For our lesson today, we are looking at the life of King Solomon. Solomon was a good man. Solomon was the son of King David. He was appointed the King of Israel and Judah by his farther, King David. Solomon was the son of Bathsheba (you remember her; David had her husband killed when he cheated with her).
Although Solomon was not the oldest son, nor was he next in line to be king. The Prophet Nathan reminded his mother that David had promised her that Solomon would be king. So Solomon became king when he was not supposed to be.
So let us check the background on Solomon, let us do an investigation on Solomon. Let us look at some of the good attributes Solomon had going for himself.
*1st, We see Solomon had a good father that came from a good house. David was a man after God’s own heart. We all know about David; you remember it was David, while fleeing for his life with trouble on every hand had to “encourage himself in the Lord”. You remember David.
*2nd, We see that Solomon was all set up and had it going on because not only did he have a good dad, but he got good advice from his pops, not everyday dad gives good advice, as a matter of fact some of our dads have given us some ridiculously bad advice. (Can I get a witness?)
(David) I Kings 2:1-9 David charged Solomon to be strong and to be a good man. Keep the charge of the Lord, walk in his ways, walk in his statues and commandments. He told him to deal with his enemies: show kindness to his friends. He said in essence stay with the Lord and you will never go astray and you will never be broke.
So we see Solomon started out on the right road with good advice from a good father and the assurance that the Lord will never leave him. Not only good advice from a good father and the assurance that the Lord will never leave him.
But we see that Solomon made a good request. Chapter 3 says that after Solomon is made king, then he hooks up with Pharaoh’s daughter, (they get married) then he is visited by the Lord in a dream, and the Lord asks what shall I give thee and Solomon asks for Wisdom! (Smart move)
So we learn that Solomon was a wise fellow, instead of asking for diamonds and pearls he ask for Wisdom and God grants his request. Because he asked for wisdom we read that Solomon went on to be one of the wisest men in the land; people came from all around just for Solomon to solve their problems.
So he had a good dad, he got good advice, and ask for good request.
My Brothers and Sisters next we see Solomon performed a good task. (Chapter 6-8) With the help of prayer and wisdom he started a building fund and completed a good project. He built a temple that was 90 ft long, 30 ft wide and 45 ft high, one of the biggest and baddest temples that had ever been built at that time. 23 tons of pure gold was used in the upper room alone. He completed a heck of a project for the Lord and the Lord was pleased with it, so much that the Holy Spirit filled the house and the priest couldn’t stand to minister.
We see that Solomon completed a good task, had good advice, from a good dad, and made good request.
Not only that but Solomon had a good prayer life as well.
When the temple was complete the Ark was brought in he prayed a prayer of dedication. (8:22-53) He prayed a good strong prayer, prayed for everybody and everything and for every situation; he prayed for 31 verses. Solomon had a good prayer life. Anytime somebody can pray for 31 verses, they got to be tight with the Lord, these were not little short verses either.
So we see that Solomon had a good dad, got good advice, achieved good accomplishments, made a good request and had a good prayer life.
But lastly we see that Solomon was a good writer, he wrote the Book of Proverbs which has 31 chapters full of wise sayings. He wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes which teaches us about the most important thing in life, which is God; and he wrote the Song of Solomon which teaches us about love.
So I think you will agree that Solomon has a good start. He had a good farther, gave good advice, ask for a good request, completed a good project, offered up a good prayer life, and wrote some good books.
But somewhere along the way all the good that he done didn’t keep him from ending up on a bad note. All the good advice, the good background, the good and strong prayers, the good writing or even the wisdom did not keep him from ending up on the wrong side of God’s wrath. All the wealth, all the riches, all the wisdom, the temple that he built, all the prayers that he prayed nor did all the Holy Ghost filled times did not keep him from falling off.
Some would even argue that Solomon was crazy to get caught up and fall out of God’s good grace, but before you judge him too quick, before you say hey dumb dumb, before you condemn Ole Solomon I believe some of us are closer to him than we think. Some of us are following in those same footsteps more than we know. I believe somebody in here can feel where Solomon is coming from.
There are many Christians who at one time accepted Christ, there are many of us that gave our life over to the Lord and there are many of us that confessed our sins. There are many that were raised in a good church home; there are many of us that were raised in a good church family.
We started out on a Good Foundation.
We started out singing in the Pastor’s Choir
We started out on the Usher Board
We started out on the Mother’s Board
We started out working in the Kitchen
We started out coming to every Church Meeting
We started out paying Tithes
We started out coming to Bible Study
We started out coming to Sunday School
We started out coming to church every Sunday.
There are many of us that started out good.
But how many know that a good start is not enough in the eyes of God. How many know that a good start and a few good victories do not equal a good finish. If Solomon could not coast in, what makes you think you or I will be able to?
Let see what got Solomon (1st Kings 11:1; 4 points)
The Bible say
1. He loved many strange women (strange/Greek – means adulterers, different, foreigners, outlandish, alien) Be careful who and what you fall in love with. Many of us fall in love with some strange stuff. Not just women, cars, homes, money, titles, boyfriends, girlfriends, Wal-Mart, JCPenny, Dillard’s, Jack Daniel, Seven and Seven, Budweiser, Corona, we can fall in love with some strange stuff and just give them women names (old Betsy, etc.)!
So what makes it be strange? What qualifies it to be strange? verse 4 say ANYTHING that turns your heart away from God.
2. He did evil in the sight of the Lord (verse 6) says he did not go fully after the lord as his dad King David did. (In other words he was luke warm) He was not really thinking about God. He did not want to give God all his time. You know how we do, if it is not our project, our program, our day to sing, then we late, lazy and long faced! Then we get evil. Works of the flesh are adultery, fornication, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, envy, murders, you know what they are Galations 5:19-21
3. He loved other Gods; his daddy already told him to stay true to the Lord; he had a dream and was told not to love other Gods, but he did it anyway. So God did not have a choice. God told him he was a jealous God.
Solomon got to messing with those out of town women. Women he knew did not love the Lord, but did it anyway. Anybody ever had an out of town lover? Distant lover? (I mean out of state lover) (aw my bad); he would not even get a local gal. He do like a lot of us men do, we sneak off to Memphis or Dallas or Atlanta and mess with strange women and bring them home.
You can see why it went bad, they were not raised the same way we were. We used to walking around barefooted; we eat stuff like chitterlings and drink sugar water. We speak to everybody we pass on the highway. We keep our women barefooted and pregnant. But when you go out of town you may get some of anything, some of them may be transvestites, undercover lovers, undercover brothers and all type of stuff, but Solomon loved all that and it got him messed up. The Bible said he had 700 wives and 300 concubines (he was greedy).
4. Lastly, We see that Solomon was Disobedient. David warned Solomon before he died, he told him to stay true to the Lord, but he did not listen. He told him to stay true to the Lord, he told him to trust in the Lord, but he was hard headed. (Chapter 2) Even God warned him and even gave him a second chance over in verse 10 he commanded him to leave those other crazy out of town women alone. But Solomon was like a lot of us, he was hard headed. Anybody ever been hard headed? The Bible said all this happened as Solomon was getting old. As you get old do not get hard headed? So the bible says in verse 11 – (READ closely)
All God is trying to say is Stay in the Race
I know that this is Youth Sunday, but parents we need you to Stay in the Race.
I know that the road is going to get rough and the going gets tough, but Stay in the Race.
I know Satan is on your track, but Stay in the Race.
I know you may have had a good start, but don’t fall off Stay in the Race.
Even if you had a bad start and you are on the right road now, Stay in the Race
Now that you are a dime above breakfast, Stay in the Race
You may be ready to live your life now that your kids are grown, but Stay in the Race
Solomon had a good start, come from a good home, had a good daddy, was good and smart, but as he got old he started to Fall Out of the Race.
God wants us to Stay in the Race
Why you should you Stay in the Race?
There were some good men who got old but Stayed in the Race:
*Father Abraham lived to be over 175 years old; he became the farther of many nations because he Stayed in the Race
*Moses lived to be 120 years old, he had a bad start, had to be bold in the Lord, but he Stayed in the Race
*Job lived 140 yrs after he lost every thing he had, he had a good start, went through a mid-life crisis he did not give up, he Stayed in the Race
*Old man Jonah ran from God a long time, did not want to complete his assignment, but God would not let him give up, he Stayed in Race.
Maybe that is too out of touch for you:
*Do you remember Sis Ball; she lived to be over 100 she Stayed in the Race
*Momma Sallie, lived to be over 100 she did not give up, she Stayed in the Race
*Sis Mitchell ,over there, is over 80 years old she has not given up, she is Staying in the Race
All I am trying to tell you this morning is to
Stay in the Race.
I have one more example of a man who Stayed in the Race.
Oh I think you know who I am talking about.
He was a child prodigy, did not get to play with Jacob and his other siblings as much as he would have liked to, but he Stayed in the Race...
At a young age, he had to be about his fathers business; did not get to go to the prom, but he Stayed in the Race...
He started his work at a young age, I am sure all the girls wanted to holla at Jesus, but he did not get side tracked, he Stayed in the Race...
The Devil tempted Jesus for 40 days and 40 nights, he did not give up and he did not give in, he stayed in the Race...
Y’all know how the story ends, Jesus ends up in the Garden of Gethsemani, wanting to give up, but he said Nevertheless he would Stay in the Race. They marched him from Judgment Hall to Judgment Hall, he had 6 trials where they found No Fault, but he Stayed in the Race. They whipped him all night long; he was criticized, ostracized and they beat him till he looked horrified, but he Stayed in the Race...
Y’all know the rest (this is my Easter speech y’all) they hung him high and stretched him wide, he never said a mumbling word, but he Stayed in the Race.
Rev Stephen D Robinson
Director of Christian Education
