The Solomon Saga continues…

Wisdom, like muscles, has to be exercised to be of any use!  For all of the wisdom Solomon possessed, he didn’t really get a good handle on this concept…well, practically anyway. 

Let’s just clear something up at the outset: wisdom is not equal to obedience.  Obedience is a volitional response to a declared standard or law.  Wisdom, on the other hand, is the skill necessary to negotiate through life’s circumstances; you know, when life can get gray…charcoal gray!  Now let’s move on.

In 1 Kings 3, Solomon makes alliance with Pharoah, the king of Egypt (a military powerhouse in that day).  Smart political/military move. Right?  Well from strictly a national security sense?  Yes.  But not from a God-oriented sense.  By making an alliance with a foreign power, Solomon is directly disobeying God’s law and in effect snubbing his nose at the provision of protection from God.  God told Israel if they obeyed He would provide rest on every side.  If they disobeyed, He would raise up foreign nations to judge His people, Israel (see Habakkuk).  So Solomon declares his need for human power by making this alliance.

Ever disobey because it didn’t seem to make sense to you to obey?  I think we all have.  Each of us can tell stories of how we took matters into our own hands.  God’s ways sometimes seem out of touch with our experience, so we assume He doesn’t really have our best at heart or doesn’t really understand our situation.  Such thoughts of God are inadequate and lead to consequences that all of us would want to avoid.