Today's Reading:

1 Kings 10
1 Kings 11
2 Chronicles 9
Proverbs 30
Proverbs 31

Even in Solomon’s greatest season of success, his heart turned away from God through compromise, foreign wives, and idolatry. In response, the Lord sovereignly raised up adversaries like Hadad, Rezon, and Jeroboam, as a merciful warning. Joab’s violent and self-serving life ended in judgment. This reminds us that God sees every hidden motive and will not allow unrepentant sin to go on forever. Unconfessed sin or misplaced priorities have opened the door to “adversaries” (struggles, consequences, or difficult people) in our own lives. Look at your life this week and realign your heart with full obedience and dependence on God.

How do you see God’s work moving when He allows (or raises up) opposition or consequences in someone’s life? Are there areas where unconfessed sin or misplaced priorities have opened the door to “adversaries” in your life?

We left off reading in 1 Kings about Solomon and all he built, including the alliance with the King of Tyre for the ships and sailors. Word spread, and the Queen of Sheba (in the modern-day Yemen/Ethiopia region) came with gifts of spices, gold, and stones. She wanted to see for herself and test Solomon’s wisdom. The Queen was overwhelmed by his wisdom, the food at his table, and his organizational skills. She understood that his success and wisdom were true; they far exceeded her expectations. Even though she did not follow the same God, she praised the Lord who made Solomon king. The Queen of Sheba was used as an example by Jesus in the New Testament to condemn those who did not recognize “something greater” than Solomon. She gave him the gifts she had brought, and he gave her more in return, creating an alliance. This showed that even foreign leaders recognized that Solomon’s wisdom came from God.

Solomon received about 25 tons of gold a year. He made shields and an impressive throne with lions and goblets, all for ceremonial purposes, out of gold. Solomon was the wisest and richest king on earth. He also began importing and collecting horses, which was against God’s law (Deuteronomy 17:16). This was the height of his reign, and everything looked perfect.

Oh, the wives he had. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, including his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter from Egypt. He even took wives from the Canaanite nations of Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and the Hittites. Even though God had given the command for the Israelites not to intermarry (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). Solomon’s wives had turned his heart from God, and he built high places for their gods (Chemosh, Molech, Ashtoreth). This was Solomon’s downfall, as he was ruling by lust, not by God. Remember the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” God’s judgment fell on Solomon. He said the kingdom would be torn from his son, but not in Solomon’s lifetime. Remember, God deals out judgments in His perfect timing. For David’s sake, He gave Solomon one tribe, the tribe of Judah in the south.

God raised up three adversaries against Solomon due to his idolatry and unfaithfulness:

• Hadad- The Edomite had fled to Egypt as a child during the wars. Egypt was reluctant to provoke Solomon. But Hadad was a constant thorn in Solomon’s side from the south.
• Rezon- Who eventually became the king of Aram in Damascus (Syria) and became a powerful enemy to the north.
• Jeroboam- A young leader from Ephraim, whom the prophet Ahijah said would one day rule over ten of the tribes in Israel.

David and Joab (David’s nephew, and commander of his army) had died. Joab was loyal but ruthless in murdering others.

• Abner- Saul’s commander, whom he killed in revenge.
• Absalom- David’s son who he killed against David’s orders.
• Amasa- David’s new commander whom he killed due to jealousy.
• Adonijah- (David’s son) Joab supported him in his attempt to seize the throne from Solomon.

David, while on his deathbed, had told Solomon to deal with Joab (1 Kings 2:28-34). Ahijah the prophet told Jeroboam how to declare that Solomon’s kingdom would fall. Ahijah tore his brand-new cloak into 12 pieces and gave 10 pieces to Jeroboam. Wisdom is dangerous when it turns the heart from God. After Solomon’s death, we no longer hear of the prophet Nathan. God raises up prophets for a specific purpose.

2 Chronicles is a similar account of these chapters in 1 Kings. The information on the Queen of Sheba was the same; it ended with Solomon’s positive reign and death, focused on the Temple and wealth. His sin with foreign wives was not included, as this was more on his spiritual role.

Proverbs 30
These proverbs were not written by Solomon. A man named Agur gave them to Ithiel (possibly a prophet). The only way to truly know who God is is to study Him. So that when you see the opposite, you automatically know it is not legitimate or Him. Agur humbly admits he is not wise and asks rhetorical questions about God and His son. God’s Word is flawless- do not add to it! In verses 30:7-9, Agur prays for neither poverty nor riches. A series of numbered proverbs aligned in a pattern comes from the verses in 30:10-33. “Three things…but four,” the fourth was often the main point. I can think of three… but actually there is one more! The same pattern was also seen in Proverbs 6:16-19: “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him.” The mocking eye gets pecked out and eaten by vultures, which was a curse to remind the people of Samson’s fate in Judges 16:21.

Proverbs 31 was also not written by Solomon. This was a mother warning her son (the king) not to waste his life and leadership on immoral or ungodly women, because they can ruin even the strongest man. Do not drink and forget the law or the rights of the oppressed. Use your power to defend the vulnerable. In the epilogue, it was also an acrostic poem, where each verse began with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The poem covered what the ideal wife/mother is: she is trustworthy, hardworking, wise, kind, generous, and strong. She manages the household, buys and sells land, helps the poor, and speaks of wisdom. Her husband and children praise her. “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears true wisdom is humble, practical, and centered on fear of the Lord. The Lord is to be praised” (31:30). This was something Solomon had unfortunately forgotten.

Today's Discussion question:

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