Pastor’s Corner – August 18, 2024
Transfer of Power
I Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14
Since we’ve meditated on the Bread theme the past three Sundays, I want to focus on the Old Testament reading, and shed light on the gospel we need to hear today. King David reigned over Israel for forty years and was buried with his ancestors. After David’s passing, King Solomon began his reign. He was humbled by the task and responsibility before him to govern his people.
God appeared to Solomon in a dream, saying whatever Solomon wished for, God would give. Soloman asked for the ability to discern what is right and wrong. He asked for wisdom. God was pleased that Solomon asked for wisdom over power and possession. And this is what God promised Soloman, “I give you a wise and discerning mind… I also give you what you have not asked for, both riches and honor all your life, if you will walk in my ways and my commandments.” (I Kings 2:13-14).
The transfer of power in Old Testament days was a monarchy, passed down to offspring, in this case to a son, Solomon. There was no election. It’s not a democracy. People had a very different understanding of social order and rule of law. It was a theocracy, meaning religion played a significant, if not central role in defining how people should be governed. There was no middle class, but a ruling elite, with the vast majority of people in destitution. Human history has greatly matured since, modern centuries with industrialization and the rise of technology.
So what can we learn from the reading today about the transfer of power? I am not suggesting that we should move toward theocracy as Christian Nationalists suggest. We don’t want to go back to the Old Testament days. Trust me, it was a time of extreme inequality, violence, slavery, and polygamy; where women and children were not counted. King David wasn’t all that wise either. We know how he murdered Uriah to take his beautiful wife Bathsheba, who later gave birth to Solomon! How things turn out in the Bible!
Come this Sunday, I want to explore with you the temptation of power and how that plays out in the Bible and our history. What we need more than ever is discerning wisdom, for truth and justice. Solomon’s yearning for wisdom is a reality check. We are people of faith that value above all else neither power or possession but deep connection with life and a meaningful relationship with God. Glory to God! Amen.
Pastor Dae