EGW Writings1 Kings 9

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 17 (1902)

Ms 154, 1902

17LtMs, Ms 154, 1902, par. 28

“And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do, that the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared unto him at Gibeon. And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before Me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put My name there forever; and Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually. And if Thou wilt walk before Me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep My statutes and My judgments: then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel forever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. But if ye shall at all turn from following Me, ye or your children, and will not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for My name, will I cast out of My sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people.” [1 Kings 9:1-7.]

Manuscript Releases, vol. 9 [Nos. 664-770]

5—Ministers and Business Matters

9MR 172.5

Power placed in the hands of any man is, beyond a certain limit, a snare, and often will ruin his soul. The Lord’s word to Solomon [1 Kings 9:1-9] is applicable to every man who consents to assume responsibilities in any place in the Lord’s work. Strength of character is to be honored by those who claim to keep the commandments and statutes of God.—Manuscript 154, 1902, p. 12.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)

Ms 122, 1897

12LtMs, Ms 122, 1897, par. 23

“But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them; then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people: and at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by shall be astonished, and shall hiss, and shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this house? And they shall answer, Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshiped them, and served them; therefore hath the Lord brought upon them all this evil.” [1 Kings 9:1-9.]

12LtMs, Ms 122, 1897, par. 24

The promise of the Lord is given to Solomon and to all Israel. God declared to him, “I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication that thou hast made before me.” [Verse 3.] But the Lord is not confined to temples made with hands. He has revealed that He will visit the isolated ones on the times of their captivity and distress. He will cheer them by special manifestations of His glory.

Manuscript Releases, vol. 3 [Nos. 162-209]

Diary, Tramelan, Switzerland, May 22, 1886

3MR 232.3

It is important that we should live as Solomon was admonished in verses 4 to 6 of 1 Kings 9: “And if thou wilt walk before Me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep My statutes and My judgments; then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel forever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. But if ye shall at all turn from following Me, ye or your children, and will not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them.” We see that God’s promises are to the obedient, those that keep the commandments of God. If we depart from His law, then we are separated from Heaven. God does not separate from us, but we separate from Him.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 4 (1883 - 1886)

Ms 49, 1886

4LtMs, Ms 49, 1886, par. 10

It is important that we should live as Solomon was admonished in (verses 4 to 6 [1 Kings 9]): “And if thou wilt walk before Me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep My statutes and My judgments: then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. But if ye shall at all turn from following Me, ye or your children, and will not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: ...” We see that God’s promises are to the obedient, those that keep the commandments of God. If we depart from His law, then we are separated from heaven. God does not separate from us, but we separate from Him.

The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials

Chapter 28—The Discernment of Truth

1888 262.1

God has heretofore spoken to me at sundry times and in divers manners. Notwithstanding He has given to men precious views of the divine character, this light did not save them. Solomon at one time, as he entered upon his work, had remarkable manifestations of divine power. He was employed to build the temple of God and he offered a most remarkable prayer at its dedication and yet he could and did forsake the very temple to worship idols. 1 Kings 9:2-10.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)

Ms 16, 1889

6LtMs, Ms 16, 1889, par. 18

God has heretofore spoken to men at sundry times and in divers manners. Notwithstanding He has given to men precious views of the divine character, this light did not save them. Solomon at one time, as he entered upon his work, had remarkable manifestations of divine power. He was employed to build the temple of God and he offered a most remarkable prayer at its dedication, and yet he could and did forsake the very temple to worship idols. 1 Kings 9:2-10.

Prophets and Kings

Chapter 3—Pride of Prosperity

PK 53.2

From a human point of view, this marriage, though contrary to the teachings of God’s law, seemed to prove a blessing; for Solomon’s heathen wife was converted and united with him in the worship of the true God. Furthermore, Pharaoh rendered signal service to Israel by taking Gezer, slaying “the Canaanites that dwelt in the city,” and giving it “for a present unto his daughter, Solomon’s wife.” 1 Kings 9:16. This city Solomon rebuilt and thus apparently greatly strengthened his kingdom along the Mediterranean seacoast. But in forming an alliance with a heathen nation, and sealing the compact by marriage with an idolatrous princess, Solomon rashly disregarded the wise provision that God had made for maintaining the purity of His people. The hope that his Egyptian wife might be converted was but a feeble excuse for the sin.

Prophets and Kings

Chapter 4—Results of Transgression

PK 71.2

The missionary spirit that God had implanted in the heart of Solomon and in the hearts of all true Israelites was supplanted by a spirit of commercialism. The opportunities afforded by contact with many nations were used for personal aggrandizement. Solomon sought to strengthen his position politically by building fortified cities at the gateways of commerce. He rebuilt Gezer, near Joppa, lying along the road between Egypt and Syria; Beth-horon, to the westward of Jerusalem, commanding the passes of the highway leading from the heart of Judea to Gezer and the seacoast; Megiddo, situated on the caravan road from Damascus to Egypt, and from Jerusalem to the northward; and “Tadmor in the wilderness” (2 Chronicles 8:4), along the route of caravans from the east. All these cities were strongly fortified. The commercial advantages of an outlet at the head of the Red Sea were developed by the construction of “a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, ... on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.” Trained sailors from Tyre, “with the servants of Solomon,” manned these vessels on voyages “to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold,” and “great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.” Verse 18; 1 Kings 9:26, 28; 10:11.

From Splendor to Shadow

Another Gross Perversion of God’s Plan

SS 38.1

The missionary spirit that God had implanted in the hearts of all true Israelites was supplanted by a spirit of commercialism. The opportunities afforded by contact with many nations were used for personal aggrandizement. Solomon sought to strengthen his position politically by building fortified cities at the gateways of commerce. The commercial advantages of an outlet at the head of the Red Sea were developed by the construction of “a navy of ships ... on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.” “The servants of Solomon” manned these vessels on voyages “to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold” and “great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones.” 1 Kings 9:26-28; 10:11.