Israel wanted a king. Now as the splendor of the nation grows and Solomon undertakes massive building projects Israel begins to ‘pay’ the price of a king. I was amazed by the number of conscripts for the building projects:
30,000 wood cutters to work in Lebanon 1 month on and 2 months off
70,000 carriers
80,000 stone cutters
3,300 foremen
This does not include the craftsmen who worked the raw materials into the temple and then his mansion.
Now I suspect that they were all paid something, but over 180,000 men were conscripted from their families to work these building projects. That’s a lot of households without the male.
Israel is paying a great price for her desire to have a king. And these numbers don’t include fighting men. Solomon reigns in a time of peace and prosperity but David’s time was one of war and many men died in battle.
All of this prompted me to think about the ‘costs’ of choosing our own way rather than following God’s way. I do not know how God would have established His people if a king was not appointed, but I do know that all of these costs are directly attributed to the cost of their choosing a king.
When we choose to follow our own path, there are costs, costs we would not otherwise have had to pay.
Think about this…
Lord, help me to follow Your way and to discern when my way is not Your way. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment