Written by Wendy Neill
That’s an odd title for a post about wisdom, isn’t it? Solomon was the wisest man who ever walked the earth, so why would I tell you not to be like him?
In my daily Bible reading plan, I am currently in the books of Ecclesiastes and Proverbs, alongside 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles. Every time I get to these stories about Solomon, I get a knot in my stomach. His story is painful for me to read. Why? Because he had it all... and he gave it up.
Solomon’s father David had taught him about the Lord. “If you seek Him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever” (1 Chron. 28:9).
God himself blessed Solomon more than anyone on the earth and spoke to him personally: “I will give you a wise and discerning heart so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for - both riches and honor - so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life” (1 Kings 3:12-14).
Solomon even preached this same message to all the people when he dedicated the temple: “May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers” (1 Kings 8:57-58).
So far so good. This is a guy I want to emulate. But then comes the phrase that breaks my heart. Six words: “and his wives led him astray” (1 Kings 11:3b). Read the rest of that chapter to see what God had to say about it. I can’t bring myself to type it here. It makes me so sad.
I can have all the wisdom in the world, but if I surround myself with people who don’t follow God, I can be “led astray.” Have you heard the saying “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm”? Guess who said that? (Proverbs 13:20)
I must choose my friends wisely. Can I be friends with unbelievers? Of course! God wants us to be salt and light in the world. But my inner circle of friends, the ones I spend most of my time with and who have the most influence on me, should be those who will lead me closer to God, not farther from Him. If you don’t see anyone around you like that, ask God to send you such friends.
If you are looking for a spouse or boyfriend, choose wisely. “Love” is not the only criteria for marrying. He should be on the same mission you are on in life. "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14 NIV)