Welcome to a year in the Bible with Daily Grace.

From Eden to eternity, the Bible tells one big story of redemption.

My name is Tiffany, and I want to spend a few minutes with you every day walking through

the Bible chronologically.

Together, we will explore God's sovereign plan as the events of Scripture unfold and point to Jesus.

Hey friends, welcome back to our journey from Eden to eternity. Tiffany here, and today we continue

our walk through First Kings. David has died, and Solomon's reign has been established. As we study First Kings 3 through 4 today,

we will see many of the good things Solomon did early in his reign, and we will see the beginning

of a bad habit that will eventually derail his reign. Our focus today will be Solomon's great wisdom, and what we as

believers can learn from Solomon's request and God's gift. But first, we begin with a bit of

foreshadowing. The author of First Kings begins in chapter 3 verse verse 1, by telling us that Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh in Egypt by marrying his daughter.

This should immediately send up some red flags in our minds.

Think back to Deuteronomy 17 verses 14 through 20.

I mentioned to bookmark this section, way back when, because in it God outlines what the future kings of Israel must not do.

Specifically, they must not return to Egypt nor marry foreign wives.

Solomon begins his reign by breaking these statutes, and over time we will see how his love for women, foreign alliances, and wealth will lead

him astray. But while this will mark Solomon's future, we see him begin well as he seeks the Lord.

We next read about the sacrifices that were taking place on the high places.

Let's unpack that for a moment.

Before the temple was built, the people were able to sacrifice to the Lord on altars built on high places throughout Israel.

These places were typically in Levitical cities, and the sacrifices were given to God alone.

They were also never to be used for sacrifice to false gods or idols.

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