Finishing Well is a Life Long Process

Written by Ed Allen
Sunday, 01 July 2007 07:00

What's The Difference

Sermon Notes

I & II Kings were written to answer the question, why did Judah and Israel go into exile... Today we look at the start of Israel's downfall, which begins with the life of Solomon.

Today's Primary Passage: 1 Kings 11:1-13

¹ King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter?Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. ² They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. ³ He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 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. ⁵ He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech [a] the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁶ So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.

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. ⁸ He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

⁹ The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. ¹⁰ Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD's command. ¹¹ So the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. ¹² Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. ¹³ Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."

Overview of 1 Kings 1-11

King Solomon had extensive influence, but the kingdom greatly diminished after his death. King Solomon did not finish well. In today’s passage, we see that Solomon's heart was turned to other gods by his foreign wives.

1 Kings opens up with King David, who is very old at this point. He had not yet appointed an heir to the throne. His son Adonijah sees this and begins to plot to ascend to the throne himself. Adonijah pulls together political support and tries to have himself anointed as king.

However, Nathan the Prophet and Bathsheba (one of King David's wives and the mother of Solomon) alert David to this. David has already promised to appoint Solomon as king and so David follows through with that promise and anoints Solomon.

Solomon knew the right way to live

• Once Solomon becomes king, David gives Solomon advice on how to live and fulfill his duties as king (chapter 2). Solomon knew the right course for his life.

Solomon had a righteous governing desire

• Solomon asks God for wisdom and for discernment in governing and in discerning right from wrong. (chapter 3)
• Solomon's heart was leaning in the right direction

Solomon had a righteous life-mission

• Solomon carried out his father's plan to build and dedicate the temple for God. (chapters 5-8)

However, Solomon did not control his desires

• In chapter 11, we see that Solomon was devoted to his foreign wives. God had forbidden the Israelites from marrying women who worshipped other gods. These wives led his heart astray and he began to worship other gods.
• The result was that God pulled the kingdom away from Solomon's descendants
• Jeroboam, one of Solomon's officials, rebelled against Solomon. Jeroboam flees to Egypt, but eventually comes back to lead the northern kingdom that pulled away from Solomon's son, Rehoboam.

The results of not finishing well

• Lack of finishing well robs meaning from your life.
• Lack of finishing well contaminates your legacy.