“Solomon – Wise, Yet Still Foolish”

YEAH! Church - Sunday, September 26, 2021

"Heroes of the Bible” – Solomon, King David’s son and successor, is well-known for his great wisdom, which we find in the book of Proverbs. He is also the king God chose to build His Temple. Solomon was also the wisest man who ever lived…yet his story contains some pretty big mistakes. Solomon was far from perfect, but his story reminds us of God’s good gifts and great patience for us.

Today’s Lesson - “Solomon – Wise, Yet Still Foolish”

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrEMxriExcM (Bible Pathways – Solomon the Temple Builder)

Today’s Hero – Solomon (1 Kings 1-11)

King David and his wife Bathsheba had a son named Solomon. Even though David had other wives, and other sons who were older than Solomon, he promised Bathsheba that her son would replace him as king someday. Solomon ruled Israel during its ‘golden age’—the country was strong and wealthy; Solomon is known for making some very good choices…and some very bad ones…and ultimately the kingdom ended up split in two because of him.

As a young king, God came to him and asked him what gift he might like. Solomon asked God to make him wise. This request pleased God. Not only did he make Solomon wise, but he also made him wealthy, kept him safe from his enemies and allowed him to grow to an old age. Solomon used his wisdom to make some very good decisions and as long as he obeyed God things went well.

David, Solomon’s father, had wanted to build God a Temple, but God had told him that it was his son, Solomon, who would do it. Solomon took seven years to build a Temple for God and when it was dedicated, God sent fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice to show that He was pleased.

But not every decision Solomon made pleased God. Solomon loved to collect things…including wives! Solomon would make alliances with other leaders by marrying their daughters. Solomon had 700 royal wives and 300 concubines—that’s 1,000 wives! And for each of his royal wives he built places of worship to their gods…and even worshipped with them. For being a wiseman, this was an incredibly foolish choice.

As a result, God refused to allow Solomon’s son to reign over the whole of Israel and the country was divided in two—Israel and Judah. In the years that followed, some of the kings of Judah were good like David had been, but most were not; but the kings of Israel were a bad bunch on the whole—they all ended up worshipping idols the way that Solomon had. Eventually, God would punish both Israel and Judah, but not before giving them many chances to make things right again. Unfortunately, for the most part, they did not. King Solomon had begun with lots of hope, but ended up a failure.

Engage:
• Solomon was not King David’s oldest son, who would normally become the next king. Why might David have made Solomon his successor?
• When God told Solomon He would give him one gift he asked for, he could have asked for anything. Why do you think he asked for wisdom?
• God was pleased with his request and gave him far more than just wisdom. What other gifts did God promise?
• Just because God gave Solomon wisdom, doesn’t mean he always used it. What unwise decisions did Solomon make during his life?
• God promises to give wisdom to anyone who asks Him to, but like Solomon we still have the choice to act wisely or not. What wise choices can you make today?

Theme verses:
James 1:5-6, NLT - “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.”
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Prayer – Dear God, thank you that you love to give wisdom to anyone who asks you for it. Help us to always make wise decisions; help us not to get in the habit of making some poor choices like Solomon did. And when we do make foolish choices help us to recognize it and ask for your forgiveness.
~ Pastor Jane