After the reign of David, his son Solomon began his rule.
Solomon was the son of David and Bathsheba, yes the adulterous relationship’s
outcome was to be the King builds God’s house. As we consider this impact a
couple thoughts come to mind. What we intend for bad the Lord often times
intends for Good. (Romans 8:28) Secondly, even
when we make mistakes God will always be glorified in the end.
First, when we seek God with all of our
heart, He will be found (1 Kings 3:3-7). (Jer.
29:13, Prov. 3:5-6) Solomon, was wise in realizing that if he was to be a successful King
he must seek the Lord for guidance. For you and I we may not become leaders of
a nation, but we will always need guidance. Seek the Lord. We say the verse
“trust in the Lord…and He will guide your path,” but we don’t truly live it. I
know as an American I struggle to guide myself, my way. Reality, all those who
preceded me successfully in history were always dedicated to the Lord guiding
their steps.
Correlating directly to seeking the Lord
Solomon had success because he Honored the Lord. Those who honor God will be
honored by Him (1 Kings 3:11-13; 1 Samuel
2:30). This is not like a professional baseball player blowing a kiss toward
the sky if they hit a homerun, this is true genuine lifestyle of acknowledging
that everything we have, everything we’ve done or will do is because of the
Lord. The few pastors that I truly “admire” I admire for two reasons, 1. Their
preaching 2. Their honor of the Lord in everything. Thirdly, As we continue to honor the Lord and move into
whatever role God will equip us to
accomplish the tasks He calls us to if we will rely on Him (1 Kings 3; Romans 12:3-8; 2 Peter
1:3-11; Eph. 4).
Many think that Solomon
“held it together for the entirety of his reign.” Truth be told he didn’t.
Which leads to point four, the spiritual life is a marathon, not a sprint. A
good start is not always enough to finish well (1
Kings 3, 11, Hebrews 12:1) Solomon didn’t finish well for several
reasons, but toward the end he makes a great choice. He asks the Lord to
re-incline his heart toward the Lord. We too can sincerely ask God to incline
our hearts toward Him (1
Kings 8:57-58) (Psalm 119) Why is it important for us to incline
our hearts? - Because There’s always people swaying us – (Mat.
7:15, Mat. 24) Solomon’s desire for women led to his fall. He married non-Jewish
women for numerous reasons that I’ll cover in another post, (1 Kings 11:1-13). We must always
remember those closest to us will affect our spiritual lives (Exodus 34:16; 1 Kings 11:1-8; Daniel 1, 3; 1
Corinthians 15:33), and we must therefore be very careful of the company we keep.
