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.
Solomon’s reign as king got off to an impressive start. As the passage unfolds, David, his father and current king, hand picks Solomon to rule, and directs his son to build the temple David had planned. In the first few pages recounting Solomon’s reign, he comes across as humble, asking only for wisdom when God offered him whatever he wanted. God gave him wisdom, but God 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.
By the time Solomon writes the book of Ecclesiastes he has been king for many years, and the tone of the writing doesn’t sound like someone who enjoyed a blessed life, nor does it sound like someone who took his father’s counsel to heart. Solomon has built the temple for God, but he didn’t stop there. He also drew on the wealth of the people he ruled to construct his own extravagant palace, one of the many ways he used his accumulated wealth and power to satiate any and all desires. Yet throughout Ecclesiastes Solomon sounds as if he is empty, as if what he has reaped hasn’t brought him joy and peace with God.
The words of David from 1 Chronicles seem to come back to haunt Solomon after he has rampaged through life and is now bitter, unsatisfied. If you read the book of Ecclesiastes, you will 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’s greed and hunger to consume as much of everything as he could cost his people their freedom and bankrupted the nation, but wasn’t limited to building a palace that rivaled the magnificence of God’s temple. He also hoarded wives of other nations (over 700 wives in all, not to mention 300 concubines) and promoted the worship of their gods. His extravagant ways led to the breaking of Israel into two kingdoms, in the north and the south.
Solomon’s was a life lived not following his father’s words, but 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.
