What can transform a life extraordinaire into a barren wasteland? How can someone be living life beyond their grandest, greatest desires and yet the magnitude of blessings become meaningless excess? Don’t we always wonder how the “great” fall? What topples such privilege?
The life of King Solomon provides a roadmap of a frightening journey no one would envy. Yes the heights he reached in life were what most fantasize about, but the final low he succumbed to is what makes a nightmare. And the saddest part is that he did it to himself.
What was it that did him in though? How can magesty and magnitude turn meaningless anyway? He was the greatest king ever known, in wealth and wisdom. Yet if he was so blessed with material possessions and intelligence, then what on earth could take him down? What could threaten his kingdom that money, power and wisdom could not resolve?
Three words describe his progression to ruin; however, nevertheless and meaningless.
In 1 Kings 11:1-2, we begin to see his undoing and in verse 4-5 the description of how he was led astray by his wives, worshipping their gods. It comes as the fruition of how he began his reign in 1 Kings 3:1 when he married his first foreign wife from Egypt. He progresses in this brushing aside of what was best to full blown rebellion. “King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharoah’s daughter- Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites,’You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.’ Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.”
God had told the Isrealites through Moses back in Deuteronomy 17:14-17 that the kings of Israel should not return to Egypt for horses, nor acquire great numbers of them, nor take many wives. They were also warned about not accumulating large amounts of silver and gold.
Well, Solomon did all of the above…..excess seemed to mark his life. He had trouble saying “no” to his lusts, which I have said before is “having to have something now”.
As he ignored what God had said, he began to drift away from God. It is impossible to have a close relationship with the Lord while continually ignoring what He has said and commanded. Solomon’s making himself the exception to the rule is identified when the word “however” is used. “However ” shows his indifference to what God has said and instead, choosing his own way. In essence, he overruled God at that moment when he decided to believe contrary to what God had said, approving of the path he wanted to pursue even though it had been forbidden. Not only did he love foreign wives, he loved many of them.
It goes on to say that “nevertheless” Solomon held fast to them in love. I see a progression from Solomon not agreeing with what God had said and commanded when the word “however ” is used, to acting in willful rebellion (ignoring rebukes or convictions) when the word “nevertheless ” is used. He not only ignored the commands but also the warnings/rebukes. Unlike his father King David, when he was rebuked by Nathan the prophet over his sin and yielded/repented immediately, Solomon continued down the path he had chosen.
It is ironic that Solomon ultimately chose to ignore all his wisdom and instead, allow his heart to lead him. As he dove heart-first into the excess of foreign wives and “love”, not to mention the horses and wealth, he had his fill……gluttony if you will. He gave himself fully to whatever he sought. He indulged his every desire……..until the unthinkable happened.
You see, Solomon sort of found out what was at the end of the rainbow. We all fantasize about the means and opportunity to experience “paradise “, where we can have all we want whenever we want it. Very few people ever actually get to achieve this. But Solomon did. And what he found out was profound.
When he let go of God and his commands, he stepped forward into the excess of what he always wanted but it came with one repercussion. He had everything but the One thing he needed the most…..God. We cannot cling to God and our sin. It is one or the other.
Solomon found out in the end what mattered most. Even when he gorged himself on what he was desperate to have, it became less than what he thought it would be, as sin always is. It is a trap really; when we lose control over a desire, usually it ends up controlling us. As we give full vent to our passions, we become mastered by them, whether they be relationships, food, exercise, sex, shopping, complaining, hoarding……the list is endless.
The book of Ecclesiastes is such a sad book to me. It was written by King Solomon toward the end of his reign, after he had indulged in his every whim. The fist utterance of Solomon is striking. Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 says it all. “‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ Says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.'” The rest of the book goes into depth the lessons Solomon learned too late.
Solomon’s progression from “however” to “nevertheless”, ultimately led him to “meaningless “. All that excess became barrenness! Why? Because he realized that it was God Himself that truly is life’s greatest joy and delight. Nothing else can compare. No one can compare. No matter the excess, it was not enough to offset what was lost. That was his final conclusion he described in Ecclesiastes. God was what mattered most after all.
The devil tries to convince us that we know what is best for us. He can be very convincing. And we can be very gullible. What is he trying to get you to indulge in that God warns you about? What lust has you leaning toward the path of “however ” and “nevertheless “? Remember the lesson of Solomon- excess can lead to barrenness. Sometimes when we get all we want, it comes at the cost of the One thing we can’t live without.
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