He had been the son of King David and Bathsheba. He had written parts of the Old Testament, including Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. And he pursued God.
While he was king, God allowed him to ask Him for anything that he would like to have. And what was it that King Solomon asked him for? Wisdom. That he what he wanted from God. Why wisdom instead of riches that he could have asked for?
He knew he would need wisdom with which to rule God's people. And so God gave it to him. However, God didn't stop there. He gave him much more. He also gave him wealth and peace on all sides. 1 Kings 10:23, 4:20-25.
The whole world listened to King Solomon's wisdom because it came from God, and they brought him many gifts. 1 Kings 10:24, And he completed many things while he was king. Among them was his many songs and proverbs, but also his building projects. 1 Kings 7:1-12, 9:15-23 and most importantly was the completion of the Jewish temple in 1 Kings 6 and 1 Chronicles 22.
King Solomon. A man after God's heart. A perfect man with whom God gave to him not only wisdom, but all of the material wealth that he could handle.
What? Perfect? Not on your life. He was still human. And so what was his downfall?
He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Many were foreign women and God had told him that he must not intermarry with them. Why? Because they would turn his heart to other gods.
But surely this man of God would not let this happen. Right? Perhaps he didn't think so. But yes, they did. As he grew old, his heart did turn to other gods and was no longer devoted as fully to the true God. He built alters for many of the gods that his wives sacrificed to.
This made God angry and He raised up adversaries against King Solomon who caused him problems for the rest of his days as king.
Yes, King Solomon had been human. He had at some point taken another way that led him away from God. But God in his mercy still loved him. He was allowed to rule over Israel all the days of his life. He had been an imperfect man, who had still been called by God to be perfect for the job.
Sometimes, just like you and I are imperfect people, yet called to be perfect for the jobs that God calls us to. Always remembering that we may make mistakes. We may even have to pay the consequences for them as King Solomon did. But that even so, God loves us still.
Thanks once again coming by today, Friends. May your Lord's Day be blessed with all of God's good things!
No comments:
Post a Comment