Solomon’s Example of Failing to Apply Wisdom – How Could the Wisest Man in History Be So Foolish

Solomon is the best example in Scripture of failing to apply wisdom. It’s absolutely astounding that Solomon was worse in every respect after receiving wisdom, which is why he's the best example of the failure of not applying wisdom that’s been given. The question is how could the wisest man in history be so foolish? https://youtu.be/SoLxl4LQaSc Solomon is the best example in Scripture of failing to apply wisdom. Shockingly, he Solomon was worse in every respect after receiving wisdom, Table of ContentsSermon Lessons for Solomon's Example of Failing to Apply Wisdom Family Worship Guide for Solomon's Example of Failing to Apply WisdomSermon Notes for Solomon's Example of Failing to Apply WisdomSolomon’s foolishness was produced by (Lesson 1) years of compromise.Solomon’s foolishness was produced by (Lesson 2) justifying.Solomon’s foolishness was produced by (Lesson 3) letting blessings become “Nehushtan.” Sermon Lessons for Solomon's Example of Failing to Apply Wisdom Solomon’s foolishness was produced by: Lesson 1: Years of ____________________. Lesson 2: ____________________. Lesson 3: Letting blessings become “__________________.” Family Worship Guide for Solomon's Example of Failing to Apply Wisdom Day 1: Read 1 Kings 11:1-8 and discuss: how do you think the wisest man in history came to act so foolishly? Describe the steps in Solomon’s compromise in these eight verses. How did the compromise take place. Why is compromising so dangerous? What are some of the things we can think while compromising? What don’t people expect while compromising? What are some compromises you have committed, and are there any in your life currently that need to be removed? Day 2: Read 1 Kings 11:4, 6, 1 Samuel 15:15 and discuss: how could Solomon justify his compromise? In other words, what might he have told himself? How did Saul justify his disobedience? How do we justify our disobedience? What might we tell ourselves when we disobey? Day 3: Read Ecclesiastes, Hebrews 13:5, and discuss: what happened with the bronze serpent? How did it come into existence, and then what did the Israelites do with it years later? What are some blessings that we can misuse, or in other words, allow our relationships to them to become sinful? How can we prevent our relationships to these blessings from becoming sinful? How did Solomon let his relationship to the blessings in his life become sinful? Sermon Notes for Solomon's Example of Failing to Apply Wisdom We have been in a series called, “Pursuing Wisdom.” Go ahead and open your bibles to 1 Kings 11. We have been looking at Solomon, basically from two completely opposing perspectives: First, we looked at him as an example of obtaining wisdom. Then we started looking at him as an example of failing to apply wisdom…which is really to say an example of foolishness. So you could say we’ve looked at him as an example of wisdom and foolishness. We know that in Deuteronomy 17 God told Israel’s kings not to: Acquire many horses, wives, or wealth b/c they could put their trust in these instead of trusting God. And kings 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. After God gave Solomon wisdom, he violated all these commands. Anyone remember Solomon’s worst sin? Idolatry. The man who built the temple for the LORD stated building high places to the worst idols in the Old Testament. I shared something w/ you that I find absolutely astounding… Solomon was worse in every respect AFTER receiving wisdom. He’s the best example in Scripture of failing to apply wisdom that’s been given. The question we’ve been wrestling with is… How could the wisest man in history be so foolish? And this brings us Lesson 1… Solomon’s foolishness was produced by (Lesson 1) years of compromise. I’d like to review this morning’s verses and invite you to notice the progression that reveals Solomon’s compromise: First, he married pagan women: 1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women2 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. Second, he permitted these wives to worship idols. Third, they turned his heart away: 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. Fourth, he moved from permitting his wives to worship idols to pursuing the idols himself: 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. Finally, he began building altars for these idols: 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods. Notice the progression of his compromise? All this takes place over 8 verses, which can make it look like it happened quickly: One day Solomon is building the temple The next day he’s building altars to Molech to sacrifice children. But that’s not what happened. Sometimes in Scripture a lot of time passes between only a few verses. These verses cover decades. Solomon was ruined by compromise that slowly took place over many years: You don’t end up w/ 12,000 horses, 700 wives, 300 concubines, and so much gold that silver is worthless overnight! Instead you add a few horses, a few wives, a few pieces of gold slowly over time So we could say Solomon acted very foolishly…but we could also say he didn’t become a fool quickly. And this reveals the danger w/ compromise… It happens gradually. Instead of jumping off a cliff, it’s only one more small step in the wrong direction. What do these small steps look like? Not controlling our thoughts… Not ripping our eyes away… Pursuing – or continuing conversations – we shouldn’t… A little exaggeration – or dishonesty – in our communication… Shifting blame when we know we should take responsibility Sometimes it looks like sin takes place without any compromise, but there is always an amount that led to the sin taking place. For example: Someone cuts us off in traffic and we get angry. It looks like it just happened, but there have been some number of times previously that we didn’t control our temper. We get confronted about something and we’re embarrassed so we lie. It looks like it just happened, but there have been some number of times previously that we acted deceitfully. We sit down at the computer and give in to the temptation to look at something we shouldn’t. It looks like it just happened, but there have been some number of times someone attractive walked by and we didn’t rip our eyes away. We start coveting a new house, a new car, a new relationship. It looks like it just happened, but there have been some number of times previously that we refused to be content with what we have. The point is, by the time we sin, we’ve already engaged in many small compromises to reach that point. I want to briefly share a story that was shared w/ several us when we attended the biblical counseling training a few years ago… The gentlemen teaching most of the classes, who happened to be in leadership in ACBC, shared about a time a prominent leader in the organization experienced a moral failure. It was announced at a meeting where the other leaders were in attendance and he said immediately the room went quiet and all the men hung their heads. He said it seemed liked a long time before anyone said anything, but more than likely it was probably only a few minutes. The silence was finally broken when one of the men said, “When he fell, he didn’t fall far.” What he meant was before the moral failure took place, there had already been so many small compromises in his life it only took one more small step. He didn’t have to step – or fall – far. And let me ask you to think about something… Do you think Solomon or the man in the story ever imagined things would reach the point they did? No. And this reveals another danger w/ compromise… It seems harmless – just one more small step – until the very end. People never expect it to lead where it does: They never expect the consequences to be as bad as they end up being. They never expect to find themselves so far from where they used to be. There’s a saying… Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. I agree with this saying, but it might be equally accurate to say… Compromising will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. I’m sure Solomon: Never thought after the first few compromises that there would be hundreds more. He never thought it would cost him as much as it did. Later he probably would’ve given just about anything to be able to go back and not take that first step in the wrong direction. And many other people have felt the same. The only solution is to avoid making that first compromise. ...