Our World is Full of Vain People

 Wisdom's Observation of Vanity and Vexation of Spirit

 Book of Ecclesiastes Chapter 4

 What is the providence of God? It is a continuous and progressive revelation of Jehovah God, whose never-failing providence orders all things both in Heaven and Earth.

 Belief in Providence stands or falls with belief in a personal God.

 The Lord Jesus has taught us that the laws of nature are the established methods of His Heavenly Father's workings and that they fulfill and reveal His Will.

 Mat 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 

Mat 6:26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

 Mat 10:29  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 

Mat 10:30  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 

Mat 10:31  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 

Mat 10:32  Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

 As humans, we like to ignore the problems that exist around us because they trouble us and rob us of our happiness.

 We just do not want to be a part of the difficulties and crises around us.

 The truth is that life is full of problems.

 Every day, we see people who are the victims of the circumstances of wickedness and the sin in our world.

 Did God cause these things? Certainly, He did not.

 Does God cause our pain and sorrows? Absolutely not.

 I should say in chastisement, we could have some pain, but we must be one of God’s children to receive chastisement.

 These are the things the “god of this world” causes; 2Co_4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

 Great men and many politicians stand up and tell us how they are going to make this world a better place, but they all fail.

 Today, some rich men want to leave this world and establish another place in outer space because they see that nothing can make this world better.

 They are all wrong because only God has a plan for this world that will work.

 1Co_1:20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

 This world must turn to the Almighty God and have faith in His providence, and it begins with faith.

 1Jn_4:9  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

1Jn_5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

 We must keep our eyes focused upon the God of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 King Solomon saw all these things in His wisdom, and He came to the same conclusion.

 *****Ecc 4:1  So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. 

Ecc 4:2  Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. 

Ecc 4:3  Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun. 

 Why did Solomon write this verse?

 Ecc 3:16  And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. 

Ecc 3:17  I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

 The world is full of injustice, yet the world goes about trying to solve minute problems that cannot be solved without first stopping injustice.

 Much sorrow in this world comes from injustice!

 The true power in our world is in the hands of oppressors.

 God solved this problem with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Isa_19:20  And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.

 As wise as King Solomon was and with his great wealth, he could do nothing about this oppression, this injustice, or this inequality.

 In fact, he was part of it. We know the children of Israel suffered under his high taxes.

 Solomon became frustrated, and he should have.

 The politics of America is at a stalemate, and the politicians are frustrated because they cannot do anything about it as they are seeking worldly answers to avoid a Spiritual truth.

 Unless America turns back to the God of the Bible, we will remain divided, and we see that those who are pushing communism are showing strength when they should be ignored.

 We should understand that power always lies with the oppressors because power is the breeding ground of oppression.

 Power corrupts, as we have seen in the last twenty years of our own nation.

 When reformers take over power, they turn into tyrants, which will not solve the problems.

 When the Lord Jesus saw this in Jerusalem, what did He do? Jesus wept.

 Then He was crucified.

 Psa 69:20  Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. 

 Solomon's only conclusion was that the dead are better off than the living.

 God says those who choose His Savior are far better off than the dead.

 Jhn_11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

 Solomon said even the stillborn and aborted are better off than those who experience life in this world.

 They will not see the evil activity of the oppressors, nor the grief of the oppressed.

 Solomon is right about one thing. These stillborn children and all the aborted children are already in Heaven, and they will certainly miss out on the wickedness of this world.

 As far as we who believe, all these things should drive us closer to God!

 As Christians, we are not to become so self-consumed that we are blind to those who are oppressed.

 We have the answers to the world's problems, and it is in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 There is no other answer to the world's problems!

 *****Ecc 4:4  Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

 The truth is that in most workplaces, each worker constantly lives in a state of competition with other workers.

 Those bosses are always looking at who shines the brightest.

 Because we all want to be successful, we get caught up in these things.

 Envy and jealousy in the workplace cause all sorts of problems.

 It causes problems in the workplace, and it causes problems in the home.

 Remember Joseph; Gen 37:4  And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. 

 Remember the brother of the prodigal son;

 Luk 15:25  Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 

Luk 15:26  And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 

Luk 15:27  And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 

Luk 15:28  And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

 The desire to succeed becomes meaningless when envy rules the heart.

 Envy robs people of satisfaction and the true purpose behind achievement.

 What is God's answer? Php 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 

 *****Ecc 4:5  The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh. 

 Here we see the fool who has seen what hard work is accomplished by others, and many of them do not get a fair return for their labor.

 This fool folds his hands and only works hard enough to get paid.

 He will never amount to much, and his reputation will follow him.

 We already know that to be lazy is a sin.

 We already know that God says those who are lazy should not eat.

 So, in reality, this fool is destroying himself, and he can blame no one but himself, though he will not accept it is his fault and blame it upon his circumstances.

 Isa 9:20  And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm: 

 God expects us all to have a good work ethic.

 Col 3:23  And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

 *****Ecc 4:6  Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit. 

 We have seen people who are obsessed with working to outdo those around them, which caused some to be envious of them.

 Then we have seen those people too lazy to work at all and destroy themselves.

 Now we see people who are zealous because they are greedy and covetous and can never get enough.

 The one who has worked enough with one hand to satisfy his family and, on the other hand, spends time with his family, lives in peace.

 The person who works to have both hands full is still not satisfied, is full of turmoil, and is restless.

 Those who are filled with the wisdom of God and have the necessities of life can experience peace.

 Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, what shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 

Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 

 When we are full of the wisdom of God, we can face less stress and lie our heads at night in peace!

 Those who can never get enough to satisfy them never have peace of mind.

 We must do our best to be good stewards of the things God allows us to have.

 1Co 7:17  But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. 

 *****Ecc 4:7  Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun. 

Ecc 4:8  There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail. 

Ecc 4:9  Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 

Ecc 4:10  For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 

Ecc 4:11  Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 

Ecc 4:12  And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 

 What is loneliness?

 Loneliness is considered an epidemic by the Surgeon General of the United States.

 It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death.

 God always knows what He is talking about!

 It is said that there are far too many lonely people on this earth.

 Many work hard and earn a lot, but have no one to share those things with.

 Loneliness is the emptiness of the human soul.

 Some people let work be their family, and it just does not work out in their favor.

 We need some relationships in our lives.

 We have to do things to change this situation if we are suffering from loneliness.

 We do need people around us to share our lives with.

 We must understand that people whom we can share our lives are much more important than material things we can possess.

 We need to love and feel loved.

We need companionship that comes from others.

We need our emotional needs met.

We need those around us who bring meaning to our lives.

We need the joy that others can provide us.

We have that feeling of satisfaction that we receive from being a companion to others.

 Two people can do things that one cannot.

 With two, there is always someone to help in certain situations.

 In the days of Solomon, people had to walk everywhere they went, and the same desert that brought heat during the day brought cold at night.

 Two people traveling together could better fend off the cold.

 Two people can defend themselves better than one who is alone.

 In fact, three would be better than two in this situation.

 There are three characteristics in the lives of each child of God.

 1Co_13:13  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

 We could also say that the three persons of the Holy Trinity are why our bond with our Lord Jesus Christ cannot be broken.

 Jhn_10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one. 

 We as Christians should reach out to those who are alone.

 Many who need the Lord Jesus Christ could end their loneliness: Psa 142:4  I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. 

Psa 142:5  I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. 

 *****Ecc 4:13  Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. 

Ecc 4:14  For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor. 

Ecc 4:15  I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead. 

Ecc 4:16  There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit. 

 If the word wise means having the wisdom of God, then it is far better to be a poor but wise young man than a rich and foolish old king who rejects the Word of God.

 That old king will still reap what he sows and be held accountable for it.

 Power has caused many good people to become wicked.

 Solomon is a great example of these things. He was a godly young man, and God allowed him wisdom far greater than any man, and yet he allowed his wicked wives to change him, and his kingship suffered because of it.

 He had the power and the wealth to do anything he chose to do, and he chose wickedness over godliness.

 People are fickle; we should remember the same people who shouted "Hosanna" when our Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem a few days later said, "Crucify Him".

 We live in the same world today where the minds of people are changed by the politics of our world.

 Everything changes because nothing but the Word of God lasts forever!

 We cannot please everyone, but we must do our best to trust the wisdom of God and serve Him.

 He is our King forever!

 When we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, we find that the rich and the poor have changed places.

 The children of God inherit the riches of Heaven, while the rich old kings become poor in this world, and their riches become meaningless.

 It is those who are lost in this world who are caught in the chains of the Devil, who, after giving their heart to the Lord Jesus, become the kings and priests of the Kingdom of God.

 Rev_1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev_5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

 Many believe that this passage is written in the thought of Joseph, who was made second only to Pharaoh.

 Gen 41:39  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: 

Gen 41:40  Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. 

Gen 41:41  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. 

Gen 41:42  And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 

Gen 41:43  And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.

 It is the same for the Christian during the Millennial Kingdom, when God's people will be rulers who will be second to King Jesus.

 Rev_3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

 One day in the future, the Lord Jesus Christ will sit as King of this world for one thousand years, but He will rule with a rod of iron.

 Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

 Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

Isa 9:7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

 Every one of us has the desire to be respected and liked by others, and we have it in our power to make this so.

 If we live according to the Word of God, God's people will treat us as a brother or a sister.

 Most of the world will show us hatred because they hate the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Our identity must be found in our value to our Heavenly Father and who we are in Jesus Christ.

 The Lord Jesus Christ died so we could be saved, and He arose from that death to show us who He is.

 This is what truly matters in our lives!

 This is what makes us family to the Almighty God, and nothing upon this earth can change this.

 Those who trust in their popularity and in what others think about them will never be satisfied.

 They will fail to please the Lord, and they will die in their sin.

 Gal 1:10  For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 

 Amen

From Fame to Shame

 Solomon's Fame Was Reduced to Shame

 Book 1 Kings 10:1-7, 24-27, 11: 4-13

 

What is fame? Fame is a favorable report of good or great actions that exalt character.

News of the knowledge of Solomon and his wisdom was spreading around the known world of that day.

 What is shame? Those things that bring reproach and degrade a person in the estimation of others. Dishonor, disgrace.

 Solomon was living on the achievements and the reputation of his father who caused security and peace to come to Israel.

 Under Solomon, Israel became a great power ranking almost as great as Egypt which is why Egypt made a bond with Solomon and Pharoh's daughter became the wife of Solomon.

 Israel ranked even as great as Assyria at that time.

 After Solomon Israel has never reached those same boundaries.

 These things were credited to Solomon's wisdom.

 Solomon turned Israel from a military people to a people of commerce and slaves to taxation.

 In reality, Solomon turned a people made free by King David into slaves and concentrated the wealth of the whole nation in the capital Jerusalem and most of Israel suffered.

 As God would say, Israel did not reap the fruits of its government.

 The downfall of Solomon began when he listened to his pagan wives and his wisdom left him.

 Solomon was by nature a man of peace, yet he maintained a large military scattered in various places to help bring peace.

 No nation had defeated his father David, but Solomon had no desire to extend the boundaries of Isreal, and it was possible for him to do so.

 Solomon's chief ally was Hiram, the king of Tyre which is Phoenicia.

 The Temple of Solomon was built in seven years, but Solomon spent thirteen years building his own palace which was called the House of the Forest of Lebanon.

 It is these things that made Solomon famous throughout the world.

 Solomon had many foreign visitors seeking his wisdom.

 One of those was the Queen of Sheba.

 *****1Ki 10:1  And when the queen of Sheba, heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. 

 Sheba was a land in Arabia, which is modern Yemen today, rather than Ethiopia.

 Yemen was the chief spice country in that area at that time.

 Sheba was about fifteen hundred miles from Jerusalem so this Queen had traveled a great distance requiring a lot of time.

 The Temple had been built in the name of the Lord God of Israel.

 We can be sure when questions arose about the temple there would be questions about the God of that Temple.

 No one else has such a God who is alive!

 Much of the world believed that the wisdom of Solomon had come from his God, and they would be correct.

 This Queen of Sheba did not make this connection, she came to prove him with hard questions.

 Some say these were questions she could not trust anyone else to answer.

 Many of the questions could have been hard riddles as some believe.

 It does not seem to me that this Queen showed much interest in Jehovah God to her downfall.

 Mat 12:42  The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

 Could Solomon have answered, what is the purpose of life? We have all asked this question in our lifetime.

 Could he have said, "Where do we truly come from?”

 There are billions of people out there today who would like to know, "what is the purpose of it all"?

The truth is in Jehovah God!

 *****1Ki 10:2  And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. 

 We can believe that this Queen was also seeking a trade agreement.

 She brought a large quantity of spices, gold, and precious jewels.

 We can be sure that she traveled with military protection, but it is not mentioned, and they would have been stopped and not allowed to enter Jerusalem maybe even the border of Israel.

 To travel for fifteen hundred miles meant she was serious about meeting King Solomon.

 It seems that this Queen was not the wife of a King but the actual ruler of these people.

 She was serious about seeking the answers to great questions of life so she could be a better ruler.

 King Solomon answered all her questions!

 *****1Ki 10:3  And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not. 

1Ki 10:4  And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, 

1Ki 10:5  And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. 

 Solomon's kingdom was famous not only for its material prosperity but also for his great wisdom.

 King Solomon got so caught up in his wisdom that today we would use the phrase, "he got the big head" and we will soon see how these things affected him.

 King Solomon had spent seven years building the Temple, but he spent thirteen years building his own mansion. After this, he rebuilt many cities most of which belonged to Israel, but he rebuilt some cities that did not belong to Israel.

 This Queen of Sheba was more impressed with Solomon's house than she was with the Temple of God.

 She was another pagan who had her own false gods.

 Solomon answered all of her questions, and this Queen was overwhelmed with the wisdom of Solomon. I do not read anywhere where Solomon gave the credit for his wisdom to His God and our God Jehovah.

 No doubt this Queen had all types of questions with some riddles but also diplomatic and ethical questions.

 This truth would make Solomon a trustworthy business partner and a possible ally, though her nation was fifteen hundred miles away from Israel.

 Today Yemen can fire rockets and drones fifteen hundred miles into Israel and are mortal enemies of Israel.

 Of course, Israel can do the same and are still under the power of God.

 These servants were the officers and distinguished people who were privileged to sit at the king’s table and were arranged according to rank and were in large numbers at royal banquets.

 These ministers were those who stood to serve the guests doubt they were dressed in a way to distinguish them from the guests but were fit to serve royalty.

 2Ch 9:4  And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. 

 The wisdom and prosperity of King Solomon and his achievements had reached the uttermost parts of the world, and this Queen admitted that these reports had been true.

 It does not matter so much what this Queen thought of these things, it matters more of what God thought of these things.

 Luk 12:27  Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 

Luk 12:28  If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 

Luk 12:29  And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 

Luk 12:30  For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 

Luk 12:31  But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 

 As a pagan Gentile, this Queen could not go into the Temple though she may have seen a secret way that the king could get into the Temple.

 *****1Ki 10:6  And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. 

1Ki 10:7  Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. 

 We must understand the mission of Israel in the time of Solomon and now the mission of the Church is to point all nations to God.

Israel has failed so far, will the Church also fail?

 Israel was not to compete with our nations for riches or even military power. Jehovah God is the power of Israel!

 Jehovah is the power of the Church. 

We are not in some competition with religions!

 We have the truth of Christianity!

 The Church is to be a bright and shining light in this world.

 It was the same for Israel in the days of King Solomon.

 The Queen came to Solomon tortured by questions, and it does not seem she got all the answers she needed.

 Certainly, the things she said about Solomon were true.

 He was the wisest man upon the earth but not as wise as Jesus Christ,

 He was the richest man on the earth, but no earthy riches can compare to the Glory of Heaven!

 *****1Ki 10:8  Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. 

1Ki 10:9  Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. 

1Ki 10:10  And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon

 This queen brought the best spices of Yemen, many of them used in perfumes of that day.

She brought a lot of gold and precious stones.

She brought sweet, scented wood.

 This wood Solomon was used in his palace.

 2Ch 9:11  And the king made of the algum trees terraces to the house of the LORD, and to the king's palace, and harps and psalteries for singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah. 

2Ch 9:12  And king Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which she had brought unto the king. So she turned, and went away to her own land, she and her servants. 

 As the Queen was about to leave she made a great speech to those servants of Solomon.

 She said from what her eyes had seen and now had heard not even half of the truth of King Solomon was told.

 She also took a moment to praise Jehovah that out of His eternal love to His people Israel, he had given them a king to do justice and righteousness.

 Some say this Queen was converted to Judaism, but this is not true.

 Like many who praised the God of Israel, they observed Him as just another god in the world of many gods just as many think today.

 God had His reasons for putting Solomon on the throne of Israel.

 1) It fulfilled a promise to David who was a man after God's own heart.

2) Solomon who was chosen to build the Temple of God.

 After this Solomon transgressed against the Lord.

 God had written the qualifications for the kings of Israel.

 Deu 17:14  When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; 

Deu 17:15  Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. 

Deu 17:16  But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. 

Deu 17:17  Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. 

Deu 17:18  And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 

Deu 17:19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 

Deu 17:20  That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. 

 King Solomon disobeyed in every area!

 1) He had too much gold.

2) He owned thousands of horses.

3) He gathered hundreds of wives and concubines.

 All the earth sought the wisdom of Solomon.

 *****1Ki 10:24  And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 

1Ki 10:25  And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. 

1Ki 10:26  And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. 

1Ki 10:27  And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance. 

 Solomon was not greater than anyone else and neither was this God's intent.

 Solomon became greater because all the world sought him out for his wisdom.

 They brought him gold that he wasted on shields and other foolish things when he could have helped the cause of God, and he could have removed the strain of taxation upon his own people, but he did not.

 Solomon made two hundred large shields and three hundred shields of gold that made beautiful displays but were useless in battle.

They were too heavy and too soft to make effective shields.

 Each of those shields would be valued at over a quarter million dollars today and the smaller shields at over sixty thousand dollars or about thirty-three million dollars.

 They were eventually taken by a foreign king.

 Solomon made silver to be worthless which did not help the economies of the world of that day.

 In the end, it was women who truly brought King Solomon down to shame.

 *****1Ki 11:1  But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 

1Ki 11:2  Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 

1Ki 11:3  And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. 

1Ki 11:4  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.

 Over half of Solomon's reign was over by the time the Temple, his own palace, and other buildings were completed.

 These things took up much of his personal time.

 We could add that during this time Solomon had negotiated peace agreements between Israel and many nations, and those agreements were sealed by the marriage of that ruler's daughter.

 As Solomon began to spend more time with the many wives he had, he was influenced by them.

 One man wrote that the home of Solomon was afflicted with the curse of his polygamy and his kingdom with the curse of his despotism, which means he had absolute power, authority unlimited, and uncontrolled power over the people.

 Most all alliances Israel had with other rulers ended with the death of Solomon even the long relationship of Solomon with Hiram.

 As we looked at last week, no one knew where the Book of Moses(the Pentateuch) was located. Solomon certainly was not obedient to the Word of God concerning the kings of Israel.

 Many believe that the prophet Jeremiah wrote this book of First Kings, and he simply says that Solomon loved many strange women.

 it is these women who caused the decline of King Solomon!

 These things describe a heart that is wandering away from God!

 Solomon had seven hundred women who were considered to be his wives.

Solomon had three hundred women with the title concubines.

 These were the women who were in Solomon's harem while he was King of Israel.

 Son 6:8  There are threescore queens, fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. 

 This verse tells us of those women who were in Solomon's court at one time.

 This would be sixty queens, eighty concubines, and virgins without number.

 King Solomon like his father went against the institution of Jehovah.

What is the marriage institution of Jehovah God?

 Gen 2:21  And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 

Gen 2:22  And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 

Gen 2:23  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 

Gen 2:24  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 

 When God gave Adam his wife. God did not do this by forming Eve out of the dust of the earth just like Adam. Then she would be independent of Adam. 

God formed Eve from Adam. He does not do this out of his head, for she is not his superior. Nor does he make her out of his feet, for she is not his slave. He forms her from his side. 

She is therefore someone of equal value, standing beside him.

 Solomon took wives from many nations, also going against the Word of God about strange wives.

 Deu 7:3  Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 

Deu 7:4  For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

 Solomon not only took these many women into his house, but he also took their gods.

 We should understand that someone who knows the Word of God and deviates from it often makes it worse than someone who has never known Jehovah.

 When a child of God falls into corruption it is the worst corruption!

 The lesson for us who are up in years is, that we may think the dangers of life no longer threaten us but we are wrong.

 Satan will do his best to ruin our testimony at any age!

 *****1Ki 11:5  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 

1Ki 11:6  And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. 

1Ki 11:7  Then did Solomon build an 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. 

1Ki 11:8  And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. 

 Ashtoreth(Ishtar, Astarte, queen of heaven)) was the Moon goddess of the Zidonians usually associated with Baal(Baalim, Baalism) the Sun god.

Throughout the world, we see temples and pyramids built to honor the Sun god and the Moon god

 Milcom(Molech, Chemosh) is the national god of Ammon, God said he was an abomination!

 It is this god to whom children were sacrificed. This is the god of the abortionists in my opinion.

 Solomon was not seeking God's own heart as did his father David.

 Solomon had temples built for the worship of these false goods and he joined them in their worship of them.

 He did the same for all his strange wives!

 The word strange means all his wives who were not of Israel, we could say wives from foreign nations.

 Certainly, Jehovah was angry with Solomon.

 *****1Ki 11:9  And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 

1Ki 11:10  And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. 

1Ki 11:11  Wherefore 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. 

 Do you want to make Jehovah angry? Go against His Word.

 Do you want to really get Jehovah riled up? Go against Him after He has warned you!

 This is why we have the Holy Spirit living inside us!

 Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 

Joh 16:14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

 What had God told Solomon?

 1Ki 9:3  And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. 

1Ki 9:4  And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: 

1Ki 9:5  Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. 

1Ki 9:6  But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: 

1Ki 9:7  Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people: 

1Ki 9:8  And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?

 Today we have the Word of if we have a proper translation and we are to do our best to be obedient to it.

 As for King Solomon he met with God face to face and he was told the consequences of failing to acknowledge the Word of God.

 We know that God will do exactly what he says he will do.

 1Ki 11:26  And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, “Solomon's servant”, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king. 

1Ki 11:27  And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father. 

1Ki 11:28  And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. 

1Ki 11:29  And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field: 

1Ki 11:30  And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces: 

1Ki 11:31  And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: 

1Ki 11:32  (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) 

1Ki 11:33  Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

But God will never break a promise he has made!

 *****1Ki 11:12  Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. 

1Ki 11:13  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. 

1Ki 11:14  And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom. 

Solomon had forfeited the promise made to him from Jehovah.

God would allow the line of David to continue through a son of Solomon because David had chosen Jerusalem and not some other city.

This is a sign of God's "grace"!

2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 

2Sa 7:17  According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. 

This promise from God will ultimately be fulfilled through the Messiah the Lord Jesus Christ.

You see the Lord Jesus Christ did appear Himself to begin the New Testament and the Law of Grace and through His disciples, this word had spread around the world and only those who accept the Work of Jesus Christ, the "Gospel" will be allowed into God's New Jerusalem and God's New Heaven where King Jesus will rule forever.

Amen

God Will Give Us Wisdom

 Solomon Received Wisdom

 Book of 2 Chronicles Chapter 1 verses 7 through 12

 

 As we begin this first lesson in the Book of 2 Chronicles, we know that King David had died after ruling all the tribes of Israel for a total of forty years.

 Seven years over Judah and Benjamin and thirty-three years over all of Israel.

 God had decided that Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba, would now lead all of Israel after their marriage.

 The first act of Solomon was to take secure control of the throne of Israel.

 We know that Adonijah another son of David was trying to take control of Israel with the help of some rich and powerful leaders, but he had failed.

 Solomon's second act as the new King of Israel was to seek the Lord, worship Him, and pray for the wisdom to be King. 

 The Tabernacle was now in Gibeon, but the Ark of the Covenant was in Jerusalem because God had chosen Jerusalem to be the place where worship would continue.

 King David had built a special Tabernacle to house the Ark of the Covenant.

 I believe that this tabernacle is mentioned in prophecy.

 Isa_16:5  And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.

 Amo_9:11  In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

 Act_15:16  After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

 Solomon knew where the Tabernacle was located with the Ark of the Covenant, but the Brazen Altar was at Gibeon, and this is the place where sacrifices were to be made according to Levitical Law

 The Brazen Altar was the one place where all sacrifices were to be made, and Gibeon was only six and one-half miles from Jerusalem.

 The Brazen Altar is in fact a type of Mount Calvary where our Lord Jesus was sacrificed for our sins.

 God had said if anyone offers a sacrifice and brings it not unto the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, offering it to the Lord then that blood would be applied to that man and he would be cut off.

 Lev 17:3  What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, 

Lev 17:4  And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: 

 King Solomon knew this law applied to him as it did to all the children of Israel.

 King Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings upon this Brazen Altar.

 It is the night after the day that King Solomon did this that the Lord appeared to King Solomon in a dream.

 *****2Ch 1:7  In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. 

 We first see that God knew Solomon needed some guidance just as we all do.

 We will also see that God will test King Solomon even though God knew what Solomon would ask Him for.

 Solomon had brought all the leadership of Israel and the judges with him to Gibeon.

 This included all the heads of the military.

 It was important for all the leaders of Israel to know that King Solomon would serve the Lord God of Israel.

 What a shame that our leaders will not do this because they reject the God of Truth.

 They claim God and reject His Words, and it does not work like that.

 Now our nation allows so-called scientists who boast of superior insight into the nature of things to direct our nation.

 Many scientists assert that their investigations prove that the teachings of Scripture are false, but real facts show that the Bible has no controversy with real science.

 Because Solomon and those leaders acknowledged their need for the Lord, God accepted their worship through those sacrificial offerings.

 Today God accepts our worship, if we are sincere because the Lord Jesus sacrificed Himself, and the veil in the Temple at Jerusalem was torn from top to bottom and we can go directly to the Lord in our time of need or any other time.

It was important that the veil was torn from top to bottom. If it had been torn from bottom to top, it would have meant that man had done it

 God appeared to King Solomon: 1Ki 3:5  In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. 

 God appeared to Solomon in a dream that was much more than a dream.

 This was one of the more significant dreams in the Bible.

 God revealed Himself in various ways in the Old Testament.

 There are many places where God spoke audibly to people.

 To Abraham: Gen 18:13  And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

 Gen 18:17  And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

 To Moses: Exo 19:9  And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD. 

 To Isaiah: Isa 6:8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. 

 God also revealed Himself through dreams as we see here with King Solomon.

 Whether it was more like a dream or a vision it was interactive and it was real and it honored God.

 God spoke to Solomon and Solomon spoke to God and prophecy was fulfilled.

 When this is mentioned in the Book of 1 Kings we can see that it is not Jehovah who responded to Solomon but it was Elohim.

 Jehovah appeared but Elohim spoke.

When we hear from the Lord Jesus Christ, He is speaking the words of His Father.

 In this passage here we see that Elohim appeared to Solomon.

 So, even though the Ark was not at Gibeon, God still met with Solomon and talked to him.

 We see that even in the times of the Old Testament, God made it clear that He was not restricted to the Holy of Holies or the Ark of the Covenant.

The Holy of Holies was a place where God met the High Priest of Israel.

 God said: "Ask what I shall give thee".

 We can take this to mean that Solomon could have asked for anything.

 We can just imagine how we would respond if the Almighty God asked us this same question.

 We know that we can ask for anything that is in the will of God for our lives, and He will give those things to us.

 What did Jesus say?

 Mat_7:7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

 Mat_21:22  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

 Jhn_16:23  And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

 Now it does not really say that God would have given Solomon anything he asked for, because God knew before Solomon asked, what he was going to ask for.

 We can be sure that God's response had nothing to do with those one thousand animals that were sacrificed.

 It was because Solomon's heart was surrendered to God at this time!

 This is the key to answered prayer! Having our hearts surrendered to the Lord.

 Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

 *****2Ch 1:8  And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. 

2Ch 1:9  Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. 

 It should be very clear that God knows what is in our hearts before we ask of Him!

 When we ask of God, we must have faith that He can supply what we ask for or we will never receive gifts from God.

 God is not only able, but He is also willing to give us anything, but it must be in His will for us.

 God had shown more than great mercy to David, God had also made David a rich man.

 Why might we ask?

 1Ki 3:6  And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 

1Ki 3:7  And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. 

 David had left all those riches to be used to build a Temple for God in Jerusalem.

 At this time Solomon was certainly not a child according to our standards.

 He was probably between the ages of seventeen to twenty-two.

 The one thing Solomon knew was that he was personally inadequate to fulfill God's promises to his father David.

 The nation of Israel was too great.

There were too many people for him to govern effectively.

The task that was lying before him was just too overwhelming.

 Solomon felt helpless.

 Solomon likened himself to be a small child.

 Solomon knew he lacked the wisdom to be King of Israel.

 The laws of Moses stated that Israel had to have a king who was humble and who would remain humble.

 A king was required to read the law of God daily and follow it.

 Deu 17:18  And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 

Deu 17:19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 

Deu 17:20  That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. 

 No king was to feel he was superior to his fellow citizens.

 We know that this is a problem in the last few governments that we have.

 Those ultra-liberal Senators and Congressmen men and women treated us as inferiors!

 Solomon knew he needed God's help.

 This is exactly where God wants each of us.

 The Lord Jesus put it this way: Jhn_15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

 We have found this to be very true!

 What was God's promise to David?

 2Sa 7:12  And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 

2Sa 7:13  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 

2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 

2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 

 We know this prophecy did not only concern Solomon but more importantly our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only one who could fulfill this prophecy.

 What did Solomon need?

 *****2Ch 1:10  Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? 

 What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge?

 **By knowledge Solomon meant the ability to gather and understand facts.

 By definition knowledge is a clear and certain perception of things that exist.

 We have no knowledge of things that do not exist, but God has perfect knowledge of all His creation so human knowledge is very limited.

 Knowing these things then keep in mind that ignorance is the curse of God.

 We know that Jesus Christ alone possesses all the knowledge of God.

 **Wisdom is the ability to apply the facts that are learned.

 By definition, wisdom is the right use of knowledge.

 Wisdom in fact is one of the names of Jesus Christ: 1Co_1:24  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

 We should know that Solomon became king because God was rewarding his father, King David.

 What Solomon needed the most was the 'Grace" of God.

 We see that Solomon did not have a clue on how to rule a kingdom.

 When we admit what we are, dumb sheep, then God has something to work with.

 *****2Ch 1:11  And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: 

 And God speaks.

 What did God tell the Prophet Samuel before this all began?

 1Sa 16:7  But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. 

The word heart is used 833 times in the KJV Bible.

The heart is the center of the physical, mental, and spiritual life of all humans!

It is the heart that is at the center of our physical life.

Act 14:17  Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness. 

The heart and our mind are closely connected.

It is thought that our heart is the seat of our intelligence.

Pro_8:5  O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.

Sometimes we think with our heart.

Pro 23:7  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. 

We ponder things in our hearts.

Luk 2:19  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 

We see the heart and mind connected.

Our emotions are tied to our hearts.

God can see into our hearts, and He knows who his children are and those who are not and never will be.

Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 

Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 

Now we cannot read our own thoughts into this. 

This is something God knows, and we cannot know!

The heart is the center of our spiritual life!

Job said: Job 27:6  My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. 

It is our heart that will condemn us, but it is also in our heart where we feel the power of God.

1Jn 3:19  And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 

1Jn 3:20  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 

1Jn 3:21  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 

It is because our heart is at the root of all our problems this is the place where God does His greatest work!

Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 

Rom 2:15  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) 

Rom 2:16  In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. 

It is the heart where God sows His seed (the Word of God).

Mat 13:19  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 

It is in the heart where God will make His home within us.

2Co 1:21  Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 

2Co 1:22  Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. 

This is why if God wants to know us, all He has to do is look into our hearts.

This is why we can witness for the Lord.

Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 

This is what God saw in the heart of Solomon.

*****2Ch 1:12  Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like. 

There is a principle in the Bible that we have trouble understanding and the Lord Jesus uses it: Mat_25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

We see that King Solomon had enough wisdom to offer up a wise prayer, so God increased his wisdom as the answer to his prayer.

We see that all those who make this world their end will come up short in the gifts of God.

Those who make it to the "Glory World" will not only obtain a mansion in God's home, but God will give us enough in this world that we live and take care of our families.

Yes, God gave Solomon riches and wealth and honor, but these things had another purpose.

The truth is, if we put the Lord and His ways first in our lives then, good things can happen.

It means following God's will for our lives, then blessings will come our way!

God freely gives His wisdom if we will just ask Him.

Jas 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 

Amen`

The Fame And Then The Shame Of King Solomon

Solomon, His Fame And His Shame

1 Kings 10-11


"Fame" can be said to possess a good reputation versus a "rumor" which can only be a good or a bad report.

There are many people that the Bible mentions of having great fame.

Joshua, Mordecai, Joseph are just a few but the Bible also says that God has fame as did the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus became so famous that even kings and rulers had heard about Him!

Mat 14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the "fame" of Jesus,

Solomon also became very famous throughout the world of that day because God had given to Solomon the gift of "Wisdom"!

In the time of Solomon, fame and shame became the marks of mankind and of nations and it is even more prevalent today.

Today all our leaders seek a legacy hoping that their good outweighs their bad and it would if they would just refuse to do bad things!

As wise as and as rich as Solomon was, he is remembered as much for his shame as he is for his fame if not more so!

No matter what people think of our existing president, he will be remembered for the fact that while he has been in office, he has done nothing improve the conditions of his own race nor of America!

He has even divided America more then any other president that came before him!

God placed these scriptures in the Bible for us to learn more from Solomon's mistakes and not so much to learn of Solomon's accomplishments!

To honor someone is to recognize their value to society.

This time next year we will be asked to vote for our next president.

From now until then, many men and women will present their fame.

But because of the way our world works, many news sources and many others will point out to us the shame of all these individuals and not so much their accomplishments.

To shame someone is to challenge their reputation!

In many cases the one with the less shame will get elected but people are so fickle that today many who should withdraw because of their shame actually take advantage of that shame showing they have exalted them selves above the ordinary people!

We must rely on the facts and the proved record of these people in order to determine who will be our next leaders and not so much on what they say, for what they say does not usually match their actions!

Pro 5:9 Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:

If we show a lack of concern for matters of honor and shame we will then become shameless ourselves and deny the truth and we will suffer for our own poor judgment!

Adam and Eve were not ashamed to be in the presence of God until sin came into their lives.

Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Once sin entered into their lives they became ashamed to be in the presence of God!

Gen 3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Anyone who is ashamed to be in the presence of God does not need to hold public office!

Today sin has progressed to a point where mankind has no shame in their sin because they have rejected to Word of God.

SO, Let's see how Solomon reached this point in his own life even though he was the wisest man to have ever lived.

*****1Ki 10:1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.

Let's first see Solomon's glory and his fame.

Though some may disagree Sheba was the country of the Sabeans.

Sheba was a prosperous nation in southern Arabia.

Scholars believe that this long 1500 mile journey was taken by this queen to establish a commercial treaty with Solomon but we already know that many kings and monarchy traveled to visit King Solomon to seek his wisdom to help them in their own nations and this queen was no different.

We can trust the Biblical account of these things!

We will also see that this queen wanted to know more about the God of Israel, who we know is the true God of all creation!

The nation of Sheba was formed by the descendants of Cush, a son of Ham who was the son of Noah.

Today this area of Sheba is known to us as Yemen.

Yemen was a rich merchant nation for 1000 years or more until it became dominated by Muslim cultures and Yemen is now in political turmoil.

Nations such as Sheba were expected to bring gifts signifying royalty.

Psa 72:10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Psa 72:11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

This in typology, this represents the time when all nations will worship the true King of Kings and come to Jerusalem once again seeking wisdom, but this is still in the future.

Isa 60:3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

1Ti 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1Ti 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

The Lord Jesus Christ also used this historical truth of the Queen of Sheba, in His rebuke of the Pharisees.

Mat 12:42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

Jesus was saying, that even this great queen was wise enough to seek the wisdom and the knowledge of the God of Israel and came to Solomon, yet these Pharisees, who already had the Word of God, were not wise enough to seek the kingdom of God even though the Lord Jesus was much wiser than Solomon and was in their presence that very day.

God says we must first seek the kingdom of God, before we can truly see the benefits in this life we have now.

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

These Sabeans were indeed traveling merchants and if they were to ever go further north to sell their wares they would have had to go through the area of land that was ruled by King Solomon.

*****1Ki 10:2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.

In many ways Solomon was a type of Christ in typology and that being the case, the Queen of Sheba would then be a type of the Church!

We all know that as we are lead by the Holy Spirit, and we will also sometimes have hard questions of spiritual things in our daily walk with the Lord.

This queen was also well aware as she traveled through Israel, how Solomon was well prepared to defend all of Israel.

We should remember it was some of these Sabeans who had also destroyed Job's flocks because Job was also a merchant with many things to sell.

Job 1:15 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

These Sabeans were willing to destroy the competition if it were possible.

We can be sure that this was no ordinary merchant caravan.

This queen would not have traveled without her military escort!

This queen had many reasons to visit Solomon and during her visit she found that the rumors she had heard of King Solomon would prove to only tell half the truth of his might and of his fame.

*****1Ki 10:6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
1Ki 10:7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, "the half was not told me": thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.

This queen had seen the splendor of the palace of Solomon.

This queen had seen royalty like she had never observed before.

This queen had seen the construction projects as she had passed many of them along her route to Jerusalem.

This queen had seen the Temple that was prepared to worship the God of Israel.

2Ch 9:3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,
2Ch 9:4 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her.

And it is written that she had no more spirit in her from the sight of all these things!

This queen was overwhelmed by what she had seen and what she had heard!

This queen then had a great desire for a new spirit!

Psa 119:81 My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.

What does God say to the Church?

Isa 64:4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

What did the Apostle John do when he saw the glory of Heaven?

Rev 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

We can be sure that as wonderful as we believe Heaven to be, we do not have a clue to the real glory and the real splendor of our Heavenly home.

We do not even know half the truth of the glory of Heaven!

Words by them selves cannot explain the glory of Heaven and it is only when we are like Christ that we can know these things.

This should be our main reason to keep steady in our walk with the Lord!

Our goal must be to tell as many as we can about the Lord Jesus Christ, so they can seek His wisdom for themselves just as this queen had done from Solomon.

*****1Ki 10:23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.
1Ki 10:24 And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

During this period of King Solomon, the Phoenicians were the dominant sea power, Assyria and Egypt were also great military powers but it was Israel that was the dominant nation of that day and also the richest of all nations.

King Solomon financed the Phoenician sea going operations and King Hiram shared his sea going knowledge with King Solomon but he also paid a considerable tribute to Israel.

We can see that even Egypt sought peace with Israel as Egypt's Pharaoh gave Solomon his daughter for a wife.

Assyria was not near strong enough to challenge Israel at this time.

All the known powers of that day sought out King Solomon to hear his wisdom.

All the known powers of that day paid tribute to Israel and to King Solomon and he and Israel became very rich.

Many other nations followed after Pharaoh and offered their daughters as wives in order to have peace with Israel.

We can see that it takes a strong military presence to insure peace, a weak military is a sure sign you will be attacked even by those that say they are friendly.

These are all facts because it was God who places fear in man!

Psa 102:15 So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.

We know that at the return of Jesus Christ all nations will again have this fear of the Lord!

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

But, Solomon began to use all these things to his advantage to control the economies of the world.

*****1Ki 10:25 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.
1Ki 10:26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.
1Ki 10:27 And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.
1Ki 10:28 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.

Solomon used his riches to build a great military machine and placed them strategically through his realm.

Silver had no more value than ordinary stones.

Precious timber had no more value than cheap lumber.

Solomon controlled the price of durable goods and the breeding of pure blood animals.

Solomon's annual intake of gold was 25 tons.

In today's market one ton goes for about 32 million dollars.

That would easily be 8 billion dollars today of tribute paid per year to King Solomon and Solomon reigned for 40 years.

The glory of Solomon was open and visible to the entire world, but inside of Solomon, this outer glory began to influence his inner person!

Solomon fell into great sin!

Nehemiah challenged all of Israel with this truth in a great sermon.

Neh 13:26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.

Solomon was beloved of God but even in all his wisdom, given to him from God, Solomon fell into the snares of the devil.

The downfall of Solomon began when he began trying to please his many wives!

*****1Ki 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
1Ki 11:2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.

Let's listen as Solomon describes his own downfall.

Ecc 4:13 Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.

Solomon became so rich and powerful that no one would tell him that what he was doing was wrong because they feared for their own lives!

Again Solomon wrote of his own downfall.

Ecc 11:8 But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
Ecc 11:9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.

Solomon realized that though no one else had the power to judge his actions, there was One who would judge him and judge him harshly!

Ecc 12:8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

Solomon realized that he had spent to much of his life in vain!

The immediate occasion of the fall of Solomon was the influence of his foreign idolatrous wives!

Solomon did not just have one wife of paganism, Solomon had way too many wives!

*****1Ki 11:3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
1Ki 11:4 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) Not only did these wives sap Solomon's physical strength, they blunted his perception and dulled his morals.

2) They had worshiped false gods all their days and they convinced Solomon to provide them temples so they could worship the idols of their own nations.

3) To make it convenient for them, they insisted that these places of worship be located adjacent to the House of God.

4) They then convinced Solomon to worship with them.

Solomon's 700 wives were mostly from kings who paid tribute and who sought peace with Israel.

Solomon's 300 concubines were considered secondary wives and this seemed to never cause jealousy among the true wives.

But many of Solomon's wives were never truly treated as wives as Solomon says himself.

Son 6:8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and "virgins without number".

This would be 60 queens, 80 concubines, and an untold amount of virgins.

The nation of Israel may have been at peace at this time, but Solomon was not at peace with himself!

Solomon sinned grievously against Jehovah who had set him on his throne and had given him such wonderful gifts.

Solomon had violated the kingdom charter given to Moses by God Himself!

Deu 17:14 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me;
Deu 17:15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.
Deu 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
Deu 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
Deu 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
Deu 17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
Deu 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.

Solomon had openly violated the Mosaic Law of marriage and he knew it!

Ecc 9:9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.

And Solomon fell even deeper into sin!

*****1Ki 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
1Ki 11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.

Ashtoreth was the moon goddess of the Phoenicians and she was associated with Baal the sun god.

She was also known as Ishtar, Astarte, and Diana and open sexual behavior was used in this worship of her.

Milcom or Moloch or Chemosh, were considered as fire gods and were worshiped with human sacrifices and mutilation but there were also some who made vows of celibacy and virginity in worship of them, which is still seen in some religions of today.

A place for Milcom was even built on the Mount of Olives.

2Ki 23:13 And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.

*****1Ki 11:7 Then did Solomon build an 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.
1Ki 11:8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

And Solomon did these same things for all his wives.

1) Solomon openly violated the first and second commandments of the Laws of Moses.

Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exo 20:6  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

2) Solomon openly defied God.

1Ki 9:3  And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
1Ki 9:4  And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:
1Ki 9:5  Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.
1Ki 9:6  But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
1Ki 9:7  Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:
1Ki 9:8  And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?
1Ki 9:9  And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil.

3) By placing places of idol worship adjacent to the Temple, Solomon was flaunting an insult directly in the face of God.

4) It is a terrible sin for Solomon to abuse the wisdom that was a gift from God by trying to add religion and philosophy to God given knowledge!

5) It is a terrible sin to place God in competition to false deities!

America is not the nation it once was, because our leaders have allowed paganism to take a foothold in America and the Church has also compromised the Word of God in the name of peace with these false things.

And God became angry with Solomon.

*****1Ki 11:9  And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,
1Ki 11:10  And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.

God had personally blessed Solomon at Gibeon but God had also warned Solomon.

1Ki 3:14  And 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.

God had personally blessed Solomon at Jerusalem but God had warned Solomon here also.

1Ki 9:4  And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:
1Ki 9:5  Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.

Solomon had also been given many instructions by his father David.

Solomon had been taught the Word of God by God's prophet Nathan.

Solomon therefore had no excuses for his actions in turning away from God!

We should never doubt the Word of God!

God means what He says and God says what He means!

The Lord Jesus told a great parable to the disciples about the faithful steward and near the end of that parable Jesus had these words!

Luk 12:47  And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
Luk 12:48  But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required": and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Luk 12:49  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
Luk 12:50  But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

Solomon had been given much by the Lord and Solomon was given a great opportunity to spread the Word of God around the known world of that time period but Solomon failed in these things.

Solomon fell at the stumbling block of Satan!

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

As Solomon fell from the "Grace" of God, so did the nation of Israel, and Israel has not recovered since that day.

1) Israel would soon become a divided nation.

We can also see that America is more divided than at any time in our own history.

2) The division of Israel resulted in the destruction of ten of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Today the people of God are being destroyed all over the world and the world does not seem to care especially our own leaders.

3) Idolatry became the religion of Israel.

Idolatry now rules in America, as wants and desires outweigh the Word of God!

4) Division made Israel a weak nation in the presence of her enemies.

America is now seen as a weak nation in the presence of all our enemies.

5) The destruction of the ten tribes of Israel brought about the Samaritans who were a mixed people who built there own temple and compromised the Word of God.

In America the Word of God is being modernized so much, till it is not even the truth anymore.

6) In Israel philosophy and religion and atheism began to dominate the people.

We can see this same thing happening to America today!

Solomon had allowed God to be just a small part of his life and he had began to rely on his own wisdom to rule in his life.

So therefore God said:

1Ki 11:11  Wherefore 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.

What is the truth?

When rulers live in the splendor of  high office and in luxury, they become irresponsible to the moral laws of God!

They will try their best to maintain costly establishments and the people will find that taxation and servant-hood are the dominant themes of these rulers, our own president included.

What does God say?

Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

What is the truth of God?

1Co 1:18  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
1Co 1:19  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

So, how does God continue to do His work?

1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

God's will, will be done no matter what the leaders of our world try to do in their own wisdom!

Questions?

Let's Pray!