Lessons Learned from an Unwise King

I have been reading in 1 & 2 Kings the last couple of months. 

It has been quite eye opening.

Earlier this year, I made a post about Building a Legacy and thinking generationally. I honestly don’t know if I truly knew how important that 

was until I read 1 Kings 11.

Let’s look at the background story just a bit...

• What did Solomon ask for?

1 Kings 3:7-13a (emphasis added to all scripture quotations is mine)

“And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant [Solomon] king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

“And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

“Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

“And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.

“And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and…not asked for thyself long life; neither…riches for thyself, nor…the life of thine enemies; but…for thyself understanding to discern judgment;

“Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart…

“And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked…”

Jehovah was so pleased by what Solomon asked that He gave him not only the wisdom he asked for, but also riches and honor. The Lord only gave a small stipulation in verse 14-

“If thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.”

In chapters 4-10, Solomon builds the temple, prospers exceedingly, and is visited by many great leaders, including the Queen of Sheba. He truly was blessed by the Lord. His downfall sadly came in chapter 11.

1 Kings 11:1- “But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites.”

All of these tribes listed were tribes that the Lord had commanded the people of Israel to not marry, because they would draw their hearts away from the One True God, Jehovah.

• What happened once Solomon let his guard down?

1 Kings 11:3-4- “And he (Solomon) had seven hundred wives,…and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.”

1 Kings 11:7 & 8 really shows how far Solomon had fallen from the presence of the LORD.

“Then did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.

“And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.”

1 Kings 11:9-10- “And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the LORD God of Israel,…and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.”

• What did the Lord do as a result of Solomon’s turning away?

1 Kings 11:11-13—“The LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. In thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.”

Notice first of all what I have highlighted in bold- “I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.”

The Lord’s punishment to Solomon was that He would take the kingdom from him- all of his riches, all of his land, all of his wives, EVERYTHING Solomon had- and give it to his servant (one of the other countries).

Now notice what I have highlighted in green- “I will not do it for David thy father’s sake” and again “for David my servant’s sake”.

This is where the generational thinking comes in. The Lord said He would take the kingdom away, but then He tells Solomon (in modern lingo)- “Because your dad served me faithfully, I won’t take the kingdom away from you, I’ll take it from your son. And furthermore- I won’t take the entire kingdom. I’ll leave your son a small portion, because your dad was a good man who served Me with all his heart.”

The Lord didn’t have to do that. He’s the God of the universe. He could have taken a deep breath and blew Israel off the map because of what Solomon had done. But He didn’t. Because of David being “a man after God’s own heart”, the Lord decided to spare them at least a small portion of what they had. 

For every action, there is a reaction. We should be doing our best, with the Lord’s help, to leave a chain-reaction of blessings for future generations.

You've heard “look before you leap”? Well, how about “Think about the future before acting in the present”?

David’s humility is what spared the kingdom for Solomon. 

• What did the high places that Solomon built do? 

Sadly, they brought destruction for the entire country of Israel. Read First and Second Kings. It’s one evil king after another. The few good kings are all praised for living a pure and upright life in every way, except for tearing down the high places. For each generation that came along with the high places still intact, the worse the sin of the country became.

Do your future generations a favor- search your heart and life now, and tear down the high places in your life. It will make things a little easier on your children and grandchildren when they come along.

If you already have children or grandchildren, then get rid of the high places in your life, and pray that the Lord will help your family to realize the need to tear down the high places in their lives.

Take back the ground from satan, it’s the only way you will ever get victory for yourself and for your family. Trust me, it’s easier to start with a clean slate, than to try and clean a dirty one.

May Jehovah bless each of you as you ‘think generationally’.

Tribute

Tomorrow is Father's Day, and this week I have been thinking about the men who have impacted my life.

My Pawpaw Ed.

Of the two of my grandfathers, my mom's dad has had the most personal impact on my life.  I was definitely a Pawpaw's girl growing up!  He taught me how to mow the lawn, how to fish and how to catch a fish (if you have ever gone fishing, you know these two things are completely different!).  He taught me other things as well, like how to make everyone you meet feel like they're your best friend, how to smile through the pain, how to love unconditionally, and how to have fun and cut a rug! (one of my fondest memories of my childhood is dancing in the living room with my Pawpaw!). 
By example, he showed me that Christ is to be your all.  
You know how each of us has little video clips tucked away in our minds? One of the little movies of my past that I bring out and play every now and then is of my Pawpaw. I walked passed his bedroom one night and he was kneeling by his bed with his Bible open, praying, communing with Jehovah.  I will always hold that memory dear to my heart!
My Pawpaw didn't except Christ as his Savior until after I was 2 months old, but from then on, he lived his life for Christ.  Nothing brought more joy to him than one of two things- 1. Being with the Family of God in church and 2. Being with his own family.
It will be 9 years this September since my Pawpaw went to be with the Lord, but the lessons he taught, both verbally and visually, will always be with me.

My Pawpaw Earl
I barely remember my Pawpaw Earl. He went to be with the Lord when I was only 4. But the values that he passed down to my father and uncles, have now been passed down to me. His memory remains alive in the little things.
Some of the values he passed down are-

1. Your word is your worth.  It's something that many people say they have been taught, but this wasn't just taught in our family, it was drilled in. You never gave your word you would do something and not follow through.

2. Always look your best. My grandfather was an MP in the Army in WWII. Shined shoes, straight gig-lines, and crisp creases on pants were not an option, they were a necessity!  Even though my sisters and I wear dresses and skirts, the rules are no less for us. Everything must be pressed properly for Sunday morning. You must always look your best because the first impression is made when someone sees you, not when they talk to you. 
 
3. Love God, Love your Family, Love your Country. No explanation necessary.


These are just a few of the things that have been passed down to me from my grandfathers, and my dad continues to live these things out on a daily basis for my sisters and I to see! I have truly been blessed by a wonderful heritage. I look forward to the day when I can pass these things down to my children, and continue passing along the wonderful legacy that has been handed to me!

What Will I build?

What will you BUILD?

What will be your LEGACY?

How will you MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE?

These are the questions asked in one of the most recent TV ads for Habitat for Humanity.

As I listened to their commercial, it got me to thinking...How can I do those things?

What will I build? 

What will be MY legacy? 

How will I make the world a BETTER PLACE?

As I thought about each question, here are some answers I came up with-

What can I build?

There are lots of things we can build throughout our lives, but I want to focus on one- lasting relationships- “A friend loveth at all times and a brother is born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17)

In today’s fast-paced society, it is very hard to slow down and focus on the things that really matter. I know it’s very hard for me at times to remember that my sisters and my parents are more important than the book I’m reading, or the song I have to work on for church. I have to continually remind myself that these relationships are what will last, these are the things that will make up my life as I look back through the years, not the books I read, or the songs I play, or the emails I send out.

What will be my legacy?

This is a hard one to answer right off the bat. More than likely, when you think of a ‘Legacy’, you probably think of someone who has passed away. That’s what makes this so hard to answer right off, but think about it.

Everyone that has passed away has left a legacy, for some it’s a good legacy, for others, the families of the deceased would probably rather not talk about it. Some families have a very Godly legacy handed down from generation to generation, others wish they had that.

So, the question arises- how do you leave a legacy?

Well, right here, right now, you and I are building and creating our legacies! If the Lord tarries, one day, your great-great-grandchildren will be talking about what you did (or didn’t do), whether it be good or bad, and how it has affected their life. That’s a scary thought!

But think about it, through the ages many people have left a legacy. The ones we always recall are those that left a good legacy, but I’m sure within every family there is someone who left a not-so-appealing legacy. I know I have a couple in my own family. We don’t talk about the bad side of things most of the time, but the effects are still there.

So what legacy will I leave? What kind of legacy do I WANT to leave? What am I 

doing today, good or bad, that will effect future generations? We have to think about this now, because a legacy is not made in the last year or two or your life, a legacy is made over the course of a lifetime, and it’s largely effected by what you do while you’re young. 

So, start thinking generationally, not just for today. I’ll be right there with you!

How Will I Make the World a Better Place?

Have you ever heard someone say- “You make my life better just by being here”? Were they talking to you? Or were you eavesdropping on a conversation?  (caught you didn’t I?)

No matter where you heard it, did you know it’s true? 

So many people think that you have to go to the jungles of Africa or to the outback of Australia or to the mountains of China to make a difference. I know I thought that for a while.

But do you realize that you can make the world a better place just by smiling at someone? As I mentioned before, we live in a very fast-paced society, and so often, people are overlooked- The greeter at Walmart, the bagboy at BiLo, the little lady sitting by herself drinking coffee at the local restaurant- All of these people are special to God! But so often, they get left in the dust. Just by smiling and saying ‘Hi’, or “Thank you, and God bless you!” can change that person’s whole day, maybe even their life!

Another thing to do is follow God’s calling on your life. It’s different for every person. I have several friends who are answering the Call of Christ on their lives and it ranges from traveling all over the world to share the gospel, to being a missionary to one specific country, to ministering to the local children through Good News Clubs and Bible Study Fellowships.

If you do what the Lord has called YOU to do, no matter if you think it’s a big or small task, it is important (If it weren’t, God wouldn’t ask you to do it!) and it can make a difference!

I’m learning that it’s not always about the masses, it’s about the one soul. The Bible says the angels rejoice over one sinner who comes to repentance, so why should I think that just because I’m not witnessing to hundreds or thousands of people that what I’m doing is any less important?

I challenge you, do what God has called you to do! And if He hasn’t called you to something specific yet, find something to do (like truly greeting the greeter at Walmart), and do it with all your might! You won’t regret it, I promise!

So, What will You Build?