God is Faithful:An Epic contradictory story between King David and King Solomon
1 King 11: 1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.
3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.
7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.
9 The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command.
11 So the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.12 Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
33. I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molek the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in obedience to me, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my decrees and laws as David, Solomon’s father, did.
34 “ ‘But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees. 35 I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten tribes.
36 I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name.
This is God speaking. He said, King Solomon and his people abounded the laws of God, they worshiped idols, goodness and kindness were far from them and they separated themselves from the ways of King David.
But how did King Solomon cast himself away from the very good and righteous deeds that his father taught him to do before he died?
As he was a man of so many curiosities and wondered to know so many things asto why and how things reveal themselves in to existence, he found in a very deadly situation where he couldn't pull back once he was completely overtaken.
But it was not without a warning that he perished. God had so many times told him to take it easy with the so many wives he had. As a king, he took all the opportunities and privileges of being born into and becoming king of a great nation.
He had no background as his father. His father fought every day of his life to become a king seeing God protection and mercy on the wa
through t
the throne.
David deceived himself to have sex with the wife of his servant but couldn’t make his heart stubborn when the warning and punishment came for what he had committed- a terrible and terrible sin against his servant and most of all against God whom he gave him a great responsibility to protect and serve.
On the contrary, when God convicted Solomon of his sin in his word by clearing stating that he should not marry with those woman, he did not stop and confess his sins. Rather, he continued and fell in to the same trap God warned him, the sin of worshiping idols.
He fell in love with a deadly women that killed the very important thing he and his entire generation had kept for so many years, the covenant they had with God. He risked everything that was built before him and the covenant of God with future generations after him. But the story did not end there. HALELUJIA.. If it did, it would have been the saddest story of all.
But God said this,
11 So the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
He didn’t say, “Hay Solomon, you are doomed. The promises I made with your ancestors ends here because one part of the covenant which is you cannot live up to the expectation of me.”
God had the right to stop being faithful to the genealogy of Abraham due to the failures of King David and King Solomon, but he did not stop there. He kept his faithfulness anyhow. There were some consequences of his actions. The kingdom was torn apart in to 12 pieces. In the coming years, his son will not rule over the whole nation, but only over one tribe.
And that is how God kept his promises he made to King David. David was found faithful in the eyes of God because he always humbles himself before God no matter how far he thought he went far away from the grace of God and always pleading God for mercy.
He always clings to the mercy and grace of God as a baby attaches himself to a mother. And God loved him for that since David trembled and humiliated himself under the word of God. He also gave glory to God for his victories over the enemy. It might be unnatural for King Solomon to do that, but David knew how he became what he was.
Life is by itself a ministry and greatest testimony to us in the first place and to those who get the chance to hear our story. David learned from his life experience and glorified God’s name till the end. Two kings with different backgrounds reached different conclusions. David knew where he came from. That could be his greatest character we all need to learn from.
What about you and me? Do we always remember what God has done in our lives? Do we testify that to our souls every day and document that for the next generation?
Or do we fell in to trap of the deceitful of the world with drugs, money, sex, drunkenness or even just idleness. Idleness is the greatest threat to mankind as it leads to all manners of sexual immorality, gossip, drugs, and drunkenness.
We owe God everything. Our youth, our love, energy, time, money, our senses, our strength, our wisdom and many more shou
d be used to serve him at the right time in the right place.
Don’t give your youth/last days to sexual sins as king Solomon did. He chose the wrong choice and made God sad. Solomon put his heart where there is no glory of God. His heart stranded away from his master. “Love” is tough. The love of money is tough. The love of sex is tough. The love of self is tough. That is why many have lost in the wilderness of loving the wrong item.
But the Bible says, “Love your God with all your heart, so
l and w
ll.” That is why we should protect ourselves from loving the wrong thing. If we diligently seek God and his ways, we will not fall astray
If we love him no matter how delicious the apple looks like, we will save our lives.
If we keep our eyes focused on our lord and savior, the beginning and end of our faith, we will not have any problem losing our faith over cheap and cosmetic items.
This world has nothing good for us. Our soul will never be satisfied with false pleasure and unfulfilling cosmetic materials. That is why many die craving for more satisfaction completely taken over by drugs and alcohols. With lust and evil desires, their soul cries day and night to find peace and pure joy which is to meet and dine together with her creator.
May the faithfulness and mercy of God help us every day to have intimate relationship with our father in heaven by the power of the Spirit of God. God has called us in to this beautiful fulfilling, joyful, loving and everlasting relationships we have in Christ Jesus. Let’s keep doing that and we shall make it to the end by his faithfulness!!!
I really like this song and I would like to share it with you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YJ4vddbJJo