a nun talks about King Solomon and when a man asked him about a wife and marriage

by redpill Tue Aug 13, 2019 5:29 pm

Tue Aug 13, 2019 4:55 pm

I'm typing this, i remember, around 1978 or so, when i was in kindergarten or first grade, i was in a catholic school, being taught by a nun, sister Rosemary.

at that time she was a young woman, white.

she taught us everything all day from arithmetic to reading and writing to bible lessons.

one of the bible lessons was about King Solomon.

she talked about the famous story of Solomon and the 2 women and a baby, where when Solomon says split the baby in half, one woman says the other woman can have her, and immediately Solomon said she's the real mother, the other woman is to be punished.

I actually think this was clever. though what if neither women or both women spoke up, what then?

she talked about another story of Solomon to us.

That queen Sheba from the South gave Solomon 2 flowers, one was fake and one was real. she challenged Solomon to identify the real one from the fake one, without actually touching or smelling them.

So Solomon opened a window and bees flew in and pollinated the real flower.

i actually sort of tried doing that, but when i open the window with 2 flowers, no bees flew in.

I have never found that story in the bible, and it appears it's a made up story, outside the bible.

the nun told us that as an example of Solomon's wisdom but it doesn't seem to come from the bible.

Jews in addition to the Christian Old Testament, also make use of the Talmud which apparently also has stories, though i admit i have never read it and have no intention of doing so.

I did however read this,

opening up the bible what it says about Solomon

1 Kings 4 New International Version (NIV)

29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.[e]

the New International Version was the actual bible i learned, i never liked King James and don't care for it.

in writing we're told, show don't tell, and here the bible tells us Solomon's wisdom but doesn't show it.

who are these people, and how is it determined how these people are wise?

as I continue reading I found this,

1 Kings 2:13-25 New International Version (NIV)
Solomon’s Throne Established

13 Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked him, “Do you come peacefully?”

He answered, “Yes, peacefully.” 14 Then he added, “I have something to say to you.”

“You may say it,” she replied.

15 “As you know,” he said, “the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the Lord. 16 Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me.”

“You may make it,” she said.

17 So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

18 “Very well,” Bathsheba replied, “I will speak to the king for you.”

19 When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat down at his right hand.

20 “I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.”

The king replied, “Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you.”

21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.”

22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother—yes, for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!”

23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord: “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! 24 And now, as surely as the Lord lives—he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised—Adonijah shall be put to death today!” 25 So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.

so King Solomon who the bible claims actually spoke to God and had wisdom from God, so when some Jew named Adonijah asked Solomon for a wife named Abishag the Shunammite for marriage,

Solomon is irate and outraged and put him to death. for asking a woman to be married to. whereas Solomon had a 1000 wives and concubines. Maybe Solomon wanted Abishag the Shunammite for himself.

what ever happened to Christian family values and the idea of 1 man, 1 woman.

i don't know what a "Shunammite" is.

on one level, the story is intelligible in that a man asks King Solomon for a wife, some woman named Abishag. these names, Abishag and Adonijah and Shunammite Joab son of Zeruiah are completely unintelligible, but then there are asian last names, lithuanian last names, indian last names so that's just how foreign languages are.

but it is a big wtf that a man that is supposedly wise and godly would be outraged over this and have him put to death.

why even say something like this? why is this even in the bible. i've listen to christians claim that the gnostic gospels like the gospel of thomas is a fraud and a satanic fake, but the bible itself has solomon killing some guy, his brother, for asking to be married to a woman, whereas he himself had a 1000 wives and concubines.

sounds like hypocrisy.

Solomon can be married to 1000 women and concubines, but how dare his brother ask to be married to 1 woman, and his own mother is Bathesheba.

story continues

0 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.

God didn't have any issue with what Solomon did and allegedly blessed him.

the worse thing according to the old testament Jewish portion of the bible isn't abortion or homosexuality or even atheism,

it's idolatry.

Solomon supposedly been granted wisdom from God, as the wisest person who ever lived and yet this is what he does

ending of Solomon

1 Kings 11 New International Version (NIV)
Solomon’s Wives

11 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

9 The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. 11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. 12 Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
Solomon’s Adversaries

14 Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. 15 Earlier when David was fighting with Edom, Joab the commander of the army, who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom. 16 Joab and all the Israelites stayed there for six months, until they had destroyed all the men in Edom. 17 But Hadad, still only a boy, fled to Egypt with some Edomite officials who had served his father. 18 They set out from Midian and went to Paran. Then taking people from Paran with them, they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food.

19 Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage. 20 The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son named Genubath, whom Tahpenes brought up in the royal palace. There Genubath lived with Pharaoh’s own children.

21 While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David rested with his ancestors and that Joab the commander of the army was also dead. Then Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, that I may return to my own country.”

22 “What have you lacked here that you want to go back to your own country?” Pharaoh asked.

“Nothing,” Hadad replied, “but do let me go!”

23 And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24 When David destroyed Zobah’s army, Rezon gathered a band of men around him and became their leader; they went to Damascus, where they settled and took control. 25 Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram and was hostile toward Israel.
Jeroboam Rebels Against Solomon

26 Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.

27 Here is the account of how he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the terraces[a] and had filled in the gap in the wall of the city of David his father. 28 Now Jeroboam was a man of standing, and when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the tribes of Joseph.

29 About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, 30 and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes. 32 But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. 33 I will do this because they have[b] forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molek the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in obedience to me, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my decrees and laws as David, Solomon’s father, did.

34 “‘But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees. 35 I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten tribes. 36 I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. 37 However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. 38 If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. 39 I will humble David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.’”

40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt, to Shishak the king, and stayed there until Solomon’s death.
Solomon’s Death

41 As for the other events of Solomon’s reign—all he did and the wisdom he displayed—are they not written in the book of the annals of Solomon? 42 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 43 Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.

Solomon commits idolatry. he worships gods other than Yahweh god of the Jews.

to me it is patently absurd to say God gave Solomon the greatest wisdom ever, only for Solomon to turn around and practice idolatry.

Secular bible scholars think Solomon probably existed, but at best was a late Iron age chieftan, and that all accounts of him, from the reach of his empire to his wealth and wisdom, is pure legend.

This is what they call Deuteronomy history, written post-exhillic Babylonian captivity written 300 years after the supposed events, for nationalistic purposes.

Yahweh deity of the jews and christians is a bronze age deity and these are bronze or iron age stories.

when i was a christian i noticed there's a lot of killing going on in the bible, and the main characters basically are genocidal psychopaths and serial killers, being claimed to be loved by god.

now there are plenty of christian and jewish websites that will try to explain this passage in terms of Solomon had Adonijah killed due to usurpation of the throne but i agree with atheist marshall brain, why even say this in the bible. why do we even need to hear this?

for a time i thought the god of jesus was not the same god as the god of the jews, with the god of jesus being more pure than the god of the jews.

i've learned since that this idea was present in the second century from a christian named marcion.

his version of christianity and the bible only consisted of a redacted new testament.

so had i went to a marcion kindergarten, that teacher wouldn't mention solomon and i wouldn't be reading these passages and thinking wtf.

marcion heresy died out.. so a lot of christians like me read the old testament and become atheist instead

Like a Star @ heaven