Scripture
1 Chronicles 22 11 “Now, my son, the Lord be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would.
12 May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.
Thoughts
We all know how to listen–it’s just that we mainly listen to ourselves, and take our own advice. Too often we don’t listen to God; rarely do we seek the Holy Spirit to shape our lives. The passage from 1 Chronicles recounts a father (David) talking to his son (Solomon), encouraging him in discretion.
Yes, Solomon did build the temple as his father David instructed him. At the beginning of his reign Solomon presented as humble: when God offered him whatever he wanted, Solomon asked God for wisdom. God gave him that, but he also gave him wealth and power greater than any other king of Israel before or since–all that anyone seemingly could want, from the world’s standpoint.
At the end of his life Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. David has been dead for decades and Solomon has built the temple for God and his own extravagant palace, using the enormous wealth and power to satiate any and all desires and yet Solomon sounds throughout Ecclesiastes as if he is empty. These words of David from 1 Chronicles seem to come back to haunt Solomon after he has rampaged through life and is now bitter, unsatisfied. As you read the book of Ecclesiastes, which serves as a tell-all autobiography of Solomon, you find someone who is disillusioned, who has taken advantage of the extravagant buffet of life available to the wealthiest king of Israel, and all that consumption leaves him hollow, cynical, and unsatisfied in every aspect of his life. Solomon not only impoverished his people because of his greed, but he also conscripted slaves from his citizens to build his palace, and took on wives of other nations (over 700 wives in all, not to mention 300 concubines) and worshiped their gods. His extravagant ways led to the dissolution of Israel into two kingdoms, in the north and the south.
Solomon’s was a life lived not listening to his father’s words, a life ignoring the decrees and laws Moses received from God.
Reflection
With the words of David to Solomon in mind, take some time and read through the book of Ecclesiastes. It is a cautionary tale of what happens when you engage in a ravenous pursuit of excess. Solomon seems to capture the life without God that Paul describes in Romans 1.(25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.)
Personal Prayer
Father, I pray that you will stay close to me throughout each day. May I keep my eyes on the Good Shepherd rather than all the other sheep and the things we sheep have created. May I seek first your kingdom, your righteousness, and may my life show people more about your son our saviour than about me.
Shared Prayer Focus
Please pray for our leaders and the leaders of the world to truly have a come to Jesus moment and repent of their pursuit of power at the expense of human lives. Draw us unto you, keep our hearts broken for what breaks your heart.
