Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, I Kings
I can't read the Song of Solomon or the book of Ecclesiastes and not be sad at how Solomon turned out. 1 Kings tells us he loved God when he first became king of Israel, and I have no doubt he did. But 1 Kings 3 tells us Solomon loved God, BUT...
We find him offering sacrifices to God on the pagan high places. He may have loved God sincerely, but he wanted to worship God in his own way. He loved God but he wanted things the way he wanted them.
Like marrying an Egyptian woman, expressly forbidden by God. I believe Solomon loved this woman, especially if she is the main character in the book of Song of Solomon. His marriage to her even put the nation of Israel at peace with Egypt. That had to be a good thing, right? I mean, who doesn't want world peace?
The problem was Solomon's way wasn't God's way. Solomon's way was disobedience. And God takes a dim view on disobedience, no matter who you are, and no matter what your intentions are. Solomon's way led him down a path toward despair and destruction. It couldn't lead anywhere else.
What started out as a hopeful reign for Solomon over Israel ended up with pagan worship and a king's heart turned away from God. It ended up with the nation of Israel split in two, with both sides at each other's throats for generations that followed.
It's such a sad tale. It didn't have to be that way.
If we want life to mean something, if we want to walk with God and be blessed by Him, we have to live life according to God's way. Anything else is like chasing after the wind.
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