Learning from King Solomon’s Life

Turn your Bibles to First Kings chapter 3. First Kings chapter 3. We're going to look at verses 5-15 as we continue our series on king meat. Talking about the kings of the Old Testament and what we can learn from their lives. In First Kings chapter 3 and verse number five, it says, "In Gibian, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night. And God said, ask what I shall give thee." And Solomon said, "Thou hast showed unto thy servant David, my father, great mercy, accordance, walk before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and uprightness of heart with thee, and thou hast kept from for him this great kindness, that thou has given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

And now, oh Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of by David my father. And I am but a little child. I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of the people which thou hast chosen, a great people that cannot be numbered, nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad, for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding discern judgment.

Behold, I have done according to thy words. Lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart, so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I've also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor. So there shall not be among there shall not be among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou will walk in my ways to keep my statutes and my commandments as the father as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was not it was a dream. and he came Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord and offered up burnt offerings and offered peace offerings and made a a feast to all his servants.

You know, Solomon is one of those people in the Bible you you struggle with because he asked for wisdom and God said, "I'm going to give you wisdom." And yet, he didn't always act in a wise manner. And and and so understanding the the life of Solomon, I I think the best way we can do that is by looking at the books that he wrote. uh he wrote a number of books in the Bible. Now, writing a book doesn't make you uh the authority. It doesn't make you perfect. Uh there's a man named Josh Harris a number of years ago wrote a book called I Kissed Dating Goodbye. And later on, he became a pastor, but now he has kissed his marriage goodbye.

He got divorced and he kissed God goodbye. He's no longer a Christian, no longer a believing Christian. And uh and here's a man that wrote the book, but yet didn't always live it out. Then many of you know about Ravi Zachcharias. Uh he wrote has Christianity failed you and about 25 other books as well was a very well-known Christian author. But after his death we found out that uh he failed Christianity. Uh he did not have the testimony that we thought he had. And and then there's another man named George McDonald. Uh he wrote the book called Gordon McDonald's who wrote a book called Ordering Your Private World.

And uh turns out he had a private world of adultery. And and so just writing a book doesn't mean you know everything. I I wrote a book called fruit of the spirit. And many times I'm not real good at having the fruit of the spirit my own life as well. And uh and in fact in first kings chapter 4 and verse number 32 the bible says and he spake 3,000 proverbs and his songs were a 105. So Solomon was a very prolific writer. In Ecclesiastes 12:12, it says, "And further by these, my son, be admonished of making many books, there is no end, and much study is the weariness of flesh." You know, you can have, for example, you can have all the books on marriage.

You can read all the books on marriage and listen to all the messages and the lessons on marriage that you can, but reading doesn't make you a better husband. Reading doesn't make you a better wife. No more than reading books on diet and exercise going to make you lose weight. Uh, you got to do more than just read the books. You've got to do something with those books. And you know, Solomon wrote a number of different books in the Bible. He wrote the book of Proverbs. We read earlier Proverbs 1 and:es 1-7. He wrote Proverbs to to give knowledge and understanding, to give wisdom and instruction.

Uh and and this is so important. If you want to understand the book of Proverbs, there's four things you need to understand about what it how you learn and how you grow. And that's that you need to understand the pyramid of learning. Uh a pyramid of learning has four different levels and the bottom level is the level of knowledge. As you know with any pyramid, the broader the base, the higher the pyramid can go. And so it starts with knowledge. The more knowledge you learn, the better base you have to continue on up that pyramid of learning. Now knowledge is facts and information learned by either teaching or experience.

Now, experience is the better teacher because you'll remember it long after you've forgotten what you were taught. But it's better to be taught because experience also comes with a price. You can be told the stove is hot and then you can touch the hot stove and find out it's hot. You'll remember that a lot longer, but it also causes a lot of pain as well. And we want to learn through being taught in our lives. And excuse me, rep learning comes from repetition. In Isaiah 28:es 9 and 10, it says, "Whom shall he teach knowledge and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breast?

For precept must be upon precept and line upon line and and here a little or there a little." Uh that that's how you learn knowledge is by having it repeated over and over again. That's why church is so important. You may come to church and say, "Well, I I've heard that before." Some of you heard this lesson on on the pyramid of learning before. But it's something that we have to keep coming back in repetition to build that that base of knowledge and facts and information. But then the next level is a level of wisdom and and wisdom is the how to use the knowledge that I have. In in Proverbs chap 8 and verse number 12, Proverbs chapter 8 and verse number 12, the Bible says, "I wisdom dwell with prudence and find out knowledge of witty inventions."

And wisdom is using the knowledge that I have. Uh it's the skill to use that knowledge and wisdom comes from practice. Uh the more I do it, the better I become in that skill, whatever it is. In first kings chapter 7 and verse number 14, it talks about a man who was filled with wisdom and understanding and cunning to work all works and brass. Here was a man that was skilled in working with metal. And the way you become skilled is by practice by doing over and over again. You see talking about that diet, you know, you can read all the books on dieting and all the books on exercise, but that knowledge alone is not enough.

Then you've got to put that knowledge into practice. And uh you can know how to make a good healthy meal but never make good healthy meals. You can know how to exercise but never get around to exercising. That's wisdom is the skill to use the knowledge that I have. And then instruction. Instruction is is is the um discipline to do what I know I should do. Go over to Proverbs chapter 24. Proverbs chapter 24. Look at verses number 30 through34. Proverbs 24:30. I went to the field of slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding, and lo, was all grown over with thorns and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.

Then I saw and considered it well. I looked upon received instruction. And yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of hands to sleep. So shall thy poverty come as one that travaleth in want as an armed man. You see instruction is the discipline to use the knowledge that I have to to do the things that I I've learned how to do. Um you know have I have to have that discipline to eat all the right food. I I've got to have the discipline to do all the exercise. And that's where a lot of us struggle. We know what we're supposed to do. We know what we're supposed to eat. We know how we're supposed to exercise.

We know how to do it. But we just never get around to doing this. That one of the things you struggle with. It is I is something I struggle with. And and then you have the highest level on that pyramid which is level of understanding. And understanding is the ability to use what I've been taught in another area. Look at Proverbs 4 and look at verses 4-7. Proverbs chapter 4 and verses 4-7. It says, "He taught me also, said unto me, let thine heart retain my words, keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding, forget it not, neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee.

Love her, and she will keep thee." Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom, and with thy getting, get understanding. I don't know about you, but it was a point in my life where I was advised and given counsel. You know, get all the wisdom you can. But you know, wisdom is only the second level. You've got to have that discipline. But understanding is the highest level. And understanding is the ability to use what I've learned in one area to apply it to something totally different in new situations. Um, so I take the discipline I've learned in diet and exercise and I can begin applying that in other areas of my life as well.

That's understanding. And and and Solomon talked about this pyramid of learning. But what Solomon lacked was he lacked that discipline level. Look at First Kings chapter 3. First Kings chapter 3 and look at verses 12-4. It says, "Behold, I have done according to thy words. Lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart. So there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any rise like unto thee. And I've also given thee that which thou hast not as both riches and honor. So it shall not be among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wil walk in my ways to keep my statutes and my commandments as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.

You see where David where Solomon fell short was walking in these things. He knew what was right to do. He had knowledge. He had wisdom. He knew how to do it. But he did not have the discipline to do it in his life. And that's where you and I often struggle in our lives is that lack of discipline. And so we need to learn to get to that upper level in instruction and understanding our lives. You see the Bible talks about Proverbs Solomon talked about the wise and the foolish person. And uh and and and you go throughout there, he talks about wisdom, the wise and the foolish. And and um turn over to Proverbs chapter one if you would please.

Proverbs chapter 1 and look at verses number 20- 25. Proverbs chapter 1 beginning with verse number 20. It says, "Wisdom crith without. She utterth her voice in the street. She crith in the sheep place of concourse. In the openings of the gate in the city she uttereth her words, saying, how long you simple ones will you love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scornings, and fools hate knowledge. Turn you at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you and I will make known thy words uh unto my words unto you because I have called and you have refused. I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded.

He said there's four kinds of people. Proverbs in book of Proverbs talked about four kinds of people. In Ecclesiastes 2 15-16 says then said I in my heart as it happened to the fool so it happened even to me. And why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, and this also is vanity, for there's no remembrance the wise more than the fool forever, seeing that which is now and the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man as the fool. You see, what happens is is God calls us to be wise and wisdom is doing the right thing. You see, there's four different kinds of people in Proverbs.

You have [snorts] the the the wise who do what's right and then you have the simple who the simple what their problem is is they have to make the choices. In Proverbs chapter 9, we don't have time to turn there, but it talks about two different women. The wise woman and the foolish woman and they're standing at the door and the simple person walks by and they beckon him to come in. And the wise woman says, "Come in my door." And the foolish woman says, "Come in my door." And that's the problem with a simple person is he has to make choices in his life. You see the wise person, they've decided, I'm going to do what's right.

I'm going to do what God wants me to do. I want to be wise. But the simple person, they're influenced by whoever they're around. You parents, if you have a child that's a simple person, you got to be careful who he gets around because he's around the foolish people, he'll become a fool. But if he's around the wise people, he'll become the wise. It's like they have door number one and door number two. and which they're going to choose. And some of you the problem is every day you have to make the choice today. Am I going to do what's wise or am I going to do what's foolish? Instead of making that decision, say I'm going to be the wise person.

And then you have the foolish person who does that which is foolish. Then you have the scorner which is a fool that there's no hope for. But but Solomon wrote all these things in Proverbs to help us understand. But yet he struggled even though he was the wisest man to ever live. He struggled with this area of instruction discipline. He struggled with making foolish decisions. In Proverbs chapter 10, uh, Ecclesiastes chapter 10 verse one, it says, "Dead flies cause the ointment of hypocrisy to send forth a stinking savor. So does a little folly from him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor."

You can be a wise person and make one foolish decision which can destroy your testimony. You know, I I like to have I like peaches and I like peaches. I like to go buy them in the jar rather than the can because in the can you can't see what they look like but the jar you see exactly what you're getting. But if I was looking on a shelf and had this jar of peaches which were just perfect color, perfect everything in them. They just look beautiful. But if there was a fly in that jar as well, would I buy it? No. One fly ruins the whole jar of peaches. And one of the things you need to understand is one foolish decision can ruin even a wise person.

You can be wise but make a foolish decision which can destroy your testimony and and that's what we have to be careful of. So Solomon talked about the difference between wisdom and foolishness and how we can grow in our wisdom but he struggled with discipline. Solomon also wrote wrote the book of Solomon the Song of Solomon in verse number one of that chap of that book in chapter one it says the Song of Songs which is Solomon's it's one of the greatest love stories ever written. If you've never read the book of Song of Solomon as a married couple, I would challenge you to do that. There's so much in there that you can apply to your marriage.

Uh Sol Solomon finally found his one true love. In Proverbs 31 and verse number 10, it says, "Who can find a virtuous woman for a price is far above rubies?" I wonder how many here can say, "Well, you know what, pastor, I have found my one true love." Raise your hand. All right, guys. Get that hand up. Come on. Come on. I want to help you out here. Uh, I found that one true love. How many of you settle for second bed? No, don't answer that question. But you know, Solomon finally found his one true love and and he wrote about that in the Song of Solomon. Now, Solomon was kind of an expert on marriage for all the wrong reasons.

Uh, we had a couple in the church was having marriage problems. They went up to Tripler to do to get counseling and and the counselor they were assigned to had been divorced three times. He was an expert on divorce, not an expert on marriage. I think you know so uh Solomon of course in first kings 11:3 it says he had 700 wise princes and 300 concubines. His wives turned away his heart from God. You see Solomon was kind of an expert on marriage for all the wrong reasons. I knew a guy years ago uh he was a single guy and he kept talking about wanting to write a book on marriage. Uh, you know, I don't know about you, but I thought I was an expert on marriage until I got married and found out how little I knew, you know, and and Solomon, it was later in life he finally found that one true love that he'd been looking for.

And and he wrote Song of Solomon to help you understand this is what true love is really about. I've experienced all the false love of the world, but he finally found that true love that God wanted him to have. And and he learned it too late in life though. In Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and verse 9, it says, "Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of thy life of the life of thy vanity which he given thee on her son all the days of vanity. For that is the portion of this life and to labor which thou takest on her son to rejoice with the wife of thy youth." He talks about that and how much she wish he had had that in the early years.

And folks, if you're married, don't waste those early years. So many couples find out later in life how to truly love, but you want to find it out now. You know, Solomon's best marriage advice in Song of Solomon, if you read it, was to compliment each other. Throughout that book, they're complimenting each other. She's calling him uh a tree and a fruit. Uh she talk he talks about her being a rose and a lily. And and you when you read that book, one of the things I I I learned in there is that she's very self-confident. You know why? Because she knew she was loved. Fellas, if you want your wife to be the right kind of wife, give her self-confidence.

Let her know that she is special to you, that she is loved by you, that she is something special. He also taught to honor and to respect your spouse. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3 6 and 7, even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters you are, as long as you do well and are not afraid with any amazement, likewise you husbands dwell with him according knowledge, giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together, the grace of life does your prayers be not hindered. If you read Song of Solomon, you see that he honored her. The word honor means to value.

He valued her as as something that was of great value to him and she respected him. And and ladies, your husband needs your respect. Now, we're not always respectable, but we need you to treat us with respect even when we're not respectable because that's who God has called you to do. And and so he talked about that. He talked about don't lose that first love. Don't lose that wonder that you have in marriage. In Proverbs 5 18 and 20 through 20 says, "Let thy fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as a loving hind and pleasant robe. Let her breast satisfy thee at all times and be thou ravished always with her love.

And why wil thou my son be ravished with a strange woman? Embrace the bosom of a stranger." He said, "Listen, rejoice with the wife of thy youth. keep that love and and strong and and keep it young and fresh. Um enjoy that aspect of life. Enjoy the physical aspect of life as well. And and Solomon challenged us to do that. He said, "Listen, let your marriage be a picture of God's love for us." In Ephesians chapter 5, it talks about the husband and wife relationship from verse 21 down through verse number 32. In verse 32, it says, "This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ in the church.

Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself and the wife see that she revers her husband." You see, God wants our marriage to be a picture of our relationship with God. And Solomon wrote the Song of Solomon, one of the greatest love stories of all time. And yet he struggled in this area of sin and immorality. But he finally found that one true love and understood what it really means for you. Then he wrote Ecclesiastes. And if you look at the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 12, it's Ecclesiastes 12 and look at verse number one. Ecclesiastes 12:1. It says, "Remember now the thy creator and the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the the years draw nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them."

And then verse 13, let us here at the conclusion the whole matter. Fear God and keep his commandments for this is a whole duty of man. You see, Ecclesiastes is the key to understanding Solomon. Solomon struggled with his area of discipline and he he although he was the wisest man that ever lived he didn't live a life of wisdom for many many years but when he came to the end of his life and he wrote Ecclesiastes he expressed his regret he's looking back in his life and saying man I blew it I I knew what was right to do I knew the right way to live but I didn't live that way and I regret all the years that I wasted Solomon realized that he was not as smart as he thought he was.

In Ecclesiastes chapter 1, Ecclesiastes chapter 1 and look at verses number 16- 18. Ecclesiastes 1:16. I commune with my own heart, saying, "Lo, I am come to great estate, and I've gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem. Yet my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom and know madness and folly. I perceive that this also is vexation of spirit. For much wisdom is much grief and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow. Just having knowledge and just having wisdom is not enough. He said, I I wasted all those years because I thought I was smarter than I really was.

I thought I had life all figured out. And and Solomon expressed how he regretted that he could not go back and change those things. In verse 15, that which is crooked cannot be made straight and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. You can't go back and relive those early years. One of the things I'm really realizing is 70 years old is I'm looking back and saying, "Man, I wish I had done better. I wish I'd done this differently, but now it's too late. I can't go back and start my marriage over again. I can't go back and have my children little again." You got to realize that you got don't waste the time that you have right now.

Don't get to your later years like Solomon and look back with regret. Solomon said, "Listen, youth is wasted on the young." Look at Ecclesiastes 11 and look at verses 9 and 10. Says, "Rejoice, oh young man, and thy youth, and let thy heart cheer them thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, in the sight of thine eyes. But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart and put away evil from thy flesh for childhood youth or vanity. He says listen don't waste the years that you have now. You cannot go back and relive those years.

And you don't want to get older and look back at these years with regret and say, "I could have done better. I could have done differently. I wish I had done this. I wish I had done that." Now's the time to use that knowledge. Now's the time to use that wisdom to do what's right. And that's what Solomon didn't do. And he end up his life regretting the waste of his life. Solomon calls himself a preacher. In Ecclesiastes 1:1, he talks about a preacher. Look at chapter 12 and look at verses 9-2. He says, "Moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yay, he gave good heed and sought out and set in order many proverbs.

The preacher sought to find out acceptable words and that which was written was upright even words of truth. The words of the wise are his goats or his nails fastened by the masters of assemblies which are given from one shepherd. And further by these my son be admonished of making many books there is no end and much study is a weariness of flesh. You see Solomon look at his life. He says I I've been a preacher but even being a preacher I haven't been honest. I haven't lived it out. You know, I want to be honest with you. It's easier to preach what's right than to live what's right. It's easier to preach what's right than to live what's right.

And and and and we need to realize that that we have to live it in our own lives. You could tell your children what's right, but you've got to do it as well. And this is where Solomon regretted these things as he got older in life. Then Solomon also wrote two of the Psalms, uh two different psalms. He wrote Psalms 172, which is basically a prayer that he would be a good king and do us right. And you know what? Solomon was a great king, but he wasn't great in his personal life. Some of us, we can be really great at work, but not great at home. You've got to make sure that you're living it in your life as well.

In Psalms 127, Solomon wrote about children in a heritage of the L Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward. And he talked about family and how important family is. In 2 Chronicles 12:1, it says, "And it came to pass when Rayoboam had established the kingdom and strengthened himself. He forsook the law of the Lord, all Israel with him." Rayoboam was Solomon's son. He talked about how important family was, but he didn't do a very good job of raising his own son. And folks, when you get older, don't regret what you missed in raising your children for the Lord. And this is what Solomon, he wrote all these books, but he hadn't always learned the lessons.

And he's trying to tell you, listen, don't make the mistakes that I made. See, Solomon had it all. He had wealth. He had power. He had women. He had everything. But you know what? Money does not bring happiness. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes chapter 5, I had money, but it didn't make me happy. You know, Solomon had his his value when the Bible talks about it in First Kings 10:14. It says, now the weight of gold that came to Solomon one year was 63 score and six talents of gold. That's about $1.5 trillion in today's dollars. He was a rich man and and and he thought, you know, sometimes we think that if I just have more money that would make me happy.

If I would just have more things that would make me happy. But the Bible says in 1 Timothy 6 through8, but godliness and contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raignment, let us be there with content. You see, Solomon began to realize later in life that money wasn't everything. And it's it's okay to have money. In Proverbs chapter 30, it talks about being rich or poor. And I'd rather be rich. I'd rather have money if you give me a choice in that matter. But money is not going to be h make me happy. And Solomon realized that later in life.

He had fame and power. And the problem was Solomon began to believe his own publicity. He began to believe that he was the smartest guy around and and he didn't need anybody to tell him what to do. But later in life, Solomon and his wives pulled him away from the Lord. It says, "For it came to pass when Solomon was old that his wives turned away his heart after other gods. His heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father." You see, Solomon had to come to that point to realize that he was not good enough in himself. He needed God. And it's not what he did that gave him a relationship with God.

The Bible says in Ephesians 2:es 8 and 9, "For by grace are you saved through faith, then not of yourselves is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." You and I, we're not good enough in ourselves. We're not good enough to get to heaven. We can only be good through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And and we have to come to that point. We realize that we're not good enough. You see, Solomon, as rich as he was, he couldn't buy salvation. in 1 Peter 1:es 18 and 19. For as much as you know that you're not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without spot, without blemish.

All of Solomon's money could not buy his way into heaven. All of his good works could not get him into heaven. He would never be good enough. It's only through Jesus Christ that we can have salvation. The Bible says in Romans chapter 10 and:es 9 and 10 that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thine heart that God is raising the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confessions made unto salvation. Romans 10:13, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And you need to realize that you have to call upon him.

In Romans 2:4, the Bible says, "Or despise thou [snorts] riches of his goodness and forbearance, um, longsuffering, not knowing the goodness of God leadth thee to repentance." And God is trying to call you to realize now before it's too late that I am not good enough to go to heaven. It's only by Jesus Christ that I can have salvation. See, Solomon, his pride was his downfall. In Proverbs 16:18, it said, "Pride goeth before destruction, the Holty Spirit before a fall." In First Kings 11:9, "And the Lord was angry with Solomn because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which appeared onto him twice."

Solomon got to that point. He thought he didn't need God, that he could do it all in his own strength and his own power. And and Solomon had it his way. In in Deuteronomy 17 and 16-1 17, the Bible says God said the king was not supposed to multiply horses to himself, nor uh nor should he uh have multiple wives or build up all the silver and gold. You see, and Solomon, he did everything God said not to do. He did all of it. And that was his pride. And pride says, "I'm different." Pride says it won't happen to me. Pride says I can handle it. Pride says I know what I'm doing. Pride says I don't need anyone to tell me what to do.

And that's where Solomon's downfall came from. He got proud in his own wisdom. And he thought he had life all figured out. He didn't need God to tell him what to do. And that pride led to his downfall. You see, it's not a sin to be rich, but the Bible tells us in 1 Timothy, the love of money is the root of all evil. It's not a sin to be in love with a woman, but Solomon had multiple wives. And Solomon loved many strange women, the Bible says, together with the daughter of Pharaoh and and so on down the line. And all of these women, they pulled him away from the Lord, and they kept him from relationship with God.

And so often it's it's uh things like that that that cause many people to fall today. Immorality. And Solomon warned us about this in Proverbs 31:3. He says, "Give not thy strength unto woman, nor thy ways to that which destroyth kings." He warns us, "Th don't do what I did." Nine times in Proverbs, Solomon warns about the strange woman, but he should have listened to his own vice. And many men especially struggle with this and pornography and things like that, immorality. And don't let that be your downfall. Solomon learned his problem with women from his father. David had that same struggle. In Exodus 34:7, it says, "Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression of sin, that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting iniquity the fathers upon the children upon the children's children of the third and the fourth generation."

Now that doesn't mean that I'm going to pay for the sins of my father, but it means that I am part of my father. He is part of me. And so what my father did many times is what I do. Children of divorced parents end up being divorced statistically more often. Children of alcoholics end up being alcoholics. Children of uh you know abusive relationships, abusive parents end up being abusers themselves. And folks, you've got to change the next generation. You've got to decide number one, I don't want my kids to struggle with these things, so I'm going to change so they don't have to struggle. And you got to decide, I'm not going to do what my parents did.

I'm going to do better in life. And make that choices. And and Solomon didn't make that choice. You got to decide to change it. In Leviticus 26 and verse number 40, it says, "If they shall confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers with their trespasses which they have trespassed against me and that also they have walked contrary to me." Now, it doesn't mean I need to go back and say my father, you know, forgive my dad for this and forgive my dad for that. It needs I need to realize that my dad had his problems. My dad, as you know, was an alcoholic and very abusive. And I realized early in life that's not where I wanted to go.

And and I asked God, God, don't let me be like my father. Don't let me do do this to my children. I want to change the next generation. Solomon didn't like listening to counsel. 17 times in Proverbs, he advises counsel. In Proverbs 15:22, without counsel, purposes are disappointed, but multitude counsels are established. But when you read about Solomon, he didn't like to listen to people tell him what to do. His pride begin was his downfall. He thought he knew better. In Ecclesiastes 1:16, I commune with my own heart, saying, "Lo, I am come to great estate and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have before me in Jerusalem.

Yay, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge." He knew all the right things, but he didn't do it himself. And Solomon struggled and it came to be it was more about his kingdom than God's kingdom. Matthew 6:33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." You see, Solomon, he never humbled himself. The Bible says in James chapter uh James 4:10, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." In Matthew 18:4, "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

See, Solomon, his heart was lifted up against God. His kingdom, his kingdom became more important than the kingdom of God. Why don't you go back to the book of First Kings as we close now? I've covered a lot in this message, and I've gone through it pretty fast. In fact, I I made copies of my outline and put it out here in the welcome center. When you leave, if you want to get a copy to go back and look up those Bible verses and study the life of Solomon, I I think it'd be a great way to do devotions this week. You can also download the the message at ohana.urch/live. But I want to make sure you leave here learning from King Solomon because he was the wisest man ever to live and yet he still made a mess of his life.

Why is that? Is because of his pride. Because he was not willing to humble himself. Because he didn't seek first the kingdom of God. It's because he had knowledge and wisdom, but he didn't have that discipline instruction. He never got fully to that level of understanding. There's so much we can learn from the life of Solomon. And I my prayer is this is that one day 30 40 50 years from now whenever it might be when you're 70 years old and you look back on your life you don't look back with regret and you say Pastor Wayne preached a message back there in 2026 and I didn't listen and I didn't I thought I had a life all figured out.

I thought I knew what I was doing and I didn't need to to do the right thing. Don't look back that way. Look at First Kings chapter 3 and look at verse number three. Says, "As Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statues of David his father only his sacrifice and burnt incesses in high places." He loved God. There's no question about that. [clears throat] But he didn't give up certain things. He's still sacrificed in high places. That was a a wicked thing to do. And you can study your Bible to understand that. But I want you to go to chapter 8. Chapter 8. He loved God, but he didn't let go of everything.

And look at chapter 8. Look at verse number 60 and 61. That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there's none else. Um, and let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God. So walk in his statutes and keep his commandments as it is this day. You need to walk in his statutes and keep his commandments. Then one final verse. Look at chapter 11 and verse number four. Chapter 11 verse number four. So came to pass with Solomon's old. His wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David, his father.

Solomon started out well, but it didn't end very well. I do believe that at the end of his life, Solomon repented and realized what a mess he had made of everything, and that's why he wrote Ecclesiastes. But as he'll tell you in Ecclesiastics over and over again, it's too late for me. It's too late for me. Now, it's never really too late to get right with God, but it was too late to go back and change all the things he'd done wrong. But for you, it's not too late. For you, you can humble yourself. You can make the decision that I cannot do it in my own strength, and my own power. I need to submit to God and his kingdom. And maybe there's something in your life you're holding on to, like Solomon held on to the high places. Maybe there's something that you need to let go and give it to God. Because if you don't, your heart will never be perfect towards