Divided Affections
Recently I read through 1 Kings and the story of Solomon intrigued me. How did someone who started off so well end up saying at the end of his life that everything is “utterly meaningless”? Solomon loved the Lord, following in the footsteps of his father, King David. As Solomon started to reign as the king of Israel, God appeared to him in a dream one night and invited him to ask God for anything he would like. This is what he asked for: “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” (1Kings 3:9) That’s a stunning request! If God promised to give me anything I asked for, I don’t know what I would ask for, but I’m certain that my request would probably be more self-serving in nature. At the very least, I think I would add on to Solomon’s list. God’s response to his request was as follows: It pleased the Lord that Solomon...