Solomon had it made! He had asked for wisdom from the Lord and received it. Because he asked for wisdom, not wealth or strength or power, God not only gave him the wisdom, but all the rest besides. What could possibly go wrong?
Well there is this small matter of disobedience. Against God's explicit instructions, Solomon married and married and married. He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. The number, however, is not the problem.
He married some from nations where the Lord had explicitly told the Israelites not to intermarry because the wives would turn the Israelites' hearts from the Lord to their own gods.
We don't know exactly what happened to Solomon as he grew older. Perhaps he wasn't as diligent to follow the Lords commands. Perhaps he became arrogant with his wisdom and decided that he was the exception to God's dictates.
Perhaps he simply took things for granted to the extent that he no longer had an appreciation of the blessings of God and failed to heed the message of God. He, with all his wisdom, chose an unwise course of action: marrying women from nations which God had forbidden intermarriage.
Whatever the pathway, he disobeyed. But notice this. He will not have the kingdom wrenched from him. That will be done to his sons! He has, in effect, disinherited his own children.
Consequences for actions are not always immediate. Sometimes they are delayed for generations. But actions have inescapable consequences. We need to keep this firmly in mind when we make our decisions about what to do.
Father, God,
Keep us ever mindful of the rich blessings You have bestowed upon us. Help us to remain faithful to Your precepts. Grant that we may see the consequences of our choices, no matter how far down the road the consequences are hidden.
In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.
Amen.
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