Day 22 | Solomon

Read 1 Kings 11:1-13

Solomon was king of Israel, succeeding his father, David. After taking his place on the throne, God gave Solomon the chance to ask Him for anything. In humility, he asked for the wisdom to rule over God’s people justly. God was so pleased with Solomon’s request that He gave him not only more wisdom than anyone in Solomon’s lifetime but also a vast amount of wealth and honor. God had one request, “that you walk in My ways and keep My commands” (1 Kings 3:14).

Solomon did many great things during his 40-year reign; however, he chose to abandon God’s instruction and use the gifts God had given him for his own agenda and selfish desires. Solomon ignored God’s command not to intermarry with surrounding nations. This is not an indictment on interracial relationships because God plainly states the reason for His edict; He says it is because “they will turn your heart away to follow their gods” (1 Kings 11:2).

That is exactly what happened in Solomon’s life. Despite all the wisdom he was given, he gave in to the worldly influences around him. This brought him to a place where he was extremely far from the God he once humbly and fully depended upon.

I don’t think anyone wakes up and says, “Today, I am going to completely wreck my life and ignore all the wisdom God has offered me.” Our lives can slowly unravel when we forget to carefully guard our hearts (see Proverbs 4:23) and when we carelessly choose who we want to develop close friendships with. We must realize that those we allow to be close to us will affect our minds as well as our souls. They can either usher us into a deeper relationship with God or they can lead us astray and deceive us.

Pray for 10 minutes