Kevin – Page 395 – Pastor Kevin Sanders

Six Lessons from the Life of Solomon

Here is a summary of the sermon I preached a couple of weeks ago on the life of Solomon (Scripture quotes are from the New Living Translation of the Bible):

1. God can use us, regardless of our background

2nd Samuel 12:24 Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child 25 and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the Lord”), as the Lord had commanded.

God made an inexplicable choice when he decided Solomon should be the next king. Solomon was David’s child with Bathsheba, a woman David never should have been involved with in the first place. Of all David’s family, why Solomon? Only God knows the answer. Regardless, it is clear that God does not need a perfect match or a perfect background to make a person of greatness.

I find it fascinating that God used Nathan to send word of His love for Solomon. Nathan was the same prophet who rebuked David for his adultery and murder. Solomon’s birth is a vivid picture of God’s grace. God can take something that is ugly and worthless and turn it into something beautiful. He did this with David and Bathsheba, and He can do the same with our lives.

2. Prayer can change your life

2nd Chronicles 1:10 Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?

One prayer changed Solomon’s life. Have you ever considered this? Early in his life, Solomon had an incredible experience—a direct conversation with God. God offered Solomon anything, and Solomon asked for something of great value—He made a life-changing request of God. God has never given me the same offer, but the above principle still applies to my life and to yours.

Do we really believe that one prayer could change our entire life? Maybe we’d put a lot more thoughts into our prayer life if we did. What do we really ask of God? Do we lift up God-sized and God-centered prayers to Him? Do we trust Him to answer mightily?

3. God is honored by excellence
2nd Chronicles 2:5 This must be a magnificent Temple because our God is greater than all other gods.

David and Solomon were given specific instructions on the temple’s construction. Solomon built the temple to God’s exact specifications. Both God and His people were honored by this beautiful place of worship.

Note that I said “excellence,” not grandiosity. The temple itself was actually a fairly modest size compared to some of the pagan temples/monuments of the ancient world. I find it fascinating that God forbade an elevated altar (Exodus 20:26). I believe this was done in part to keep the focus on the God of the temple instead of the instruments of worship.* God does not require that we do everything big, but He does require that we do everything excellently. Small, inconspicuous tasks are just as deserving of excellence—especially when such tasks are done in God’s service. Let us seek to be excellent in all we do to the glory of God.

4. True Wisdom glorifies God
1st Kings 4:29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. . . .32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five.
1st Kings 10:24 People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him

True wisdom comes from God and glorifies Him. If you will ask God for wisdom, the Bible promises that He will give it (James 1:5). Let me give you a simple definition of wisdom: wisdom is the ability to made good life decisions.

Making good, wise decisions glorifies God. The reverse is also true—ignoring God’s word and making foolish decisions dishonors God. People will notice if you are wise in dealing with your relationships and your life as a whole. If they see God’s wisdom in your life, they will come to you for guidance and advice. This can be a wonderful opportunity to glorify God and lead others to Him!

5. It takes great integrity to handle success/prosperity
2nd Chronicles 9:22 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.
1st Kings 11:7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.
Solomon’s kingdom was marked by unprecedented peace, wealth, and splendor. He was the wisest man who ever lived, yet he did not handle his prosperity well. His resources, in fact, eventually went into the construction of pagan temples. Israel itself would soon follow in his footsteps of forgetting God. The greater our prosperity or success, the more likely we are to forget our need for God (you won’t hear this from those who preach the “health/wealth/prosperity gospel”). Let us never forget this inherit danger that comes with material and other blessings. Don’t just pray for success—pray for the character to handle success as well.

6. Bad company corrupts good character
1st Kings 11:4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

Solomon was not immune from the influence of those he chose to spend his time with. Being supremely wise and God’s anointed did not protect him from this. We will become like those we chose to be close to—there is no escaping this reality. Let us chose wisely those who will be our friends and influencers.

*Many of God’s instructions about worship were also designed to distinguish it from pagan rituals. I wonder if there is another principle at work in the Exodus command: If we “elevate” a person, we will eventually see a side of him that is not too flattering. I understand that this may be “stretching it” a bit, but it seems that God was making a point other than concern for the priests’ modesty.

Book Review–True Love Weds

It’s my pleasure to write another book review for you guys—another book about love.

I just finished reading True Love Weds by Grace Gaston-Dousel. Perhaps this review is coming a little bit late—I’ve already recommended this book to hundreds of students (it is on my recommended reading list when I present True Love Waits). I’ve also linked Grace’s website to this blog (True Love Weds). I’ve never taken the time to read it myself because I’ve heard Grace speak in person and already knew of her heart for the Lord (in other words, no need to check up on her material to make sure it is solid).

So do I still recommend it now that I’ve read it? Absolutely!! Now that I’ve read it I will be able to give an even stronger and more descriptive recommendation to my students.

Let me give you a few of my observations about the book:

First, this book is a great love story. Some of you may have a hard time believing that I would make this comment. For me, a perfect movie starts with something exploding then ends with a bloody swordfight. Remember the scene in The Notebook where the girl pulls her car over, reads the long lost love letters and weeps? I laughed during that scene. “I cannot believe someone talked me into watching this,” I said to myself. Here’s my point: if I can enjoy this love story, I’m sure you will enjoy it immensely (especially if you are woman). Grace has a wonderful way of telling the story of God’s goodness in her life and her love life.

Second, Grace is quite candid about her own struggles and experiences. One of the most appealing qualities of this book is its intensely personal nature. Graces shares about everything from heartbreaks, journal excerpts, painful childhood experiences, her own struggles to please God, and even reflections on her wedding night. She was willing to be quite vulnerable and transparent with us, and I think you will appreciate this. Some of the book’s content might not be appropriate for young children, but everything is written prudently with good discretion.

Third, this book is culturally relevant to the Filipino/Filipina. When the Filipino version of True Love Waits first came out, the statistics were mostly from a ’94 study. Grace uses more recent data from a 2002 study on Filipino youth culture (I used this same source to update my TLW presentation). I appreciated this extra effort to make the book more relevant. She also writes about her extraordinary efforts to earn her parents’ approval on her decision to marry Mang (her husband). This also reflects a uniquely Filipina perspective on family which will resonate with other Filipinos.

Fourth (last but definitely not least) this book gives us a great testimony and defense of sexual purity. Grace’s testimony is story of purity. Through this book, she tells us of her decision to wait until she was married to experience sexual intimacy. She also gives a great Biblical defense of sexual purity.

One of her friends, for example, protested against the idea that virginity was one of the most valuable things you could give your husband. “Though there are other things a woman can give her husband,” Grace wrote, “her virginity still tops the list.” Amen to that! It’s nice to see this emphasis on the value of virginity.

Grace also shares stories of heartbreak, hope and redemption from those who have made poor choices but turned to God for a second chance.

Other thoughts:

A reader would be very wise to apply Grace’s advice and follow her example of patience and purity. Just keep in mind that some parts of her story are unique to her. I would refer you to one of Grace’s own quotes when you read this book: “Each romance is unique. There is no formula.” This is very important to understand when reading her story. In other words, don’t read her story and think that your love story has to be exactly the same as hers. I’ll give you two examples.

First, Grace reached a point in her life where she “decided to simply trust God by not lifting a finger, and letting him prepare and bring His choice to me.” I believe this is something God led Grace to do at that point in her life. She was 20 and recovering from a broken heart.

For those of us past our mid-20’s, however, it is easy to get into a “rut” in which you meet fewer and fewer quality, eligible, Christian singles. I think the vast majority of singles would agree with me on this. I believe in waiting for God’s choice, but I also think sometimes we singles need to evaluate our social life (or lack thereof). If you are not meeting any singles, get out there and mingle! (Sorry for the cheesy rhyme) If “waiting” means sitting on the couch and expecting Mr/Ms right to jump out of the TV, please think again. I’m not advocating going out and playing the typical “dating game.” I’m just saying its good to put yourself in a position to meet new people.

A second example is Grace’s efforts to win her family’s approval before proceeding with her wedding plans. I commend her for doing this, but keep in mind that she came from a godly, wise, and reasonable family. There were also some clear reasons for her family’s reservations. Eventually her family accepted Mang because of their wise, loving attitude.

But some families reject their childrens’ choice of a spouse without a good reason (much less a Biblical reason). I’ve heard of families objecting because the potential spouse is not rich or has the “wrong” astrological sign. In other words, there are certain situations in which couples may have to stand their ground against parental objections.

I do not see this as a “problem” with the book. The book, after all, is “Grace Gaston-Dousel’s love story.” It is a story that we can all learn from!

Thanks for a great book, Grace!! I’m proud to be your brother in Christ!!
Kuya Kevin