It's on page 349, if you've got the red church Bibles.
We're going to read the first 13 verses, and we'll skip down then to verse 41 after that.
1 Kings chapter 11, starting at verse 1.
1 Kings chapter 11.
2 Kings chapter 11.
of Solomon? Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for 40 years. Then he rested with
his ancestors and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded
him as king.
Thanks very much, Connor.
Let's pray.
Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for this true account of Solomon's life. And
we pray that through it, it would teach us much about ourselves.
But more importantly, it would show us more about how great you are.
And what it is to turn from all our loves of other things and other people that we might
love you as we ought. Father, work in our lives today. Build us up and encourage us. We ask
this in Jesus' name. Amen.
As we drove out of the driving test centre, my assessor gave me the first instruction.
Turn right.
I turned left. And then the moment came, he handed me a piece of paper and written
clearly in red letters at the bottom of the page. Failed. None of us likes to fail. In
fact, we do everything that we can to try and hide our failures. We're embarrassed by it.
We cover it up in all kinds of different ways.
Well, written across chapter 11 of 1 Kings in bold red letters is the word failed.
There is no hiding from the truth.
It may come as a surprise to us because up to this point, Solomon has been doing well as
king. He's not perfect, but his people who he is king over are safe and secure and the
nations are coming to him for blessing. But it seems Solomon has not been listening to the
instructions. And it has all ended in disappointing failure. Now we need to be careful how we read this.
Not as just some historical event in the past, but read it as our story. Because we are just like
Solomon. But thankfully, as we look at this together, we'll see that it's not all doom,
human gloom. Because chapter 11 shows us that we can experience fullness of life when we admit to our
failure and rest in God's faithfulness. That's like a summary theme for the whole of chapter 11.
We can experience fullness of life when we admit to our failure and rest in God's faithfulness.
Well, let's have a look. First, a portrait of our failure. A portrait of our failure. Reading the first few
verses of chapter 11 is like looking at an x-ray of our hearts. It reveals a terrible heart disease.
The heart of failure is always our hearts. Look at verse 4.
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods and his heart was not fully devoted to the
Lord his God as the heart of David his father had been. Now when the Bible talks about the heart,
it's not talking about that big muscle inside our chest that's pumping oxygenated blood around our body.
The heart is always talking about the real you. It's the control centre of our character.
What's in the heart tells us who we really are. Now Solomon's heart is not in good condition.
In fact, we can see the cause of his heart failure. There's three failures we're going to look at. First,
the failure to listen. Look at verse 1. King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides
Pharaoh's daughter. That was his first wife. Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.
They were from the nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites,
you must not intermarry with them because they will surely turn your hearts after other gods.
God had said, but he didn't listen. In fact, there were specific instructions for the king.
Keep your finger in 1 Kings 11 and go back to Deuteronomy.
At the beginning of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy chapter 17.
So specific instructions for the king. Deuteronomy 17 verse 14.
When you enter the lands the Lord your God is giving you and you've taken possession of it and
has settled in it and you say, let us set a king over us like all the nations around us.
Be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses.
Well, what's this king to be like? Look at verse 17.
He must not take many wives or his heart will be led astray.
Simple, isn't it?
Back to 1 Kings 11.
It's not that Solomon didn't understand God's word.
Solomon just chose not to listen.
So chapter 11 verse 3.
He had 700 wives of royal birth
and 300 concubines.
And not surprisingly,
his wives led him astray.
We can call it disobedience.
Now,
we mightn't be like Solomon in that we have many, many wives.
But how often do we read God's word
and fail to listen
and do what it says?
We're a little bit like the person James describes
in chapter 1 of James.
Let me read it to you.
Do not merely listen to the word
and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says.
Anyone who listens to the word
but does not do what it says
is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror
and after looking at himself
goes away and immediately forgets
what he looks like.
How many times
do I look into God's word?
It shows me what to do.
So clear.
And yet I don't do it.
I fail to listen.
Second,
there's a failure to learn.
Solomon not only had God's word,
he also had a very good example to follow.
Look at the end of verse 4.
We're told that his heart
was not fully devoted to the Lord his God
as the heart of David his father had been.
Now we know something of David.
It's not saying David was perfect.
We know that King David messed up big time.
David had an affair with somebody called Bathsheba.
Not only that,
he murdered her husband in the process.
But here's the point.
David learned.
He confessed.
Psalm 51 tells us of his confession.
But Solomon, it seems,
never learned.
He just kept on going.
700 times of repeated failure.
As well as 300 other failures.
So verse 6.
Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
He did not follow the Lord completely
as David his father had done.
It's just too close for comfort, isn't it?
I mightn't have 700 wives.
But sadly, I have to admit
that in my 22 years of marriage,
I have failed my wife more than 700 times.
A crossword.
Selfish thoughts.
Unforgiveness.
Putting myself first.
We disobey, don't we?
In the same way,
again and again and again.
We just do not learn.
So we don't listen.
We don't learn.
And we don't love.
Despite everything that God had said.
Look at the end of verse 2.
Nevertheless,
Solomon held fast
to his wives in love.
He's got a grip.
He's not going to let go
of his disobedience.
He likes it.
He enjoys it.
His love for his wives
turned him
to love of other gods.
Verse 5.
He followed Ashtoreth,
the goddess of the Sidonians.
And Moloch,
the detestable god
of the Ammonites.
Now these just weren't
kind of little stone figures.
These were gods
that they sacrificed babies to.
I mean, this was serious.
Sacrificing children
in the hope that the gods
would somehow bring blessing.
This is the way
in which Solomon went.
Now as we read this,
we can't sit back
with a feeling of pride
and go,
well that's not me.
I would never do anything
as disastrous as that.
I don't love other gods.
You won't find any idols
or anything like that
in my house.
Well we all replace God
with other things
and other people
all the time.
None of us has loved God
with all our heart.
And in case we think otherwise,
listen to Jesus.
He says,
what comes out of a person
defiles them
for it is written
out of a person's heart
that evil thoughts come,
sexual immorality
and theft
and murder
and adultery
and greed
and malice
and deceit
and lewdness
and envy
and slander
and arrogance
and folly.
Can you recognize
any of those?
All of these evils
come from inside
and defile a person.
They come from
within the heart.
You see,
like Solomon,
we all have
heart failure.
We do not listen.
We do not learn.
And we do not love.
Now it's not
as if Solomon
suddenly woke up
one day
with heart failure.
It was progressive.
We can think of it this way.
The person
who has a physical
heart attack
does so,
well,
it's because of years
of unhealthy diet
or no exercise
or too much stress
at work.
It builds
and it builds
and hearts go bang
due to a lifetime
of bad habits
and decisions.
Well,
that's what God
is saying
about our hearts.
I mean,
look at Solomon.
Right at the beginning
of his reign,
we read this.
you may remember it
from chapter 3.
It tells us here
what Solomon was like.
Solomon showed
his love for the Lord
by walking
according to the instructions
given him
by his father David.
Now,
40 years later,
look at chapter 11,
verse 1.
King Solomon,
however,
loved many
foreign women.
it's not that Solomon
went from hero
to zero
in one day.
Verse 4,
as Solomon grew old,
his wives
turned his hearts
after other gods.
Slowly,
over time,
as he progressed
through the years,
he had fallen
into a habit
of failing
to listen,
failing to learn,
failing to love.
and it ended
in heart failure.
Now,
we need to take note,
don't we?
Failure to deal
with our hearts
and we will have
a serious
heart failure.
Continue to hide
over and cover
our failures,
refuse to admit
and to seek help.
Well,
we'll just end up
destroying our own lives
and destroying
of those around us.
But much more
than just
destroying
our own lives,
not only
is there heart
failure,
but there is
the curse
of failure.
And the curse
of failure
is the curse.
Have a look
at verse 9,
chapter 11.
The Lord
became angry
with Solomon
because his heart
had turned
away from the Lord,
the God of Israel,
who had appeared
to him twice.
So not only
had he everything
that God had said
in his word,
but,
well,
God had come
to him
specifically twice
and showed him
how to live.
And the Lord
became angry
with Solomon.
Now,
I don't know
how you feel
about that,
but I guess
we don't like
the idea
of God
being angry,
do we?
We don't like
that image.
Perhaps because
of experiences
we have faced
before an angry
person.
Well,
let's be clear,
this is not
an uncontrolled,
raging temper.
This is God's
jealous love.
He is angry
that we turn
our hearts
from his love
and seek out
love from other
things and other
people.
God doesn't just
sit back and watch
us ruin our lives
and the lives
of other people
and say,
you know what,
it doesn't matter.
Feel free,
just live the way
you want to.
We'll just kind
of cover it up
and sort it all
out.
It doesn't matter.
Well,
it does matter.
God's anger
is his fair
and settled
response to sin
and it will
be punished.
How can God
let his creation
and his world
go on in cycles
of disaster
and destruction
and just say
it doesn't matter?
For Solomon,
instead of blessing,
there was curse.
Have a look
at verse 11.
So the Lord
said to Solomon,
Since this is
your attitude
and you have
not kept
my covenant
and my decrees
which I commanded
you,
I will most
certainly tear
the kingdom
away from you
and give it
to one of your
subordinates.
And so began
the downfall
of Solomon
and the kingdom.
And as we read
on through the book,
we'll see the kingdom
divides,
it falls apart,
it falls apart
and the people
end up
in exile.
But for Solomon,
the curse begins
like this.
Have a look
at verse 14.
Then the Lord
raised up
against Solomon
an adversary,
Hadad,
the Edomite.
And over
at verse 23,
And God
raised up
against Solomon
another adversary,
Razan,
son of Eliadah.
Now we don't
need to worry
about who
these people
are for now,
but we just
need to see
that God
does not
ignore
sinful behaviour.
He will
deal with it
and in this case
he raises up
an adversary.
Not just
two of them,
but look at
verse 26,
Also
Jeroboam,
son of Nebat,
rebelled
against the king.
One of Solomon's
closest allies.
You see,
if we don't
face our
failure now,
if we don't
admit to our
failure to
listen,
to learn,
and to love
as we should,
we will face
the just
and right
anger
of God.
The end
of Solomon's
life
is a great
tragedy,
isn't it?
We read
in verse 43
that he
rested with
his ancestors
and was
buried in
the city
of David
his father.
What a
sad,
sad end
to what
began
so,
so well.
You see,
the portrait
of Solomon's
life
is a
portrait
of our
own lives.
But
thankfully
and wonderfully
this is not
the end
of the story.
We have a
portrait of
our failure,
but we also
have the
promise
of God's
faithfulness
or the
faithfulness of
our God.
You see,
while we can
write failure
over chapter
11,
we can stamp
an even bigger
faithfulness
over all
of that
because God's
faithfulness
is always
greater
than our
failure.
First,
faithful
promise.
Remember what
God had said
to Solomon.
Have a look
back at
chapter 9.
Just to
remind ourselves
of what God
had been saying
to Solomon
in his
role as
king.
Chapter 9,
verse 4.
It's very
clear,
he says,
as for you,
if you walk
before me
faithfully
with integrity
of heart
and uprightness
as David
your father
did,
and do
all I
command
and observe
my decrees
and laws,
I will
establish
your royal
throne
over Israel
forever.
As I
promised
David
your father
when I
said,
you shall
never fail
to have
a successor
on the
throne of
Israel.
But,
if you
or your
descendants
turn away
from me
and do
not observe
the commands
and decrees
I have given
you,
and go off
and serve
other gods
and worship
them,
then I
will cut
off Israel
from the
land that
I have
given them
and will
reject this
temple
I have
consecrated
for my
name.
Very clear,
isn't it?
Solomon,
you obey,
you do
what you're
meant to
do,
and all
will go
well for
you.
But if
you fail,
well then I
will leave
you.
Well,
Solomon did
fail,
that's what
we've just
looked at,
haven't we?
And how
is God
going to
respond?
Well,
go back
to chapter
11,
verse 11.
So the
Lord said
to Solomon,
since this
is your
attitude and
you have
not kept
my covenant
and my
decrees
which I
commanded
you,
I will
most certainly
tear the
kingdom away
from you
and give
it to
one of
your
subordinates.
but,
look at
verse 13,
yet I
will not
tear the
whole
kingdom
from him
but will
give him
one tribe
for the
sake of
David my
servant
and for
the sake
of Jerusalem
which I
have chosen.
Look at
the end
of verse
31.
See,
I am
going to
tear the
kingdom out
of Solomon's
hands and
give you
ten tribes.
He's going
to pass
that on
to others.
But,
for the
sake of
my servant
David.
Verse
33.
I will
do this
because they
have forsaken
me and
because they
have worshipped
these other
gods.
Verse
34.
But,
I will
not take
the whole
kingdom out
of Solomon's
hands.
God
will
preserve
his
people.
He will
preserve
a people
for himself
and from
that people
will be
a king.
God
has not
gone back
on his
promise.
God
is keeping
his promise.
We may
fail
but God
is faithful.
Verse
36.
I will
give him
one tribe
to his
son so
that David
my servant
may always
have a
lamp before
me in
Jerusalem,
the city
where I
chose to
put my
name.
God
had always
promised
that he
would have
a people
who would
be faithful
to him,
who would
love him.
So,
down through
time amidst
all the
darkness of
failure,
the lamp
of God's
promise
continued to
shine like
a beacon
of hope,
a light
of faithfulness
that God
would always
keep a
people,
a people
who would
be faithful,
who would
be loyal
to him
and who
would love
him.
And that's
how God
works,
you see.
Our failure
may set us
on a collision
course of
disorder and
destruction,
but God
intervenes by
his faithfulness
to bring
hope.
You see,
God's
faithfulness
is always
greater
than our
failure.
So,
there's the
faithful
promise
and we
have the
faithful
king
because the
light of
God's
promise
continued
to shine.
Not even
the failure
of God's
people could
ever
extinguish
the light
of God's
promise.
The flickering
lamp
would become
the light
of the
world.
As God's
king,
Jesus Christ
would come
bringing hope
amidst
great failure
because in
Jesus we
always find
the true
and faithful
king.
And think
about it
with me.
he is
the king
who listened
to God.
The king
who learned
from God.
The king
who loved
God.
He did
not fail.
No sin
in him
was ever
found.
God's
faithfulness
is always
greater than
our failure.
You see,
this king
would come
and he
would take
all our
failures
and cover
us in
his
faithfulness.
That is
what we
see as
Jesus dies
on the
cross,
taking my
disobedience
and by
faith I
receive the
perfect
obedience
of Jesus.
You see,
if failure
has been
written across
our hearts,
then God
has come
through his
son,
the Lord
Jesus Christ,
and stamps
his faithfulness
over our
failure.
If you
are trusting
in Christ
today,
I want
us to
grasp
how it
is that
God sees
you and
views you
today.
God
looks at
you right
now and
he does
not see
your failures.
He does
not see
your shame
or your
guilt,
but what
he sees
is the
beauty of
Christ's
faithfulness
that covers
you.
We have
a faithful
king in
Jesus,
but that
is not
the end
of the
story,
for it
is God's
desire
that he
would build
and he
would create
a faithful
people to
himself.
God has
promised that
he would
keep a
faithful
people,
a people
with brand
new
hearts.
Have a
look at
Hebrews
chapter 10.
Hebrews
chapter 10.
If somebody
could give
me a page
number,
that would
be great.
Hebrews 10.
1-2-0-8.
Hebrews 10.
And we'll
pick it up
in verse
14.
Follow
along with
me.
Hebrews
chapter 10,
verse 14.
For
by one
sacrifice,
he has
made
perfect
forever
those who
are being
made holy.
You see,
the sacrifice
of the
king,
who has
taken our
failures
on himself
and given
us his
faithfulness,
by that
sacrifice,
he has
made us
perfect
in God's
sight
forever.
Verse 15.
The Holy
Spirit also
testifies to
us about
this.
First he
says,
this is the
covenant I
will make
with them
after that
time,
says the
Lord.
What will
he do?
I will
put my
laws in
their
hearts,
and I
will write
them on
their
minds.
God not
only deals
with our
failures of
the past,
but he
gives us
a new
heart to
live for
the future.
Hearts
that are
so transformed
and so
changed,
filled with
the Holy
Spirit,
so that
we now
listen to
God.
we are
now able
to learn
from God
and we
have hearts
that now
love God.
By his
Holy Spirit
he transforms
our failed
lives,
day by
day,
into lives
that are
faithful.
Does that
mean I'm
never ever
going to
fail anymore?
No, it
doesn't mean I
will never
fail again.
I will
still fail,
but,
verse 17,
then he
adds,
their sins
and lawless
acts I
will remember
no more.
And where
these have
been forgiven,
sacrifice for
sin is
no longer
necessary.
You see,
God's
faithfulness is
always greater
than my
failure.
I may
fail,
I will
fail,
but he
will
remember
my
failures
no more
because they
have been
covered and
dealt with
by Jesus
at the
cross.
Failure
may be
written on
our hearts,
but God
has stamped
his faithfulness
over our
failure.
God
now,
we might
know that
is true.
We
might say,
yes,
I agree
with that.
But how
many of
us continue
to live
with the
shame of
the past?
Sitting here
today,
perhaps avoiding
eye contact
with people
in case they
ask.
We don't
want to be
reminded of
the past.
keeping
busy doing
other things
so that we
don't have to
talk to
people.
You see,
we no longer
have to hide
our failures.
We no longer
need to cover
it all up
because today,
in Christ,
I am covered
in God's
faithfulness.
That means
I can go
with my
head held
high,
humbly
before God,
forgiven,
with a
new heart
to listen
to God
and his
word,
to learn
from him
and from
others,
and a
heart that
loves him
and will
submit to
him.
Chapter
11 shows
us
that we
can experience
fullness
of life
when we
admit to
our failures
and rest
in God's
faithfulness.
How are
you living
today?
Are you
living in
the past
of failure
or are you
rejoicing
in God's
faithfulness?
Let's pray
together.
of
housing
who
Video
from
the
game