1 Kings 11:1-13

How can someone who knows so much get so far off the mark? How can someone with more wisdom than anyone else do something so foolish? Solomon is an enigma. He had great wisdom, but as he grew older, he didn’t walk in it. He followed his own heart rather than following the word of God.

The insidious thing about sin is that it starts out small, but it soon spreads. It is like the yeast that leavens the whole batch of dough. As it spreads, it deceives; and as it deceives, it blinds. The story of Solomon is tragic because he had a good father. David wasn’t perfect, but he repented of his sins and finished well. He was honored as a man after God’s own heart who had done right in the eyes of the LORD. As an adult, Solomon was blessed in every way. But Solomon began to compromise, seeking the sensual rather than the spiritual. He loved his wives more than he loved the LORD, and they led him down the path of idolatry. Solomon no longer wholeheartedly followed the LORD as did David. He even built shrines for the gods of his wives and sacrificed to them. It wasn’t that Solomon didn’t know better, but sin had a grip on him.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians:

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” (Galatians 6:7–8, NKJV)

We can have great wisdom. We can be raised in the best environment and be given quality education. But we must choose whether we will live for the Spirit or for the flesh. Our choices have consequences. If we sow to the Spirit we will reap a harvest of righteousness and everlasting life, but if we sow to the flesh, then we will reap corruption, addiction, and death. What matters in the end is not how much we know, but how well we practice what we know.