“When you enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and you take possession of it and live in it, and you say, ‘I will appoint a king over me like all the nations who are around me,’ you shall in fact appoint a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses. One from among your countrymen you shall appoint as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves, anyone who is not your countryman. In any case, he is not to acquire many horses for himself, nor shall he make the people return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, so that his heart does not turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.”
“Now it shall come about, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this Law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he will learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully following all the words of this Law and these statutes, so that his heart will not be haughty toward his countrymen, and that he will not turn away from the commandment to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may live long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.” Deuteronomy 17:14-20
What can ruin wisdom? What can ruin Godly leadership? What can override the anointing of God? What can ruin… your life? Solomon was most likely the wisest and richest ruler / king to ever to live… but he still came to ruin and his sons were NOT models of Godliness. What were to be the first priorities of a ‘new’ king of Israel? Having to sit down and write out the ‘law’ of God in front of the priests. Conservatively that would take six months of 8 hours a day of copying and writing. Obviously, Solomon did NOT do that. Without the scriptures loaded into our heart and mind what does the Holy Spirit have to remind us of the boundaries we need to walk within on a daily basis? What were the things that God said NOT to do? Don’t acquire horses, wives, and increase of silver and gold. Did Solomon do all three in VAST amounts?
Now Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had 1,400 chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. And the king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the lowland. Also Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s merchants acquired them from Kue for a price. A chariot was imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for 150; and by the same means they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of the Arameans. 1 Kings 10:26-29
He had seven hundred wives, who were princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned his heart away. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away to follow other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of his father David had been. 1 Kings 11:3-4
In the ancient world – what did lots of wives, horses, silver and gold represent? If you were given HUGE amounts of money and power… how would you handle it? Why do you think it was SO important for a new king to write out the entire law of God? What does God care more about… character or talent? What does comfort and ease do to the human soul? What does lust do to the human soul? Is there ever enough for the human soul?
Did you know the majority of lottery winners lose their winnings within just a few years? How you manage what you have RIGHT NOW will be how you manage any amount. Are you content with what God has given you presently? Are you grateful to Him now?
The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is also unrighteous in much. Luke 16:10
God cared that the people would be taken care of correctly, and justly – and be pointed to Him … by their leaders. Leaders who focus only on themselves will bring the country, or business, (or Church), to ruin. How are you managing what God has given you, in your job, friends, relationships, and bank account? Have you come to realize you wouldn’t have ANY of it … without God? Have you come to realize that as a disciple of Christ He bought you with a GREAT PRICE, and now you and EVERYTHING you have is His? (1 Corinthians 6:20)
Are your prioritizing God’s instructions to you BEFORE making decisions? Or do you just do what you want and what you think is best? Are you asking the Holy Spirit to instruct you in His ways? Is He using scripture to confirm He wishes to you? Do you know the scriptures well enough for Him to do that?
Lessons in scripture are important …for a reason. Have you loaded them into your heart and mind? Now would be the ‘time’ to begin. Don’t think wisdom, money, intelligence, or anything else BUT God …will ‘save’ you.
Be humble enough to continually ask for His help …and advice. Then be patient and obedient and LISTEN to Him!