Kingdom Builders

Sis. Ashley Ennis

King Solomon was a builder. The Lord chose Solomon from among all of King David’s children to build His temple. This is true for you, as well. You are chosen. Chosen for heaven. Chosen to do great and mighty things for the Kingdom of God. Chosen to win the lost. Chosen to make disciples. Chosen to encourage. Chosen to build. Chosen to do the thing God has purposed for you to do.

Proverbs 29:18 says that without vision the people perish, but it is also true that without determination the people give up and quit. You may be in a place right now where you feel the call to complete something great for the kingdom and you can even see the vision before you, but you are unsure how to turn the vision into reality. You just aren’t sure how to get from seeing to doing. Maybe you are in the doing, but it feels more like the muck of day-to-day. Somehow you thought building your vision would be glamorous or perhaps you didn’t think there would be so many days of struggle and you feel like giving up. What does it take to keep going? Where does the drive come from to finish the work you have started?

The Jews were astonished at Jesus. His ways were like an unexpected tsunami in their customs and experiences. Mark 7:37 tells us they were astonished because, “…he hath done all things well.” There is a move the Spirit wants to do in our lives. A call to excellence and productivity in the people of God. That call you feel to do for the kingdom is not simply a suggestion, it is a pull from heaven to do all things well. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” The call to bring forth fruit is a precious breeze moving across God’s children. You are reading this because you too hear the Lord calling you to greater things and to do all things well. The world offers many tools to accomplish our goals, but tools will never be the catalyst to bearing fruit. Our ability to do everything we are called to do comes from abiding in the One who called us. Our strategies and the meat of the assignment comes from our daily encounters with Jesus.

Solomon was given a great assignment, but the privilege he received to be chosen came with a warning, the book of Luke tells us, “for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" (12:48).

As King David was passing down the torch of leadership to his son, he did not mince words about what was expected of the soon-to-be King:

"And of all my sons, (for the Lord hath given me many sons,) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. Moreover I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day. Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the Lord, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever. And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it." 1 Chronicles 28:5-10

We can break this moment down into two categories: what God promised and Solomon’s responsibility. Within that passage, God identifies what He would do and what Solomon should do. Notice Solomon’s list is longer, but God’s list is divine. Solomon’s list hinges on relationship with the God who created him and called him, God’s list simply requires Him to be who He is- the Creator of the Universe who makes all things possible.

What God Does	What Solomon Does
-Choose Solomon -Establish Solomon’s Kingdom -Search Hearts -Understand Imaginations	-Build God’s House and Courts -Be Constant -Do God’s Commandments and Judgments -Keep and Seek God’s Commandments -Possess the Land -Know God -Serve God with a Perfect Heart and a Willing Mind -Be Strong and Do It

Constant

The stakes were high for Solomon. To keep the blessings of God it was up to him to fall madly in love with the lover of his soul. It wasn’t, however, just the initial falling in love that God wanted, much like a marriage that develops over time, what God wanted was a lasting relationship with Solomon. He wanted to grow with him and be the source of his strength all the days of his life. Perhaps the most telling set of instructions for Solomon, the keystone to the call on his life, can be found in the word if:  “if he be constant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day.” The Lord told Solomon up front, before he became king, before he built the temple, before the wealth and the wisdom, that his future was dependent upon his constant desire to seek God in every stage and situation throughout his life and with the same fervency he had as on the day it all began. He was expected to know God, keep His commandments, and serve Him with a perfect heart and a willing mind. He was expected to be constant.

To be constant is to be unshakeable and unwavering; to set a pace and keep it. A walk like this requires wisdom, a trait Solomon was given in a large dose because he had asked God for wisdom to rule His people well:

"Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?" 2 Chronicles 1:9-10

Solomon’s request pleased God because it proved he had a heart to serve the Lord by serving others well. God gifted him wisdom so that he was “wiser than all men” (1 Kings 4:31). He was given the most important tool needed to build and lead Israel. It was the largest jewel in his crown and the marker by which he was known. The Queen of Sheba traveled far and wide just to sit at Solomon’s feet and hear his words. He spoke proverbs and sang songs by the thousands. He was full of knowledge, but wisdom isn’t just knowledge, it is how to apply knowledge in relationships. This was pivotal for the new king, if he would maintain His relationship with the Lord, wisdom would serve him and generations after him, but if he became complacent in his relationship, wisdom would destroy him.

Fast-forward to the end of Solomon’s reign and you will find a king who was wise, but who did not heed his father’s warning about relationship:

"But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites: Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father…And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded. Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant." 1 Kings 11:1-11

What a mess. Can you imagine? Solomon trying to please all those women. I’m sure most spouses have their hands full trying to please just one person, much less trying to make sure all those wives from all those countries each had their own culture and religion represented. This chosen servant of the King of kings, the one who was called to build God’s temple and rule His people, allowed himself to be the builder of temples for false gods, the gods of his wives and his concubines, the very people the Lord warned him about from the beginning. He allowed the heart he was given to serve God to become a heart that cleaved to unholy relationships. How many times have we done this? How many times have the people of God chosen to love this world and cherish sin with the very heart that Jesus created within us to love Him? Wisdom is only wise in the context of holiness. Solomon did not finish his race well, somewhere along the way he stopped trying to please God and began living to please others. He turned away from his first love and God was not okay with it. He didn’t overlook the sin. He didn’t ignore Solomon’s transgression. God stuck to His Word from the beginning and judged His chosen one with the same measure as He would have anyone else. There was no favoritism. There was no special loophole. Solomon was accountable for his actions, and they did not go unnoticed. I have no doubt he was given chance after chance, perhaps even a thousand chances, one for each wife and concubine, but this was an Old Testament way of doing things and the Lord had had enough. It would be his children that would suffer most from his mistakes. The kingdom would be divided, and Israel would always struggle to maintain kings that would do right in the eyes of the Lord.

What is pure wisdom?

James 3:17 tells us, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” True wisdom sounds like Jesus.

Jesus is pure.

Jesus is peaceable.

Jesus is gentle.

Jesus is easy to be intreated.

Jesus is full of mercy and good fruits.

Jesus is without partiality.

Jesus is without hypocrisy.

Our definition for wisdom throughout this book will always be in the context of relationship. Relationship with Jesus and relationship with others. Isn’t this why you are here? Isn’t this why you were chosen? You are a builder in a kingdom built on souls and those “that winneth souls is wise”(Proverbs 11:30). According to Vines Complete Expository Dictionary, wisdom is full of elements we can grab a hold of.

Wisdom is:

-A process of attainment and not an accomplishment

-A life lived projecting the fear of God and the blessings of God

-The application of wisdom in life

-A technical skill or special ability in fashioning something

-The knowledge and ability to make the right choices at the right time

-A desire to follow and imitate God as He reveals Himself

Wisdom is something we can attain, project, apply, fashion, choose, and follow. Wisdom, much like building a house, is an action. Without wisdom we run the risk of being like the woman who tears down her own house with the choices she makes, “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands” (Proverbs 14:1).

Jesus was a people person, and even now He says to us, “Ask. Seek. Knock.” He wants us to be successful in the building of our lives, families, businesses, ministries, and everything we set our hands to- this is what the Kingdom of God consists of, our lives and our constant commitment to going about our Father’s business. Knowing this, we will mine for wisdom from the quarry of the Lord, “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). We will look to Him as our primary example, an example He shares with us freely.

Jesus hung on a cross so we could be with Him in heaven for eternity. For those of us who have caught the revelation of redemption, we are now responsible for sharing that good news with others in a way that honors God as the treasure that He is.

Solomon was wise for a season and did many great things in that season, but he lost his way one bad choice at a time. God was looking to walk with Solomon the way He walked with David, but instead, He was placed on the back burner as Solomon ran after his own fleshly desires. What we do matters, and it matters greatly. We have the opportunity to apply lessons from the Word directly to our choices and watch relationships flourish as a result. When we seek God first, with a perfect heart and a willing mind, we will lead others to the same joy we have found.

Principles of Wisdom

According to the Word, there is a spirit of wisdom that we as followers of Christ may ask for, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him”(Ephesians 1:17). This is not something we can give to ourselves, but our heavenly Father is able to gift us this treasure from His own heart as we grow in relationship with Him. Perhaps Solomon’s relationship with God could have been enough if he had allowed it. The one God called to be King took on a lot of extra stress and extra distraction that took his focus off the job he was given.

Let’s finish our race well, asking for wisdom that sustains us until the end. Mature Christians strive to do all things well, after all, Jesus left us His name. He wants us to use it with faith, excellence, and integrity.  In this book, you will delve into guiding words found throughout the book of Proverbs to aid you on your mission to be the builder you were called to be, whether it is in your home, place of business, community, or ministry. Wherever it is, Jesus wants you to be successful and productive. You were chosen to build.

A Prayer for Wisdom

Jesus, I thank you for the blessings in my life and the relationships You have established for me. I pray for a spirit of wisdom to run through my words and actions. Lord, out of Your mouth comes knowledge and understanding, so I pray You speak over me as I am constant in my seeking of You. Your thoughts and Your ways are so much higher than mine and it is Your heart I desire. Thank you for giving to me freely as I endeavor to help build Your kingdom. Help me to walk in obedience with a perfect heart and a willing mind. I thank you in advance for the liberal gift of wisdom and the fruit that will come as I apply it where Your Spirit leads. It is in Your name I pray. Amen

“For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;” 1 Corinthians 12:7-8

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 55:8

Excerpt from "Chosen to Build" by Ashley Ennis available on Amazon