Inspiration & Worship

King Solomon was the richest man of his day. The son of King David and Bathsheba, he ruled a vast empire and knew every pleasure in the world. He constructed the first Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem and is remembered for his wisdom, a gift he asked for and received from God when he was young.

Solomon told God, “I am only a lit-

tle child and do not know how to carry out my duties … So give your servant a discerning heart to govern Your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this

great people of Yours?” – 1 Kings 3:7-9

God answered Solomon’s prayer, but Solomon eventually squandered this great gift. He forgot Whose people he governed and, over time, began treating them badly. He denied God the one thing God really wanted from Solomon: a loving and obedient relationship.

“For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that 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 … And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had

appeared unto him twice.” – I Kings 11:4-9

How many of us have longed to see God in person just once? Solomon saw God twice and still managed to put worldly things ahead of Him. For all his wisdom, Solomon was no David because his heart was not right with God.

David behaved very badly at times, but he desperately loved God and always returned to Him with humility. He spent time with God, dancing and singing for Him, and writing love poems to God, something frowned upon by the joyless religious class of the day. David experienced joy with God beyond anything Solomon ever knew and God called David “a man after my own heart.”

Solomon built an impressive Temple, but David built an unshakable place for God inside his heart. Who was the richer man? Who does God tell us to emulate?

Humility matters and God is not fooled by man’s hubris. ❚ – Janine Pumilia