Sunday, June 22, 2008

THE MAN WHO HAD IT ALL

THE MAN WHO HAD IT ALL

and let it all slip away.



Text: 1 Kings 3, 11.


Delivered on: September 23, 2007. Streetsboro.



Introduction.


  1. Solomon was the son of David through Bathsheba.

  2. David reigned for 40 years as King.

  3. When his life was nearly over, one of his other sons, Adonijah, took it upon himself to proclaim himself king without his father’s knowledge.

  4. This was not what God wanted. 1 Chronicles 22:9-10. Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days. 10 He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.'

  5. David, once confronted by Bathsheba and Nathan, quickly had Solomon appointed king.

  6. David was happy to see his son reigning before he died. 1 Kings 1:48. Also the king said thus, 'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it!' "

  7. Some of David’s last words to Solomon are touching. 1 Kings 2:1-4. Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: 2 "I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. 3 And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 4 that the Lord may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,' He said, 'you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'

  8. Eventually, the kingdom was firmly established in Solomon’s hands.



Body.


  1. SOLOMON HAD IT ALL.

    1. He had great wisdom.

      1. God gave Solomon a blank check. 1 Kings 3:5. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you?"

      2. Solomon asked for wisdom. 1 king 1 Kings 3:6-9. And Solomon said: "You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"

        1. Have you ever stopped to consider that by asking that question Solomon was already showing wisdom beyond his years.

        2. We also see in his words a genuine love and respect for God.

        3. We see humility.

          1. He acknowledges that it was God who had made him king.

          2. He acknowledges a need for help.

      3. So God gave him great wisdom. 1 Kings 3:10-1. 3 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.

      4. 1 Kings 4:29-34. And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Thus Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men--than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. 33 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

    2. He also had riches.

      1. His daily provisions are given in 1 Kings 4:22-23. Now Solomon's provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, 23 ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.

        1. A kor is estimated to be about 220 liters.

        2. These provisions are just for his household.

        3. Keep in mind, he had 700 wives and 300 concubines.

      2. 1 Kings 10:14-27. The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, 15 besides that from the traveling merchants, from the income of traders, from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the country. 16 And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round at the back; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests. 20 Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon's drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had merchant ships at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the merchant ships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys. 23 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 24 Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 25 Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year. 26 And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.

      3. Ecclesiastes 2:10-11. Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor. 11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.

    3. It is so sad to see someone who seems to have the world at his fingertips let it all slip away.

      1. Art Schlichter.

      2. Maurice Clarrett.

      3. Pete Rose.

      4. O.J. Simpson.

    4. It also sometimes makes us a little bit angry.

      1. Maybe it is a little bit of jealousy.

      2. We tell ourselves that we would never squander such blessings.

    5. We tend to forget that we possess even more.

      1. We have all Spiritual truth at our fingertips.

        1. 2 Timothy 3:16-17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

        2. 2 Peter 1:3. As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

        3. Things that angels desired to look into. 1 Peter 1:12. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things which angels desire to look into.

      2. We have all spiritual blessings in Christ. Ephesians 1:3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

      3. We have the promise that our physical needs will be met. Matthew 6:33. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

  2. SOLOMON KEPT BAD COMPANY.

    1. Solomon loved women.

      1. Even right after he became king we see him marrying an Egyptian woman. 1 Kings 3:1. Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh's daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall all around Jerusalem.

      2. He did not limit himself to one wife. 1 Kings 11:1-3. But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites-- 2 from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.

    2. By intermarrying with these woman from other nations, Solomon was being disobedient to God. Deuteronomy 7:3-4. Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.

    3. We are warned about the company we keep.

      1. 1 Corinthians 15:33. Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."

      2. 2 Corinthians 6:17. Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you."

      3. In more general terms. 1 John 2:15-17. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

  3. SOLOMON DID EVIL.

    1. Solomon allowed his wives to cause him to do evil. 1 Kings 11:4-8. For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8 And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

    2. We do evil when we allow other’s to influence us to worship something other than God.

      1. Some worship the god of popularity. John 12:42-43. Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

      2. Some worship the god of money. Colossians 3:5. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

      3. Some worship the god of power. Jeremiah 9:23-24. Thus says the Lord: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the Lord.

      4. Some worship their families. Matthew 10:37. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

    3. Brethren, you need to surround yourself with people who want to go to heaven and who want to help you go to heaven.

      1. We often wonder why we lose so many of our young people.

      2. Perhaps it is because we have not shown them the necessity of this simple Biblical concept.

      3. We take them to band, choir, basketball, football, softball, baseball, girl scouts, boy scouts, but never take them to be around Christians!

      4. Hebrews 10:25. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

  4. SOLOMON WAS PUNISHED.

    1. As a result of the evil which he had done, his kingdom would be divided. 1 Kings 11:11. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.

    2. If we allow the world to pull us away from our first love, we will lose our salvation.

      1. Revelation 2:4-5. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent.

      2. 2 Peter 2:20-21. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.



Conclusion.


  1. We are even more blessed than Solomon.

    1. We are in possession God’s plan of redemption for mankind.

    2. We enjoy every spiritual blessing in Christ.

    3. God has promised to provide for our every need.

  2. God warned Solomon and warns us to be careful about who we associate with; lest they pull us away.

  3. Often, like Solomon, we allow the world to pull us away from God.

  4. If we do fall away and don’t repent, we will be punished.

  5. Solomon learned his lesson. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

  6. Will we learn it before it is too late?

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