12.05.2010 The Story of the Bible (5) - Solomon - Guard Your Heart

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As we move into winter... - I am reminded of Jesus' words: He who wishes to become great – let him become servant of all – for those of you more able-bodied (guys!) - if you could park on the street – so that those of us who are more seasoned – and those with young children – can use the parking lot. We have plans for making room for more - enlarging our parking lot - but that won't take place until Spring.

In February, Alan and Annette and I will be going to Honduras with Grace Point – they build a house for a family and do a VBS type thing – and give out Christmas boxes to those in remote areas. The goal is to be like the 12 spies – going down as a forerunner – in hopes of scoping out opportunities for us in the future to go as a church team. This is something to keep in mind – as we go down the road here.

1 Kings 3

This has been one of the hardest teachings for me to put together – When it started, I thought I knew exactly where I was going – and as you study it, you question whether you have everything right – and I wanted to make sure it comes out correctly - it seems like it took a long time to come...

Lord, we thank You – and I thank You for our church and how You have blessed us and made us a blessing to many. I think how well small groups are going, and Sunday School, and worship, and fellowship, and helping the community – even as Christmas comes, I think of those in need. I pray for jobs for those who don't have them – and better jobs for those who need a better job. Draw us near to You – bless us, and speak to our hearts. Help me to be listening to You and even as I speak, to listen for You. May You be honored and glorified. We are unworthy to serve You – but You have given us life.

We have been going through The Story of the Bible – a story of redemption. Today we are going to be looking at the Kings – specifically Solomon. David ushered in the Golden Age of Israel. It was the best of times – and Solomon inherited that. They were at the peak of wealth. Solomon built the temple – which David had provided for.

1 Kings 3:4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." 6 Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for--both riches and honor--so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." 15 Then Solomon awoke--and he realized it had been a dream.

Solomon had a great start – and this is usually the story we hear about Solomon – an unselfish heart wanting to serve God's people. He was young – probably still in his teens – and he becomes the wisest person. But as great as a start he had, so poor was his finish. In the end, he failed miserably. As high as he had been – so as low did he fall. As the wisest person at the beginning – he became a complete fool at the end. We see this in life – Christians who start well, and end poorly – marriages/ churches who start well, but finish poorly. And that is exactly what happens with Solomon

In the first 9 chapters – we see all the good things he does – and in 9, we see some of the bad things – he introduces slavery to Israel.

Chapter 10 – a man of great greed. 10:26 - A little later, we see a man intoxicated with power. He becomes powerful and that power corrupts him absolutely.

Chapter 11 – a man of rampant sexuality – maybe more than any other.

Chapter 12 – a man of idolatry. His skill for leading became authoritarian and an abuse of power.

His administrative incompetence became a means of oppressing the people. This happens today – either in government or in the church.

Leaders begin well – and it goes to their head and changes the person.

Why does it happen to people you know?

You may see a person living for Christ – and there is such zeal – and then they hit 30 or 40 and there is nothing there anymore. How does that happen? And how can we look ahead to prevent it from happening.

In this really good story, where God blesses Solomon – we see the seeds of destruction.

I left out verses 4 and 16 – and for a reason – I wanted to trick you! Never underestimate my power of trickery. Just kidding. We should emulate Solomon's heart to hear from God and to be humble. But there is something in this passage that shows a flaw.

1 Kings 3:1 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD. 3 Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

That EXCEPT is a big exception.

What happened with Solomon happens with us – he had a small compromise – in such an important area. He may have done this in ignorance – maybe that is why God continued to bless. But what he started doing in ignorance, he started doing wholeheartedly.

What are high places?

When Israel conquered the land – the people of the land worshiped at high places. They worshiped on hills and sometimes mountains – and as you look at Kings and Chronicles – you learn about this.

The book of Kings was written from exile in Babylon. And it was written from the perspective. Chronicles was written after the exile.

Every time a new King is mentioned – so and so was a bad king and worshiped at the high places. Or – so and so was a good king who tore down the high places – or sometimes, there was a good king BUT he worshiped at the high places. I think there may have been a lot of ignorance in Solomon at this point. This is a small compromise – when they left, this is what God had told Moses:

Deut. 12:1 These are the decrees and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess--as long as you live in the land. 2 Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. 3 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places. 4 You must not worship the LORD your God in their way. 5 But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; 6 there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

There is one God – and one place of worship. One place and one place only – for them, it was Shiloh – when Saul came – they took the ark from Shiloh, and moved it to Gibeon. Saul began to mix the culture of the world in with their worship of God. They were incorporating their morality in.

We begin to take the worldly things in – and allow those things to have influence and they change our belief system and morality system – and that is what Solomon is doing. It is a small compromise, but it is in the most important area – in our worship of God.

Solomon offered a thousand sacrifices – and God came against that – Solomon didn't understand grace.

1 Kings 3:15 He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord's covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

We want to worship God on our own terms – but God is the one who sets the terms – who must determine how we live to serve Him.

How do we do this same thing? Morality. I think there are some secret and hidden ways that we don't realize. Things that trap us that we don't understand – and not living as Biblically as we ought to live. What does God want? Are we studying the word enough to know? How can we emulate how Christ taught us to live? It is so easy to get caught up in cultural Christianity. God wants us to be Biblical. We will always fall short, but we need to be pressing.

I want to challenge you: I read John Piper's book, Think – it is about loving God with all of our minds. You have got to READ! Not just in quiet time – but to STUDY and study and study the Bible. IT is our life. It is your responsibility as a Christian – it is not just for pastors – to know the scripture – to study it – to know if you are allowing the culture of the world into your faith. I urge you – take the responsibility to study God's word. It is loving God with all of your mind – it takes hard work and planning. And let me say this – I think the most dangerous influence is the Christian culture. Pardon the rant in the middle of the message – it is just of utmost importance – READ! You might say, “I don't like to read!” Well, I don't care! I don't like to get up in the morning, do I stay in bed? No.

Luke 18:9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: `God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, `God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

The Pharisee mixed the surrounding culture with his faith. We understand when people bring in morality – but do we understand when someone brings in religion?

It is amazing what the tax collector and the Pharisee do – the Pharisee is based on achievement (and so many of us do that too) – that sets you up – as being good – that is what they did – and Jesus just smashes that.

The tax collector – beating his breast – in this culture – it was shameful for a man to do this – but this man doesn't care – he is coming to God and begging God for mercy. We need to understand how we need God's mercy in our own lives. We can't offer a thousand offerings and think that God will be pleased with that. Showing up at church – is that a burnt offering or a cry for mercy? We are saved by mercy – we are to live by His mercy.

1 Kings. 11:9 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."

After Solomon falls, and God comes to him – God says – I will destroy this – from here on out, it is bad, until the total destruction of each tribe and then into exile.

Dave Brunelle: God keeps His covenant and promise on His terms despite people trying to worship on our terms.

God was faithful because of His promise. The promise that the Messiah would come from David – and God will be faithful to that regardless of how unfaithful His people are. If you have come to Jesus in faith, we know that God will be faithful to save us.

If you blow it, God is faithful to forgive you – even if you have been really unfaithful. His faithfulness is not determined by our faithfulness.

We can know – we have a promise – we know for sure, completely convinced, that He will be faithful to us, no matter how unfaithful we are.

2 Kings 17 – the kingdom has been divided in half – 700 BC

2 Kings 25:8 – the other kingdom is brought into exile. 586 BC

Israel in exile had many gods – but an interesting thing happens -

If you recall – alienation/new creation - alienation/new creation- alienation/new creation – from the beginning that was the pattern. At the end of the book, we see alienation/slavery/division/etc – BUT - we see the hint of new creation – a flicker of hope.

2 Kings. 25:27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin from prison on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. 28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king's table. 30 Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived.

We see that God is beginning to bless. This is a picture of the Messiah – This is a story of advent – there is something coming – They are in exile – and this book of Kings is written in exile. But something is coming – the blessing – the recreation is coming. It seems hopeless now – but God is blessing. He put away his prison clothes – and gave him an allowance.

Matt. 1:12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

Jeconiah was Jehoiachin – and at the end of this failure – the exile, God shows a light – a foreshadowing of the messiah – so that through Him and through his children, His Son might come.

From the point of exile to Christ – Israel had one God.

Daniel – where did he look when he prayed? One place – Jerusalem.

And it was this way until the Temple was destroyed in 70 ad.

God used the worst of times to bring out the best of times.

Lord, how can we not be blessed by this? We are truly unworthy of Your story – but we are grateful that You have allowed us to be a part of this Gospel, this story of Jesus – how He lived, died and was raised again. In Jesus' Name. Amen.