Thursday, March 19, 2009
1 Kings 11:6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord . . .
JESUS AS SELFLESS KING
For all intents and purposes, King Solomon had everything. The Lord had appeared to him in a dream in the early days of his reign offering Solomon anything. "Ask! What shall I give you?" (1 Kings 3:5). The Lord was pleased with his request for wisdom and understanding: "I have given you a wise and understanding heart . . . and I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days" (1 Kings 3:12, 13).
But all of those blessings proved to be "not enough" -- we see Solomon filling his house with 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines; and his wives turned away his heart from the Lord (1 Kings 11:3).
Jesus had everything too. As the Son of God Himself, there was nothing that Jesus didn't have. But all of that meant nothing to Him -- for He was willing to set it all aside for our eternal welfare. As the Apostle Paul wrote: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:5-8). God has blessed you and me with a King who loves us so much that He put us and our eternal future first -- before anything else!
Alleluia!
