I could easily use myself as an example but instead I would like us to consider Solomon. He was the wisest, wealthiest man who ever lived; yet there is a tragedy to his life, and we can learn from it. It seems to me that he made three big mistakes.
1 Kings 3:1-3 1Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD. 3Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.
1 Kings 11:1-4 1King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter-Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2They 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. 3He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4As 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.
The first mistake we notice is that Solomon was Drawn towards unholy alliances (1 Kings 3:1).
Solomon did what he thought he needed to do to solidify his power, but instead of pleasing God, he did the opposite. In 1 Kings 1:7 some of his father’s allies betrayed him and feeling threatened Solomon made an alliance with Egypt. Instead of making alliances with the right people in his country, with the priests and Levites and leaders in his family, he went to his worst enemy. Instead of seeking counsel with godly people he went to the world for help.
The second mistake we see is that Dark corners remained (1 Kings 3: 2-3) According to 1 Kings 3:2-3, Solomon worshipped Jehovah but tolerated incense on the high places. The ‘high places’ were altars on hills around the country devoted to pagan gods, especially the gods of the Canaanites. While Solomon did some wonderful things, he tolerated pagan gods. The dark places came back to haunt him.
Thirdly Solomon made the mistake of being Drifted away from God by the world (1Kings 11:1-4). Once he became wealthy, his mind drifted from God towards more worldly consideration. In the course of getting everything he wanted, represented by his seven hundred wives, the call of the world was in competition with the call of God.
Sometimes the distractions of the world cause us to have a life like Solomon’s. He did very well at first, then he became wealthy, wise, and powerful and the world became a strong attraction to which he could not summon the discipline to resist.
The important thing in life is not how wise or wealthy we are but how closely are we living with God. How intimate with God are you? Are you a person who has been extremely blessed but have not handled that blessing wisely? The good news is that God will help us to live a fruitful, fulfilling, and blessed life through Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.