May 25 - 2 Chronicles 8:1-18 | 1 Kings 9:15-10:13 | 2 Chronicles 9:1-12 | 1 Kings 10:14-29 | 2 Chronicles 9:13-28 | 2 Chronicles 1:14-17

Good morning everyone,

When God first came to Solomon, you’ll remember, he asked for wisdom. God granted the request and in addition to that, God told Solomon he would also have riches and honor. Now, God is not known for doing anything small, and so it was, that Solomon’s wealth was legendary. Leaders from other nations would travel hundreds of miles to glean some of Solomon’s wisdom and leave in awe at his prosperity, one such person was the queen of Sheba. She traveled 1,500 miles, by caravan, across a hot desert to check, check, check it out.

When she got there she was not disappointed, quite the contrary. She was not only blown away by the lap of luxury Solomon lived in but was also most impressed with the way his servants were dressed, everything was far greater than her expectations. She lavished him with gifts, probably in hopes of securing a peace treaty, then, left with the greater gift, as there is evidence in Matthew she became a believer in God.

Solomon’s wealth continued to amass, he had so much wealth that silver was but rocks kicked around on the streets, he was bringing in apes and peacocks from Tarshish for entertainment. He was collecting and trading horses, he was also dealing with Egypt and having relationships with foreign women, doing exactly what Deuteronomy 17 specifies a  king in Israel should not do. He would pay a heavy price for this, not personally for he was David’s son, but his heir to the throne will suffer terrible consequences for Solomon’s poor choices. Kind of a bummer for the kid. Right?

What legacy are we leaving our children? Are we teaching them that God is almighty, to be feared? Oh, not feared because He will hurt us, but fearful that we will hurt Him, hurt His feelings, stomp on His love. When we turn our backs on Him, it totally leaves him heartbroken. Our priorities, the way we conduct our lives, the values we place on, not just God but everything, serves to pave the way our children will think, process, and live their lives. Are you living for the present only, leaving your children a legacy of material wealth, which is great for today, don’t get me wrong, but it will burn. Or are you investing in your children’s eternal future, storing up riches in heaven that will be available to them for all eternity. 

Solomon was a very wealthy man with great power and influence yet he was very miserable and empty. Why, because he had forgotten the God of his father David. Nearly all failures in the life of a Christian can be traced to losing our focus or taking our eyes off Jesus. In Hebrews we are encouraged with, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Let that be the example we set, the legacy we will leave for our children. Amen?

I pray you have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …