Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20030427.htm

1 AND 2 KINGS: ENJOYING GOD'S BLESSINGS IN AN APOSTATE ERA
Part VI: Learning To Heed God To Preserve Our Rich Godly Heritage
(1 Kings 5:1-11:13)
  1. Introduction
    1. Christianity has historically produced a great heritage for God's people in terms of our cultural, national and material let alone spiritual blessings. It's a heritage we can deeply appreciate.
    2. However, a great trap exists in our appreciating that heritage, for we can be so concerned to preserve it that we stoop to unbiblical methods and means opposite heeding the Lord which initially produced that heritage for our forefathers! Solomon's failure here provides a powerful lesson for us:
  2. Learning To Heed God To Preserve Our Rich Godly Heritage, 1 Kings 5:1-11:13.
    1. King Solomon was given a rich heritage both from his godly forefather in king David and from the Lord:
      1. Solomon was given a great friend in his father's friend, Hiram, king ot Tyre to provide skilled artisans and wood to build a temple for the Lord, 1 Kings 5:1-10.
      2. Solomon was given the great divine assignment to construct that temple, 1 Kings 5:5; 2 Sam. 7:12-13.
      3. Solomon was given great insight into Scripture as evidenced in his prayer of dedication for the temple:
        1. Following his introductory praise of God in 1 Kings 8:12-45, Solomon even revealed his awareness of what discipline would come from God for the nation's sin as he asked God to hear prayer made toward the temple of repentance for restoration, 1 Kings 8:46-50 in view of Deuteronomy 30:1-10.
        2. Accordingly, he asked God to be faithful to preserve Israel in His grace in view of the possible and probable apostasy of the nation, 1 Kings 8:51-53, 55-61.
      4. Solomon was given a second personal message from God, reminding him that God's blessings on Solomon's reign were conditioned upon his heeding the Lord's Word, 1 Kings 9:1-9.
      5. Solomon was given great respect from other rulers around him like the Queen of Sheba, 1 Kings 10:1-9
      6. Solomon was given great wealth and material abundance in his kingdom, 1 Kings 10:10-13, 14-23.
      7. Solomon was granted such great wisdom that the known world sought his counsel, 1 Kings 10:24, 27.
    2. Well, in apparent appreciation of the heritage and a deep concern to preserve it, he came to disobey the Lord, and that led to his downfall, 1 Kings 11:1-12; 1 Kings 4:26 with Deuteronomy 17:16-17:
      1. God had specifically commanded Israel's kings in Deuteronomy 17:16-17 not to do two major sins: (a) they were not to multiply horses in trying to rely on their own military might instead of the Lord for national security, and they (b) were not to depend on international treaties by marrying foreign wives lest these women lead their hearts away from God to serve their pagan idols.
      2. However, Solomon violated these commands to preserve his heritage: (a) he multiplied horses unto himself to protect his nation (1 Kings 4:26) and (b) he married many foreign wives to secure peace treaties with foreign nations (1 Kings 3:1), but these women turned his heart away from God to serve idols, 1 Kings 11:1-3, 4-6. In fact, Solomon built a high place for pagan worship on the hill just east of Jerusalem, the hill known as the Mount of Olives in New Testament times, 1 Kings 11:7-8.
      3. Thus, the Lord was angry with Solomon, and pronounced a decline in that heritage he longed to keep:
        1. Solomon's heart had turned away from God in his later years even though God had twice personally appeared to him, warning Solomon not to do so; thus, God told Solomon He would rend the kingdom away from Solomon and give it to one of his servants, 1 Kings 11:9-11.
        2. Yet, for the sake of David and Jerusalem which God had chosen, God said He would rend the kingdom from Solomon's son, leaving two tribes for that grandson of David's, 1 Kings 11:12-13.
Lesson: Though Solomon appreciated his wonderful HERITAGE from his godly father and the Lord, his effort to PRESERVE that heritage by ways that DISOBEYED SCRIPTURE only led to the LOSS of the BLESSINGS from God that had CREATED this heritage in the first place!

Application: (1) To PRESERVE our rich spiritual heritage, we must NOT resort to unbiblical methods and means with our focus on the heritage, for our ONLY REAL Source of heritage blessing is GOD! We must then heed GOD at ALL costs for BLESSING! (2) This leads us to another lesson: we must NOT make our wonderful HERITAGE our GOD, for only the LORD is our TRUE Source of blessing!