Nougat 18

How do you directly hear from the Lord? In the manner of ‘friend with friend’ (as the songwriter penned it), through others, in visions, through dreams, with the still small voice, or solely through scripture and the preached word? Whatever your answer is, it is my prayer that you are hearing God’s voice clearly in these times. Today’s Holy Nougat reminds us that God can opt to speak with us through dreams.

1 Kings 9:1-2 CEVDCI

[1] The Lord’s temple and Solomon’s palace were now finished, and Solomon had built everything he wanted.

[2] Some time later the Lord appeared to him again in a dream, just as he had done at Gibeon.

Hearing God 1

Although the building of the temple was David’s desire, Solomon made it a priority. He recognised that having the temple centralised was strategic both spiritually and politically. It was essential to concretise monotheism, in particular, the worship of YHWH throughout the established kingdom. Although the Children of Israel were claimed by YHWH, as YHWH’s own, not every Israelite had forsaken the gods of Egypt or neighbouring countries. Having their own king and temple could possibly have made that difference.

Politically, the temple was in his city. And, having it built by him in God’s honour established him as God’s choice. We remember that Israel observed the Law of Primogeniture – that is, the firstborn inheritance, which meant leadership, property, and titles were inherited by the first male born to a father – therefore, the kingdom should not have been passed to Solomon. There were several other sons of David before him. It was a shrewd political move.

Self-Check

Do we sometimes have other motives for our actions beyond the desire to please God?

Deeper Dive

We learn about the sibling rivalry over David’s throne in 1 Kings 1 and 2, as well as in the latter chapters of 2 Samuel. 1 Chronicles 28:5 also tells us that Solomon was God’s choice, as he would honour the building of the temple and bring peace to the kingdom. But neither of these speaks to Solomon establishing an intimate relationship with God. Samson was God’s choice as Israel’s twelfth judge, but he was by no means committed to maintaining a positive relationship with YHWH. Yes, he was dedicated as a Nazarite, but he lived as he passed (see Judges 13-16).

Having a relationship with God that extended to Solomon hearing from God in dreams was Not a Given. David is not recorded as having dreams. God convicted him directly, spoke through prophets, and placed psalms in his heart. David also consulted the Urim and Thummim (consecrated objects that helped the nation discern God’s will with the direction of the priests), but there is little mention of God speaking to him through dreams. Yet God spoke to Solomon directly at least twice in his dreams.

Siblings, we must accept that our relationship with God may not necessarily have precedent in our family. It is just as possible for us to be the first to relate with God as we do as it is for us to descend from a line of God-chasers. What is more important is that we establish our intimate relationship with God. Thus, we can hear from God directly.

We also note that this second dream came after Solomon completed the task of building the Lord’s temple. It is as if God were responding to Solomon about the quality of his work. God did not speak to Solomon through dreams during the Temple’s construction, as the blueprint was already revealed. This suggests that we may hear from God *when we act by faith in obedience* to God’s prior directive and not at some random moment on demand.

Let us then, with clear consciences and motives, work the work of God who sends us, anticipating that when we have achieved what is set before us, God can speak to us directly.

Point to Ponder

How readily do we seek to hear directly from God in these times?

—

May all we seek be found in Christ