1 Kings begins with the blessings of God. I have often wondered, how can God say that David had a heart like His? It is because he never worshiped any other gods. He knew who was the true God and he never turned from Him. Solomon begins his reign with God and he was blessed because of it. God was very pleased with him. 1 Kings 3:8-12, Solomon said, "I am like a little child who doesn't know his way around... Give me an understanding mind so that I can govern Your people well and know the difference between right and wrong... The LORD was pleased with Solomon's reply and was glad that he had asked for wisdom." So Solomon was right with God and he was blessed. God allowed him to search for what would bring him happiness for it always led him back to God. He was the builder of God's Temple and he celebrated the Festival of Shelters with the Ark of the LORD in the Temple. What a contrast. Festival of Shelters was to remind the people that they had nothing. They celebrated this festival in their abundance, praising God for all He had blessed them with.
In all of Solomon's quest for understanding and pleasure God never said that he had done what was evil. He sinned, but God was always with him and helped him. 1 Kings 11, "The LORD had clearly instructed His people not to intermarry with those nations, because the women would lead them to worship their gods. Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway... And sure enough, they turned his heart to worship their gods instead of trusting only in the LORD his God... Thus Solomon did was was evil in the LORD's sight; he refused to follow the LORD completely... The LORD was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice."
Everyone sins. There is no one who is just and without sin. We have all fallen and fall short of the glory of God. We serve a patient and understanding God, but he does give us warnings and guidelines to follow. He does this to protect us. His true desire is for us to recognize Him and to love and follow Him and only Him. From the beginning, He warned the children of Israel not to intermarry with the pagan women, because He knew that they could turn His people's hearts away from Him. This is what happened to Solomon. His wives turned his heart against God. In his old age, he turned against God and worshiped other gods.
Here is my concern, people will feel safe and continue in their sin and in their stubbornness and old age they will finally turn away from God and abandon Him. I have seen it happen. I dare not say that a person was never saved to begin with, and that is why they turned from Him and denied Him. I do not understand all of God's ways, I will admit that. But why are their so many verses that start with "If you..I will," why are they even there, if we had no choice in what happens to us? I do believe that He chooses us and He desires that none parish, but that all will turn and follow Him.
We must turn our entire life over to God. God helps us to desire Him. He gives us His Holy Spirit in order to help us and without Him we cannot do anything. It is all His power and His authority, but if we continually choose to surround ourselves with others and refuse to maintain our commitment to Him, our hearts can change. Philippians 2:12, "you must be even more careful to put into action God's saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him." It is by His grace and mercy that I am here today. I know this. I cannot boast about what I have done. I am a sinner, I cannot save myself. It is through Him and by Him that I am even still alive today. God has no contradictions, but it can seem like He does. It can seem like what I have said is full of contradiction, but in reality it is not it is just. He is just and He does expect us to love only Him. Do not let your heart to be misled. Do not let your stubbornness to mislead you into falling away from Him. We must be diligent and careful, put into action God's saving power in your life.
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