December 24

1 Kings iii. — 1. And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.

2. Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord until those days.

3. And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.

4. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt-offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.

5. In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

6. And Solomon said, Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

7. And now, O Lord my God! thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father; and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

8. And thy servant is in the midst of thy peo-

ple which thou hast chosen, a great people that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

9. Give, therefore, thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad; for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

10. And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.

11. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;

12. Behold, I have done according to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.

13. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor; so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.

14. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.

15. And Solomon awoke; and behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt-offerings, and offered peace-offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

Upon his death bed, David caused Solomon to be proclaimed king in his stead. Now that all the enemies of Israel had been subdued, David anticipated for his son a peaceful and prosperous reign; and he pressured this in these beautiful words. "He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain." Solomon gave promise of realizing this description in his own character. His prayer for an understanding heart marked him as a man of thoughtful piety; and the fame of his wisdom caused him to be revered by his own people, and brought the Queen of Sheba and many foreign

princes to his court to hear his proverbs, and profit by his knowledge. In his reign the arts flourished, peace was established, the temple was built, Jerusalem was enlarged and beautified, alliances were formed with foreign powers, and commerce was extended, so that the royal treasury was filled with the gold of Ophir, and "silver was in Jerusalem as stones for abundance." But the king himself was overcome by the fascinations of luxury, became loose in his habits, and even fell for a time into idolatry. His inner life he has unveiled to us in the Book of Ecclesiastes as one of disappointment and dissatisfaction, bordering upon despair, until at the last he came back to his starting point, that "to fear God and keep his commandments is the whole duty of man."

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 10, 21, 97.

Almighty and most merciful Father, we beseech thee to forgive our sins, and incline us ever to keep thy commandments. The morning calls us to praise thee for thy loving-kindness in the night-season; and every day renews the tokens of thy bounty. Every good gift cometh down from thee, the Father of lights; and though we are so changeful in our love, so inconstant in our service, with thee there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Bind us to thyself, O our Father! by the mighty attraction of thy love. We pray thee keep us this day from temptation, evil, and sin. May we

be upright in our dealings, true and kind in our speech, gentle and patient in our spirit, pure and holy in our walk, and so exhibit in our lives the graces of the gospel, that we shall win others to the love of Christ! And we pray that multitudes may be won to the Saviour; that thy Church may increase; that missions may prosper; that thy Word may be given to all people. We thank thee for our home, and pray thee to bless us with all things that we need as a family. Bless the absent who are dear to us; and bring them, together with us, unto thy heavenly kingdom, for Christ's sake. Amen.