Pleasing God (2)
BIBLE READING: 1 KINGS 11; PROVERBS 16:7; JAMES 1:13-15
“When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them.” (NLT)
It is a statement of fact and a truth we can hold on to. Last week we looked at the story of Balak, Balaam and the Israelites. God found no iniquity or wickedness in His people so it was impossible for any of Balaam’s charms or powers to work against them. I want us to look at what happens when God is displeased by looking at the story of Solomon and how he started well but ended up displeasing God and the consequences of his actions.
In the Book of 1Kings 2, we see dying King David advising his son Solomon to observe the requirements of the Lord, follow His ways, keep His decrees, commands and regulations so that he (Solomon) would succeed in whatever he did and wherever he went (1 Kings 2:3,very similar to Joshua 1:8which we discussed a few weeks ago). We are told, Solomon loved the Lord and built the temple of God, dedicated it to God and his sacrifice was so pleasing to God that God asked him to ask for anything he wanted. He asked for wisdom to rule God’s people and God made him the wisest man alive and added wealth and fame like no man has ever had and will ever have in his lifetime. His wisdom was known all over the world and people travelled from many foreign lands to see him.
Now because God was so pleased with Solomon, even Solomon said in 1 Kings 5:4 “But now the Lord has given me peace on every side; I have no enemies, and all is well.”He knew it was God who made sure his enemies just had no choice but to be at peace with him. No one could raise a finger against him because God loved him, but Solomon forgot about all these by the end of his life.
There is a Scripture in the Book of James I keep very close to my heart, because it warns us about the little foxes in our lives we sometimes take for granted, thinking they can cause no harm. James 1:14-15 says, “It is each person’s own desires and thoughts that drag them into evil and lure them away into darkness. Evil desires give birth to evil actions. And when the sin is fully mature it can murder you!” (TPT). “When the sin is fully mature”…James was talking to Believers when he said this. These words make me realise that right from the thought process, if you do not handle the sin and you allow the evil thoughts to fester, they can eventually kill you. Now we understand the importance of this Proverb, “As a man thinks in his heart, so he becomes” and this was exactly what happened to Solomon.
Solomon disobeyed God by marrying the daughter of Pharaoh, this didn’t seem like a big deal because in his heart, he loved God and was keeping all the statutes of his father David. What Solomon did not realise was his union with all these foreign women would eventually draw his heart away from God and remove the covering of peace from him. The Bible tells us in 1 Kings 11:2 (NLT), “The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, ‘You must not marry them (foreign women), because they will turn your hearts to their gods.’ Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway.”The sin became fully “mature” over time and he had an irresistible appetite for foreign women. He started with one and ended up with 700 wives and 300 concubines and they ended up turning his heart away from the Lord. In his old age, he worshipped so many foreign gods, built shrines for them and did so much evil in God’s sight. His desire for foreign women dragged him into evil (worshipping other gods) and finally into darkness. We are told he built a shine for and worshipped Molech (a god associated with child sacrifice by burning), the most detestable god of all and the darkest god of all.
God became very angry with him because he found iniquity and wickedness in him. God had appeared to him twice and had warned him specifically against worshipping other gods but he did not listen. I ask myself “How did Solomon get here?” The little sins we think have no consequences, if not checked could get us to this place. I pray this never happens to any of us in the mighty name of Jesus Christ (Amen). Because of the sins of Solomon, God tore the kingdom from him but because of David, He did not do it at Solomon’s lifetime but during his son’s reign. He also left one tribe (Judah) for him to reign over.
To accomplish His purpose (the punishment), the covering of peace was lifted from Solomon. The Bible says:
1 Kings 11:14 “Then the Lord raised up Hadad the Edomite, a member of the Edom’s royal family to be Solomon’s adversary.”
1Kings 11:23a “God also raised up Rezon son of Eliada as Solomon’s adversary.”
God finally raised Jeroboam one of Solomon’s officials by telling him his plans and promising to make him king over the remaining tribes.
Brethren, when God is at peace with us, our enemies have no power over us, but when He finds iniquity and wickedness in us, it is another story entirely. I want you to think today of all those “little foxes” and sometimes “big foxes” you have decided to hold on to because of the pleasure they are giving you. Are they worth God removing His covering of peace over you? Do not allow lustful thoughts drag you into doing evil things. You need to resist those thoughts; you have the power to do it. Confess those thoughts to God and ask the Holy Spirit to help you walk away from them. Believe me, no pleasure is worth God removing His covering of peace over you. May God help us all to resist the devil (lustful and evil thoughts and desires) and flee from him.
UNDER GRACE UNDER MERCY