Today's reading is 1 Kings 5-9
In Kings 5, we see the preparations for the building of the temple. It is amazing to see the manpower and the work going into this project. However, I noticed something in the first verse which caught my attention and therefore I am going to focus on it.
When Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. (1 Kings 5:1 NIV, emphasis added)
Solomon’s first ally was not based on anything he had done. His first ally was there because of whom Solomon’s father had been. We see because David had friendly relations with Hiram, Solomon was given the benefit of friendly relations back. Solomon responded wisely, and a relationship was built between Solomon and Hiram but the groundwork was already laid by David.
I have heard it said to be careful and don’t burn bridges behind you. The idea is you may have to cross them later, but here I see that a bridge David built was one which Solomon was able to cross. This is a reminder our actions don’t just affect our lives but the lives of those who come after us. Look around we see the effect of actions done by those who came before us still affecting us today. The effects of slavery and Jim Crow still impact American society today. Before we go pointing at Western Culture, we need to remember that every society has a past which affects them and there is plenty of blame to hand out. However, our job isn’t to point blame but to allow God to transform us. This scripture reminds us that the good we do also have an impact on the lives of those that come after us.
We may need to deal with the past we have been left, but we need to be thankful for the blessing we have received also. We also need to remember that our actions today can have a positive influence on those who come after us.
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