Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
I Kings 3:2-4 the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the Lord, until those days.
When they did build the temple, could everyone get inside the building at one time? There were more than a million people in the 12 tribes of Israel. It must have been a building more for giving of offerings and for use of the priests and for the housing of the ark of the covenant.
And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.
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.
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New Testament church:
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
It is not that we have to go to a place to worship God. We worship God continually, wherever we are. The building where we meet is not the church. We, who have been given the Holy Spirit are the church. We can meet in a building, in a home, in a car, in the grocery store ... wherever we (two or three) are Jesus is in the midst of us. (Matthew 18:20)
A church woman went on a trip to Jerusalem. The tour group was taken to the tomb of Jesus. As she stood there in the tomb, the Holy Spirit spoke and said to her, "HE is not here. HE is risen." Then she wondered what she was doing there. She could worship God in her own home.
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John 4:22 Jesus said to the woman: Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship HIM must worship HIM in spirit and in truth.
One of my roommates got cancer. I was not born again at that time. I went to the Methodist Church to their prayer room to pray for my roommate. I didn't understand that I could pray for her at home. And it felt so religious in that prayer room with their stained glass windows and crosses and candles and images. But it was all fleshly emotion.
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God reveals HIMSELF to Solomon in a dream:
In a dream, God asked Solomon: Ask what I shall give thee. ( I Kings 3:5)
Solomon responded to God:
I Kings 3:7-9 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. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
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? (Only God could.)
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I Kings 3:10-15 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
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;
Behold, I have done according to thy words: 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.
And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
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.
And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream.
After that dream, he (Solomon) 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.
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The wisdom of God:
The next example is a wisdom so great it is repeated in secular places even to this present day.
I Kings 3:16-28 Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.
And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.
And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.
And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son.
Thus they spake before the king.
Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.
And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.
And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.
And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son.
Thus they spake before the king.
Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.
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Wisdom available at all times to the New Testament church:
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Many people want to figure things out for themselves, in their own pride.
I delight in the wisdom given me from God. When people have tried to praise me, for the wisdom they have seen me do, I always tell them, "But I prayed about that and God showed me what to do. God gave me HIS wisdom."
I find they do not want to hear that! They want to glorify the human. These are church going people.
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