Learn From Solomon’s Mistakes

When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
–1 Kings 11:4

Let’s talk about the author of Ecclesiastes. He referred to himself as “the son of David, king in Jerusalem” (1:1). David had only one son who was king in Jerusalem, and that was Solomon. He became king when he was about nineteen years of age. At the beginning of his reign, God said to Solomon, “Ask what you wish Me to give you” (1 Kings 3:5). Solomon thought about it and said, in essence, “God, what I want more than anything is wisdom, a discerning heart, so I will know how to rule these people.” And God was so impressed that He not only granted Solomon wisdom, but He also threw in all the money and power Solomon could ever want.

Solomon started out strong in his faith, but as the years went by, his heart began to cool toward God until he turned away from God. Look at 1 Kings 11:1-4: “King Solomon loved many foreign women . . . from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, ‘You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.’ Solomon held fast to these in love. He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.”

Solomon started out strong, but he blew it all at the end. What caused Solomon’s departure from his faith? Two things: wealth and pleasure. And those things are closely related. Solomon came to the point in his life where he had enough money to chase after his own pleasure.

If you have reached a point in your life where you think, “I can sit back and take it easy right now. I can travel wherever I want to go. I can indulge in whatever hobby I want to indulge in. I am freer than I have ever been,” I want to suggest that you are also more vulnerable to Satan’s attack than you have ever been. Because you are at a time in your life when you can quietly slip away from God. It happens so imperceptibly that you do not even realize what is happening, and slowly your heart becomes cooler and cooler toward the things of God.

In order to keep from falling away from the faith as Solomon did, it may be that you need to reassess your priorities. Are you attending church regularly? Are you involved in a place of ministry? Do not think you can arrive at a place in life where you are immune to falling away from the faith. Solomon illustrated that through his own life.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Searching For The Good Life” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2009.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.