The Land of Cabul
(1kings 9:1~28)
David and Solomon were on good terms with Hiram. Unlike Solomon, however, David had discernment about Hiram. This discernment came from his perspective of redemption history, which enabled him to interpret trials as Gods grace rather than from a human excellence. Todays passage deals with the land that Solomon gave Hiram as a reward for completing the temple, Cabul, which means of no value, worthless. What about you? Have you ever had your Cabul after all your hard work? Lets think about why this Cabul incident happens to us. Why did the land become Cabul?
1. Its because of self-interest.After twenty years, Solomon completed the temple and his palace. In the meantime, Hiram, the king of Tyre had provided his skilled workers and timber as Solomon wished. His faithfulnes, however, is contrasted with Solomons insincerity. The twenty towns that Solomon gave to Hiram were far from fertile agricultural land as Hiram wanted. They were nothing but wasteland, which Hiram name Cabul. Cabul is at the borderline of Israel. Solomon might have given it, considering it to be a useless border area. However, Solomon should have noticed that it was within the border of Gods promised land. Actually, it is the land of Galilee, where Jesus started his ministry. This attitude of Solomons self-interest reflects not only his political relationships with others but also his relationship with God. If Solomon had truly wanted to serve God, he should have checked his human relationships first before offering his temple and worship. Do you want to desert your spouse or child or parents because you think they have noeconomic value?Remember! Our Cabul family makes us know more about the heavenly kingdom. If we cherish our Cabul trial, it will be our promised land someday. It will be our invaluable and unexchangeable land.
2. Its because of non-faith marriage.Our of his non-faith marriage values, Solomon introduced the system offorced labor, towns for horses and chariots, and slaves into Israel.
(1)Forced labor.Solomon knew the order of priority for his projects. He built the temple first, his palaces, and fortresses. However, he used forced labor for this project. Moses didnt use any forced labor when he built Gods tabernacle. In his days, he used the voluntary work and offerings of his people. However, Solomon referred to Hiram and used forced labor, inspired by Pharaohs daughter. What a terrible result of his non-faith marriage!
(2)Towns for horses and chariots.God commanded that Israelite kings shouldnt have horses lest they return to Egypt. However, Solomon built the towns for horses and chariots. Thus his zeal about his construction project was rampant. Besides, he was conscious of Egypt throughout his projects because of his wife, Pharaohs daughter.
(3)Slaves.Solomon also used the Canaanites as slaves. God commanded his people to destroy the Canaanites, not to spare them and use them as slaves. Thus we are tempted to compromise with enemies without meditating upon the Word. Solomon proceeded with his project on his own because he focused only on his visible work. God told the Israelites not to spare any worldly resource in the context of his redemption history. Goliath, Davids enemy came from the Gadites, that the Israelite didnt destroy completely. When we fail to cut off our worldly resources, someday we will be threatened by them. Solomon actually couldnt stay with Pharaohs daughter in his palace because a gentile woman was not allowed to dwell in Jerusalem. Likewise, we also cannot stay with our spouse whom we married considering his or her school background or property because of our different values. We often think that we can make our spouse a Christian after our marriage, which even Solomon failed to do. Solomon looks like an exhibitionist with a sense of inferiority caused by the fact that he was not the eldest son. What about you? Didnt you marry your spouse, looking for a person who will please you and serve you like a slave?
3. Its because of our failure in offering true worship.The completion of the temple was mentioned in chapters 6, 7, and 9. In each passage, Solomon offered his sacrifices to God three times before the completion of the temple. However, theres no completion in Gods temple but ongoing salvation, sanctification, and an apocalyptic view of life. Solomons visible temple made a great contribution to the settlement of todays worship service. Yet it was also a mixture of unfair trades, adultery, forced labor, slavery and religious zeal. Solomon was quite passionate in worshipping God however, he had no one around him but Hiram, a non-Christian companion. Unlike his father David, who had worship communities in the midst of his trials, Solomon didnt have his faith community because he associated only with rich people.
Heres a confession from a deacon of our church, who wanted build his own palace. He had worked hard, chasing money and ignoring his poor parents as Cabul people until he finally became a dentist. After his success, however, he was caught in an adulterous life. God, out of his zealous love for him, allowed his hospital to catch fire, his business go bankrupt, his wife become a pyramid sales woman until both his wife and daughter got cancer. He attended a small group of our church, where he started building his temple by sharing his sins of ignoring his Cabul family with his fellow small group members. The only way for us to survive is by attending our Mokjang. May God bless us to embrace our Cabul circumstance, making it Gods Promised Land and to enjoy our daily worship life!
But when Hiram went from Tyre to see the towns that Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them.'What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?' he asked. And he called them the Land of Cabul, a name they have to this day. (1Kgs 9:12ampsim13)
