Learning from Solomon, the Wisest Fool to Ever Live | Must Apply Wisdom to Finish Well (1 Kings 11)

God wants us learning from Solomon, so He recorded his life very transparently. He’s one of the most unique men in scripture, in both good and bad ways. The man who built the temple to for the Lord then built high places for idols. Something absolutely astounding is Solomon was worse in every single respect after receiving wisdom. He’s the best example in Scripture of the need to apply wisdom. https://youtu.be/VTG2DKxVdew God wants us learning from Solomon, so He recorded his life very transparently. He’s one of the most unique men, in good and bad ways. Table of ContentsLessons for Learning from Solomon in 1 Kings 11:1-8 - The Wisest Fool to Ever Live Family Worship Guide for Learning from Solomon in 1 Kings 11:1-8 - The Wisest Fool to Ever Live Sermon Notes for Learning from Solomon in 1 Kings 11:1-8 - The Wisest Fool to Ever LiveLesson 1: remove the high places in your life.Lesson 2: strength isn’t found in the physical.Lesson 3: no amount can satisfy a discontent heart. Lessons for Learning from Solomon in 1 Kings 11:1-8 - The Wisest Fool to Ever Live Lesson 1: Remove the ________ ____________ in your life (1 Kings 3:2, 15:11, 2 Kings 12:2, 14:3). Lesson 2: ________________ isn’t found in the physical (1 Kings 11:1-8, 14, 23-25, 26, Proverbs 11:28, 14:34, Psalms 20:7, 33:16). Lesson 3: ____ _____________ can satisfy a discontent heart (Ecclesiastes, Hebrews 13:5). Family Worship Guide for Learning from Solomon in 1 Kings 11:1-8 - The Wisest Fool to Ever Live Day 1: Read 1 Kings 3:2, 15:11, 2 Kings 12:2, 14:3, and discuss: what were high places, and were they acceptable or unacceptable? Why didn’t more chains removed them? What application do they have for our lives? What high places do you need to remove from your life or from your family? Day 2: Read 1 Kings 11:1-8, 14, 23-25, 26, Proverbs 11:28, 14:34, Psalms 20:7, 33:16 and discuss: What did Solomon multiply that God forbid Kings from multiplying? What was Solomon’s worst sin? How this all mean unique, both in good and bad ways? Why did Solomon trust in? Why isn’t strength found in the physical? Day 3: Read Ecclesiastes, Hebrews 13:5, and discuss: Describe some of the excesses in Solomon’s life. How do we know Solomon was discontent? Where and how did Solomon look for contentment? Where and how his contentment sound? In what ways does Solomon demonstrate that wisdom needs to be applied? Sermon Notes for Learning from Solomon in 1 Kings 11:1-8 - The Wisest Fool to Ever Live The title of this morning’s sermon is, “The Need to Apply Wisdom – Part II.” Go ahead and turn to 1 Kings 3. I want to show you the last verse for us to look at. Let me briefly review what we discussed in Part I. We looked at some verses in Deuteronomy 17 that list the restrictions God put on Israel’s king. Do you remember them? What were kings NOT to do? They were not to: Acquire many horses, wives, or wealth b/c they could put their trust in these things instead of trusting God. They were not to cause the people to return to Egypt, b/c it’s a picture of the world and when God delivers us from something we aren’t to return to it. As much as Egypt is a picture of the world, the Promised Land is a picture of our spiritual lives in Christ: Israel had to fight battles in the land like we must fight spiritual battles in our lives Israel had to remove sin from the land like we must remove sin from our lives The main sin they had to remove was idolatry. The Canaanites worshiped many idols, so their land was filled w/ altars. They believed they were closer to their false gods if they worshiped them on high places, such as hilltops, so that’s where they built their altars and they were called high places. When the Israelites moved into the land they started using the altars – or high places – to worship God, and here’s the interesting thing: Since they were worshiping God on high places instead of idols, they were sort of acceptable. But since they were built by pagans and used to worship idols they were sort of unacceptable. Look at verse 2… 1 Kings 3:2 The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord. Notice it doesn’t say Solomon worshiped at the high places. The people did. And it’s sort of presented as a criticism of him b/c he allowed it…but also sort of acceptable b/c the temple hadn’t been built yet. After the temple was built nobody was supposed to use the high places. Unfortunately, even after the temple was built, when you read about the good kings, it usually says they did what was right, but they didn’t remove the high places. For example: 1 Kings 15:11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord…14 BUT THE HIGH PLACES WERE NOT TAKEN AWAY. 2 Kings 12:2 Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord…3 NEVERTHELESS, THE HIGH PLACES WERE NOT TAKEN AWAY; THE PEOPLE CONTINUED TO SACRIFICE AND MAKE OFFERINGS ON [them]. 2 Kings 14:3 [Amaziah] did what was right in the eyes of the Lord…4 BUT THE HIGH PLACES WERE NOT REMOVED; THE PEOPLE STILL SACRIFICED AND MADE OFFERINGS ON [them]. Even if a king was good, if he didn’t remove the high places, God noticed! Whenever you read about a good king who didn’t remove them, if you’re like me you ask… “He did so much good, why didn’t he just do that as well and go all the way in his obedience? He could have been that much better of a king.” Since the Promised Land is a picture of our spiritual lives in Christ, when we read about the high places we should consider which ones we need to remove…and this brings us to Lesson 1… Lesson 1: remove the high places in your life. Let me be clear about the relationship this has to wisdom. Remember wisdom allows us to discern between good and evil, and right and wrong. Look at verse 9… 1 Kings 3:9 [Solomon said,] “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may DISCERN BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL, for who is able to govern this your great people?”…11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to DISCERN WHAT IS RIGHT.” This is what wisdom does: it allows us to discern between good and evil, and right and wrong. What does this have to do w/ high places? Since high places seem acceptable, wisdom is needed to recognize which high places need to be removed. To me, high places are the areas of compromise that we believe are acceptable…those things that don’t really look that bad so we’re more comfortable doing them. They could be: Shows we shouldn’t watch Jokes we shouldn’t tell Language we shouldn’t use Music we shouldn’t listen to Clothes we shouldn’t wear We will say, “I’m not going to commit adultery. I’m not going to steal. I’m not going to lie. I’m not going to get drunk. But I do feel okay doing these things.” God says, “I want you to get rid of those high places.” Just as a few good kings removed the high places, a few Christians remove the high places God wants out of our lives. The removal of high places is like the level of holiness God wants us to have, but few of us do. In the privacy of our own hearts, we should ask what high places God wants us to remove. Something interesting is that you might not even have to ask, b/c while we’ve been talking about this there have been some things God already convicted you about, right? Now, going back to the verse, in allowing the people to worship at the high places, we see Solomon doing something that wasn’t wise. But as we know from our previous sermon, he hadn’t been given wisdom yet. So it’s almost like it’s understandable. But we also know from our previous sermon when Solomon received wisdom, he still failed to apply it: He multiplied horses…like God told kings not to do. He multiplied wealth…like God told kings not to do . He returned to Egypt and sent his people there…like God told kings not to do. By this point he did everything God told Kings not to do, except for one thing, and what’s that? Multiplying wives. And this brings us to 1 Kings 11! Go ahead and turn there. 1 Kings 11:1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.  Here it is: Solomon violated the command not to multiply wives. But it’s even worse than it looks… He also violated God’s standard for marriage that it would be one man and one woman for life. Second, it mentions the nationality of these women, b/c it’s not just that Solomon married them, it’s that they were foreign women. It would’ve been bad for him to multiply wives, but it was even worse to multiply pagan wives who worshiped idols. If you look at verse 2 it quotes Deuteronomy 7:4 which strictly forbid the Israelites from marrying pagans to show Solomon completely disobeyed God. Third, Solomon’s complex system of alliances with other nations cut at the very heart of Israel’s unique position as the people of God who were supposed to be holy and separate. Solomon united Israel with these nations. Look at verse 3… 1 Kings 11:3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.  It seems like Solomon entered into alliances with every ruler who had a marriageable daughter. God warned foreign women would turn the king’s heart away and that’s what happened… 1 Kings 11:4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods,...