'Journey into space' via Hammurabi, Julius Caesar, Jesus of Nazareth (!), King Arthur, Caedmon, Robin Hood, The Gunpowder Plot, Honest Abe, etc. It has an undoubted 'Christian' bias (chapters cover Sts Patrick, Columba, Augustine and Aidan, King Edmund, Thomas Becket, Shaftesbury, Fry, etc). My favourite feature was the summary chart for each chapter.
I'm sure a lot of it would make me cringe now but it was a great intro for a young boy. Chapter 11 is quite remarkable. I reproduce it below. Such a chapter would not be allowed today. How things have changed in 40 years.
A few years after Julius Caesar was killed, a baby was born. There was something special about Him. He was only born in a stable and yet wise men came to bring Him presents. He was called Jesus Christ. As a young man He worked in a carpenter’s shop. Then when He was thirty He began to teach people about God. You will not need to be told of the things He did or the stories He told. For three years people came to hear what He had to say and many came to be healed. Then He was taken prisoner by the chief priests because they did not like what He was doing. The Roman soldiers nailed Him on a cross and He died. After three days He rose again from the dead and later went up to heaven in a cloud. Many people had listened to what Jesus had to say and they began to teach other people. Soon there were men and women in many lands who believed in Jesus. They built many churches in which to worship God. Jesus had taught us that God is our Heavenly Father. People who try to do at Jesus taught are called Christians. Many Christian people have worked hard to change things which were wrong. If Jesus had not come, the world would be much different to-day. Because Jesus came we have changed our calendar. The Romans counted their years from the year Rome was built. The Jews count theirs from the time of Abraham. We count ours from the Birth of Jesus.
The second was the book Days of Glory, a 168p school history textbook. Published 1961 (3rd impression 1964) it was my favourite book in Junior School. (My mother bought me a copy but it was lost). By Rowland W Purton (b 1925 and the author of several books for kids) its 45 chapters go from 'How things began' to 'Journey into space' via Hammurabi, Julius Caesar, Jesus of Nazareth (!), King Arthur, Caedmon, Robin Hood, The Gunpowder Plot, Honest Abe, etc. It has an undoubted 'Christian' bias (chapters cover Sts Patrick, Columba, Augustine and Aidan, King Edmund, Thomas Becket, Shaftesbury, Fry, etc). My favourite feature was the summary chart for each chapter.
I'm sure a lot of it would make me cringe now but it was a great intro for a young boy. Chapter 11 is quite remarkable. I reproduce it below. Such a chapter would not be allowed today. How things have changed in 40 years.
A few years after Julius Caesar was killed, a baby was born. There was something special about Him. He was only born in a stable and yet wise men came to bring Him presents. He was called Jesus Christ. As a young man He worked in a carpenter’s shop. Then when He was thirty He began to teach people about God. You will not need to be told of the things He did or the stories He told. For three years people came to hear what He had to say and many came to be healed. Then He was taken prisoner by the chief priests because they did not like what He was doing. The Roman soldiers nailed Him on a cross and He died. After three days He rose again from the dead and later went up to heaven in a cloud. Many people had listened to what Jesus had to say and they began to teach other people. Soon there were men and women in many lands who believed in Jesus. They built many churches in which to worship God. Jesus had taught us that God is our Heavenly Father. People who try to do at Jesus taught are called Christians. Many Christian people have worked hard to change things which were wrong. If Jesus had not come, the world would be much different to-day. Because Jesus came we have changed our calendar. The Romans counted their years from the year Rome was built. The Jews count theirs from the time of Abraham. We count ours from the Birth of Jesus.
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