Pastor Chris Enoch - January 8, 2017
Scriptures:
1 Kings 11:1-13
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides
Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They
were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not
intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their
gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives
of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As
Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart
was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had
been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable
god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not
follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.
On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon
built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the
detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who
burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.
The LORD became angry with Solomon
because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had
appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods,
Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command. So the LORD said to Solomon, “Since
this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I
commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it
to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I
will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your
son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one
tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I
have chosen.”
1 Kings 3:4–12
The king went to Gibeon to offer
sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a
thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon
during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to
give you.”
Solomon answered, “You have
shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful
to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great
kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
“Now, O Lord my God, you have made
your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and
do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people
you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give
your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish
between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
The
Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since
you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have
asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice,
I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so
that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Proverbs 3:5-14
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all
your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not
be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This
will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
Honor
the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then
your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
My son,
do not despise the Lord’s discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,
because
the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.
Blessed
is the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding,
for she
is more profitable than silver
and
yields better returns than gold. 