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*Inscription: Writing God’s Words on Our Hearts & Minds*
*/Part 29: King Solomon on Drifting from God/*
*1 Kings 10:14-11:8*
*/August 22, 2010/*
* *
*Prep: *
· 091,
· Screwtape Letters (the friends), leftovers 1-2
· PPt changes: Removed Deut.
17:16-17, Prov.
30:7-9
*Scripture reading: Mark 4:13-20 (Eddie)*
Intro: Inscription overview
prayer
Half-Heart
· This week we look at the final of Israel’s *first* *three* *kings*; they are also the only kings of the unified Israel.
Several weeks ago, we looked at King *Saul*, a king who had looked good on the outside, but deep down his heart was not devoted to God.
I said that he was like the seed sown on *shallow* *ground*.
David was a man with a heart completely devoted to God.
Sadly, *sin* and *regrets* devastated his later years, but he was still a man who *loved* God.
· Teresa summed them up as saying Saul had “*no* *heart*,” David had a “*whole* *heart*.”
What about Solomon?
He is aptly described as having a “*half* *heart*.”
He is like the seed sown among *the* *weeds*:
*Mark 4:19 * 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
The danger of success
Here is what strikes me: On one hand, David *fell* *suddenly* through moral failure (the affair with Bathsheba and murdering her husband).
On the other, Solomon *slowly* *drifted* away from God as a result of his *success*.
Q Which would you think is more dangerous to one’s soul: *Murder* or *success*?
In Solomon’s case, it was success.
David *repented* and was forgiven, his heart turned back to God.
Solomon kept drifting, *never* to *return*.
From all appearances, he died apostate.
· He died a very *rich* and *successful* man on this earth, but very *poor* man *eternally*.
“What does it *profit* a *man* to gain the world and lose his soul?” (Matt 16:26).
Like most of us, he was tragically *short*-*sighted*.
Am I saying it’s *better* to *murder* someone than be *successful* in life?
Of course not, but when you commit the big sins, they are harder to ignore, harder to justify.
· In Solomon’s life we don’t see any big damning sins, just a myriad of compromises that slowly pulled him away from God.
Sometimes the subtlest things are the most dangerous.
Dangerous currents
My dad, Eddie, is a *whitewater* *guide*, and I have gone down the river with him several times.
It’s a lot of fun, we go through some crazy stuff.
But there’s this one spot that is *too* *dangerous* to run.
We actually have to take the boat out and carry it around.
This is it.
It just looks nice and calm, like a lake, but the reason it looks so calm is because of the dam.
· The currents here are moving quite fast, and if you are not very careful it will pull you over the dam.
Doesn’t look dangerous, does it?
*Looks* *fun* to go over.
But the currents will pull you under the water and keep you stuck there.
Dad has seen logs stuck in that current for weeks.
· In the same way, Solomon’s life slowly drifter from God and he never seems to have even *realized* he went over the *edge*.
Even as we watch for the *big* *stuff* (like we talked about last week), we need to beware of the *hidden* *currents*.
The majority of us are in *greater* *danger* of drifting way than some dramatic sin.
· Even if we fall, we’ll probably get back up “...though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.”
(Prv.
24:16)
But the subtle currents can *slowly* pull you away from God, and the *farther* you get, the *harder* it is to *realize* you are sliding backwards, and the more *reluctant* we are to face it.
Drifting self-test
Do you think you are *drifting* from God?
Here are *two* *questions* to ask yourself:
Q Are you *closer* to *God* or *further* from him than you were *3 month ago*?
Are you reluctant to listen to God?
* *
· There is no “*the* *same*.”
Stagnating is moving away.
Q Are you *attending* *church* *less* and *detaching* yourself from the community?
Even before people realize they are drifting from God, they *subconsciously* pull away from the community.
I have *watched* it happen countless times.
It is both an *indicator* and *contributor* to a slow slide from God.
We know that we are not doing what we should do but don’t want to be *reminded* of the fact.
Maybe you are *drifting* from God, and, worse, you *don’t* *care*.
Or maybe you *don’t* *know* *God* in a real way.
I could try all sorts of ways to plead with you, quoting Bible verse, etc, but that may not mean much to you.
All I can say is this – don’t believe the *lie* that *sin* is *fun* and God is a drag.
· I get to *watch* the *pain* and *devastation* that *separation* from God brings – it’s fun for a while, but *ends* in *misery*.
And if you answer those questions *Yes* and *No*, still *listen* carefully, because I am going to talk about two currents that are *dangerous* and *always* *pull* at us, as they did Solomon: *Money* and *relationships*.
*1.
**Money*
When we first meet Solomon, he’s the *new* *king*.
God basically granted him one wish (cf.
*Aladdin*), and rather than asking for fame or money or health (or 100 more wishes), he asked for wisdom so that he could lead Israel well.
God responded “Hey, that’s a great thing to ask for, so I’ll give it to you, and I’ll also give you *money*, *fame*, and *health*.”
*1 Kings 10:23-28 * 23 ¶ King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.
[/His annual income was 16 tons of gold – $30 M/] 24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift-- articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
26 ¶ Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.
27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.
28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue...
When the original readers saw this, *warning* *bells* would have gone off.
First and Second Kings were written to show how disobedience to the Torah landed Israel in their current mess.
These are all things that God had *specifically* *warned* kings against: Getting *too* *rich*, collecting a lot of *horse*, getting horse from *Egypt*.
· They saw this in the same way that we see warning signs when a *married* *guy* spends too much time with *another* *woman*.
But what’s *so* bad about that?
It’s *good* to be *successful*, right?
America love success (which is why attendance is so low at *Mariner’s* *games*).
· And for that matter, didn’t that *success* come *from* *God*?
It’s not that *success* or *money* are bad, but they are *dangerous*.
Just as *Deuteronomy* had *warned*, Solomon’s heart was lead astray by these things.
Money’s like a sharp *kitchen* *knife*.
Marilyn got me a good knife, and I love it.
It slices tomatoes rather than smashes them.
It works a lot *better*, quicker, and smoother than a dull one, but if you misuse it, the cut will be much, much *worse*.
Likewise, properly used, money can be a very *effective* *tool, *but only if it’s* used* for the *right* *thing*:* * *God’s* *glory*.
But misused it becomes an idol, lethal to our souls.
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