SCRIPTURE: 1 Kings 11
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. [Matthew 21:43] This chapter shows both God’s justice and mercy. Solomon’s sin results in the eventual breakdown of Solomon’s kingdom. But the kingdom is not totally destroyed – it is given to another. God remains faithful to His original promise to establish His kingdom through Abraham. But those who reject Him end up losing His kingdom. It is offered to others. In Solomon’s day, it was offered to Jereboam, with the expectation that he would be faithful to God. In time we learn that Jereboam rejects God, and ends up losing the kingdom too.
Jesus warns the Pharisees that if they do not put God and His Kingdom first, they too will lose it. This may seem harsh, given that the Pharisees were such religious purists. But Jesus exposes their hypocrisy, their grand performance that was masking selfish, greedy, immoral hearts. Like Solomon, they took their focus away from God and focused on themselves.
God is looking for the fruit of simplicity, integrity, humility. David is described as a model of this. Please note, he is not an example of perfection or sinlessness – his sins are well known. But the Psalms reveal that his heart is humble, he admits his weakness and hates it, he longs deep down to honour God and obey Him. God sees beyond the outward performance to the inclination of the heart. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. [Psalm 51:16-17] Its not outward success or piety that God delights in, but sincere, contrite hearts that honour Him in spirit and in truth.
God is rebuilding His kingdom. He protects the throne of David until Jesus comes, and through Jesus defeats Satan and restores the throne of Adam under God. This world is moving towards paradise (believe it or not). Jesus makes plain what both Solomon and Jereboam discover: those who love and obey God receive the kingdom; those who reject and disobey God lose it.
PRAYER:
Lord, like David I have sin in my heart and life. But like David, I want to be faithful, loyal, obedient. Search me, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Heavenly Father, my heart’s desire is to love You with all my heart, soul and mind, to be completely devoted to You. I know LORD that although that is my heart’s desire, I know that I fall so short of living this desire to the fullest. LORD, forgive me for the times when I allow pride, selfishness, stubbornness to take root in my heart.
LORD, thank You for Your Son, my Redeemer, the atonement for my sin. Fill me with Your Spirit LORD that I may stand firm in Your Truth, in Your ways. Teach me Oh LORD to love You more! LORD, I give You my heart, I give You my soul, LORD have Your way with me. I choose to be holy, set apart for You my Master, ready to do Your will. Thank You Father for Your refining fire…..
We read in Deuteronomy 17 ‘He(a king) must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold nor a lot of horses. In this chapter and the previous one we see that Solomon went his own way and did not follow the word of the Lord. His did his own thing and followed the desires of his heart and was lead astray and did not fully devote his life to serve his God. And as we see so often, as the king goes, so go the people. Solomon built other places of worship for the people. He followed other gods rather than saying – as for me and my household, we will serve the living God!
God raised up an adversary which should have helped Solomon turn his heart home to the Lord God but . . . he didn’t. Yet God provides the way that His kingdom will come. There is a Redeemer! PTL!
And so who do I serve?
At lunch times I inspect what the students eat – a food/fruit inspector. The world around inspects my life. May they see God living in me. May my desire be to serve the living God always and that can be if only I do what the Lord God commands and walk in His ways and do what is right in His eyes. Help me Lord on my way.
“Follow Me,” the Master said;
We will follow Jesus:
By His Word and Spirit led,
We will follow Jesus.
Still for us He lives to plead,
At the throne doth intercede,
Offers help in time of need:
We will follow Jesus.