2 Tim 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
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WHY DID SOLOMON FALL?
AUG 2
1 Kings 11:1-13
Memorise 1 Kings 11:4 "but he kept not that which the LORD commanded"
WHY DID SOLOMON FALL?
Solomon is said to be the wisest man that ever lived. He was blessed by God with a "wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee" (1 Kings 3:12). His reign over Israel was a golden era of peace and prosperity, where all the surrounding nations journeyed to his courts just to pay tribute to him and to witness his legendary wisdom. He started his reign very well, humbly acknowledging his inadequacies and asking the LORD for discernment and understanding. The early parts of his reign were spent in service to the Lord, in building the temple and establishing the kingdom. In 1 Kings 8 we read his excellent prayer at the dedication of the temple, showing his love and devotion for the Lord, and sincere desire to do His will.
However, upon a closer look, we see that cracks in his relationship with God had already begun to show much earlier on. They were mistakes he made that would fully manifest itself in 1 Kings 11, where he completely fell away from the Lord by seeking other gods. In 1 Kings 3:1, he "made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt" and married Pharaoh’s daughter. In so doing, he compromised with the idolatrous Egyptians, which would later lead him to seek after their gods. This would only be the first of many such sinful alliances that he would make that would lead to his downfall (1 Kings 11:3-4). He completely ignored God’s command for kings not to multiply wives to themselves (Deuteronomy 17:17), and married 700 wives and 300 concubines! On top of that, we also read in 1 Kings 3:3, that although he loved the Lord, yet his worship was sinful; granted, Israel did not yet have a temple at that point, but that did not grant him license to worship in any way he liked. He was to still worship and sacrifice only at the Tabernacle (Deuteronomy 12:11-14), and not at high places, which was forbidden (Deuteronomy 12:2)
From these we see that Solomon’s disobedience began as small seeds that blossomed into full grown sin and rebellion in his later years. He did evil in the sight of the Lord in seeking after other gods, practising all manner of abominable worship. We thank God that he did repent and return to the Lord in his later days and wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, lamenting the vanity of seeking after the carnal things in life. May we all learn from Solomon’s example, to never allow sin and temptation to draw us away from our Lord.
Thought: We must nip sin at the bud, and never allow it to blossom!
Prayer: Lord, may You keep my heart always fixed upon Thee.
Posted in Teens RPG
1 Kings 11:1-13
Memorise 1 Kings 11:4 "but he kept not that which the LORD commanded"
WHY DID SOLOMON FALL?
Solomon is said to be the wisest man that ever lived. He was blessed by God with a "wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee" (1 Kings 3:12). His reign over Israel was a golden era of peace and prosperity, where all the surrounding nations journeyed to his courts just to pay tribute to him and to witness his legendary wisdom. He started his reign very well, humbly acknowledging his inadequacies and asking the LORD for discernment and understanding. The early parts of his reign were spent in service to the Lord, in building the temple and establishing the kingdom. In 1 Kings 8 we read his excellent prayer at the dedication of the temple, showing his love and devotion for the Lord, and sincere desire to do His will.
However, upon a closer look, we see that cracks in his relationship with God had already begun to show much earlier on. They were mistakes he made that would fully manifest itself in 1 Kings 11, where he completely fell away from the Lord by seeking other gods. In 1 Kings 3:1, he "made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt" and married Pharaoh’s daughter. In so doing, he compromised with the idolatrous Egyptians, which would later lead him to seek after their gods. This would only be the first of many such sinful alliances that he would make that would lead to his downfall (1 Kings 11:3-4). He completely ignored God’s command for kings not to multiply wives to themselves (Deuteronomy 17:17), and married 700 wives and 300 concubines! On top of that, we also read in 1 Kings 3:3, that although he loved the Lord, yet his worship was sinful; granted, Israel did not yet have a temple at that point, but that did not grant him license to worship in any way he liked. He was to still worship and sacrifice only at the Tabernacle (Deuteronomy 12:11-14), and not at high places, which was forbidden (Deuteronomy 12:2)
From these we see that Solomon’s disobedience began as small seeds that blossomed into full grown sin and rebellion in his later years. He did evil in the sight of the Lord in seeking after other gods, practising all manner of abominable worship. We thank God that he did repent and return to the Lord in his later days and wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, lamenting the vanity of seeking after the carnal things in life. May we all learn from Solomon’s example, to never allow sin and temptation to draw us away from our Lord.
Thought: We must nip sin at the bud, and never allow it to blossom!
Prayer: Lord, may You keep my heart always fixed upon Thee.
Posted in Teens RPG