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A Divided Man

 In 1 Kings 3 we read about King Solomon and his famous demonstration of wisdom. When two women came to him, both claiming to be the rightful mother of an infant, Solomon asked for a sword to be brought to him so he could divide the child in two and give each woman half. 

The rightful mom said she would rather give the baby to the other woman than to see her son hurt, and thus revealed herself to be the true mother. But in that same chapter, before the king is threatening to divide a baby, he shows us that he was divided within himself. Here is what the third verse says:

“Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.”

How is it possible to love the Lord and offer sacrifices at the high places? That means he brought offerings to other gods, the ones worshipped by his many wives. Solomon followed the practice of political polygamy, marrying the daughters of other heads of state to form alliances. God told him not to do this, but his disregard led to his practice of idolatry. 

On the surface it doesn’t seem like it hurt anything. The Lord blessed Solomon with wealth and wisdom, and he was the talk of the world, as people came from far and wide to see him with their own eyes. It makes it seem like we can be divided—loving the Lord and living for the world—and still have it all. 

But Solomon is hardly a role model. We rejoice that he came to his senses before the end of his life, but the majority of it was wasted. Sure, he had the world’s goods, and for some, that is what life is all about. But wise old Solomon was able to look back at the end of his life and arrive at this conclusion: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).”

I’m sure Solomon would have traded all his fortune to have been able to go back and do life over again, while being fully committed to the Lord. Don’t waste your life. You cannot be divided. 

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