Author: admin

Passion has been the downfall of many a good leader. It can inflame us and compel us to set aside our reason. It can distort our perspective and cause us to forge ahead even though we know that our actions are leading to destruction.

How else do you explain brilliant business leaders who allow greed to propel their company into oblivion? How do you account for leaders who refuse to stop when further advance will bring them to ruin?

Solomon’s sin clearly did not result from a lack of knowledge. He knew more about life in general than anyone of his day! But he allowed his love for women to cause him to make foolish decisions. It blinded him. His passion made him believe that he, unlike others, could neglect God’s commands with impunity. In his heart he knew better, but his passion handicapped him.

Ultimately the wisest man in the Bible played the fool. Solomon’s unchecked passion caused him to forfeit much of the blessing that could have been his. His lack of self-control cost many thousands of people dearly. Though the king knew more than anyone in the land, his passion reduced him into a foolish man.

Just because we know what we should do does not mean that we do it. Knowing truth is not identical to practicing truth.

Solomon was granted the wisdom of God. He never lacked the understanding of what he should do. However, the king also needed to have the will to take the correct action. Solomon may have taken on many wives as a way to build international alliances, a practice considered astute by many in his day. Yet in doing what was considered politically expedient, he made his life vulnerable to temptation. Solomon may have had the most brilliant mind in his day, but he was just as susceptible to temptation as any other man.

Scripture warns about light trying to accommodate darkness. It is impossible. Something must be compromised. Solomon was the wealthiest and wisest ruler in his nation’s history, yet he proved that even he could not neglect God’s commands without suffering the consequences. Many leaders act as if they are invincible, or above the rules others must follow. Yet God’s word applies to every person. No one is exempt. Guard your heart carefully, especially as you rise to higher levels of leadership.

God’s wisdom is unlike worldly intelligence. The world is filled with opinions and scholarly debates. The television parades a host of people with strongly held opinions. They can adamantly argue for their point of view. “Experts” can make declarations that common people are expected to believe.

Yet despite the abundance of opinions promulgated today, much of what is said rings hollow.

Society continues to suffer the plagues of addiction, crime, and violence. Countless people suffer from depression and suicide. Wars are epidemic. Persecution and intolerance are widespread. Despite a plethora of scientific advances regularly heralded by the media, the world’s wisdom continues to prove inadequate for peoples’ needs.

God’s wisdom is different. God created the universe. He knows how it functions. God created people. He knows how they can thrive and what brings them death. He has existed for all eternity. He knows how time will end. His understanding surpasses that even the world’s most brilliant person.

God shared His wisdom with Solomon, and people traveled from all over the world to hear it. That same God is prepared to make His wisdom available to you. What difference do you suppose that could make in your life and work?

Some organizations experience their “golden years.” This represents the era in which they achieved their greatest success. In the nation of Israel, this was during the reign of King Solomon. Gold became so plentiful that silver was accounted as nothing! Solomon’s subjects were accustomed to seeing gold everywhere, even in seemingly common places.

Some leaders experience the exact opposite of Solomon. Theirs are the “lean” years! Such leaders preside over times filled with dissension, decline, and despair. Some people have a knack for impoverishing whatever organization they lead. Others have prosperity follow them into each of their endeavors.

Solomon knew that the secret to his success lay not with his wisdom, but with his God. God’s hand of blessing is generous and it is unmistakable. We might not be able to coat all of our kitchenware with gold plate, but we can look back later and realize that God was infusing our life with much good. Could you honestly say that your family or church or company is presently experiencing its “golden years?” If not, what might need to happen so it could?

King Solomon set a number of national records when he was king. The splendor of his palaces and buildings became legendary. The abundance of gold was unparalleled. The vast amount of spices and exotic materials was unprecedented. It was truly a time of great abundance.

There are times in churches or organizations that we later look back upon as the “Camelot” days. We don’t always realize we are in them at the time, but we look back later and realize we were privileged to live through the “glory days” of our organization. Generally the times of an organization’s greatest success are directly linked to a leader. Certain leaders have the ability to bring out the best in the organization or people they lead. Some leaders are so effective that everywhere they go their people experience record success.

It is a divine blessing for God to develop you into the kind of leader that enables your organization to experience its best days with you at the helm. What a great reward for people to look back later and to believe that, while you led them, they experienced their finest days.

Positions of leadership are a high honor entrusted to you by God. He does not give everyone the privilege of leading others. You would do well to remember that God does not place you into high office merely for your own benefit. Some people mistakenly strive for positions of power because they pay more and provide greater benefits. Unfortunately that has caused many leadership positions to be occupied by people without the character or skill to be effective. Such people take much but give little. They are a drain on their people rather than a blessing.

God loved Israel. He wanted to bless it and enable it to prosper. So He appointed Solomon as its king. Solomon’s rise to prominence was so he could be God’s instrument to bless His people. The king did bring much prosperity to the land. But he also drew heavily upon the people to maintain his lavish lifestyle and to support his numerous wives and dependents. People were conscripted to provide labor and services for the royal undertakings. By the time Solomon’s son came to power, the people demanded that they receive relief from the oppressive taxation inflicted upon them.

What was intended to be a blessing became a curse. How would the people who work with you view your leadership?

Leaders are intended to be a blessing to their people. Your associates ought to feel fortunate that they have the opportunity to work alongside you. Do they?

Solomon was granted divine wisdom with which to lead his nation. Those who worked with him continually benefited from their wise ruler. How the royal court must have buzzed with excitement every time Solomon solved a difficult problem or settled a complicated dispute. What confidence it would have given his officers, knowing they were being led wisely.

Unfortunately, many people today suffer in the service of foolish leaders. These people who make hasty decisions without evaluating the consequences They make rash statements and neglect to seek godly, wise counsel. It is demoralizing to know that the organization you are investing your time and energy in to is being led by a fool.

If you lead wisely, people will seek to work with you. Some may accept lower pay for the benefit they recognize in working with a wise leader. Are you someone people are excited to work with?

God intends for our lives to bring honor and glory to Him. He knows that we are reflection of our God. Either people will see us and be impressed with our God, or they will watch us and come away thinking less of Him. That is why God will not allow you to treat Him lightly or disrespectfully.

Solomon had constructed the most magnificent worship center in the known world. He lavished it with gold and offered thousands of sacrifices, yet God warned that should a day come when the king and his people turned their hearts from Him, judgment would surely follow. Even the glorious temple would not be exempt from God’s wrath.

Instead of people seeing the temple and being moved by its grandeur, visitors would view the temple’s carnage and be filled with disgust. The Israelites would become a lesson of warning rather than an attractive example.

For those who visit the temple mount in Jerusalem today, there is no temple to view. Instead, there are two mosques. By 10:00 each morning, non-Muslim visitors must leave the area because Islamic services begin. One can only imagine the glory that once was. Judgment came, just as God foretold. Oh that our lives would never serve as a deterrent to others because of how thoroughly God dealt with our sin.

God is unimpressed with the dollar amount of our offering. He is interested in the condition of our heart when we offer our gift.

Solomon was the wealthiest person in the land. People would have expected him to offer an impressive sacrifice to God. But the king was determined to give an offering that was costly even to him. Imagine the effort, cost, and time it would have taken for Solomon to give so much to God in worship. It must have dazzled people to know that the king was so sacrificially devoted to his God.

We each make offerings to God. We give him a portion of our wealth, time, and worship. But is it a true sacrifice? Does it really cost us? We might not be able to offer to God a gift of Solomonic proportions, but does it honor our God? Are people inspired by our dedication to God?

The single greatest sin people can commit is idolatry. God devotes a major portion of the Ten Commandments to this issue. He understands that the single greatest decision we must make is to determine who God is and what He is like.

Adam and Eve wanted to believe that they were the gods of their universe. But God quickly convinced them otherwise. Throughout history, people have sought to accept the true God, but then fashion Him into a more “acceptable” suitable image. This, too, is idolatry. In our effort to “adjust” God to someone who was less demanding, or righteous, or exclusive, we sought to take charge and to put God into a subservient role. Yet God refuses to yield His sovereignty to us, just because we have delusions of divinity.

The single most important realization we can have is that God is God, and there is no other. Once we understand this, we must share this truth with as many others as we possibly can.