I made a statement just a moment ago.
When I said in the 40 years that King Solomon was on the throne,
what was it that happened in his life that led to his shame?
Solomon didn't wake up one day and then all of a sudden find
himself in a shameful condition, he didn't wake up one day and on
all of a sudden find that his heart was different than it was
the day before, there was a progression and a downward slope
as it were in the heart of the wisest man that ever lived.
You know, when we look at this man's life, we see so many ups
and downs, but more UPS, we find him living in a time and raining
on the throne over all Israel. That was in a time of Peace,
everything was set into motion that would be perfect for him to
be the king that he needed to be.
He didn't have to fight against the Philistines, he didn't have
to fight against those that were the enemies of God's people.
He didn't have folks like Saul was to King David looking to
kill. Kill him and take his life.
But King Solomon in all of his glory found himself on a
downward slope that ended in shame.
You know, in the third chapter of the book of First Kings the
Bible, First of all, pictures, and the reason I mention this is
because in the Bible, the Bible says that King Solomon had many
wives. In fact, the scripture says he
had 700 wives and he had 300 concubines.
Now, a concubine was a secondary wife.
They didn't have the same legal Rights to land and possessions,
and whatnot. But they were also considered as
a spouse of an individual. So, when the Bible says, that
King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, no doubt, we can
deduce to say this, that Solomon had a thousand wives where he
was married to a thousand different women or thereabouts.
But you know, of all the ones that Solomon was married to the
Bible describes in First Kings chapter 3.
The one that is deemed to be his favorite, it was the daughter of
pharaoh. You remember?
Also, in the book of Song of Solomon, she is the heroine in
the Song of Solomon. In fact, in chapter 1 of Song of
Solomon, we have there, the words that are written basically
coming from her standpoint delivered, the King Solomon.
And then in verse 8, down through the rest of the chapter
we find that is the response of Solomon to those Words of this
woman. She is the one that is described
in the Bible or describes herself in the King James
version as black and comely. Now she was an Egyptian woman
and no doubt she was dark. The King James version says,
black other translations say dark.
I looked up that word and that word means Dusky.
And that's interesting to me because Dusky to me is a bad
thing. I remember I remember was seeing
people that are deprived of oxygen, they turn.
This gray color and they get Dusky, and that's the word that
I understand, is Dusky, but no, and that's not attractive at
all, but no doubt that's not what's being meant there in the
book of Song of Solomon for. She says that she is as black as
Solomon's curtains. And so she's picturing herself
in a beautiful way, Solomon, had it all.
And in Our Minds Eye we can reflect back now and picture.
This is a man, probably around the age of Of 20 and he's going
to find that something's going to happen to him.
That is magnificent. How many times, or how many
people in the Bible? Can say that God spoke to them
or came to them directly and yet in gibeon, that's exactly what
happens. And you remember when the Lord
comes to Solomon, Solomon is a young man now and he's on the
throne. He is to be the king.
And the only thing he could think of is how magnificent a
position that it is. And the only thing he can think
about is how unworthy that he is to be in such a position and
have such a task that is before him, you remember that we
studied that the Lord asked Solomon.
A question. He says, what is it that I might
give you? What is it that you request of
me? Now, interestingly, I think it's
important that we remember that God is not saying as some
commentators would say, God is not saying ask whatever,
question that, You want, ask whatever favor that I might give
you ask whatever it is and you will have it carte, blanche,
whatever it is. That you ask nowhere in the
Bible, does it say that though? Some commentators deduce that.
What's being said, is, is he's just simply asking him a
question. He never says, and I will give
you everything you asked for. He just says, what is it that
you ask of me that I might do for you?
And Solomon began with words of praise.
And he said you showed great kindness you showed great mercy
and that's what that word means and that passage Mercy.
You know, sometimes we look at the word mercy as receiving
something from someone you didn't deserve now.
No doubt anything that comes from God, man does not deserve.
But this word mercy just means kindness.
He said you showed my father kindness and you put him on the
throne and he said and then you explode my father kindness by
extending me the throne to And then he says this.
He says, how is it that I could rain or I could be in a throne
of so vast, the people so great. A number that cannot be even
numbered so many people that are so great, your people.
He said, all I ask is for an understanding and Discerning
heart that I might better be able to perform my duties.
That I might better be able to determine what is right and what
is wrong that I might be able to sit down with someone on a
matter that I might be able to understand what it is that I
must do. Do in raining over the kingdom
and in satisfying disputes or whatever.
It is another words. King Solomon is a young man, and
this man realizes with his humility, I am not up for the
charge. I am not up for the task.
I need your help. Give me the understanding and
the wisdom to be able to be the king that you want me to be.
You know, I remember when I was 20, I knew everything.
I really did. We all do?
You know fact it's interesting to me and no shot.
Hey, you just got married and I'm not talking about you. but
it's interesting to me when people just get married in their
young man, they've got it all figured out They've got all the
answers, they know all about the family, but there's something
that happens in our life that causes us to have some
knowledge, some wisdom, and some understanding about matters like
that, it's called years, it's called gray hair, it's called
wrinkles. Those warm apps that are on our
face. Tina and I in it.
Now we are older than we ever have been but we are not old
folks yet, but we're not young people.
I guess we're somewhere in between.
No, we don't know, all the answers, but she and I have
laughed about all the things that we thought we once knew.
Like that song that says, I know so much more now than back.
When I knew it all, and that's a fact.
How many people though are 20 years old and placed in a
position of Honor like King Solomon and be so humble in his
heart and have such humility in his heart.
That the only thing he could say is I'm not worthy.
I'm not worthy of it all. I want you to do.
He says to God is give me the tools.
Give me the wisdom. Give me the understanding.
Give me the knowledge. Give me what I need so that I
can sit on this throne and do what you want me to do.
What an amazing heart. And you know the Bible says that
God responds back to Solomon and he is so pleased because he
responds to Solomon. And he says because you have not
asked me for richest because you didn't ask me for Honor because
you didn't ask me for all of those things that you could have
in this world because you didn't ask me that I would remove your
enemies. You know, incident.
Let's take a little side note there.
Do you remember when David before he was King and he's
having a Conversation with his best friend, his best friend in
the whole world. Jonathan, and you remember when
Jonathan says to David, he says this.
Now, David reigned during a time of War, David had enemies
everywhere enemies against God's people personally against him
and against God's people and against the throne and even
against God. So he lived in a different time.
But do you remember what Solomon is very best friend in the whole
world said to him. He said, One day, God is going
to remove all of your enemies from you and when he does, all I
ask of you is that you would extend to me the same kindness
that God has extended to you. And if I'm dead, if I'm out of
the picture, then all I would ask is that you would extend the
same kindness to my family and David says, I will we all know
the story. It was extended to mephibosheth
his son and so forth. If God, bestowed, the same thing
to David, maybe it would be natural for Solomon to say the
same thing. Because the things that Solomon
does not ask for are not in themself bad.
How do we know that if these things that God says, you didn't
ask me for riches. You didn't ask me for Honor.
You didn't ask me that I remove your enemies and you didn't ask
me for a long life. You know how we know that,
that's not bad, that those things aren't bad things to
have. Because God gives him those
things too. And if it was bad God would have
never done that. That's not the point.
The point was, God was impressed by the fact that this young man
didn't ask for those things he didn't ask for those things,
which would have been selfish. He just asked for an
understanding heart that he might show wisdom in the world
and God said, because you have asked of that I am so pleased
with that. I'm going to Grant you wisdom
and understanding and you're going to have wisdom that far.
Has anyone that has ever lived in days gone by and anyone that
will ever live in the future, you're going to be the wisest
man in the world. And because you didn't ask for
this, I'm going to Grant you riches to, you're going to be
the wealthiest man in the world. You're going to have honor among
men. I'm going to grant you that too.
But there was one thing though that and these are Promises by
the way, wisdom riches and honor.
These are things that God promises to Solomon and it
appears to me that he is promising, these things to him
unconditionally what was the condition of receiving riches
and honor and all of that. The fact that his heart was not
arrogant enough and self-serving enough to ask for those things,
he asked for wisdom. God says, you're going to have
it and I'm going to give you Riches and honor and all of
that. But there was one thing that was
one thing that had a condition attached to it.
God said, and if you keep my statutes if you keep the
Commandments, if you keep the things that I extended down to
your father, King David that he kept all the days of his life.
If you do that, then I will lengthen, thy days, I will add
years to your life. You know, what's interesting?
What's interesting to me is, I've actually thought That David
a man that was one of the four men that were handsome and
built. Well, that's described in the
Bible, we picture a strong man. We picture a handsome, man.
We picture a man that looked I would imagine athletic he was
built well. But you remember what happened
to David? I've always, I've always been
interested in the fact that in days of Bible times.
When people live for a long long time, that all of a sudden we
pictured David as a decrepit old man.
That is in his bedchamber as it were and he is so frail.
He is so sickly. He is so weak that he is unable
to regulate his own body temperature.
So abishag, the young beautiful Maiden is brought to him and she
is Is there for the purpose of helping him to stay warm?
So the Bible pictures, this great one.
David as a decrepit old sickly man at 70.
So when God says to Solomon, I'm going to lengthen your days.
If you keep my statutes, if you keep my Commandments and all of
that, we can picture a man that may be lived.
I don't know, 80 90 100, maybe more.
What's interesting is, we're just jump ahead really quick,
and then we'll get back Solomon died at the age of 60.
I'm going to tell you something, folks.
When God makes a promise that's conditional.
If you don't keep that condition, you will not get the
promise. I think shot he was talking
about. I think I think he was that he's
working on a sermon on God's promises and it's true God keeps
the promise he will never turn his back on a promise.
Absolutely but when a promise is attached to a condition then God
is not obligated to give you that promise that he has said I
will give you if you don't keep the condition.
Solomon died at the age of 60 because he didn't keep the
statutes, his heart was turned. But I'll tell you something else
though. His heart was turned over a long
period of time. Why do we always say, to our
young people to make good choices?
Why do we always say when we see someone is just on the fringes
and they're drifting ever? So slightly.
Why is it that we reach out and pull them back in?
Why is it that when they come to us and they say, but Dad or Mom
or whatever. It's not that big a thing.
It's not that bad. It's okay and itself but we,
that that are supposed to have more wisdom than they and
hopefully, we do look to that and we see what's down at the
other end of the road, we see a Pearl.
Russian and so there may be things in life that are not
necessarily wrong in themself at that moment, but they lead to
something that is unwise, they lead, the something that is bad,
they lead to our shame. Those are things.
We have to turn our foot from the path and go in an opposite
direction. Solomon now is a man of great
wisdom, he was given now, no doubt we've mentioned this to in
the past Solomon had to have the wisdom of Of a great man to ask
God, for more wisdom at the age of 20, he had to have been a
guy. He had to have been a man that
had regular knowledge like you and I have but maybe knowledge
that surpassed any other 20 year old.
But the knowledge and the wisdom he was about to get was
Supernatural, wisdom that far surpassed anyone that had ever
lived at any time. But notice this.
What is wisdom? Is wisdom something that's got
us by the back of the neck. That's going to make us make the
right choices. No wisdom is a tool.
Wisdom is a tool that all of us have to put into practice.
If we don't put wisdom into practice, it's like keeping a
tool in the barn or in the shed. It's doing it's no good at all.
At some point in time, with some of the decisions that Solomon
had to make. He had to take the tool that God
gave him. That was what he needed and put
it away in the tool shed and make a poor choice.
God never. Or takes away our freedom of
choice. He never does.
He gives us the tools though. He gives us his word that we
might understand what it is that he wants us to do, and then when
we ask God for wisdom, he gives it not grudgingly, not a little
bit, not holding back. The Bible says he gives it to us
liberally. But we have to use the tool that
he gave us Solomon, all of a sudden.
Right now, I don't know how many how much time went by from the
time that he performed sacrifices and Thanksgiving to
God for the things that God promised him right here.
And now and the time that to harlots come to him over one
baby. You remember what Solomon does?
He sets into motion a wise decision to harlots come.
We all know the story one, baby. They're all.
They're both saying. It's my baby and so on there.
No testimony from anyone that Solomon could have referred to
there were no witnesses. There was no one that knew the
case, there was no one. That was there that saw the
birth of the two babies that are in question.
There was no one no one to consult.
He had to make a choice and he does, he said bring me a sword
and I will divide the baby in half and I will give each of you
a half. You know, Solomon really wasn't
going to do that Solomon was putting them to the test.
Because of his wisdom, he knew that the real mother would rise
up. And she did she said no, no, no
give the child to her. Another words give the child to
my rival. It was better in her eyes to
have her child go. And be with someone that is her
rival that wants her baby. And she would feel the feeling
of Detachment from her own child.
That's better than seeing her own child dead.
You know, if the other woman said, fine Cut him in half.
She was more concerned of misery loves company.
If I can't have my child, she's not having hers either.
What the Bible says about that. the Bible says, and all Israel.
All Israel heard of the Judgment, which the king had
judged and they feared the king for.
They saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment.
And the Bible says in chapter 4, that the King King Solomon was
King over all Israel. And furthermore, down in verse
29, it says, and God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding
exceeding, much and largeness of heart.
Even at the sand, that is on the seashore and saw Solomon's
wisdom excelled, the wisdom of all the children of the East
Country, and all the wisdom of the of Egypt.
You know this word these two words, wisdom and understanding
here. Understanding is talking about
knowledge. So Solomon had greater knowledge
than anyone. Wisdom wisdom is something that
we do. That's the ability to use the
knowledge that we have. You know, people came far, far
away to hear the wisdom of Solomon when it talks about
that, he exceeded all those in Egypt, it's talking about those
that were known for geometry. Those that were known for
arithmetic, those that were known for astronomy, those that
were known for medicine. This was a man that far
surpassed all of those. And when it talks about those
that are in the East, it's referring to all those.
That were the edomites, the ones that were known for their
wisdom. He had wisdom that was far
greater in the Bible says, in verse 34 of chapter 4 and there
came all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon from all Kings
of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.
You know his great wisdom led to his greatest work.
We find that his building projects now were underway and
the building projects of Solomon lasted for about 20 years, the
building of the temple was about seven years and and the 13 years
to build the king's Palace or the King's house.
And so that was the building projects, but his great wisdom,
led to his great work. His greatest work, wasn't
building the Temple, and you remember in the sixth chapter,
Getting in verse 11, where the scripture says and the word of
the Lord came to Solomon saying, I want to make this point
though. It says the word of the Lord
came to Solomon and not the Lord.
The Lord comes to Solomon on two different occasions.
One is found in chapter 3 in gibeon that was directly and
also we find it later on in chapter 9 directly here.
No doubt it was someone that was maybe a profit maybe even
Nathan. We remember the story of Nathan
and how Nathan fit in the Kingdom as well.
But the word comes to Solomon and he says concerning this
house, which Thou Art in building.
If here's conditions again, if thou Wilt walk in my statutes
and execute my judgments and keep all my Commandments to walk
in them, then will I perform my word with thee?
Which I spake unto David thy, father, and I will dwell among
the children of Israel and will not forsake, my people.
So, Solomon built the house, House and finished it.
The last verse of the chapter says that it took seven years in
building it. And then in chapter 7 and verse
1, it says, but Solomon was building his own house, 13
years, and he finished all of his house.
You know, there was a time at the Feast of the dedication of
the Temple. That Solomon still appeared to
have the proper kind of heart. That he refers back as he
standing before the whole congregation.
And he refers back to his father, David.
And he says about David. He says that David, My Father,
David wanted to build the temple, and he talks about how
God praised David in his desire to build the temple.
Even though it wasn't going to be David himself, it was going
to be your son, you know, sometimes in the Bible when it
talks about a son, it's referring Loosely or generically
to me, could even be a grandson, it could be someone.
That was your son in the faith that we Find about in the New
Testament scriptures. But this right here, what
Solomon is saying is Solomon says, as a God had promised to
my father David, it wouldn't be him directly though.
Praising him for his desire to build the house.
He said it would be from his loins.
Meaning, it would be his own flesh and blood.
It would be his own son, and it would be Solomon.
And Solomon would be the one who Not only would sit on the throne
but build the temple. Bible says that Solomon stood
before the altar of the Lord and the presence of all the
congregation of Israel and he spread forth, his hands toward
heaven and he said, Lord God of Israel, there's no God like unto
thee in Heaven above or on Earth beneath who keep his Covenant
and I get this. There's no one in the world.
And when he talks about God's here in a multiple sense or a
plurality here, he's not saying that there is more than one
acceptable. God, he is saying that there are
many people in the world. That recognized Idol gods.
And what he's doing is, he's praising God to this degree.
He says there's no one that even professes to be a god.
There's no one that's ever even recognized as a god.
There's no God in heaven, there's no God beneath, there's
no God on Earth, there's no God, anywhere, that's like you.
Because you keep your promises. You keep your Covenants.
Get this and your mercy to your servants that walk before thee
with all their heart. Isn't that today too.
Who's an old preacher one-time. Preached, a sermon called will
God keep a promise. He will keep a promise at the
fact. To all those that walk after him
with all their heart. You know, we looked at the life
of King David for a long time. And, you know, the Bible Praises
David and God. Praises David, and God says to
Solomon, he makes comparisons to Solomon.
He says, I want you to walk after me, like, your father,
David did with all your heart and I want you to do it.
Like David did, who did it with all of his heart?
Now, wait a minute. We look at the life of David and
we find that he had sin in his life.
He committed a horrible act, he committed, an act of adultery,
tried to hide, it was guilty of lying and then murder He passed
down that judgment to. And yet, God looks at his life
as a man that walked after him with all of his heart.
You know, that tells me that there's a difference between
someone whose heart has changed and turns their back on the
Lord. And someone that just makes a
mistake and falls down, needs to get back up.
I tells me there's a big difference because I'm going to
tell you something, folks. They were something about the
life of King Solomon. There was something about his
heart that God didn't, like there was something about his
life. There was something about his
judgments. There was something about his
heart that changed in God's eyes.
And yet, we don't read about specific sins that he committed
like what David did. That's a difference, folks.
And I'm going to tell you something else, too. when Jesus
gave the parable, When he gave the parable of those that were
to people, when they came to Jesus, and one was guilty of a
tremendous amount of sin. When Jesus looked at these two
debtors he said who's going to love me more?
The one that had sinned or the one that didn't have as much
sometimes our service becomes better and greater because of
our mistakes. I am grateful that all of the
dumb choices that I made as a young man, I'm thankful that I
don't have long-term ramifications about those
things. I'm grateful sometimes we do but
we can learn about those things and learn from our past and be
better than we've ever been. And serve God more because we
appreciate the fact that in his loving tender Mercy, he extended
our life to the point that we were able to get our life in
proper order, and he gave us the time to do it, and it causes us
to be grateful, he causes us to be thankful.
Solomon now is as we read in our text is at the height of
prosperity here again, here again.
The Lord is going to give him some conditions, no doubt, the
Lord can see. And, you know, the Lord is the
only one that can judge a man's heart.
How many times have we said that?
How many times have we said? In?
Somebody says that they're sorry about this, or they're sorry
about that. Or sometimes somebody does
something, they behave a certain way and it is true that
sometimes we want to judge their motives.
We want to judge there. Our hearts and we might get it
right? But really we took a guess at it
because the only God knows the heart of man.
Now in the eyes of the people, in the eyes of Israel, Solomon
is in a beautiful position, he's a great example, in the eyes of
the people But God warns him again.
And this is the second time that God Appears to him and speaks to
him directly. And it says this, if thou Wilt
walk, before me as thy, father, David had walked in Integrity of
heart. And in uprightness to do,
according to all that, I have commanded thee and will keep my
statutes and my judgments. Then I will establish the Throne
of the on my of thy kingdom upon Israel forever.
As I promised of David thy Father saying there shall not
fail thee. A man upon the throne of Israel.
There's going to be a successor but there's the condition.
Again you've got to keep the condition and he's warning to
he's warning Solomon again but notice the very next verse God
says this. But if you shall at all, he
didn't say, if you completely he didn't say, if you 100% he says,
if you at all At all turn from following me, you or your
children and will not keep my Commandments and my statutes,
which I have set before you but go and serve other gods and
worship them if you do that, not only full-blown.
But if you do it at all, if you turn your back on me at all and
you go back to serving other gods in any way, shape, or form.
Then I will cut off Israel out of the land, which I have given
them. And this house, which I have
hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight?
And Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people.
It's going to be the butt of every joke.
If you do that, you know, I think that this verse here is
referring to the specific, Babylonian captivity, Second,
Kings, 24 and 25. We will get there eventually but
that's what that's referring to. But God continues also he says
when people walk by and see wait a minute, why has God done this?
It's going to be common knowledge.
And they're going to say this because they forsook the Lord
their God who brought forth their fathers out of the land of
Egypt and taken hold upon other gods and worship them and serve
them. Therefore hath the Lord brought
upon them, all this evil. Then the Bible says, remember we
studied about high Ram, the king of Tyre and tie and this King
helped Solomon, this King helps Solomon.
This King supplied him with the Why's that he needed with the
gold that he needed with the timber that he needed with the
trees that he needed with all the things that he needed, you
know? I think there's a picture here
of a loan scenario. He's loaning these things to him
and then in a future time or further time when he would have
abundance in the Kingdom, he would be able to pay back and
great in a great way. But the Bible says he doesn't do
that, he gives him 20 cities. He gives him 20 cities.
Of Galilee in the land of Galilee, you know, that sounds
like a great thing when it be great to get 20 cities.
But then Hiram goes and looks at the cities and he sees it as
Barren land as worthless land. You know, First Kings doesn't
say this, but in second chronicles it does, it says that
that high Ram, basically turned the land back, he didn't take
the land. He said, it is worthless in
essence. That word means cable is what he
called it, and it means dry and Sandy.
It also, So means sterile it was useless to him.
Some Scholars say that maybe this is a picture of the
stinginess in the heart of King Solomon.
You know, the other day I was talking to Terry and I asked him
how many guys he has working And Terry has a lot of usually, as a
lot of men working for him. He said about 25, I think he
said, I want you to picture this.
What if you had so many guys working for you?
You want to talk about a man that has it all at his
fingertips at his disposal. You had talked about having so
many guys. What if you had so many men that
it took 550 supervisors to oversee them now that to crew
That's a big outfit. These were the men.
Now, all the children of Israel, none of them were slaves or
enslaved to it. There were others from foreign
lands that were in bondage, but not the children of Israel.
They were workers, in fact, the children of Israel though that
they were Men of War. There was times when they had to
work and labor and the labor force was so great.
It took five hundred and fifty men to oversee it Remember, the
time that the Queen of Sheba comes to Solomon?
You know, when you're a certain kind of person you know a lot of
times we look to athletes as those that are famous. and you
hear about, And you could take a person that's not known at all
and you can make them, you can have him do something or be
known for something. He becomes famous to some
degree. Well, the fame of Solomon spread
so much that the Queen of Sheba. One day, she decides to come to
Solomon. Now, she heard many great things
about Solomon. She heard about his wisdom, she
heard about his knowledge. She heard about the fact that he
is exceeded all those in Egypt, even those that were Masters in
medicine. And she comes to him with
riddles and questions. She's testing King Solomon.
And the Bible says that he answered every single thing that
she had inquired, every single thing that she threw down.
He had a perfect answer for and when he was finished, the Bible
says that she looked at him and she says this, I heard it was
great. As I paraphrase.
I heard that you were all this wise, I heard all of that but it
was nothing compared to what I've seen with my own eyes and
and heard with my own ears. And here's the point.
Remember how we talked about how, when we do good things?
I loved our brothers prayer today, did you hear what he said
about those that are in Arkansas?
May they have an opportunity. May they have a platform, may
they have an opportunity to do good in the community.
May, they have an opportunity to assist in Aid.
Someone else even though they need the aid themself to, but
they reach out and they do that, who gets the praise.
God gets the Ace God gets the glory.
Do you remember years ago, Bruce Roebuck held a meeting over at
Brundage and he was talking about, actually it was an
Arkansas around the place of Mountain Home.
I think that he was living there at the time and somebody was in
need in the world, something happened.
I think the the wife died and the husband had all these kids
and he had to care for the kids and he had to do all that, but
he had to work so he was he couldn't work.
It care for them word, got out. It got on the News and the
Salvation Army with their vests on came and they came to their
aid in that wonderful. But Bruce's point was When it
was all said and done. The Salvation Army got the
credit. They got the glory. but when we
wear the banner of Christ, As demonstrated by our life.
And we help those that are in need.
We do that, which is good and right.
It's God, that gets the praise. And he gets the glory.
You know what the Queen of Sheba said. when all of that was said,
When she recognized how wise he was.
She finally says it had to come from God.
She recognized that what he had had to come from God.
Moving on quickly, there were three things, this is the our
final points. There were three things
according to Deuteronomy chapter, 17, that a king was not
to do. and, you know, Solomon, we talked about what happened
during the 40 Years of his Reign that caused his dissent And you
know, really what he does is he is guilty of all three things
that Deuteronomy chapter 17 says that a king was not to do one,
he was not to use the office for the position of being a king to
a mass or increase wealth unto himself.
That was number one, he was not to do that.
Did he do that? Certainly did, you know, we
talked about millionaires today, signing bonuses than a player, a
baseball player or football player It's common to say that
somebody signed and got a 20 million dollar bonus.
It's common, we're not impressed with that at all in this day and
time. Listen to what Solomon was
getting in ancient Bible times in verse 14 of chapter 10, it
says that the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year
was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold.
You know what that is you late that out that that's first of
all, the weight of it that 25 tons of gold You know how much
25 tons of gold according to if they're right according to
modern-day estimators that would have been about 20 million
dollars in one year's time. That's the gold that came to the
king twenty million dollars. He was not to use the position
of being a king to amass wealth or increased wealth unto himself
Deuteronomy 17. Second thing Deuteronomy 17 says
that a king was not to use the position of being a King to
multiply horses unto himself. He did that fourteen hundred of
them. You know.
He talked about the hilly Rocky terrains and so forth.
He didn't need all those chariots.
What good is the Chariot in the Hills?
But he amassed that to be multiplied horses unto himself
and third. And finally, and this will spend
the rest of our time on He was not to use the position of being
a king and multiply wives unto himself. 700 wives of princesses
of other kingdoms. You know what that tells me that
tells me that Solomon was more interested in increasing his
Renown than he was of any other thing, his heart had changed,
and his heart changed long before his idol-worshipping
wives, let his heart astray. He wanted to increase his
renowned, he wanted to increase all of those things, he brought
great wealth, his way multiplied horses unto himself and he
multiplied wives, too. And he had 700 wives and 300
concubines Fellas. Can you imagine that it?
Listen, it's hard. It's hard to keep one happy all
the time. A thousand of them.
A man that wanted to increase his renown.
You know, the Bible says that these were wives that served
other gods and the scripture says, in verse 5, for Solomon
went after asterisk, the goddess of the zidonians.
And after milcom, the abomination of the ammonites,
and Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not
fully after the Lord as did David his father, then did
Solomon built a high place for chemo.
Wash the abomination of Moab in the hill that is before
Jerusalem. And for Molech, the abomination
of the children of Ammon What happened is, what happened is
the evil influences of his wives, led him into idolatry and
he supported that he built. Places that they could worship
their Idol Gods. Why?
Because he chose wives for the wrong reason.
Why do you think? We spend so much time telling
our young people to date in the church?
Why do we spend so much time telling our young folks to marry
a Christian. Someone that shares our faith.
Why do we do that? You know, I'm impressed with our
young people in the Brotherhood and that's why it's so important
to go to meetings were where young people can meet other
young people and then they meet friends and then they become
long-term lifetime friends, and then they be, they date folks.
And so on, even though I'm not gonna let Taylor date till she's
married, But it's a good thing for others.
As they find people, they're going to spend the rest of your
life with But I'll tell you something, there's reasons for
that, because little by little the heart of Solomon.
Now, I want you to remember this.
He is the wisest smartest man in the world. now, if the wisest
smartest man in the world, Can have his heart turned and
changed because of his idol-worshipping wipes.
Where does that leave me and you?
where, Where's that leave us? He's wiser and smarter than
anyone. And he failed.
Bible says that the Lord was displeased with him.
One more thing about promises, I'm wrapping my sermon, he'll
close, you've been so patient and listening were almost
finished. You remember, when God gave him
the conditions of the promise, sometimes people in the world
say, God left me. Where was God, where was God
when this happened and so on, you know, God has never ever
ever. I don't care what you've been
through. God has never left your side
ever. He never has If he's not there,
it's because you left him. and, you know, when the Bible says in
the story of Samson in his life, Delila wore him down.
And finally he says well it'll be like all times before I'll
rise up and I'll shake myself it'll be like all times before
but some of the saddest words and all the Bible but he knew
not that the Lord was departed from him.
When does the Lord depart? When we depart from him.
The Lord left Solomon, because Solomon left the Lord.
You know what God says, God says, I'm going to take the
kingdom now. He was angry and I'm going to
rent it from you, but he says I'm not going to do it while
you're still living for your father's sake and there's going
to be a divided Kingdom, that's next.
At the end of this chapter, we find that Solomon dies.
Solomon dies. And then we start hearing
characters like jeroboam the son of nebat.
He was an evil King and in the northern kingdom which was ten
tribes. He would Reign Over the northern
kingdom. He was the first king on the
Northern Kingdom of Israel. The southern kingdom was Judah
and Benjamin was with Judah, but the Bible just describes it as
Judah. And Solomon, son.
Also in he's evil King was real bone and he would be on that
Throne. The Divided Kingdom.
Look at the ramifications of poor choices.
God said, there's going to be a successor on the throne forever,
if you serve me and your children do the same, In his
lifetime, then even have to get to the, to the kids in his
lifetime and at the age of 60, after a 40-year Reign, he dies.
And the kingdom is divided. As the next thing we're going to
talk about is the history and the story of The Divided
Kingdom, Israel and Judah. We thank you for listening to
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
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