BACKGROUND
God reminded Solomon that he would be blessed as long as he walked "in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you." But if Solomon or his sons turn away from following God and don't keep his commandments but serve and worship other gods, then the temple will be destroyed and Israel will be removed from the land.
Solomon was building great wealth. He had forced laborers (the Canaanites who were still living in the land they had conquered), started building a navy, and traded extensively with other nations. Besides other goods, he had an annual income of 2.5 TONS of gold! On top of that, officials from all over the world came to see him every year, bringing many gifts of gold, silver, garments, spices, horses, and mules. And Solomon traded with Egypt in order to purchase horses and chariots.
REFLECTION
Deuteronomy 17:16-17 (emphasis added)
Moreover, he (the king of Israel) shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the Lord has said to you, "You shall never again return that way." Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.Solomon was not walking in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing all that God had commanded.
APPLICATION
It is very easy to get distracted from our obedience to God and to get carried away with things of this world. It's something we have to be on guard for. It is very wise to set aside time regularly to seek God's face and search our hearts to make sure we are staying on track.
PRAYER
Lord, you know how the things of this world tempt us, for you were tempted also. Please help us to keep our focus on you and not get distracted by all the glittery things of this world. Amen.
3 comments:
Hi BBC- I don't have email for anyone, so I am posting a request for prayer here. Carol, I hope this is okay. If you send me your email, I can forward you updates that way.
Becky's husband was in a motorcycle accident and is in ICU. He has broken both femurs, several ribs and a thumb. At this point, he has had one surgery to put a rod in his right leg and to amputate half of his left foot. The left leg was also dislocated and the dr is waiting for circulation to return before attempting surgery. There is also a possibility he will lose the entire left foot. He was out of state when the accident happened, so they are all away from the comfort of home. Please lift them up, as they will need the comfort of the Spirit.
Cherie (jctucker2@wildblue.net)
Thank you Cherie. I have alerted many of the people by email and will continue to lift them up in prayer. Please feel free to continue to post this. I will go ahead and post this in the regular body of the blog. Prayer is part of what we are doing here, and they need it!
Praying here. So sorry this happened! Please keep us posted, Carol and Cherie.
Susanne
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