... Inspiring Bible Characters Solomon As we continue our study of inspiring bible characters, we meet King Solomon. Solomon, the son of King David, is known throughout the Word of God for his wisdom. In fact, the Lord asked him what he wanted most and Solomon requested that he be given a discerning heart to govern and distinguish between right and wrong (I Kings 3: 9). Solomon, in effect, was asking God for wisdom. Scripture tells us that God granted Solomon his heart’s desire and gave him great insight and a breadth of understanding. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than any other man (I Kings 4: 29-31) . Because we know King Solomon to be the wisest mortal man on Earth, it makes sense for us to examine his life and words to gain insight for ourselves. The Bible tells us that Solomon is the author of the Book of Proverbs. Because the Book of Ecclesiastes follows a theme of wisdom and insight, King Solomon is widely believed to be the author of this Book of the Bible as well. Let us be inspired by the words of Solomon. King Solomon—the Wisest Man on Earth… Solomon puts life in perspective… • Ecclesiastes 1: 1-4, 2: 12-14 – King Solomon is saying that when you really think about it that everything is meaningless—a chasing after the wind. – Generations come and generations go… Solomon seems to be saying that our stay on Earth is temporary, therefore, everything in the world is really meaningless. – Question for Thought: What does Solomon mean by “everything is meaningless...
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...Jessica Schaub 12/1/14 Eng. 232/Section 03 Song of Solomon: A Bildungsroman of Milkman Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, is a brilliant synthesis of a mythic journey, family drama and story of origin. This is the story of Macon Milkman Dead, heir to the richest black family in a Midwestern town, as he makes a voyage of rediscovery, travelling southwards geographically and inwards spiritually. Morrison’s narrative rendering of the black community along with her protagonist problematic relationship with himself, his family, and that community all lend them-selves to the very definition of a classic bildungsroman tale; though it is so much richer and fuller than anything that word could connote. A bildungsroman can be defined as “a class of novel that deals with the coming-of-age or formative years of an individual”. Furthermore, in a bildungsroman, a main protagonist usually undergoes some transformation after seeking truth or philosophical enlightenment. In Morrison’s novel, the plot follows the main protagonist Milkman as he matures within his community while developing relationships with others and discovering his individual identity. The symbolism of flying is very relevant to issues of identity. Milkman struggles to break away from dependence of Macon II is really the main struggle throughout the novel on an individual level. As he tries to break away and reach his full potential, he is able to fly at Guitar. He does not do this alone however, through all of the differing...
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...2013 Solomon and His Wisdom Many individual throughout history have greatly impacted society and our lives. One such person is King Solomon. Ellen G. White in Prophets and Kings (Chapter 1) states that Solomon was anointed king when his father abdicated the throne. God had a great plan for Solomon to take him from strength to strength and glory to glory while inspiring the people of Israel to draw ever nearer to God and fulfill their covenant and destiny as His chosen people. Solomon’s early beginning was so full of promise and he did achieve a great deal of success during his reign.Solomon was anointed and proclaimed king in the closing years of his father David, who abdicated in his favor. His early life was bright with promise, and it was God's purpose that he should go on from strength to strength, from glory to glory, ever approaching nearer the similitude of the character of God, and thus inspiring His people to fulfill their sacred trust as the depositaries of divine truth. Throughout his reign, he achieved a great deal of success. Some of these achievements include great accomplishments in trading, expansion, and perhaps his most famous, his accomplishments in fair judgment. In addition, Solomon was viewed as an author of remarkable skill and noteworthy output. Several writings in the Bible recognize King Solomon as a contributor; these writings include the biblical Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, the Wisdom of Solomon, and the later Psalms of Solomon. King...
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...Professor Bible 105, Essay 2 (MLA) 19 September 2015 Saul, David, and Solomon Before discussing why the people of Israel desired a king, it is important to go back in time and get an understanding of the background and history. Samuel was, at birth, chosen by God. He was a prophet and served under Eli, the high priest. By the power of God and Samuel’s leadership, the Philistines (Israel’s enemy) were defeated. Eli’s sons had been killed, Eli had died and, Samuel became judge over Israel. When Samuel was an old man, he appointed his sons as judges to Israel. His sons, however, were corrupt (Swindoll 2). “Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice” (1 Sam. 8:3). So the people of Israel felt let down and they wanted something done…they wanted a king. However, this was not the only reason they wanted a king. Samuel was not only old and his sons were corrupt, the people wanted to be like other nations (Dale). They told Samuel they wanted him to appoint a king to judge them. “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Sam. 8:5). People have always wanted to be like everybody else. Israel was to be different and distinct from all other nations. Israel was to be a covenant people by whom God would reveal Himself and His plan of redemption. “But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And...
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...201540 BIBL105 Oct 21, 2015 As Samuel, one of the last great judges, aged he made his sons, Joel and Abijah, judges. However, his sons did not follow in his steps, they were greedy, took bribes and perverted justice. Known as the “Sea Peoples,” the Philistines migrated across the Mediterranean in massive numbers during the time of the judges, taking the coastal plains during this time and pushing Israel into the hill country. Since the Philistines had a monopoly on the use of iron, they had a military advantage over Israel. The aggressive military behavior by the Philistines caused Israel to long for a king to fight their battles. The elders of Israel came to Samuel and insisted that he a select a king. The people wanted a king to govern them so that they may be like all the nations. Samuel warned them the ways of a king , he will take your sons to be his horsemen, to plow his ground, to reap his harvest and to make equipment. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. He will take a tenth of your grain and your flocks and make you his slaves. “The day when you cry out because of the king whom you yourselves have chose; and the Lord will not answer you on that day” (I Samuel 9.16). But the people would not listen. There was a Benjamite, named Kish, a man of wealth and valor. He had a son Saul who was more handsome than most and a head taller than anyone. And Samuel said to all the people, Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that none like him is...
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...Solomon Islands Carlaine Gidman SOC 300-051 Solomon Islands Throughout the western world technological advances have pushed society into a progressive era of the newest, sleekest, most efficient way of living. The everyday lives of western society revolve around computers, fast food, fashion, and what some would call immoral judgments. What tends to be forgotten or overlooked, is what these same technological advances have done to the lesser developed countries of this world. With the technological advances of the world having increased efficiencies and reduced prices, the economies of lesser developed countries, such as the Solomon Islands have almost vanished. The Solomon Islands are a grouping of over 1,000 islands located in the south pacific off the Australian coast east of Papua New Guinea. The islands together are estimated to span over 28,896 sq. km with over 27,986 sq. km of tropical landscape. The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal. The Islands are part of the Commonwealth of Nations, and are a sovereign state of Oceania. The current political state revolves around a constitutional monarchy. With a population between 450,000 to 500,000 people divided between 5 major ethnic groups, in which the Melanesian people account for about 93% of the population. (CIA, 2012; Fugui, 2012). The history of the Melanesian people show early diversity within their ethnic relations. With over 70 languages spoken within the islands, there are more than...
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...Description: The Solomon Islands are a part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire"; earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic activity can occur at any time. The 'ring-of-fire' is a horse-shoe-shaped zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that surrounds the basin of the Pacific Ocean. It is 40,000km long and is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, island arcs, and volcanic mountain ranges and/or plate movements. It is understood that 90% of the world's earthquakes and 81% of the world's largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire, which is a direct consequence of plate tectonics and the movement of collisions of crustal plates. The island of Savo, 35 kilometres North West of Honiara, is a cyclically active volcano. Climate: The climate is tropical. From December to March, northwest equatorial winds bring hot weather and heavy rainfall; from April to November, the islands are cooled by drier southeast trade winds. Damaging cyclones occasionally strike during the rainy season. The annual mean temperature is 27°c (81°f); annual rainfall averages 305 cm (120 in), and humidity is about 80% Environment: Most of the coral reefs surrounding the islands are dead or dying. As an island nation, the Solomon Islands are concerned with the effects of global warming and rising sea levels. Deforestation is another significant environmental problem. The related problem of soil erosion threatens the country's agricultural productivity. Sources of water pollution...
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...Song of Solomon was an interesting book that had me surprised and even sometimes disgusted. From reading the story, I think I got a better appreciation for cultural background and how our ancestors helped get us to where we are today. I may not have gone on some inspiring and eye-opening journey such as Milkman did, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have conversations with my family members and appreciate the roots of my culture. On the psychoanalytical lense aspect of the book, I got a better understanding of the relationship between the characters past, the present, and that allows me to make possible predictions about behavior that characters may have, and even be able to better understand why they think and act the way they do. I think the...
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...Song of Solomon Analysis: Gender Roles and Freedom Racism divides communities, but sexism deserts individuals. American history is ridded with oppression on the basis of race and gender that have left individuals and communities alike subjugated and isolated. Toni Morrison, through her fictional novel Song of Solomon, tackles the desire for belonging that so many faced during the oppressive 1960s. Appeals to equal rights for African Americans were met with hateful discrimination and bloody discourse—ultimately dividing people from within groups. But Morrison pushes her discussion beyond just the confines of racism to the treatment of black women in society; the tyrannical repression they faced. Throughout Song of Solomon, a reoccurring theme of dependence and abandonment of women presides. Toni Morrison exploits women’s belonging to men and yet, also, their burdens for men’s freedom. In order to conquer the quest of the novel, the main character must recognize and overcome such female injustices. Foundational to the their societal repression, black women suffered not only from racial segregation but the social obligations to men, children, and their community. Women were the guardian of the family in the 1960s, and lacked the free-will retained by men. The man they married, the structure he created, defined a woman. Song of Solomon directly touches on the heavy racism circling the times. Milkman and Guitar actively talk about racism and the cruelty of the white “nonhumans...
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...anyone else’s words, phrases, or ideas without giving clear credit to that person. I understand that the penalty for plagiarism includes any or all of the following: failure in the project with no opportunity to revise, failure in the course with opportunity to retake the course in a later semester, expulsion/termination from the university. Name: Hyemin Hazel Yeo ID: S11080203 Signed: Date: 20/3/2015 Contents Declaration 1 1.1 Background of S.I 3 2.1 literature Review 4 3.1 Research methodology 7 3.2 Primary Source 7 3.3 Secondary Source 7 3.4 Limitation: 7 4.1 Case Study: Solomon Island Water Authority (SIWA) 8 I. Background 8 II. Pre-Reform 8 III. Changes over the year 10 5.1 Solomon Islands Electrical Authority (SIEA) 12 I. Background 12 II. Pre-reform 13 III. Post-reform 14 6.1 Recommendation 16 Bibliography 18 Appendix 1: 19 1.1 Background of S.I Solomon Island (S.I) consists of ten large different province islands and many small ones. It is the second largest insular country of the South Pacific with relatively downturn economy and poor government management system especially during 1998~2003 tension. Although there were quiet few natural resource such as marine life, forest, gold etc. with very unfortunate facilities of development structure and poor management it was very difficult to utilize the resource into long term profit (Barnabas Anga, 2009). Also the country was vulnerable to natural...
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...Life as a King Solomon Anselet is our new king and now rules the kingdom on his father’s (King Harold Anselet) behalf. The Kings father retired and handed his role over to his son, Solomon Anselet. Harold Anselet quotes “My son Solomon Anselet will now take over my position as King and rule the entire kingdom and the crown shall pass down through many generations throughout the middle ages.” Solomon quotes, “I will be a loyal and trustworthy king and I will make sure to protect my people from all dangers to come.” This sounds pretty promising to me. All hale King Solomon. King Solomon’s Food King Solomon is very new to all the different foods and quotes “All this food is so overwhelming and I have never been so full.” This obviously states that being on the Royal table truly is heaven on earth. King Solomon stats that there is a large variety of food starting from every meat to finishing with every single fruit you can think of. The main meal was usually served early, before midday and would usually go on for a couple of hours. It has been said that the closer you sit to the king the more important you were. Having these big feasts was really good for the kings and would state there wealth and status. King Solomon’s Housing/Clothes King Solomon lives in a huge castle. Starting near the river and making its way up the hill ending on top of the hill. The castle is so huge he states “I could probably fit at least 500 people in my castle.” The King’s castle has stone walls to keep...
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...The nation of Israel, or God’s chosen people, had every opportunity to set themselves apart from other nations. Israel had a covenant relationship with God, which means Israelites only had to live holy lives to receive God’s blessings. The book of Judges describes the cycle of the Israelites forsaking God and then Him raising up judges to bring them to repentance. After this time of uprising, and sorrow, the cycle would begin again. Just like the situation of Israel, Christians have the opportunity to set themselves apart from others. In my opinion, it is of utmost importance to look to God for leadership, and to learn from the lives of others, like Saul, David, and Solomon. It is common, in the human experience, to look for leadership. This was the case of the Israelites during the time of the prophet Samuel, who lived during the time of the Judges. In the fifth verse of the book of 1 Samuel chapter eight, the people of Israel said to Samuel , “….Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have” (Holman Christian Standard Bible). God’s chosen people, in this verse, made it known that they desired to be like everyone else. God gave the nation of Israel what they desired and told Samuel, “Appoint a king for them” (1 Sam 8:22). The reasoning behind why peoples may choose their leader is not infallible. For example, sometimes a leader may be chosen because his physical appearance is more appealing than his competitor. This was proven during the...
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...United States of America, would not be such a bad idea. We would be contradicting the same reason our fore fathers before us came and settled on this land, but it seems much better in the sense of a political stand point compared to what many people are going through with the government today in the United States. In the time when the Old Testament was written, almost, if not, every nation or people group was led by some sort of Monarchy. There were many well-known kings that the authors of the Bible wrote about such as King Saul, King David, and King Solomon. But there are many questions we have to ask ourselves before we can truly understand these kings. Some of the questions we should ask ourselves are “During the time of Samuel, why did the people of Israel desire a king?”, “Why was Saul chosen, and ultimately, why was he rejected?”, “What attribute did David display that made him a better king than Saul?” and “What sin did Solomon commit that ultimately led to the division of Israel after his death?” These questions can help us understand the positives and negatives of these kings. When someone desires an object or a person they have a deep want or need for that person or thing. In the time of Samuel, Israel as a nation desired for a king, but why? Why did they want someone who told them how to live and what to do? They already had Samuel as a ruler, but they wanted more. According to Ed Hindson and Gary Yates, the authors of The Essences of the Old Testament: A Survey, “The...
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...Ho Man Chan RELI 1301 05 J. Jonathan Kim, Ph.D. 11-12-2010 Books of Wisdom Literature Wisdom Literature is a style of Hebrew literature. It was originated from 6th century BC, when the Israelites in exile after being swept into the AD era. These literary works are such as "Wisdom books." "Wisdom literature" has four main characteristics: 1. The writing time should be after the Israelis were swept and before the birth of Jesus Christ; 2. The contents should focus on ethics, but not designed to focus on theology; 3. The way of expression are mainly the maxim, aphorism, metaphor, fables, poems, eulogy, etc; 4. The writing object is not only limited to Jews. There are five main books of Wisdom Literature, Book of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Psalms and Song of Songs. First, Job is a faithful servant of God who is known for piety and patience. At that time, the Israelites were polluted to worship the Egyptian demons, but only Job is adhered to worship the God purely. The most ancient tradition believed that Moses is the author of this book. Many Jewish and early Christian scholars also agreed with this proposition. It is because the style of Job is very similar with the Pentateuch. So, the time of writing should be estimated around 1500 BC of the Patriarch Period. Most of this book (3:1-42:6) is a form of play or epic written. The front (1:1-2:13) is a prelude and (42:7-17) is the end. These two parts is written in prose form. Job not only teaches a great truth. “The Book of Job...
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...William Wyatt Bible 105: Old Testament Survey February 9, 2014 As Ed Hindson declares, the Judgeship of Samuel is a successful one. Though the period of the judges overall was one of failure.1 The era of the judges nominally a time of Theocratic government in Israel is characterized by backsliding and sin. By the time of Samuel’s judgeship the people were tired of the repeated cycles of war and the tension with their neighbors when they were not actually fighting them. Samuel’s sons were obviously leading the nation back into a time of corruption and greed by the priesthood under the administration of Eli (1 Samuel 8:3). The people were not looking for a God honoring ruler. A government that would give them what they wanted and get the cooperation from other nations, in their minds would probably look like the governments around them. Despite Samuel’s grief over the situation, in 1Samuel Chapter Eight, God gives permission for them to have a king. Saul was not the right man for the job, he was a popular choice. As Saul was a poor choice by the people he was a man who also made poor choices2. Although chosen by the people and permitted by God, Saul is ultimately rejected by the Lord. Saul allows being king go to his head and in Gilgal offers sacrifices in “usurpation of priestly functions while awaiting Samuel”. 3 More than just illegally performing a priestly duty not permitted under the law, Saul’s sacrifice demonstrates a lack of faith, he was unwilling to wait on...
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