July 3, 2022
Today’s reading: 1 Kings 11:1-8
Wisdom is not enough
We read in 1 Kings 11:1-8:
1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— 2 from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8 And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
Solomon is considered to be the wisest man of his time. We have seen how God blessed him with wisdom, which follows riches, prestige, and fame.
However, in the life of Solomon, we see here that wisdom isn’t enough. If this man was considered the wisest man whose wisdom was given by God, we might have thought that he will make the right decision all the time.
The problem with Solomon is that he mixed his wisdom with his human nature. We can see from his life’s example that having wisdom is not enough to live a righteous life. Because if it is true, then we should see how the world’s wisest people should be in the Body of Christ. Yet, we don’t see that.
As we learn, wisdom is not enough. It must be coupled with godly character. Without godly character, you can use wisdom for the wrong purpose. Wisdom allows you to know what you should do, but it is godly character that will help you do what you should do.
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