I am here posting another edition of the Weekend Sermon. I thank the Lord Jesus for this opportunity to share His word each week. It is my hope and prayer that each of you has had a wonderful week.
My new job has been going well. I give thanks to the Lord for His provision in this area of my life. I also want to thank the Lord that I have been getting quite a few writing jobs recently.
In your prayers this week, please continue to pray about the Ebola situation in Africa. Also, pray that the Syrian refugee crisis will be resolved. I heard on NPR this week that the aid agencies are having great difficulty providing food for all of the people who need help. Pray for the Philippines as well. I heard on the news this morning that that nation may be hit by a large storm. I know that there are some people from the Philippines who read the blog. I am praying for your safety. Pray for peace is Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
For the last several weeks, we have been in a series of messages about some of the kings of Israel and Judah. Last week, we studied the life of Jehoshaphat. He was one of the better kings. He really tried to do his best for his people, and he tried to serve the Lord. He wasn't perfect, but no one is perfect expect Jesus Himself.
Today, we turn our attention to a king that I just don't understand at all. Here is a man who had everything in the world going for him. He was highly favored by God, but he ended his life in a mess. The king we will study today is Solomon.
Let me state right away that some of the things I will say about Solomon will be controversial. Many theologians will disagree with my negative assessment of him. I will strive to provide Scriptural support for my arguments.
Solomon was the son of David and Bathsheba. If you recall, David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then conspired to have Bathsheba's husband killed. David and Bathsheba's first child did not live very long. Solomon was their second child. When David died, Solomon became king after a short dispute with one of his brothers as to who was the rightful king.
Solomon started off very well. Shortly after assuming the throne, God appeared to Solomon in a dream as recorded in I Kings chapter 3. God asked Solomon what he would desire from the Lord. Instead of asking for wealth and power, Solomon asked for wisdom in order to rule justly and wisely. Solomon's wisdom is evident in the book of Kings and the book of Proverbs which he penned the majority of.
David had wanted to build a temple for the Lord while he was king. However, since David had been in so many wars and conflicts, God did not let him build the temple. The duty to build a temple for the Lord was given to Solomon. Several chapters in I Kings are devoted to a description of the temple and its construction. After the temple was completed, Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant into the temple and prayed the prayer of dedication.
After the prayer, God once again appeared to Solomon. In I Kings 9, God said that He would honor and bless Solomon and his descendants as long as Solomon walked in the ways of God and did not turn to false gods.
In spite of the fact that God appeared to him twice, and in spite of all of the blessings that God bestowed upon him, Solomon turned on God. This is what I just don't understand about the man.
At some point in his life, Solomon became very pessimistic. This is clearly evident from the book of Ecclesiastes. Some scholars do not believe that Solomon wrote this book, but I believe that it is highly likely.
Many Evangelical scholars have a different take on Ecclesiastes than I do. We can get into that in another message. For now just let me say that I believe that much of Ecclesiastes expresses a view that is not in keeping with what we will see revealed by Jesus. Remember, Jesus is the interpretive framework of Scripture. Jesus is the Word. Jesus did not express an attitude about life as does Solomon in Ecclesiastes.
The Bible tells us in I Kings 11 what happened to Solomon. Contrary to what God had commanded, Solomon married many women from the surrounding nations. The Bible records that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. I Kings 11 beginning with verse 4 states, "For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, 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 build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burned incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him to him twice."
So, what was the end of Solomon. God said that the majority of the kingdom would be taken from him. This happened when Jeroboam led a rebellion against Solomon's son. The ten northern tribes followed Jeroboam with only two tribes following Rehoboam.
Now for the controversy. Was Solomon lost? Did he forfeit his salvation because he turned from the Lord? Many Evangelical scholars will say no. I am going to say that I cannot judge a person's salvation. I will say this. Jesus was very clear in His teaching that if someone turns away from following the truth, that person is lost. You cannot serve God and mammon, Jesus said. You cannot serve God and idols. Many Evangelicals believe in a doctrine of absolute eternal security. I have stated in the past that I believe that Scripture teaches that apostasy is possible. While I do not believe as some Arminian scholars believe that you can sin your salvation away, I do believe that you can make a conscience decision to stop following Jesus. This is reflected by Peter's teaching in 2 Peter 2:17-22.
Solomon also is a great example of another teaching of Jesus. Jesus stated that if someone does not hate father, mother, family and even their own life they are not worthy of Him. Solomon cared more about pleasing his many wives than he cared about following God.
I really have a hard time understanding Solomon. He had God reveal Himself twice to him. God gave him wisdom, wealth, peace and power. And Solomon didn't care. He turned on God anyway. I just don't get it.
So, what can we learn from all of this. What I learn is that we must remain diligent in our walk with the Lord. If someone who had all of this can fall away, any of us are vulnerable. The only way that I know to stay on the straight and narrow path of following Jesus is to daily commit to following Him. To me, being a Christian is a daily acknowledgment that I will this day follow the Lord. It is a daily commitment.
Staying faithful to the Lord requires a daily commitment to obedience to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Staying faithful also requires staying in communion with Jesus. We do this through prayer, meditation and through focusing on the teachings of our Lord. It requires great diligence as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to remain on course as we keep our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith.
I also learn from Solomon that I cannot place anything or anyone above my relationship with Jesus Christ. Solomon placed his wives above his relationship with the Lord God. Scripture tells us the consequences. Anything on anyone that we place above Jesus is our idol. Jesus demands our total allegiance. He demands to be first. We may suffer great loss, and we may have to sacrifice much in order to faithful to Jesus. Jesus demands and deserves no less.
You may be in a situation similar to Solomon. You may find yourself drifting away from a right relationship with the Lord. That can be changed today. Confess your sin, and ask Jesus to forgive you. Then, commit yourself to following the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Next week, I will post the verse of Monday and a review on Wednesday. I will post the sermon on Saturday. May God bless you. Amen.
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