STILL ON KING SOLOMON

Solomon further demonstrated his love for God by building the temple. He prepared the best of materials, timber from tyre, costly stones, gold, silver and other things set aside by David his father for the temple. Solomon followed the specifications and used the best masons and craftsmen. He knew God deserved the best and he gave his best for the house of God. He spent 7years building it. At the dedication of the temple, the Lord filled the temple with his presence; the cloud filled the temple that even the priests could not minister. Solomon dedicated the temple with a heart moving prayer, asking God to bless, the place with his presence and to honor every prayer  offend there by both strangers and indigenes.

Solomon started well but in order to consolidate his kingdom, he shifted from his reliance on God to reliance on self. He began marrying strange wives, the daughter of pharaoh, and other women from Moab, Ammon and Sidon and the land of the Hittites to maintain a good relationship with their kingdom. To satisfy these women, he built temples for their gods. He married 300 hundred wives and had 700 concubines. Unfortunately, these women turned his heart from God. He worshipped Astarte the goddess of Sidon and Milcom the god Ammon. Solomon needed not to have fallen into this pit, but he did not heed the Lord’s warning. God had already forbidden the children of Israel to many shenges because of the tendency to fall into pagan worship and idolatry that characterizes these shenge women. Solomon let down his guard and he fell. Great indeed was the fall. Even though he realizes it much later, but it was too late, the deed has been done. The seeds were sown already and the trend followed through the life of Israel as a nation.

 

LESSONS

A good start is not an indication or a guarantee of a great end. A leaders safeguard is only in continuous connection to God. Following and obeying his commandments every moment. The devil capitalizes on our weaknesses, he comes in through the loopholes and messes up our lives. Our only safety is in relying on God. One would not have expected Solomon in all his wisdom to fall into the temptation of adultery and idolatry but he did. “let him that stands, take heed lest he falls, No man, no leader is immune to temptation.

God would have established his throne in Israel forever as promised in 1 kings 9:5, if he had walked in the integrity of heart and in uprightness.