Category: Devotional Thoughts

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.

The storm and rain seemed pretty strong this morning, but not too different from any other storm I’ve experienced before. My maid came (against my advice—I encouraged her to wait until another day) and began cleaning the apartment. As I was working on the computer, I heard what sounded like thunder and saw sparks out of the corner of my eye. At first I thought lightening had struck a nearby power pole. By the time it happened again I figured out the problem. A large banner from the new construction site had torn from the building and wrapped itself around the power pole, also entangling itself in the power lines. The explosion/spark happened a third time, and then the banner finally fell to the street. It caused a loss of power here in our apartment building.

I decided to go to the mall and do a little shopping and studying. The wind was really strong, making the rain feel almost like needles. I went and bought a few things then sat down to eat at my favorite restaurant. The view from the restaurant was incredibly intense. The wind had strengthened considerably, and the rain was now moving horizontally. The mall and surrounding buildings seemed to be creating a wind tunnel type effect. I left the restaurant to go over to the nearby coffee shop.

The next thing I saw was terrifying. Three men were trying to pull a petty cab across the street, fighting the mighty wind’s force. A large piece of wood then fell diagonally from above, striking them and causing all three men to fall to the ground. The piece of wood looked to be about six feet long and about the size of a 4×4 plank, maybe bigger. It happened so fast that it was hard to tell. Two of them jumped up and ran away. The third did not—he seemed to be the one that was most directly hit. I watched for a few agonizing moments as no one assisted him—I couldn’t figure out why. A crowd had gathered near the mall entrance to watch the gruesome scene.

After what seemed like an eternity (but probably was under a minute), a group of five men ran out to him from across the street, but ran away. The longer I stood there, the more cowardly I felt. Cars where passing by and I was afraid he would be run over. “Maybe they are afraid something else will fall. Maybe they are not strong enough to carry him,” I said to myself, “but if they won’t, I will.” I passed by the crowd and made it to the door. I asked why no one helped him. They told me that he was dead (I will not go into the graphic details, but it was pretty clear from their description of his injury that he was dead). It was horrifying to know that had just witnessed someone get killed. An ambulance eventually came by. The ambulance also left him there. Apparently they knew they could do nothing for him and went off to another emergency.

The fierce wind continued, hurling pieces of debris like missiles. The mall management finally lowered metal doors/covers over the windows, afraid that something would fly through the window.

The man’s body was gone when they raised the metal gates. I left the mall a little later in the afternoon. I passed by some of the little shops and asked about the victim. They confirmed that he had been killed instantly by the accident.

I was kind of emotionally numb when I returned home. I wondered if I should have done more or reacted more quickly. Maybe I should have gone out and checked him for myself. I wondered why I didn’t break down and cry after seeing such an event. Maybe it is no different than passing by a mangled car wreck and knowing someone didn’t survive. Somehow it seems like it should be different. He was a complete stranger to me, but he was a man created in God’s image just like me.

There is something dehumanizing about living in a mega-city of fifteen million people. It is simply impossible to directly love them all—it is not even possible to know them all. I took great comfort in meditating on Matthew 10:29-31:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Not even a sparrow can fall to the ground without God knowing about it. I did not know this poor victim, but God knew him. The heart of God is big enough to love all of us.

9/29/06 Friday–the day after

The brownout continued as I woke up this morning. There was sort of an eerie silence over the city. The daylight revealed the damage that I did not see last night. Some of the nearby rooftops were partially or completely destroyed. Some of the aluminum roofing was rolled back like a tin can.

Within a few hours I could see people cleaning up and climbing on rooftops to observe/repair the damage. Filipinos have a way of taking things in stride that never ceases to amaze me. They meet disaster head on and awake the next morning with a patient tenacious smile, ready to do what is needed to put things back in order. They will handle this brownout much better than I will.

KS