A Teachable Spirit
~ Justin Taylor
Only one book is absolutely essential to save us, to equip us to obey God’s will, and to glorify Him in whatever we do. Only one book gives us undiluted truth — the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Only one book serves as our ultimate and final authority in all that it affirms. That book, of course, is the Bible, God’s Holy Word. No wonder John Wesley once exclaimed, “Let me be homo unius libri” — a man of one book!
And yet the irony is that if we use only this book, we may in fact be in disobedience to it. We should count good teaching about the Bible — whether through commentaries, books, sermons, study Bibles, and so on — to be a gift from God for the good of His church (see Ephesians 4:11; James 1:17). So what may look pious on the outside (“Just me and my Bible!”) can actually mask pride on the inside.
Acts 8 describes a story that might help us think through this. An Ethiopian eunuch — a God-fearing 
Gentile who served as treasurer to the Ethiopian queen — had made a five-month journey by chariot to Jerusalem in order to worship God. During his return trip he was puzzling out loud over the Isaiah scroll that he held in his hands. And the Holy Spirit appointed Philip to help him understand the meaning of the Bible.
Philip first asked this man if he understood the passage that he was reading (chap. 53). The Ethiopian responded, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” (v. 31). After inviting Philip to sit in his chariot, he asked him about whom this passage spoke. “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus” (v. 35). Soon after, the eunuch insisted they stop the chariot in order to be baptized by Philip in obedience to his new savior and king, Jesus Christ.
To be sure, this is a historical narrative recounting an event. The purpose is not necessarily to guide believers today in how to read their Bibles or how to think about the teaching of God’s Word. But the elements within it nonetheless correspond to some wise principles we can adopt as our own. So let’s work through the passage again, letting the various points serve as triggers for our own reflection on understanding the Word of God and those who teach it.
First, the Ethiopian wrestles with and labors to understand the meaning of God’s Word. He doesn’t wait for help; he first tries on his own to figure out what the text is saying. He is not content merely to skim the Scriptures, putting a check mark next to his reading in the scroll for that day. And so it is with us — we must spend time in the Bible, working hard and trusting God for insight into its meaning. Paul expressed this as a command followed by a promise: “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2nd Timothy 2:7).
Second, the eunuch humbly acknowledges his own insufficiency and lack of understanding. He desires to understand what the Word says, he admits that he needs help, and then he asks for it. We should approach God first remembering that He wants to be asked and that He promises to assist us: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). And what should we pray? Psalms 119 provides many examples of how to pray for understanding and application. For example, verses 33–36:
Teach me, O Lord, the way of
your statutes; and I will keep
it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may
keep your law and observe it with
my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your com-
mandments, for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimo-
nies, and not to selfish gain!
Third, the eunuch asks a good, clear, relevant question based upon his own wrestling with the meaning of the text. Asking good questions is evidence of good thinking. If you don’t ask good questions about the text, you won’t engage your mind and you won’t be able to evaluate the answers.
Fourth, he listens carefully to the Christ-centered, gospel-focused teaching before him. Jesus warned that we must take care how we listen (Luke 8:18), and the Ethiopian eunuch does just that. For many of us, our inclination is to talk first and listen second, but Christ-followers must be “quick to hear” and “slow to speak” (James 1:19).
Finally, he puts into practice what he has just learned from the Word and from his commentator. Philip had told him “the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35), which probably included the teaching that members of God’s covenant community will publicly identify with Christ in the act of baptism. So the Ethiopian official models for us James’ command to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22).
So let us be the sort of people who prayerfully and carefully immerse ourselves day and night in God’s Word (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2). Let us also be the sort of Berean-like people who receive good teaching about God’s Word “with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
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Got-Fruit(?) 
Examining Solomon’s Agreement with Hiram
The opening text for Solomon’s agreement with Hiram reads:
Concerning the agreement between Solomon & king Hiram of Tyre, Matthew Henry writes …(commentary courtesy of Biblegateway)
Hiram was from the Phoenician culture which practiced the pagan worship of Molech, the star –god Saturn, & Asherah (or Atorte) the fertility goddess. Though Hiram praises the God of Israel for the wisdom He has given to Solomon (1st Kings 5:7); there doesn’t seem to be a clear indication that Hiram actually followed the God of Israel. The NIV Study Bible suggests:
NIV Study Bible Comments ref: 1st Kings verses 5-7:
Assuming that the commentary I read was an accurate reflection of the dealings between Israel and some of it’s neighbors, it springboards some other thoughts and questions.
So here we have Solomon a man of God and full of wisdom having this business association with pagans. On the surface the conclusion to draw might be to say that its “not right” to partner up with pagans, especially with something as sacred as the Temple. After all doesn’t Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 6…?
As is the case with any portion of Scripture, the intent (the spirit of the text) can be misunderstood, thus an improper conclusion is drawn. One misunderstanding; a common I suspect, is to ascertain that the command from Paul instructs the Christian to not have any dealings with unbelievers. However! Considering Jesus’ giving of The Great Commission (“…go and make disciples of all nations…"); Paul’s commands become antagonistic to Jesus and The Great Commission if that command is believed to be an all inclusive statement vs having a narrowly defined criteria. Looking back to Christ though, let’s survey several instances where He engaged sinners.
Given the past examples from Christ, it seems clear then that a Christian will almost surely have to engage unbelievers/”sinners” in some form or another which, brings us back to 1st Kings 5:1-3.
Reading the text from 1st Kings 5:1-3, I began to wonder as to what is the significance of the Bible mentioning Hiram’s respective relationship with David and Solomon. "What’s the big deal with
this pagan being the supplier of lumber for the building of the Temple?"
See? I think that sometimes we turn our faith in Jesus into a religion of our own making by imposing restrictions upon ourselves that God has not instituted. What I’m driving is that it’s not uncommon for denominational “rules”, a faulty understanding of Scripture, or a legalistic attitude to create spiritual blinders. These spiritual blinders (prejudices) can then inhibit the Christian from accomplishing the work that God has planned for us.
Grace and peace be with you.