1 Kings 11:41-43 Is Heaven a Certainty?

 “Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? And the period that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. Then Solomon rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.” ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭11‬:‭41‬-‭43‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. The period that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years: Many commentators believe that Solomon began his reign when he was about 20 years old. This means that Solomon did not live a particularly long life. This means that the promise made in 1 Kings 3:14 was not fulfilled to Solomon, because of his disobedience.

i. So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days. (1 Kings 3:14)

ii. “When we consider the excess in which he lived, and the criminal passions which he must have indulged among his thousand wives, and their idolatrous and impure worship, this life was as long as could be reasonably expected.” (Clarke)

b. Then Solomon rested with his fathers: This does not necessarily mean that Solomon died a saved man. It is a familiar phrase used in 1 and 2 Kings (used 25 times) and was used of such wicked kings as Ahab (1 Kings 22:40). It simply means that Solomon passed to the world beyond. We cannot say with certainty that he is in heaven.

i. The last look at the life of Solomon in 1 Kings leads us to believe that he died in apostasy. There is no hopeful or cheerful end to the story in this account. “If he did repent, yet the silence of the Scriptures about it in this history was not without wise reasons; as, among others, that his eternal condition being thus far left doubtful, his example might have the greater influence for the terror and caution of future offenders” (Poole).

ii. However, it may be that Solomon was shown special mercy for the sake of David his father (as in 2 Samuel 7:14-15, if that promise also applies to Solomon as well as the Messiah). Some also believe that Solomon wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes at the very end of his life as a renunciation of his fall into vanity.

iii. “And surely it had been better for Solomon to have been buried alive, than thus to have miscarried in his old age, and to the great dishonour of God, and offence of his people Israel.” (Trapp)

(Guzik)

Is Heaven a Certainty?

In Solomon’s case we don’t know, but if the Book of Ecclesiastes WAS written at the very end of his life then it’s possible he repented?

In my case I know heaven is a certainty because of my faith in Jesus Christ!

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

May I ask an important question, are you saved and do you believe heaven is a certainty for you?

Blessings 

Heaven is a real place!

Is heaven real?

1 Kings 11:37-40 Apostasy!

 “So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel. Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. And I will afflict the descendants of David because of this, but not forever.’ ” Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.” I Kings‬ ‭11‬:‭37‬-‭40‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel: God ordained the division of Israel and the reign of Jeroboam. He did this as a judgment – a great judgment – upon Solomon for his embrace of idolatry.

b. Then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house: This was an amazing offer. God promised to make a lasting dynasty for Jeroboam, if he would do what is right in the sight of the LORD. An obedient Jeroboam had the opportunity to establish a parallel dynasty to the House of David.

i. Both Jeroboam and David were appointed by God to follow after disobedient kings. David waited upon the LORD to make the throne clear, and God blessed his reign. Jeroboam did not wait on the LORD but made his own way to the throne, and God did not bless his reign.

c. Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam: This is another startling evidence of Solomon’s decline. God specifically said this would happen after the death of Solomon, and in judgment of Solomon’s apostasy. Solomon didn’t want to hear it, so he sought to kill Jeroboam. Solomon thought he could defeat God’s will in this, but he was unsuccessful. God’s word through Ahijah proved true. (Guzik)

Apostasy!

You would think that the smartest man in the world would have been loyal to the one true God that gave him wisdom, but I suppose Solomon was just too smart for his britches!

In reality it was his foreign wives that drew him away from the one, true God.

I have to admit that I watch too much television when I should be praying, studying the Bible and honoring the one, true God.

Is there anything in your life that draws you away from God?

Blessings 

What is apostasy?

1 Kings 11:29-36 Sin and Idolatry!

“Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the way; and he had clothed himself with a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. Then Ahijah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you (but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David. However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes. But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and give it to you—ten tribes. And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there.” I Kings‬ ‭11‬:‭29‬-‭36‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Take for yourself ten pieces: In this acted-out prophecy, Ahijah showed Jeroboam that he would lead ten tribes of a divided Israel after the death of Solomon.

i. “It was indeed a shock for Rehoboam and the tribe of Judah to be reduced overnight from the most powerful tribe in an illustrious and world-renowned kingdom to a small state that was soon stripped of what wealth it had left.” (Patterson and Austel)

b. Because they have forsaken Me: God promised to divide Israel and put ten of the twelve tribes under Jeroboam as judgment for the sin and idolatry of Solomon. God would still keep one tribe under the house of David, in faithfulness to His promise to David.

i. This is the first we hear of the divided kingdom, which became Israel’s history for hundreds of years after the death of Solomon. At this first description we would expect that the ten tribes under Jeroboam would be larger, greater, and more enduring than the one tribe left unto the House of David. As it worked out, just the opposite happened because the ten tribes forsook the LORD, while the one tribe was more obedient. (Guzik)

Sin and Idolatry!

Every one of us has fallen short and sinned!

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” I John‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Paul struggled with the flesh versus the Spirit in Romans 7: “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭7‬:‭23‬-‭25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Thank You Jesus for saving me from this body of death!

Blessings 

1 Kings 11:23-25 Another Adversary!

 “And God raised up another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his Lord, Hadadezer king of Zobah. So he gathered men to him and became captain over a band of raiders, when David killed those of Zobah. And they went to Damascus and dwelt there, and reigned in Damascus. He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon (besides the trouble that Hadad caused); and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.” I Kings‬ ‭11‬:‭23‬-‭25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. God raised up another adversary against him: As a reigning king, Solomon was remarkably successful but he was not a superman. As God allowed an adversary from the south (Hadad, 1 Kings 11:14-22), so God also raised up another adversary against Solomon. God knew that Solomon needed some kind of adversary, and He knew how many adversaries Solomon needed.

b. Rezon the son of Eliadah: This adversary came from the north. God allowed adversaries to come against Solomon from both north and south. In some ways, men and women are shaped by their adversaries, and especially by their response to those adversaries. (Guzik)

Another Adversary!

“men and women are shaped by their adversaries, and especially by their response to those adversaries.” (Guzik)

It’s our struggles that shape and strengthen us just like David as a shepherd fighting off bears, lions and later Goliath. 

Eventually his adversaries gave him the wherewithal to be a king. 👑 

Have you been shaped by your adversaries?

Blessings 

1 Kings 11:26-28 Caused Him to Rebel?

 “Then Solomon’s servant, Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zereda, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king. And this is what caused him to rebel against the king: Solomon had built the Millo and repaired the damages to the City of David his father. The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon, seeing that the young man was industrious, made him the officer over all the labor force of the house of Joseph.” ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭11‬:‭26‬-‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite: Jeroboam was different from the two previously mentioned adversaries of Solomon, because he was a fellow Israelite.

b. This is what caused him to rebel against the king: Solomon had built the Millo and repaired the damages to the City of David: It is not immediately apparent why these construction projects caused him to rebel against Solomon. Jewish traditions say he opposed the oppressive use of forced labor in these building projects. Since he was the officer over all the labor force, this tradition makes some sense.

i. According to Dilday, the name Jeroboam means, “may the people be great.” He perhaps was a populist leader.

ii. “Though only presenting the people’s petition, it is nevertheless probable that Jeroboam was not idle, but like an artful politician, busy behind the scenes, till the coveted crown became his.” (Knapp)

c. Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor: This made him a more dangerous adversary of Solomon. (Guzik)

Caused Him to Rebel?

It seems that the ones that are closest to us, rebel for one reason or another.

Jesus had the same problem with Judas! 

“But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”” Luke‬ ‭22‬:‭48‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Proverbs‬ ‭27‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you ever had a close friend rebel against you? I have!

Blessings 

1 Kings 11:14-22 Adversary!

 “Now the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was a descendant of the king in Edom. For it happened, when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, after he had killed every male in Edom (because for six months Joab remained there with all Israel, until he had cut down every male in Edom), that Hadad fled to go to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him. Hadad was still a little child. Then they arose from Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, apportioned food for him, and gave him land. And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, that is, the sister of Queen Tahpenes. Then the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house. And Genubath was in Pharaoh’s household among the sons of Pharaoh. So when Hadad heard in Egypt that David rested with his fathers, and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me depart, that I may go to my own country.” Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that suddenly you seek to go to your own country?” So he answered, “Nothing, but do let me go anyway.””

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭11‬:‭14‬-‭22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Now the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: Solomon’s reign was glorious, but God did not allow it to be completely without problems. He raised up adversaries like Hadad against Solomon.

i. “When he sent to Hiram to assist him in the building of the temple of the Lord, he could say, There was no Satan[1 Kings 5:4]… but now that he had turned away from God three satans rise up against him at once, Hadad, Rezon, and Jeroboam.” (Clarke)

b. He was a descendant of the king in Edom: Hadad sought to avenge his conquered people. He found refuge and support in Egypt.

c. Let me depart, that I may go to my own country: We are not told specifically how Hadad troubled or was an adversary to Solomon, only that he returned to bother Solomon with the permission of Pharaoh. (Guzik)

Adversary!

Solomon turned from God to other gods so the Lord “raised up adversaries like Hadad against Solomon”. But if you ever studied the Book of Job, God said to Satan on how upright a man Job was, but Satan said it was only because the Lord protected and blessed him. So God gave Satan permission to become Job’s adversary and to test him. 

If we are good or bad we can have adversaries raised up against us.

The question is will we be steadfast in our faith during bad times like Job was?

Blessings 

1 Kings 11:9-13 Base and Waste!

 “So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”” ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭11‬:‭9‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. So the LORD became angry with Solomon: God had special reason to be displeased with Solomon - He had appeared to him twice, and Solomon still went after other gods. Solomon’s sin was base ingratitude and a waste of great spiritual privilege.

i. We sometimes think that great spiritual experiences will keep us from sin and will keep us faithful to God. This was not the case with the wisest man who ever lived, and it will not be the case with us also.

b. I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant: God promised the entire kingdom of Israel to the descendants of David forever, if they only remained obedient. David reminded Solomon of this promise shortly before his death (1 Kings 2:4). Yet they could not remain faithful even one generation.

i. Solomon’s kingdom was an outstanding example of wealth, military power, and prestige. Yet the true security of Israel did not rest in any of those things. It rested in the blessing of God and in the obedience and faithfulness of their king.

c. I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son: For the sake of David, God delayed this judgment until after Solomon’s generation. But the disobedience that brought the judgment came in the first generation.

d. However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David: Even in this great judgment, God must mingle undeserved mercy with deserved judgment. God announces that the kingdom will be divided, and part of it will be loyal to the descendants of David and part of it will be under a different dynasty.

i. Many other passages in the Old Testament (such as 2 Chronicles 11:12) tell us that the southern kingdom was made up of two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. Several times in this chapter the southern kingdom is referred to as one tribe. This is because either Benjamin is swallowed up in Judah, or the idea was one tribe in addition to Judah. (Guzik)

Base and Waste!

“base ingratitude and a waste of great spiritual privilege.” (Guzik)

We are not exempt from this just as the wisest man in the history of the world wasn’t!

How can we prevent this from happening to us?

By not allowing other gods in our lives and by putting on our armor of God!

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬-‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Did you put on the armor of God today?

Blessings