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Wednesday, April 05, 2023
Topic: A Wise and Understanding Heart
Readings from the Bible:
1) Ecclesiastes 4:13
Readings from the Bible 13 ¶ Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.
2) I Kings 2:1, 3 keep
1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, 3 ... keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
3) I Kings 3:3 (to :), 5–7, 9-to:, 10-12;, 13, 15–22, 24–28
3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: ... 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 shewed 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. 9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: 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 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. 13 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. 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. 16 ¶ Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. 17 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. 18 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. 19 And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it. 20 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. 21 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. 22 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. 24 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. 26 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. 27 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.
4) I Kings 5:2, 5 behold; 7:51; 9:3
2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, 5 ... behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name. 51 So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD. 3 And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
5) II Chronicles 1:10 (to :)
10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: ...
6) II Kings 20:12 (to :)
12 ¶ At that time Berodach–baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: ...
7) II Kings 20:13–18
13 And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. 14 ¶ Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon. 15 And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. 16 And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD. 17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. 18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
8) II Kings 24:11, 13, 14
11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it. 13 And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. 14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.
9) Proverbs 9:6, 10
6 Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding. 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
10) I Corinthians 1:18–20, 26-27, 29-31
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
11) I Peter 5:5 Yea, 6, 10, 11 to
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Readings from Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy 1) 570:30–3
30 Many are willing to open the eyes of the people to the power of good resident in divine Mind, but they are 1 not so willing to point out the evil in human thought, and expose evil's hidden mental ways of accomplishing 3 iniquity.
2) 449:19–27 (to 1st .
The first impression, made on a mind which is attracted or repelled according to personal merit or de- 24 merit, is a good detective of individual character. Cer- tain minds meet only to separate through simultaneous repulsion. They are enemies without the preliminary 27 offence.
3) 21:25–27
Being in sympathy with matter, the worldly man is at the beck and call of error, and will be attracted thither- 27 ward.
4) 196:6–8
Better the suffering which awakens mortal mind from its fleshly dream, than the false pleasures which tend to perpetuate this dream.
5) 223:25–32
Peals that should startle the slumbering thought from its erroneous dream are partially unheeded; but the last 27 trump has not sounded, or this would not be so. Marvels, calamities, and sin will much more abound as truth urges upon mortals its resisted 30 claims; but the awful daring of sin destroys sin, and foreshadows the triumph of truth. God will over- turn, until “He come whose right it is.”
6) 329:26–2 If
If 27 men understood their real spiritual source to be all bless- edness, they would struggle for recourse to the spiritual and be at peace; but the deeper the error into which mor- 30 tal mind is plunged, the more intense the opposition to spirituality, till error yields to Truth. Human resistance to divine Science weakens in pro- 1 portion as mortals give up error for Truth and the un- derstanding of being supersedes mere belief.
7) 186:15
15 Every mortal must learn that there is neither Evil negative and self-destructive power nor reality in evil.
8) 22:6
6 Waking to Christ's demand, mortals experience suffering. This causes them, even as drown- ing men, to make vigorous efforts to save themselves; and 9 through Christ's precious love these efforts are crowned with success.
9) 453:16–20
Honesty is spiritual power. Dishonesty is human weakness, which forfeits divine help. 18 You uncover sin, not in order to injure, but in order to bless the corporeal man; and a right motive has its reward.
10) 448:5–7
Evil which obtains in the bodily senses, 6 but which the heart condemns, has no foundation; but if evil is uncondemned, it is undenied and nurtured.
11) 448:9
9 When needed tell the truth concerning the lie. Evasion of Truth cripples integrity, and casts thee down from the pinnacle.
12) 403:14–20
You command the situation if you understand that 15 mortal existence is a state of self-deception and not the truth of being. Mortal mind is constantly producing on mortal body the results of false 18 opinions; and it will continue to do so, until mortal error is deprived of its imaginary powers by Truth, which sweeps away the gossamer web of mortal illusion.
13) 451:2–4
Christian Scientists must live under the con- 3 stant pressure of the apostolic command to come out from the material world and be separate.
14) 514:10–14
Moral courage is “the lion of the tribe of Juda,” the king of the mental realm. Free and fearless it roams in 12 the forest. Undisturbed it lies in the open field, or rests in “green pastures, . . . beside the still waters.”
15) 15:16–20
In the quiet sanctuary of earnest longings, we must 18 deny sin and plead God's allness. We must resolve to take up the cross, and go forth with honest hearts to work and watch for wisdom, Truth, and Love.
16) 97:22
1 It requires courage to utter truth; for the higher Truth 24 lifts her voice, the louder will error scream, until its in- articulate sound is forever silenced in oblivion.
17) 15:25–30
Christians rejoice in secret beauty and bounty, hidden from the world, but known to God. Self-forgetfulness, 27 purity, and affection are constant prayers. Practice not profession, understanding not belief, gain the ear and right hand of omnipotence and 30 they assuredly call down infinite blessings.
HYMNS 423, 194, 291
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