“When Solomon
was old his wives had turned his heart to follow other gods, and his heart was
not entirely with the LORD, his God, as the heart of David his father had been.”
(1 Kings 11:4)
Solomon is a man of many superlatives: wisest man in the world, richest man, most
powerful, etc, etc. Yet he did not
believe God when God warned him that foreign wives would betray his heart. His fall from grace is tragic. When I read this story this morning, I was
sad. I thought: “If this could happen to Solomon, it could
happen to anybody.” St Paul warns us to
work out our salvation in fear and trembling.
That which could snare your heart will unless you are fully
armed and vigilant. There is no mercy
for the slothful or the presumptuous.
“The LORD became angry with Solomon, because
his heart turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice”
(1 Kings 11:9)
To him whom much is given much would be expected. Much is given to Solomon: wisdom, knowledge, power and wealth. He had everything in superabundant
proportions. But he lacked only one
thing. He lacked a believing and
obedient heart. This is the great
difference between him and his father David.
David trusted God in everything. He
was well aware of his human weakness.
Solomon was not.
The response to this scripture is:
“Blessed are they who observe what is right, who do always what is just.” (Psalm 106: 3)
Do you notice the word “always”? Always means that 99% will not be good
enough. 99% of purity or honesty is not
good enough. What is needed is
perseverance to the end, that is 100%. Solomon
persevered in the good way till he was old.
