A Nice Compliment

It is because the Lord loves his people that he has made you their king! [2 Chronicles 2.11]

Hiram wrote quite a nice compliment to Solomon here. Frankly, I don't know of a nicer comment that could have been made!

But there is more than meets the eye in Hiram's compliment to Solomon. There is an undeniable underlying current of thought that God has a plan that involves more than just Solomon! Hiram said, "It is because the Lord loves His people..."

While Solomon could have taken the compliment from Hiram as a huge ego booster, he was also constrained by the very wording of Hiram's compliment to remember that his role as King of Israel served a greater purpose than just his possession of the throne! The "people" were to be considered!

As flattering as Hiram's compliment to Solomon was, it came with the sobering weight of responsibility for the people.

Perhaps it is important to consider that when God has blessed us, it may, in fact, have a weight of responsibility attached to it - the people! The biblical phrase, "To whom much is given, much is required" comes to mind with the Golden Rule at its base.

When we are blessed, we should be mindful of why we are blessed in the grand scheme of God's plan. Our mindful consideration can only conclude that God's plan, while involving individual humans, is mainly about humanity!

Consequently, when we seek blessing, we will only truly be pleasing to our God when we seek such blessing as it blesses others.

Who would have ever thought a flattering compliment could carry such a burden?

Father, help me to be mindful of Your blessings and the responsibility attached to them!