Spare Change - October 2023
I was reminded this week in my devotion time how quickly we can turn away from the Lord. I was reading through the life of Solomon and in the first several chapters of 1 Kings I read about how Solomon spent his life honoring the Lord. In chapter 3 God came to Solomon in a dream and told him to ask for anything he desired. He asked for wisdom which pleased God. He gave Solomon great wisdom and as a bonus long life and riches. Solomon grew into the wisest, most powerful, wealthiest king to ever live. He was able to build a great temple for the Lord in Jerusalem. He was recognized by all people to be a great and wise king, however he turned away from God. What happened?
In 1 Kings 11 we see a drastic change. Solomon turns from the Lord and begins to worship false gods. The scriptures say that the reason was because he married many
foreign women. It is recorded that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. These women were from all over the world and when they came they did not assimilate to the Jewish religion. Instead, they kept their religious preferences and were allowed to continue to worship their own gods. This was the reason that God forbade the Jews to marry from other nations. There were rare examples of foreign women marrying Jewish men, but they were assimilated into the Jewish faith like Ruth and Rahab.
Overall, God wanted to encourage full fidelity to Himself which meant His people must not worship foreign gods. For Solomon the influence of the foreign women was too much. He built altars to the gods and allowed his wives to make sacrifices and offerings. This caused the downfall of Solomon and resulted in the kingdom being split. His unfaithfulness to God caused so much pain and suffering for himself, his family, and the people of Israel.
It is amazing to me that Solomon, a once great man of God, fell so hard and so quickly. For all his wisdom he forgot one thing - stay vigilant. From Jesus to Peter and even Solomon himself we are encouraged to keep watch and stay vigilant.
- Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
- Mark 14:38 - Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. - 1 Peter 5:8
- Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. - Prov. 4:23
There is a real danger in letting our guard down. Christians, we must remain vigilant against the schemes of the devil. He loves nothing more than to tempt us to fall and cause destruction in our lives. Often this fall does not just affect us, it ripples out to many others in our lives. In the case of Solomon, it affected an entire nation. What could he have done differently; how could he have avoided such pain and destruction?
To avoid this, you must know what you believe and refuse to compromise. Solomon knew the right thing, he was the wisest man to live, but he refused to stand on that truth. Instead, he compromised his beliefs and turned away from the Lord to false idols. This is a good reminder for us, first we must know what we believe. Do you believe the truth that is found in God’s Word? You too can be wise if you will read it, study it, memorize it, and live it. Second, you must refuse to compromise from what you know is right. Solomon had 1000 women vying for his attention, that was enough to distract him. The world is constantly trying to distract you. We must remain vigilant and not get distracted to the point we fall like Solomon. Don’t think it can’t happen to you. Stay vigilant and keep your feet firmly planted on the Word of God, you can stand no matter what challenge comes your way.