Hiram, king of Tyre, we are told always loved David. He had sent lumber for David's house and now
he wanted to assist David's son. The timber
for the temple was supplied by the master woodcutters in Tyre and Sidon and Solomon's
people fetched the timber and brought it to Jerusalem. This was one of the greatest public works
projects ever seen, with hundreds of thousands of men employed over the period
required to build the Temple. As he did
this work, Solomon's wisdom grew and he also enjoyed rest on every side and
peace with Hiram as well. Prosperity was
also increasing even as they expended great sums of money and productive labor
on the building of the temple. What a
glorious time to be an Israelite!
The disciples all, not just Peter, affirm that they will
never betray or forsake Jesus. Peter, of
course, is first to step up and he is also the one most in need of
humbling. Jesus speaks prophetically concerning
his boast that he will betray him not once but three times before the rooster
crows twice. It must have seemed a bit
odd to hear such a particular prophecy and I wonder if anyone actually took it
seriously and literally. As they go out
of the city to the place they were staying for Passover, Jesus goes to pray and
the disciples are too weary to remain awake with Him in His hour of trial. Ultimately He will be alone and there will be
none to comfort Him. He knows what is
next and yet submits to the will of the Father.
His spirit is willing and His flesh too is weak but the spirit controls
and Jesus goes to meet His betrayer.
Wherever Paul went the Lord used him. Even here on Malta after being shipwrecked
without preaching at all Paul was a witness to the islanders. When the viper bit him and he did not get ill
and die they were astonished. Their first
reaction was that he was clearly guilty since the viper bit him, they
apparently believed in something like karma.
When he remained healthy they decided he was a god, just like at
Lystra. At least this one turned out
better than that occasion when they later stoned him. Here, he was used to heal the father of the chief
man of the island prior to going on to Rome.
His stay at Rome wasn't a prison, it was more like house arrest and we
know that the Lord continued to use him there to preach and teach and
write. Paul made the best of every
situation, made it his business to preach to all and sundry.
No comments:
Post a Comment