SOLOMON'S FAILURES:
(1) Extravagance. Self-gratification and self-indulgence led to having to raise taxes and use forced labor, which eventually led to the division of the Kingdom.
(2) Evil companions. He married heathen women and took heathen women as concubines, and allowed their heathen worship to influence him, and finally capture his heart.
(4) Ingratitude. (11:9) He is reproached because he turned away from God, Who had actually appeared to him twice!
(5) Disobedience. (11:10-11) By degrees, he ended up in rank disobedience and rebellion.
(6) Oppression. (12:4) He had a disregard for the burdens of the people and made their service "grievous".
(7) Rebellion. The joy and satisfaction he once found in knowing God, he now vainly looked for in other sources (Eccl.).
WEALTH, WEAPONS, WOMEN: These were Solomon's downfall. He did not fall when he was still insecure. He did not fall during conflict and danger. He did not fall during a time of need, not when he was young and immature. He did not fall BEFORE God had appeared to him. NO! Solomon fell when his Kingdom was established and secure and at peace. He turned away from God and unto idolatry during a time of prosperity when he was old and experienced. Because he was in leadership, his fall took a nation with him! Solomon was the direct cause of the kingdom being torn apart!
DIVIDING THE KINGDOM AGAINST ITSELF: (11:14, 23-25) God stirred up two adversaries against Solomon: HADAD and REZON (leader of an outlaw band). And then the controversy with JEROBOAM and REHOBOAM. Through all this, we see God's SOVEREIGN REIGN, in His sovereign will, His sovereign choice, His sovereign providence, His sovereign law, and His sovereign power.
DEATH OF SOLOMON: (See also 2 Chron 9:29-31). Like his father David, Solomon ruled 40 years.
REHOBOAM: Solomon's son. He ruled Judah, while JEROBOAM ruled Israel (the 10 northern tribes). He was young and inexperienced and reigned for 17 years, died at age 58, and "he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord." He took some bad advice from similarly unseasoned friends, and was a cruel overlord, triggering the split. The Levites fled to the Southern Kingdom, leaving the Northern Kingdom without a temple and without priests.
SOUTHERN KINGDOM NORTHERN KINGDOM
Rehoboam Jeroboam
2 tribes of Judah and Benjamin 10 northern tribes
Capital: Jerusalem Capital: Shechem
Known as Judah Known as Israel
Temple, priesthood "sin of Jeroboam", ministry of Elijah
RESPONSE: Modern-day politicians could learn a thing or two from these guys. On the other hand, Solomon had it all, had heard it all, seen it all, and done it all - and then lost it all. He lost his footing in increments. He didn't just decide to worship idols one day. He inched his way along to that conclusion, by choosing bad associations. It all just nibbled away at him a little at a time, until he was turned away from God, and God was angry with him. We follow God in increments too. As we obey, we are obeying our way INTO God, into holiness, into relationship, and into our destiny as God's friends. Praise and thanksgiving to God is a key to staying in love with Him.
ACTS 9:1-25
SAUL/PAUL, THE PATTERN MAN: Paul wrote, "Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting." (1 Tim 1:16)
First, Paul hated the Church and hated Christians. He persecuted the church, breathing "threatenings and murder" against the disciples, and himself "was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." (1Tim 1:13). God was the aggressor in calling Paul to Himself as a "chosen vessel unto Me". So Paul was chosen, called, and aggressively pursued by God. God had a plan in place for Paul BEFORE Paul was saved. When God finally drew Paul to Himself, Paul was blinded by the Light, alone in the dark, until a disciple named Ananias came to him and touched him - letting Paul know that Jesus loves him. It will be 15 years to Acts 13:2 when Paul is "set apart by the Apostles." Paul began preaching in Damascus IMMEDIATELY after he received his sight. It is probable, according to Gal 1:17, that he then went into the Arabian wilderness for three years to be taught by Jesus Himself.
"immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days." (Gal 1:16-18)
Eventually he was sent home to Tarsus for a season.
RESPONSE: God pursued me too. I had an interest in God because I didn't want to go to hell, but didn't really know what would be required of me to belong to Jesus. If God didn't woo us, and call us, and orchestrate our lives to need Him, we would never want Him, because our flesh "naturally" hates God. (Rom 8:7) Romans teaches us that we are all sinners by birth, by nature and by CHOICE! Thank God He came after me! That He drew me out of a pit to Himself! God loves me because He loves me!
PSALM 131:1-3
TWELTH STEP: Psalm 131: Being "weaned" from the soulish behavior of living by sight, circumstance and feelings. Pride gets involved because living by faith takes dependency on God - not the independence of a 2-year-old.
PROVERBS 17:4-5
The wicked and liars are the only people who should willingly listen to evil and malicious talk. God takes it personally when we "mock the poor" (make fun of their condition, falsely accuse them of laziness, take advantage of them by abusing or oppressing them).
RESPONSE: I remember weaning my daughter from her "binky" (pacifier). She whined, cried, had fits, and let me know that she wanted it! That is how our FLESH acts when we tell it "no!" First it is a little disappointed, but then it can feel like it is screaming for what it wants! It feels like pressure or even an obsession. With time, the noise dies down - we are being weaned. The arena of sight, circumstance and feelings are the FLESH (soul plus body) and the devil has access to us there. We must NEVER live our lives by that. According to Romans 8:6, it is deadly.
No comments:
Post a Comment