10. Remain in the Ways of God
Before his passing, King David gave a charge to his son Solomon, part of which is recorded in 1 Kings 2: 2-4(NIV):
“I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’
King Solomon established his throne on this charge. He developed his own personal relationship with God, and as a result he prospered and walked in divine wisdom. The Lord Himself promised him that in regards to wisdom there never will be anyone like him (1 Kings 3:12). Furthermore, the Lord promised him:
And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.
1 Kings 3:14 ( NIV)
King Solomon grew up aware of the love of God. Not only was this modeled for him by his father David, but he was personally named Jedidiah (loved by God) by the Lord. Furthermore, the Lord had made a promise to King David concerning Solomon:
I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away with Saul, whom I removed before you.
2 Samuel 7:14-15(NIV)
Yet, in spite of this love, in spite of the charge of his father, in spite of establishing his throne in God, King Solomon strayed from the ways of God as seen in 1 Kings 11:1-10 (NIV)
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods,Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command
Just as the Lord had promised his father, the Lord raised up adversaries against King Solomon, and in death, tore his kingdom away from him (1 Kings 11:11-40)
Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen
1 Kings 11:13( NIV)
King Solomon reigned over Israel for forty years. The Lord kept His promise to King David and in spite of his transgressions, the Lord remained faithful to King Solomon. He never took away his wealth or his wisdom.
King Solomon lived a life of luxury and indulgence. Everything he ever wanted was available to him. As he said, money answers all things. And because of this, he more than anyone else is qualified to say:
I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve,everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;nothing was gained under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11(NIV)
Your Turn
It is easy to judge King Solomon but how many of us would be able to remain faithful to God if we were accorded the same power, status and wealth?
How many of us, in our search for wealth have deviated from God’s ways and compromised our faith? Have you raised up idols for yourself? Do you take advantage of God’s faithfulness and grace as excuses to indulge in what the world has to offer?
We are all guilty of this, in one form or the other.
The book of Ecclesiastes is believed to be King Solomon’s repentance for neglecting the ways of God. Will you too repent for turning away from the ways of God?
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecclesiastes 12:13( NIV)