Our text is 1 Kings 1: 1 – 1 Kings 11: 43 – a summary of the life of Solomon
Last time: 1 Kings 11: 1-13
Solomon the sinner
Here’s the lesson from: 1 Kings 11: 1-13
Like Solomon, we forget God when our hearts become less than completely faithful to the Lord
Today: 1 Kings 11: 14-43
This is the last Message in this Series
God removes His blessings from Solomon and Israel
Because Solomon forgot God, the Lord begins to remove His blessings from Solomon
1 Kings 11:33 ‘For Solomon has abandoned Me and worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Molech, the god of the Ammonites. He has not followed My ways and done what is pleasing in My sight. He has not obeyed My decrees and regulations as David his father did’.
14-22 (14) ‘Then the Lord raised up Hadad…to be Solomon’s adversary’
23-25 (23) ‘God also raised up Rezon…as Solomon’s adversary’
26-40 (26) ‘Another rebel leader was Jeroboam’
31 Through Jeroboam God said He would ‘tear the Kingdom from the hand of Solomon’
41-43 Solomon dies
Graphic: King Saul, King David, King Solomon and King Rehoboam
And because Israel followed Solomon in forgetting God, the Lord begins to remove His blessings from the Nation
1 Kings 11:39 ‘Because of Solomon’s sin I will punish the descendants of David’
Graphic: Israel divided
It seems to be a very sad ending for Solomon and Israel, and it was, considering the magnificent blessings that God had given them!
Solomon had been the greatest King in all the Earth
1 Kings 4: 21 and 1 Kings 10: 23
Israel had been at the very peak/height of its economic and military power
1 Kings 4: 20, 25
But now, it was gone, Solomon was dead, and Israel, as a united Nation, would soon, cease to exist!
But God was not finished with His people
I love God’s promise to Israel in the 2nd part of verse 39
1 Kings 11:39 ‘Because of Solomon’s sin I will punish the descendants of David—though not forever.’
In Luke 11: 31 Jesus said this about Himself, ‘Someone greater than Solomon is here’
Here’s the lesson from: 1 Kings 11: 14-43
Solomon failed as a King, but, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will never fail us
For the Jews and for the Gentiles (Non-Jews), through Jesus Christ that ‘not forever’ promise of God finds its fulfilment in our salvation!
Romans 9: 24-27, Romans 11: 5-6
And as great as that is for us now, the best is yet to come!
At the end of this Life, when we arrive in the Lord’s eternal Kingdom of Heaven, we will say this…
“Ah, finally we are home, this is truly as good as it gets”!
Revelation 7: 9-10
Finally, you can be sure of this, in this Life, God WILL bless you – but, like Solomon, don’t forget God
revdotdavid 