By David ReayMonday 21 Jul 2014LifeWords DevotionalsCultureReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read 1 Kings 4:29-30 and 11:9-13
29 God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding,and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. 30 In fact,his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt.
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9 The LORD was very angry with Solomon,for his heart had turned away from the LORD,the God of Israel,who had appeared to him twice. 10 He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods,but Solomon did not listen to the LORD’s command. 11 So now the LORD said to him,”Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees,I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. 12 But for the sake of your father,David,I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. 13 And even so,I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe,for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem,my chosen city.” (NLT)
It is heartbreaking when Christian figures we looked up to,fail to live up to the standards they themselves preached. We invest so much trust in such leaders,we admire them so much,that we forget they too are human. Some have drifted from the faith because someone disappointed them. They have betrayed our fond dream that someone,somewhere,was the sure and infallible guide to a better life.
While not excusing the failures of leaders,those who follow them need to take responsibility for their own responses to such failures. No one individual has it all,no one individual is the epitome of godliness. In our Christian pilgrimage there is no all-wise guru,only fallible people who may yet guide us if we only remember they too are humans in need of guidance.
If we want such an example of a flawed ‘role model’ we need look no further than Solomon. Praised for his wisdom,a model of power blessed by God. And yet so very flawed at a very basic level. His many wives corrupted him with their assorted pagan practices. So was he a good man or a bad man? Was he a role model or a warning?
By all means admire and respect those who are helpful guides along the way. But remember they can’t truly guide you from the height of an artificial pedestal. Only as they come down to earth can they truly help you.
Blessings
David Reay