House of David <> Notes <> #1

King Solomon

King Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, the place which Hashem chose to dwell, to make his presence known. He established his own kingdom in all the earth. Nothing remained for him but to now seek to establish Hashem’s kingdom in all the earth. How was this to be done? Israel was to be a light to the nations. All the families of the earth would be blessed through blessing Abraham and his offspring.

Light To The Nations

The nations were not to be simply assimilated to Israel nor to converted and circumcised but remain their own nations. In either case, Israel, as a separate nation, set apart to reveal the judgment and mercy of God toward Adam, would be replaced. If the light of God’s word was spread through Israel’s testimony to the nations, the nations would be converted to faith in God but would not be confused with Israel. What was the right way for this to be done? King Solomon did not know. He did what he thought was wise and right. He made political marriages with the nations in order to make them subjects of Israel while keeping them as separate nations at the same time. It was a wise idea. But it was not a good idea or the right idea. And it brought about the downfall of the House of David.

Preserving The House of David

Nevertheless, Hashem set about to correct this error and to raise up the House of David again. This began with the chastizement of the loss of soveriegnty over all but one of the tribes of Israel. Even the tribe of Benjamin, which allied itself with the House of David did so only out of its own decision and was therefore, in the end, not preserved corparately as a tribe but was assimilted into Judah. Corporately, only one tribe was preserved to the House of David, for Jerusalem’s sake and for David’s sake, just as the prophecy of God’s word decreed. This chastizement was designed to say to the House of David, that if the nations were to be brought into the Kingdom of Hashem then first the tribes of Israel would have to be brought into subjection to the righteousness of Mashiach. But neither the House of Israel nor the House of Judah would be quick to learn this lesson.