Solomon turns away from God

Solomon became unfaithful to God and sinned against the Lord by worshiping the false gods of his wives. He even built special places where people could worship those gods.

The Lord appeared to Solomon twice and warned him not to worship foreign gods, but he did not listen. So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have deliberately disobeyed Me, I will take the kingdom away from you. However, for the sake of your father David, I will take only part of it away, and it will happen after you have died.” Solomon ruled Israel for forty years, and after he died, his son Rehoboam became king.

Why would a wise man do something foolish?

At what age did you learn to walk? By now, walking comes naturally to you, and you hardly even think about it. Yet no matter how old you are, you still slip, fall, or trip over things. It doesn’t matter how long you have been walking or how good you are at it—when you take your eyes off the path, you are likely to stumble.

Solomon must have been confident that he was wise enough to solve any problem. He knew just about everything there was to know about the world around him, and he owned more than he could use in a lifetime. Yet what would make the wisest person on earth do something as foolish as worshiping gods made up by people?

There is a danger in knowing what is right, but not doing it. Wisdom is only useful when it is put into practice. Jesus said, “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand” Matthew 7:26.

Verse for today

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

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