When wisdom isn't enough

We often believe that knowledge and wisdom will keep us on the right path—but the story of Solomon proves otherwise. He was the wisest man to ever live, yet his heart was slowly turned away from God through small compromises.

Wisdom alone isn’t enough if our hearts are divided. Solomon knew God’s commands but chose personal desires over obedience. His downfall serves as both a warning and an invitation: Are there areas in our lives where we are compromising instead of fully obeying?

Join us as we unpack the importance of a heart fully devoted to God and how true faith requires not just knowing His Word, but living by it. No matter how far you’ve drifted, repentance leads to restoration. Will you take the step back today?

Linkoln shares his story on why he started coming to Ravenna Church of the Nazarene and shares why you should consider doing the same.

Ravenna Church of the Nazarene
530 Main Street, Ravenna, KY 40472

Enjoy this message? Consider visiting Ravenna Church of the Nazarene where Pastor Jason is the Senior Pastor. Have a prayer need? Want to share something with Pastor Jason?

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Chapters

• 0:00 Trailer [linktree link]
• 0:19 Theme song--"The Dirt Path" by Jeremy Edwards
• 1:23 Podcast Greeting
• 3:57 Introduction: The Danger of Compromise
• 7:47 Reading of the Passage: 1 Kings 11:1-6 [bible.com link]
• 8:53 v1-2 Solomon's unwise attachments
• 11:28 v3-4 A divided heart
• 15:56 v5-6 Tolerating idolatry
• 21:48 What does this teach us?
• 30:58 Invitation--Where have I made small compromises?
• 32:21 Closing prayer [contact form link]
• 34:08 Outro

Transcript

WHEN WISDOM ISN’T ENOUGH

     Education is important. The more we learn, the more we know. And if we know more, then the better person we will become. At least, that is the theory. Knowledge is nothing without the wisdom of how to apply it. The Bible teaches us that, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10)

     There is a man in the Bible who is considered to be the wisest man to ever live. His name was Solomon, and he was wise because he had asked God for the wisdom to govern God’s people. Solomon was not like his father, King David, but with God’s help Solomon ruled. Under his reign, Israel amassed all kinds of wealth and reached a period of security. However, Solomon’s story does not end the way we would think.

     1 Kings 11:1-6(CEB):

1 In addition to Pharaoh’s daughter, King Solomon loved many foreign women, including Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. 2 These came from the nations that the LORD had commanded the Israelites about: “Don’t intermarry with them. They will definitely turn your heart toward their gods.” Solomon clung to these women in love. 3 He had seven hundred royal wives and three hundred secondary wives. They turned his heart. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods. He wasn’t committed to the LORD his God with all his heart as was his father David. 5 Solomon followed Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did what was evil in the LORD’s eyes and wasn’t completely devoted to the LORD like his father David.

This is the word of God

For the people of God

Thanks be to God

     How was wisdom not enough for Solomon? Careful examination of our text outlines exactly where Solomon went wrong. Verses 1 and 2 say, “In addition to Pharaoh’s daughter, King Solomon had many foreign women… These came from the nations that the LORD had commanded the Israelites about: ‘Don’t intermarry with them.’” This command from God to the Israelites was not about ethnicity, God is not endorsing racism. These women were from other nations that worshiped other gods. It was all about idolatry. As a man of wisdom, Solomon would have been aware of God’s command. Even though he knew God’s command, Solomon pursued the women from these other nations. Verse 2 ends with, “Solomon clung to these women in love.” Unwise attachments by the wisest man.

     The next couple verses show the truth about what was happening in Solomon’s heart. Verse 3 says, “He had seven hundred royal wives and three hundred secondary wives. They turned his heart.” This sin started subtly, but over time it grew to the point that they turned his heart. I know verse 2 said Solomon loved these women and clung to them. It is possible that Solomon had personal connection with these women, but the sheer number would make this unlikely. During Solomon’s lifetime, the size of a king’s harem was a sign of power, wealth, and status.

     Continuing into verse 4, “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods. He wasn’t committed to the LORD his God with all heart as was his father David.” Solomon’s heart was turned because instead of being solely for God, he was for pleasure and God. He loved all the wealth, power, and status that went with all those wives. It is likely that Solomon still practiced the worship of God by going to the Temple and observing all the rituals, but Solomon’s love for God was from a divided heart. He did took multiple wives, which is outside God’s design, directly disobeyed the law. It started off small, but the wisest man intentionally chose a path that led him away from God.

     These last two verses describing the false gods tolerated by Solomon because of “his many wives.” One of them was believed to be the goddess of fertility and the other was associated with child sacrifice. Does it really matter what these false gods represented? For Solomon they represented a heart not fully surrendered to God.

     Verse 6 is shocking, something you would not expect to find in connection with Solomon, maybe some of the other kings but not him. “Solomon did what was evil in the LORD’s eyes and wasn’t completely devoted to the LORD like his father David.” David was considered by God to be a man after God’s heart, so all the kings that followed David (including Solomon) were measure next to him. And it was not because David was sinless. David sins greatly in the matter with Bathsheba, committing adultery and murder. But there are other times we read David falling short. So what was the difference between David and his son Solomon? Why did Solomon get the “did what was evil before the LORD” designation while his father did not? Unlike David, Solomom was not repentant. The wisest man was unwise in that he continued down the path of rebellion, small steps of compromises leading him away from God.

     What does this teach us? Solomon had knowledge of God’s Word, but he did not live by it. James 1:22 says, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourself.” God gave Solomon the wisdom to govern, but while Solomon knew God’s law, he still chose sin. His heart was not fully devoted to God, areas of compromise existed that would lead him away. This should cause us to ask ourselves the question, “Are there areas in my life where I am compromising instead of fully obeying?”

     The seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines were not the real problem, they were the symptom. Solomon was king in the shadow of David. David who slayed Goliath, who beat the Philistines, and turned twelve tribes into a mighty nation. Solomon wanted to be great. He wanted to be respected and admired. This is why Solomon compromised. At the core of our compromises with sin is a desire for something. Often these things are not bad or evil, things God will give us if we love Him with all our heart, mind, and strength; evidence by a life of obedience. But the danger is when we know God’s law and then willingly choose to disobey because it gets us what we want.

     Solomon’s story is a warning, but it is also an invitation. While we have no record of Solomon repenting, we know that David repented. David’s sins were great, but God’s love was greater. Repentance led to restoration. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us.” Where Solomon failed, and we often fail, Jesus did not. It is because of Jesus being fully obedient that there is grace for you and me. Grace that washes our confessed sins away and has the power to transform.

     Ask yourself, where have I made small compromises? Maybe all those compromises have you standing further from God than you realized. As scary as the realization might be, all it takes is one step back in God’s direction. God can give you His Holy Spirit to help you not just be wise, but walk in obedience. Walking in obedience begins when our heart is fully devoted to God. That is our choice. Will we make it? Wisdom alone doesn’t keep us from sin—only a heart fully devoted to God does.