Chapter 13 of The Story December 28, 2014

The King Who Had It All

God used King David’s skills as a mighty warrior to lead Israel successfully against her enemies. For forty years David led the nation and established her firmly in the Promised Land. Upon the death of David, Solomon his son succeeds him as king. While David is known for his military skill, Solomon is known for something altogether different. King Solomon was known for two things: wisdom and the construction of Israel’s first temple. 

The book of Proverbs, written by Solomon, is one of the most practical books of the Bible and is a great place for a newcomer to Bible study to begin because he or she can immediately begin to apply its wisdom in everyday life.

Chapter 13

Solomon took his father’s throne at about age twenty. David had subdued the enemies of Israel, so the nation enjoyed peace and prosperity under Solomon’s leadership. His supplication to the Lord for wisdom was greatly answered and, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God saw to it that many of his wise proverbs were preserved for us. 
 

Wisdom literature is a unique genre. Some people have taken the principles of the proverbs as promises and have been disappointed in God when the “promise” is broken. We can help others learn to study them properly and apply them correctly by teaching some basic study skills. This lesson seeks to help you help others do just that.


The Book of Proverbs must be understood in its historical context. It is directed toward individual people of Israel who were living under the covenant of the Law. Many of the Proverbs speak of material prosperity for obedience toward the Lord or for doing the right thing toward one’s neighbor. These principles were largely based upon the blessings and cursings of Deuteronomy 28 that pertained specifically to Israel in the Promised Land. Nevertheless, these are trans-covenantal truths because they are generally true of all people for all ages. There are cultural elements in Proverbs that seem foreign or confusing at first, or perhaps even problematic, i.e. the punishment of children with “the rod.”
 

The book teaches believers how to apply truth to one’s life in the light of experience. It is observational truth in a broad sense that seeks to make the reader successful and skillful in living. But this success is always tied back to life in the Lord. In fact, many proverbs make clear that it is better to maintain integrity in the Lord than success in the world. So in that regard, proverbs can sometimes seem contradictory.
 

As Solomon’s life demonstrates, wisdom is only useful when it is lived out. Sadly, he was faithful for most of his life, but toward the end he failed to heed the basic truth of his own proverb: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” The wisdom of the proverbs can help us to “finish faithful.”

Key Question

What were Solomon’s mistakes, and how can we keep from making them ourselves?

Solomon's Wisdom

Solomon’s Wisdom: Pages 175–178


Soon after Solomon became king, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask for whatever you want Me to give you.”





Solomon’s Proverbs: Pages 178–181

At the beginning of Proverbs, Solomon explains why he has collected these wise sayings.


In Proverbs 1:1–3, Solomon lists attributes he wanted to help others gain.



There are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs, making it easy to grow in wisdom by reading a chapter a day according to the day of the month. If you have done this in the past, describe one practical way Proverbs helped you.


Some proverbs instruct us about walking with God. According to Proverbs 3:5–6, if you want the Lord to direct your paths, what three things should you do? How are these three things related? We follow this proverb when we obey God, even though it might seem better not to. We also follow it when we choose to trust God, even when we can’t see how any good can come out of our hardships. How can you apply this proverb to a current situation?


Many proverbs say something similar in two ways, emphasizing the point and rounding out the meaning. In Proverbs 3:11, what two things does Solomon say not to do? Proverbs 3:12 gives the reason not to do these things; what is it? Why do parents discipline children they love and delight in? Why does God discipline you, whom He loves and delights in?



More Proverbs: Pages 182–185

Some proverbs require a bit of thought.


In Proverbs 21:2a, how do our ways seem to us? Why? In Proverbs 21:2b, what does the Lord do? When we think our ways are right, why might the Lord find something different when He weighs our hearts? What can we do so our opinion of our ways matches His?


In Proverbs 21:3, what is more acceptable than what to the Lord? In Solomon’s time, someone who sinned sacrificed an animal to receive God’s forgiveness. Why is doing right more acceptable to the Lord than doing wrong and asking for forgiveness? What insight does this proverb shed on this attitude: “It doesn’t matter if I obey God because He will forgive me anyway”? How do Proverbs 21:2 and 21:3 relate to each other?


Proverbs often explain the benefits of living God’s way and the hazards of not doing so. The benefits and hazards are general truisms—there might be the rare exception, but for the most part, these wise sayings accurately reflect real-life consequences. Consider these proverbs about finances.


According to Proverbs 21:5, what should and shouldn’t be a part of your life if you want financial success? Why is Proverbs 21:6 true? What does Proverbs 21:20 teach about finances? 

  Israel's First Temple

 
The Temple: Pages 185–189


Solomon built a temple to God in Jerusalem, just as David instructed.


What did Solomon realize about the inadequacy of building a temple for God (2 Chronicles 6:18)? What did Solomon ask God to do (verse 6:20)?

When Solomon finished praying, he blessed the people gathered before him.



What did Solomon say had not failed (1 Kings 8:56)? Summarize the blessings Solomon pronounces in verses 57–59. What is the purpose for these blessings upon Israel (8:60)? What reminder does Solomon give the people of what was needed for this purpose to be accomplished (8:61)? God will never leave or forsake His children, and He has promised to work in us to help us walk in His ways. For God’s full purpose to be accomplished in our lives, what do we need?
 


The Lord appeared to Solomon a second time.


What did God tell Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:12? If the Israelites turned from God and He held back rain or sent a plague, what four things could the people do to receive forgiveness and healing for the land (7:14)?


If the Israelites instead rejected God, what would God do (7:20)? What would be the reason for these actions against the nation (7:22)? Should this have been enough warning for the people to heed forever? Should this have been enough warning to keep Solomon firm the rest of his life?

Solomon's Wives

 

Solomon & Women: Pages 189–192

During the time when Solomon was faithful to God, he helped others know God.

What did the queen of Sheba do when she heard about Solomon’s fame, despite having to travel 1,500 miles (1 Kings 10:1)? What does this teach us about the importance of seeking truth? Why did the queen of Sheba glorify God (10:9)?
But Solomon didn’t remain faithful.

From where did many of Solomon’s wives come (1 Kings 11:1–2)? Why had God forbidden such marriages (11:2)? What resulted from these marriages (11:3–6)?

Nearly 1,000 years later, Jesus gave miracles as a sign that He came from God. The unbelieving Jewish leaders discounted them, slandered their source, and demanded more proofs. Jesus said, “The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.” The Queen of Sheba’s costly pursuit of truth condemned the Jewish leaders who refused to believe Jesus was sent from God, despite their having seen even greater evidence than she.



Why did it particularly anger God that Solomon turned from Him after he had appeared to him twice (1 Kings 11:9)? Disobeying a smaller command led to disobeying what big command (1 Kings 11:10)? Sometimes people discount the importance of obeying commands they consider small. How does disobeying God in small things lead to disobeying in larger things?



Solomon was wise enough to know the best way to live, but he didn’t always do it. In the end, he ignored his own advice: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”



How can we keep from making Solomon’s mistake?



Our lesson this week is entitled:

Finishing Well

Rags to riches stories about how down-and-out folks could achieve the American Dream of wealth and success through hard work, courage, and determination, like Rocky, or Citizen Kane, or American Idol, or even the Old Testament Joseph.

But what about riches to rags stories. You can’t help but think of examples like O.J. Simpson, Leon Spinks, who defeated Muhammad Ali to become the heavyweight champion of the world, who now works at a YMCA in Ohio for minimum wage. Then there are also spiritual riches to rags stories: Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard…and, perhaps, Solomon.
It’s hard to deny that Solomon started out well—really well—and his reign began with a series of defining events. He married the daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh, and ironically, the nation that had once enslaved Israel now sought the good graces of God’s people. Then God appeared to Solomon in a dream and offered to grant his heart’s desire. For all he could have had, Solomon asked for wisdom to lead, and God was pleased not just to grant his request, but give him wealth and honor as well. Solomon’s keen wisdom became the hallmark of his reign. He penned thousands of proverbs, and like Warren Buffett, the “Oracle of Omaha,” people from around the world sought him out. And through him, Abraham’s descendants became a blessing to the whole world. He had more wealth than Gates and Buffett combined, and more wisdom than Plato, Aristotle, and Mark Twain combined.

During Solomon’s reign, peace prevailed in the Promised Land, so the time had come for Solomon to build a temple for God. The construction project was massive and followed the pattern of the tabernacle that had been used since the days of Moses. The end result was as majestic as one could imagine. With great reverence, Solomon had the ark placed in the Most Holy Place. The temple was filled with a cloud of God’s glory, and Solomon humbly realized that even a magnificent temple could not sufficiently contain Him. This temple would become the enduring focal point of worship and life for God’s people. But following the dedication of the temple, God appeared to Solomon again and warned him of the consequences Israel would face if they turned away from Him. He promised,

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land.



He also promised Solomon a royal dynasty if he remained faithful, but disaster if he and Israel followed other gods. Well, as usual, God’s timing was perfect. Because after all the grand ceremony around the dedication of the Temple, Solomon needed a reminder that all that pomp and circumstance was for naught without obedience—the daily grind of making good choices and rejecting temptation. And so all of Solomon’s insight and riches didn’t make up for his bad choice to collect wives like gold. He married hundreds of women, many of them foreigners.


Solomon had clear instruction from God not to marry women from foreign nations, but he chose to disregard God's commands.

 

2 Kings 11:1-4

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The LORD had clearly instructed his people not to intermarry with those nations, because the women they married would lead them to worship their gods. Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. And sure enough, they led his heart away from the LORD. In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship their gods instead of trusting only in the LORD his God, as his father, David, had done.



This single decision shaped the future of his descendants and of the nation of Israel.


Solomon’s story began with great promise, incomparable wisdom, and magnificent achievement. His two predecessors on the throne had also started out well. But the way each of them ended was disappointing to say the least. There are no final words of wisdom recorded for the wisest king of all time. Instead, his closing chapter reveals that the kingdom would be torn in two. Solomon spent his last days fighting off enemies and rebels. His splendor and his legacy were tarnished by disobedience and idolatry. What a sad ending for the king who had it all, but ultimately failed in the only thing that really mattered: finishing well.


Let’s deconstruct the story of Solomon and glean a couple of key learnings on how we can avoid the same mistakes, and stay faithful. The first thing we need to do is this: 

1.      ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS


Root Cause Analysis is a method of problem solving that tries to identify the root causes of faults or problems. Although Scripture is not specific, it’s instructive to consider this question: where did it all go wrong for Solomon? What was the “tipping point?” Precisely when did it begin to unravel? And although it’s only speculation in the case of Solomon, we can hazard some guesses about when things got out of synch, when the train started to veer off the tracks.

• Maybe it started way back when he first married Pharaoh’s daughter— maybe that alliance opened the door just enough to rationalize hundreds of marriages to foreign women later on.
• Maybe it was an out-of-control sex drive. Listen to Solomon’s words in Proverbs 5.
• Solomon broke his own proverb written to warn against adultery. To drink from your own well was a picture of faithfulness in marriage.

Proverbs 5:15-19

Drink water from your own well—share your love only with your wife. Why spill the water of your springs in public, having sex with just anyone? You should reserve it for yourselves. Don’t share it with strangers. Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. She is a loving doe, a graceful deer. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love.



Isn’t it ironic that the man who wrote those words required 700 wives and 300 mistresses? Was it a sexual thing? Solomon certainly wouldn’t be the last person to suffer long-term consequences from a misplaced sex drive.


I submit to you that root-cause analysis in our lives is absolutely necessary. We must undertake the excavation of the nucleus of our behavior, to break the cycle and keep us from repeating the mistakes of the past, or the mistakes of others. If you find yourself in a tough place, or a rut, or in a season of estrangement from God because of a besetting sin, or hurt pride from a job loss - stop and do some root-cause analysis. In Proverbs, Solomon gave us the key when he said:

Proverbs 14:8

The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception. 

In other words, the wise think about where they’re going.

Deuteronomy 32 is a song by Moses that gives a brief history of Israel. It reminds the people of their mistakes, warns them to avoid repetition of those mistakes, and offers the hope that comes only in trusting God. The problem was simply that the Israelites didn't get it!

Deuteronomy 32:28-29

Israel is a nation without sense; they have no wisdom at all. They fail to see why they were defeated; they cannot understand what happened.




Translation: they just didn’t get it. This is why we must continually look at where we’re going.


Look at the diagram below and think about what happens when you choose a course away from God's will - may not seem that big of a deal at first, but 5 years, 10 years, 15 years down the road where will you be?

 

Think about it, how did Solomon wind up where he did, worshiping pagan gods?
 

Question for You

If you were to live the same life over and over again for eternity, would you choose the life you’re living now?  If the answer is no, then why ARE you living the life you are now?

2.      Keep PRACTICING

Exodus 31:2-5

Look, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great hokmah, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts. He is able to create beautiful objects from gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in cutting and setting gemstones and in carving wood. Yes, he is a master at every craft!

Wisdom really has nothing to do with IQ, but everything to do with living a PRACTICED life.

And so our Equipping Point today is this:

KEEP  PRACTICING!

Paul’s Equipping Point to the Corinthian church:

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you’ve got, be resolute, and love without stopping. 


 

Solomon’s powerful and glorious kingdom could have been blessed for all time; instead, it was approaching its end. Solomon had God’s promises, guidance, and answers to prayer, and yet he allowed sin to remain all around him. Eventually it corrupted him so much that he was no longer interested in God. Psalm 127, written by Solomon, says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” Solomon had begun by laying the foundation with God, but he did not follow through in his later years. As a result, he lost everything. It is not enough to get off to a right start in building our marriage, career, or church on God’s principles; we must remain faithful to God to the end (Mark 13:13). God must be in control of our lives from start to finish. 

 

Prayer of Commitment

Father, help me remember the status of my heart. Help me to keep my heart pure and focused on You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.


See you this Sunday!



In His Love,


David & Susan