There are all kinds of warnings in life.
Most products we purchase have labels warning about improper use. Here are a few that I found.
- A label on a snow sled which says: "Beware: sled may develop high speed under certain snow conditions."
- A fishing lure, with a warning that reads: harmful if swallowed.
- A warning on an electric router made for carpenters cautions: “This product not intended for use as a dental drill.”
- A warning label found on a baby stroller cautions the user to “Remove child before folding”
- A container of underarm deodorant says, “Caution: Do not spray in eyes”
- A cartridge for a laser printer warns, “Do not eat toner”
- A car sunshield that keeps sun off the dashboard warns, “Do not drive with sunshield in place”
- On a prescription bottle for a dog, “Use care when operating a car.”
We laugh at the ridiculousness of some of these warnings but they are there for a reason. Either someone has used an electric router for a dentist drill or has eaten toner. Or a lawyer suggested that a company warn parents not to fold their children up in a stroller or a driver to drive with their sunshield in place to avoid a lawsuit.
We have a book of warnings at our disposal. It is called the Bible. We are warned to watch our speech. “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19). We are instructed to listen to the other viewpoint more than we are to try to win the argument for our viewpoint.
We are warned to watch our anger. “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” (Ephesians 4:26). There is a place for righteous anger—child abuse, modern-day sex slavery, injustices done to the poor or weak, etc. Yet many of us are more provoked by our personal offense. We are to restrain ourselves from sinful acts caused by anger.
We are warned to watch our money. “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have” (Hebrews 13:5). The striving to make more money to buy more things to gain more fame, fortune, and respect from men—comes from the cravings of this world more than the desires of the Spirit. Money of itself isn’t evil; rather, it’s the love of money along with the willingness to lay aside the real values of life such as our relationship with God and other believers.
We are warned to watch our pride. “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16).
Pride can be a good thing when in the perspective of doing a great work and feeling a sense of satisfaction or completion from it. But if not controlled it will slowly choke out our complete dependency on God.
We are warned to watch our worries. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).
The great complication of anxiousness is that the little worry tugging on your mind throughout the day—will keep us up nights on end. We can’t trust in God and be filled with worries.
We are warned to watch our fears. “The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). Believers around the world are continually harassed, persecuted, and unjustly imprisoned without any hope of justice. Yet we aren’t to be a people of fear, but of faith, courage, and strength in the Holy Ghost.
We are warned to watch our doubts. “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6).
Believers are most assailed by doubts when our circumstances suddenly change. Doubt makes us feel like we are alone without hope or clarity of direction. Just remember, Peter would not have had the chance to walk on water if there hadn’t been a storm.
All of these warnings, both on products and our lives, are not necessary if we use one thing. That one thing is wisdom. We would never intentionally fold up a child in a stroller because wisdom would clarify that we shouldn’t. So why are labels and warnings necessary? Because we have a problem using wisdom.
Today we will examine the life of King David’s son. He succeeded David on he throne after David had died. His name was Solomon. We have heard of his reputation of being wise. In fact he is often called the wisest man who ever lived. But as we examine his life we will be forced to ponder the truth of that statement. For instance, let’s look at Solomon’s first decision as the King of Israel.
1 Kings 3:1 “Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and married one of his daughters. He brought her to live in the City of David until he could finish building his palace and the Temple of the Lord and the wall around the city.”
Solomon made a deal with Egypt’s ruler which included marrying his daughter. We have already established that Egypt represented the world. Remember Abraham turned to Egypt for provision, rather than trusting God, when the famine struck. Isaac was stopped from going to Egypt when similar circumstances arose. Joseph was sold into Egypt by his brothers. When the famine ended, Israel decided to remain in Egypt rather than return to the Promised Land. This would lead to 400 years of slavery.
Now we read of Solomon making a deal with Egypt, with the world. Why? Because he thought it would be wise to form a peace treaty with his potentially biggest enemy. This was a common practice. When Saul became concerned about David he gave David one of his daughters as a wife. This would form a pact between Saul and David.
Solomon represents the church in this passage. The church, in its efforts to remain at peace with the world, has allowed itself to become compromised. The church has softened its stance against worldly viewpoints of such controversies as abortion and homosexuality. The church has become an organization that aspires to be acceptable to today’s generation so that we can coexist in harmony. Just like today’s church, God saw a weakness in Solomon so He encountered him to bolster that weakness.
1 Kings 3:5 “That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, ‘What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!’”
Imagine if you were asleep and God presented you with this offer. What would your answer be? The top ten answers from people were good health, money, fundamentals of life, love, change something about ourselves, fame, sex, peace, freedom, and happiness. Some of these are wonderful desires. Others are self centered. And the number one desire, happiness, is often tied in to having the other nine prevalent in our lives. Solomon had an open offer from God to fulfill his deepest desire. What did he choose?
1 Kings 3:9 “Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”
He asked for an understanding heart. As we have discovered the heart symbolizes the inner-man, the true character of whom we are. Solomon asks God to make him a leader that will hear from God, listen to his instructions, and obey his words. Solomon is asking for a gift from God that we each have residing in us, his Holy Spirit. Solomon’s desire was to have the Spirit of God to reside in his inner man and lead him in making the right decisions.
In fact, he recognized his need for God to be present in his ruling over Israel.
1 Kings 3:10-12 “The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. So God replied, ‘Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies— I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have!’”
When Solomon asked for an understanding heart God saw a glimpse in him that God saw in his father, David. Solomon was reflecting a man with a heart for God. Solomon could have asked for a long life to govern God’s people and he would have got it. Solomon could have asked for great wealth and he would have got it. Solomon could have asked for revenge against his enemies and he would have got it. But he asked for an understanding heart so that he could please God in ruling the people.
God replied that He would give Solomon what he asked for. He would not only give him the inner desire to hear from, listen to, and obey God but also shape him into a skilled ruler that would have such understanding that his rulings would be morally inclined.
Plus Solomon was to be the wisest and understanding leader that ever was and is and will ever be. Solomon is the wisest leader of all time because God made him so. And God wasn’t finished.
1 Kings 3:13-14 “And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.”
Solomon asked for wisdom to serve God. God was so moved by his request that He opened the doors of blessings and let them pour out on Solomon. He would also receive riches and fame. In fact, God promised to make him the most famous and richest king in the world. He would throw in a long life with a condition; that, like David, he would follow and obey God. Solomon’s heart for God had caused him to hit the mother lode.
What a great story if it ended there. But Solomon began to change. Solomon fell into the same trap as his father. After 20 years of ruling he became complacent. His heart for God was replaced by a heart for wealth and fame. His original desire for wisdom was now a desire for fortune.
God had placed restrictions on Solomon when the children of Israel were in the wilderness. God instructed Moses to place a warning label on being the king.
Deuteronomy 17: 16-17 “The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’ The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.
How well did Solomon do with those warning labels? Let’s read.
1 Kings 10:14-15 “Each year Solomon received about 25 tons of gold. This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders, all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the land.” The warning label said he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.
Solomon ignored the warning label.
1 Kings 10:28 “Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Cilicia; the king’s traders acquired them from Cilicia at the standard price.”
The warning label said that the king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, “You must never return to Egypt.” Solomon ignored the warning label.
1 Kings 11:3-4 “He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord. In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been.”
The warning label said that the king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. Solomon ignored the warning label.
There are consequences to ignoring warning labels. Swallowing a fishing lure will harm you. Spraying deodorant in your eyes will blind you. Ignoring God’s instructions will separate you from God’s perfect plan. Solomon discovered this to be true. 1 Kings 11:11 “So now the Lord said to him, ‘Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants.’”
Solomon was to lose his kingdom. However, because of God’s love for David, it would not happen until Solomon’s death. And one tribe, the tribe of Judah, would remain in control of a portion of the kingdom due to God’s promise to David.
What happened to Solomon? Did God remove his wisdom due to Solomon’s complacency? Absolutely not. God’s promise to Solomon was set in stone. Solomon was the wisest man to ever live. You can see his wisdom throughout the book of Proverbs. You can see his love for God reflected in the Song of Songs. You even get a glimpse of his wisdom in the book of Ecclesiastes.
We all have wisdom. God gives us wisdom to live by and wisdom to obey him. But wisdom is useless if not used. Solomon had the greatest amount of wisdom ever given to a man but he wore the appearance of foolishness for not using it.
Ecclesiastes is said to be written by Solomon in his declining years. Solomon was only 60 when he died. As he writes about his life he begins with, “Everything is meaningless, completely meaningless!” He has the riches, the fame, and the fortune. But he has realized how much he strayed from what mattered the most. That was ruling God’s people with wisdom. His final thoughts were, “Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.”
Solomon began as a man with a heart for God. God poured out blessings upon him. He will do the same for us. If we pursue his will for our lies, He will bless us with goodness that we haven’t asked for. But we must read and heed the warning labels. They are there for a purpose.
