One of the things I love about studying the Bible with my children is hearing their thoughts. Even though they are young, they can be quite insightful. I can learn from them. 🙂 My son Christian is eleven. He once said that he is wiser than Solomon. His older sisters jumped all over him. “You can’t be wiser than Solomon! He was the wisest man ever!”

“Yes, I am!” Christian told them with some disdain in his tone. “Solomon knew what was right and wrong, and he chose do just do what he wanted anyway! I choose to follow God!” and that was that.

God gave Solomon a wise and discerning heart so that there was no one like him in judicial insight. Word of his wisdom spread so that delegations and kings came from foreign lands to see all the things they had heard—how he led his people, Israel. They brought him tribute so that his wealth grew, and the wisdom and blessing God had given him brought him success at every turn. His kingdom gives us an idea of the type of king Jesus will. Wise, fair, and prosperous. (2 Chronicles 9)

And yet… when God blessed Solomon he told him that IF he was faithful, He would bless Solomon with long life, but Solomon’s 1000 wives and concubines, many from foreign lands, led him away from His God. In his later years, Solomon built altars in high places to Chemosh of Moab, Molech of Ammon, Ashtoreth of the Sidonians, and Milcom of the Ammonites, because of his wives. God was angry with Solomon, and He raised up adversaries. He told Solomon that after his death all but one tribe would be torn out of his son’s hand. (1 Kings 11-12) There is no record of Solomon ever repenting. For all of his wisdom, Solomon chose to end up on the wrong side of history. While he left us the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and rich history to learn good things from, in the end he became an example of what we should never do.

The Bible is full of examples of men and women who started well, but lost their way. That is why Paul tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-12). That is why he prayed that he himself would be faithful, no matter how tough the persecution may become.

That is why we need to careful to remember what should be remembered, and forget what should be forgotten.

Remember to be faithful. Don’t choose to end up on the wrong side of history. Shape it with Godly principles.

God, remind us how to step. Make our lives examples for others to see how to choose the right path in love and obedience to you.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Photos by Patty Brito, Mark Basarab, and Chris Lawton on Unsplash.