BEFORE A FALL

King David's son, Solomon, began his reign over the nation of Israel with a heart that sought after God. When God approached him in a dream and asked what he wanted, his only request was for the wisdom to effectively lead and govern the people of God. The Lord assured him that he would indeed have wisdom, and that because of his request he would also be given the things he had not asked for, riches and honor and success. Because of the wisdom God gave him, Solomon became known as the wisest man on earth.

However, there were areas in Solomon's life that he had never truly submitted to God. Fatally flawed and totally undisciplined in his attraction to women, he took hundreds of wives and concubines, all of them from the surrounding nations. These were the very nations with which God had said that His people should not intermarry, for He knew the strength of such a relationship to draw someone away from faith in the true God.

Solomon also ignored God's warnings against the King amassing great wealth for himself, or returning to Egypt for horses and chariots. In doing these things that God had forbidden, Solomon revealed the pride that was buried in his heart.

That pride was passed in increased measure to the next generation, his son Rehoboam. Because of Solomon's disobedience, God had already determined that the kingdom would be divided, with only a small part of it left under the reign of Solomon's descendents (1 Kings 11:11). It is interesting to see the way in which He achieved this: by utilizing the very fault of Solomon, passed down to his son.

When Rehoboam came to power, he was immediately faced with a vital choice. The people, who had been oppressed under the rule of Solomon, came to him asking for relief: "... lighten the heavy labor and harsh yoke that he put on us, and we will serve you." (2 Chron 10:4) A reasonable enough request, that he be less of the harsh despot and more a king for the people. The elders and wise men agreed: by listening to the concerns of the people, Rehoboam could win their hearts and their loyalty.

Not satisfied with that, however, Rehoboam sought the advice of the young men who had gathered around him. Arrogant and full of pride in their "macho", these young fellows were interested only in showing off how rough and tough they could be. Just a few chapters later (13:7) the Bible describes them as "worthless scoundrels".

Nowadays in our western society, it is quite common for young people to disregard the advice of the elderly, writing them off as being out of date and having nothing worthwhile to say. In Old Testament times, however, such behavior was quite uncommon and a clear indication of the pride lurking within this young man's heart.

Rehoboam's young companions' advice was based purely on pride: he should present himself as bigger and tougher than his father had ever been, and tell the people "take it or leave it!" The problem for Rehoboam was that the people responded, "That's fine. We'll leave it." Almost the whole of the nation of Israel pulled away from Rehoboam, leaving him only the tribe of Judah and the little tribe of Benjamin. God's judgment against Solomon and his descendents had been fulfilled through the very sin of Solomon that caused it, and that had been passed down in even stronger measure to his son.

Yet it did not have to be so. If Solomon had humbled himself and submitted his weakness, his pride and his lack of discipline to God, not only could it have changed his own life, but it would have meant that a different heritage was passed to his son, and quite possibly that the entire nation was saved.

The message to us should be clear and sobering: what is not submitted to God may be the very thing that will bring about our fall, and the fall of others.