At last the queen of Sheba returned to her own country. We too have precious seasons in the Lord’s presence, but when we have to return to our homes and daily tasks, let us carry something of the preciousness of His presence with us, that our faces may shine, as Moses’ did, when he had been on the mount with God.
Although Solomon’s magnificent glory and throne figure the glory of the millennial day, yet there is the personal side of it which has its moral lessons for us. How easy it is to become occupied with the blessings and forget the Blesser! So here with Solomon; his wealth and glory seemed to occupy his heart more than the Lord. He kept adding to it until he went beyond what the Lord had said the king should have. As already mentioned, the Lord had said the king was not to multiply silver and gold, nor horses, nor wives (Deut. 17:16, 1716But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. 17Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. (Deuteronomy 17:16‑17)), but Solomon sought after all these things, until at last his wives turned away his heart after other gods. One feels that in a day such as this, of great prosperity in these lands, we are in danger of building up our treasures here, and then of allowing our homes and loved ones to assume first place. We do not make gods as the heathen do, but how easily we can allow all the wonderful inventions of this modern world to take up so much of our time that the Lord and His interests are put in second place.
No king before or since has been blessed as Solomon was, yet he was turned aside. Perhaps we could also say that in no period of the Church’s history have we been so blessed as today, and yet how general the departure. We are living in Laodicean days, and though we might boast of being rich and increased with goods, yet the Lord had to say of such that they knew not that they were “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Rev. 3:1717Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (Revelation 3:17). The knowledge of the truth will never keep us if we do not walk in obedience and dependence upon the Lord. The departure may not be apparent at once, as with Solomon, but sooner or later the true state of our souls comes out, and whatever we allow our hearts to go after, our feet are sure to follow in that path. May the Lord keep us, with our hearts set upon things above, not upon things here.
Solomon even went so far as to build a high place for Chemosh and Molech, and other gods, to please his idolatrous wives, until the Lord was angry with Him. God is patient with us, very patient, as He was with Solomon, but He cannot allow us to continue in our willful ways. He must deal with us. He told Solomon that he would rend the kingdom from him and give part of it to one of his servants. In His grace He said that this would not take place at once; He also promised to leave part of the kingdom to the house of David. Let us remember that these two things follow us all through our lives, as believers: the grace of God, and the gornment of God. These warnings to Solomon ought to have touched his heart and conscience, but when we have committed ourselves to a course of self-will, we are all too liable to close our ears to the pleading voice of God. Pride and stubbornness are two terrible things in God’s sight, yet how often we are found allowing them in our hearts. May the Lord help us to watch the earliest beginnings of these evil things in our lives.
ML 02/26/1956