Tuesday, May 2, 2023

FROM WISDOM TO FOOLISHNESS

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 11

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

 

On the right are ruins of a corridor in Pergamum, in ancient Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. In the centre, idol worship took place at the Temple of Athena. In the world of King Solomon and his many wives, idol worship was the normal religious practice.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

 

Key Verse: 1 Kings 11:4

For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.

In the world of the ancient kings, the most common way of confirming treaties was through marriage. Solomon, in his old age, became the master of this practice. Most often these arrangements had nothing to do with what we would consider emotional or sexual bonding, expressed in love as we understand married love.
We cannot help but notice the creeping progression of the disobedience of Solomon to the God of his father, David. Yes, Solomon had wisdom, but if obedience to God is not the wellspring of wisdom, it becomes the wisdom of the human mind alone. The Apostle Paul, a brilliant academic, schooled in Hebrew learning as well as the learning of the Greek/Roman university city of Tarsus, throws light on this matter of wisdom (see 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 to read Paul’s take on wisdom). In 1 Corinthians 3:19 Paul comes back to “wisdom” again and tells us that “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” Therefore, the things that often appear as foolish to the world around us are actually the “wisdom” of God. Take for example the last statement of 1 Corinthians 3:18-23, “…things present or things to come — all are yours, and you are Christ’s and Christ is God’s.” Now, that is “WISDOM.”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord Jesus, in You “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” I pray that I will continue to discover this hidden treasure. I’m reading, marking, memorizing Your treasure map, the Bible, every day. The cross marks the spot where You, Lord God, intersected with the human race. I may be here in one spot, but by faith I travel to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to the place of Your ascension, and on into Your very Presence where “You ever live to make intercession for me” (Hebrews 7:25). Thank You that I am discovering Your wisdom. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

God willing, I plan to meet Solomon again when we arrive in our two-year through-the-Bible voyage of discovery at the book of 1st Chronicles, and then again in Proverbs. In fact, as I leave Solomon for now, Solomon wrote or assembled most of the Proverbs during those early years when he practised what he preached. My son, David Reynold Mainse, has my Dad’s old Bible as a treasure. Its words are underlined, commented on in the margins, marked by a caressing hand and sometimes tear drops. My most persistent memory of my mother, who died when I was 12, is of her kneeling in prayer for long periods of time. The picture that comes to mind of my Dad most often is of him sitting in his chair, his Bible open on his lap. He was schooled in undergraduate theology by Dr. Peter Wiseman, who, during the early years of the People’s Church, Toronto, was the Bible teacher of choice every Sunday morning. Founding Pastor, Oswald J. Smith, felt that his own main gift in ministry was in preaching Sunday evening soul-winning messages of evangelism. My Dad earned a doctorate, and to the day of his death (I’ve already lived more than four years longer than he did), he poured over the Scriptures, constantly reading, meditating, inwardly digesting what he read, and praying for God’s wisdom to fill his mind. Dad was outside shovelling snow when his heart failed. He laid aside his winter coat and donned his heavenly robe. If I had control over my time to go, I’d like to be reading the Gospels in the middle of one of Jesus’ statements and finish His sentence by memory as I take off for the Celestial City.

Yours for wisdom and grace to obey God,

David

P.S. I’ve asked my missionary/photographer son to take some pictures of my Dad’s Bible, of both the outside and inside of the verse mentioned earlier, 1st Corinthians 3:21-23. The photos are below.

11 thoughts on “Tuesday, May 2, 2023

  1. How sad that Solomon, being such a wise man, chose to do what pleased him rather than obeying God. By his disobedience he brought calamity not only to himself but to his country and its citizens, for generations to come. May our love for God be stronger than our strongest temptation! May we remain ever faithful and true to Him and do His will, whatever the cost.

    Lord, we can only do that with Your help. Give us the grace to be fully devoted to you.

  2. Thank You, Lord God, for being so deep that there is always more of You to discover and know and love. Keep us all close to You, in Jesus’s name, amen

  3. Amen to the above remarks. May we be especially close to the Lord in these challenging times. Asking the Lord for Wisdom and Strength for these days. Blessings all.

  4. P.S. Can we all pray for God’s choice of Mayor of Toronto which will be voted on very soon? Thank you. We want His choice. Amen?

  5. I agree with every comment and prayer above.
    May our Lord God choose a suitable Mayor of Toronto,
    in Jesus’ Name, Amen. To God be the Glory and Praise forever.

  6. Amen…agreeing in prayer with all the comments above!

    It is only in the power of Jesus Christ that we can rise above ourselves and our circumstances.

  7. Amen and coming into agreement with the prayers and comments posted above amen.
    Thank you dear God for today’s devotion thank you for David’s prayer the reading that we read
    It is sad as David entitled today’s reading from wisdom to foolishness and as our key verse points out those must be the saddest words in the Bible
    But Solomon is an example to us of what we don’t want to allow happen in our lives as what happened to Solomon
    Let us learn from King Solomon not to do what he did amen
    Blessings to all fellow readers and bloggers today amen ✝️🙏

  8. Yes Doreen! Praying that the mayor for Toronto will be the one of God’s choosing “for such a time as this”
    Praying also for all in authority. May they be led and guided by God to do His will.

  9. Amen to prayers written above . Keep me true Lord JESUS , keep me true . There’s a race that I must run and a victory to be won ! in Jesus name. Amen

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.