Keith shares his thought for the week; wise up.

King Solomon was said to be one of the wisest of all kings, and certainly, he becomes famous for his decision-making insights. He’d become king after his father David, but it wasn’t until about three years later that his rule was actually established. And even then, he would have been a young man, maybe 18 or 19 years of age.

Now what’s the first thing he did? Ask for the wisdom of God, it wasn’t! The first thing he did was to create a political union with Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. The second thing he did was to then worship God. He gives a thousand burnt offerings, which is extravagant and would have taken some time.

Now it was after the worship sacrifice, after this act of worship, that he encounters God in a dream, not during it. And when he stands before God in his dream, he realises who he actually is. He’s a young man and he’s prone to making mistakes. So in 1 Kings chapter 3, we read about him having a conversation with God and asking for wisdom to rule. And as a result, God promises he’ll also become rich. He goes on to be one of the most influential rulers of his day. But there’s something else, another promise, a conditional one that God gives to him. In 1 Kings 3 verse 14, we read,

If you walk in obedience to me and keep my commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life, a conditional promise of a long life to Solomon.”

1 Kings 3:14

Now we read in 1 Kings 11:42, that he reigned 40 years before he died, which means he died in his late 50s and that’s not old. Why? Because he lost his way. The Bible says he had 700 wives and 300 women in a concubine in 1 Kings 11. Now this was something forbidden by God, but a clear weakness in the life of Solomon. The Bible tells us his heart turned away from God. In Ecclesiastes, he records some of that journey himself. It says everything is meaningless without God.

So what do we take away from this? We can have the most amazing encounters with God as Solomon did throughout his life. But it’s the fruit after those encounters that actually matters. See the man who built the temple forgot to build his own character. When we encounter God, when we claim to be Christians, it must be backed up by a reformed and renewed life. Our spiritual gifts can often write checks that our character cannot cash. So seek God and allow him to change you daily little by little so that the promises of God in your life won’t be cut short, but you’ll be able to live out the full extent of that promise in your life.

I pray you have a great week. God bless.

Every week one of our members shares a short thought aiming to inspire you for the week. You can watch previous Thought For The Week videos by clicking here.