The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-09-14

hands toward heaven, Solomon
offered one of the most remark
able prayers in all history. He
looked up to Jehovah as a cove
nant-keeping God and pleaded
that God would answer prayer
made in or toward this house by
those who acknowledged Jehovah
and confessed their sins.
THE GLORY OF JEHOVAH
The coronation of the temple
came with the Shekinah glory OF
Jehovah. At the close of the
kings prayer the cloud lowered
over the Holy of Holes and the
fire fell consuming the sacrifices.
The priests, estoped from their
sacred task, were filled with awe
and the people fell on their faces
in reverential worship e Coron-
icles Z: l, p.
GLORY AND GLOOM
IN A GREAT LIFE
Solomon was the most glorious
ruler of the Jews, and the wisest
man of the world. And we have
four periods in the day of his
life: The rosy dawn; the cloud
less morning; the stormy after
noon; and the golden sunset.
With kingly blood in his veins
he came to the throne of Israel
in the fullness Of time with the
favor of God. the blessings of
David, his father, and the uni
versal acclaim of the people.
Mark that superlative choice of
wisdom when Jehovah met him
at Gideon. that far-famed decl-
sion regarding the dead and the
living child, and that eminent
stroke of administrative ability
in the appointment of his Off
Gals; and you have some auspl-
cious features of a long and hap
py reign.
The rosy dawn!
An unexampled prosperity fol-
lowed. Judah and Israel were as
the sand which is by the sea in
multitude. From the narrow
ridges of Palestine the kingdom
had widened out to the far Eu-
pirates river on the northeast
and to Philistia and to the border
of Egypt on the southwest, so
that tribute from many nations
poured into Solomon's treasury.
Wiser than all his peers, and
famed even to distant Ethiopia,
he wrote three thousand prov
erbs and one thousand and five
songs. And as the acme of his
glory he built the Temple of the
Lord, with it cresting Mount Mo-
riah wherefrom its healing beams
went out through all the world.
The cloudless morning!
Alas, that there is more to tell
dimming the radiance which daz-
zled Sheba's queen, discounting
the gold-bearing navy of Tarsh-
ish, and darkening hili-girt Jer-
usalem where silver was now as
plentiful as stones and Lebanon
cedars as abundant as lowland
sycamores. The baneful record
runs: Solomon loved many for
eign women. His wives turn
ed away his heart after other
gods. And Solomon did that
which was evil in the sight of
the Lord" Of course the bolts
of heavenly anger flashed down
from a threatening sky. Adver-
saries arose: Hadad the Edo
mite: Recon of Zobah; Jeroboam
of Ephraim. And the throne of
Solomon was tottering to dis
union and decadence.
The stormy afternoon
But we have no doubt the
clouds lifted ere the sun of his
life dropped below its horizon, or
at least parted so that the de-
scending orb kindled them into
flames of gold. Surfeited with
the nectar of every carnal deity,
sick of the hollow pomp of place
and power. and scourged because
of the sins besetting him, Solo
mon at last concluded, "All is
vanity" To that doleful note
he attuned Ecclesiastes his clos
ing book, looked heavenward for
the things that endure, and then
his spirit entered the infinitely
glorious court of the King of
kings while in body he "slept
| with his fathers in the city of
David