Please can anybody tell me the difference between David and SOLOMON in the Bible.
Thank you so much for the question. Very simply, let us go back in God’s story (His-Story). We are all created for a purpose. Our story has already been Written. Very simply, David, who was slight in stature, was a ‘shepherd’, tending his father’s flock. When Saul, the 1st king of Israel, stepped away from obeying God’s will. The prophet Samuel was directed to the house of Jesse, who had strapping sons. Yet, Samuel was not moved to anoint any one of them as the next king of Israel. He enquired as to whom was missing. David, he was told. “We will not sit to eat until he arrives.” They sent for David, and The Spirit moved Samuel to anoint David. David played the stringed instruments while tending sheep and fought off wild animals attempting to attack the flock he watched. After his anointing, Jesse sent David to take supplies to his brothers who were fighting against the Philistines. Goliath was a large statured foe. The Spirit of God upon David moved him to accept the challenge, and he refused the armor provided by king Saul. Instead, he took 5 stones from a brook. He faced Goliath, slew him, and beheaded him. He fought many a battle successfully for Israel.
He played to soothe Saul when The Spirit of The LORD left him, and he was depressed/dejected. He attempted to kill David by throwing a spear at him. The Spirit kept him safe. David saw a wife of a soldier bath8ng – Bathseba on break from fighting and sent for her and committed adultery. God sent a prophet to warn him. David repented. Sought God’s face and was forgiven. The first child was lost. Solomon was her second pregnancy. He was taught well by his father who had peace. On David’s passing, Solomon dreamt and was asked what he wished for. Amazingly rather than wealth/peace/favor, he simply asked for wisdom. He was BLESSED beyond words. A brief example was the issue of two women who were brought before him. One had a child who died and stole the other woman’s child while she slept. The mother of the living child willed to let him survive and was will8ng to let him live when Solomon asked for the child to be hacked in two. The mother of the dead child agreed to the death of the child. This spoke volumes.
Solomon sought the blessing of God and was granted peace and wealth, no war. He built the temple to the glory of God.
A wonderful story, had some downfalls. Solomon had many wives. Some of which came with their idols and erected areas to worship their god’s. Rather than ask for TRUE worship of The One True God. He had not done so. At his passing, the kingdom was split.
God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.” (Gen. 1:26)
So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Gen. 1:27)
When God created humankind, he made them in the likeness of God. (Gen. 5:1)
https://activechristianity.org/17-bible-verses-about-good-works-god-has-prepared-for-us
All creation displays God’s design, power, and goodness, but only human beings are said to be made in God’s image. A full theology of the image of God is beyond our scope here, so let us simply note that something about us is uniquely like him. It would be ridiculous to believe that we are exactly like God. We can’t create worlds out of pure chaos, and we shouldn’t try to do everything God does. “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’ ” (Rom. 12:19). But the chief thing we know about God, so far in the narrative, is that God is a creator who works in the material world, who works in relationship, and whose work observes limits. We have the ability to do the same.
The rest of Genesis 1 and 2 develops human work in five specific categories: dominion, relationships, fruitfulness/growth, provision, and limits. The development occurs in two cycles, one in Genesis 1:26-2:4 and the other in Genesis 2:4-25. The order of the categories is not exactly in the same order both times, but all the categories are present in both cycles. The first cycle develops what it means to work in God’s image. The second cycle describes how God equips Adam and Eve for their work as they begin life in the Garden of Eden.
https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/what-does-it-mean-to-fulfill-the-law-in-romans-8-3-4
https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/transferable-concepts/filled-with-holy-spirit.html
Ephesians 2:8-10: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
Accolades from others don’t satisfy, but hoping to one day hear, “My Good and Faithful Servant” surely does. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14).
6. God created us to sit in His presence
Instead of being a slave to work, and being considered a workaholic, I prefer to be God’s child who longs to sit in His presence. His presence is where we find peace, joy, satisfaction, and hope. “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11).
7. God adopted us into His own family
Rather than considering myself rejected and abandoned, what a comfort it is to remember that I have been adopted by God as His child, and am a joint heir with Jesus “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:5).
8. God sees me as righteous
Instead of allowing myself to focus on feelings of insecurity, I choose to focus on the fact that through Jesus, God sees me as righteous. “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans 3:22). Furthermore, God has accepted us. “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6).
9. God has forgiven me
Despite the fact that I have sinned, God has forgiven me. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).
