2 Chron 7:19-20 “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you…then I will uproot Israel from My land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for My Name….”
God was very clear about what would happen if Solomon turned away from His decrees or commands. And yet, in the very next chapter, Solomon begins subtly forsaking decrees and commands. He builds up chariots and horses; he has taken a foreign wife; little disobedient steps that end up taking him in a very bad direction.
2 Chron 8:5-6 He built Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon as fortified cities….and all the cities for his chariots and for his horses….
But isn’t that how bad decisions go? The first ones are usually pretty easy because they are often so minuscule that we can justify our actions. Every step further in the wrong direction is easier and easier still because, really, what we are doing isn’t that bad, especially compared to every else, right? It’s frightening how quickly we can end up so far away from our Savior.
2 Chron 8:22 Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder of just how easily and how quickly we can end up so far away from You. Help us to guard our hearts and our minds. Draw us closer. Amen.
2 Chron 8:15 They did not deviate from the king’s commands to the priests or to the Levites in any matter….
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.