Daily Lectionary

1 Kings 3:1-15

¹ Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem.
² The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the LORD.
³ Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.
⁴ And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
⁵ At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
⁶ And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.
⁷ And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.
⁸ And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.
⁹ Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
¹⁰ It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.
¹¹ And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right,
¹² behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.
¹³ I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.
¹⁴ And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
¹⁵ And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants. (ESV)

1 Corinthians 14:1-22

¹ Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
² For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.
³ On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.
⁴ The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.
⁵ Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
⁶ Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?
⁷ If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played?
⁸ And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?
⁹ So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air.
¹⁰ There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning,
¹¹ but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.
¹² So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.
¹³ Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.
¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.
¹⁵ What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.
¹⁶ Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?
¹⁷ For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.
¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.
¹⁹ Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
²⁰ Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
²¹ In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.”
²² Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. (ESV)