1 King 5:7 So it was, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly and said, Blessed be the Lord this day, for He has given David a wise son over this great people!
There is no disputing the fact that Solomon was a very wise man. Among his many writings are the Book of Wisdom, Odes of Solomon, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and the Book of Proverbs, which many people believe to be God’s guidelines for daily living. Solomon asked for wisdom, and God granted him his request.
What did Solomon do with all that wisdom? Did Solomon put into practice the wisdom he had been given, or did he just impart it to others?
Solomon served as King of Israel for a number of years, but then he began to slip. He still had all the wisdom God had blessed him with, but he was not living out that wisdom in his own life. In today's language, we would say that Solomon "talked the talk, but did not walk the walk."
Solomon took on a great number of pagan wives who were a very bad influence on him. They led him straight into idolatry, which we all know is the breaking of the First Commandment, Thou shall have no other gods before Me. Solomon and the Nation went downhill from there. The seeds of division were planted by the unfaithfulness of King Solomon. All his wisdom did him or Israel no good because he failed to walk the walk he knew to be the way of Righteousness.
A Proverb of Solomon that has been memorized and repeated millions of times is Proverbs 22:6. Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart. Solomon wrote those words, but he did not live them out. Although he knew to do this, he did not train up his children in the way they should go.
Near the end of Solomon’s reign as King of Israel, the nation had begun to falter. His son and successor, Rehoboam, picked up where Solomon left off and led Israel into complete division. Although Rehoboam’s father was the “wisest man to ever live,” he had not been trained up in the Ways of God. Solomon had failed to practice what he wrote and preached.
What about us? Have we walked the walk in the eyes of our children or just preached to them, talking the talk? God’s Wisdom is in His Word, but our children are watching our walk with the Lord. What are they seeing?
Allow God to convict your heart of the Truth in regard to this. Perhaps it’s time to repent and ask God to give you the words to say to your children. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your life. We are called to live out our faith every day. Today is the day to change our ways; repent and turn. Don’t TELL your children how to live……..SHOW them. Train them up in the ways of the Lord, and when they are old, they will not depart. Praise God!
Only God can……….turn the tide
Turned, Doreen
