Wisdom Without Obedience

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom...

Proverbs 9:10

Few men have ever possessed the wisdom of Solomon. When God invited him to ask for anything, Solomon requested wisdom to govern God's people. The Lord was pleased with his request and granted him wisdom beyond any other king, along with riches and honor (1 Kings 3:5–14; 4:29–34).

Yet one of the wisest men who ever lived became an example of the danger of knowing God's truth without obeying it. Long before Israel had a king, God had established clear commands for every future king. He was not to multiply horses for himself (Deuteronomy 17:16). He was not to multiply wives, lest his heart turn away (Deuteronomy 17:17). He was not to greatly increase silver and gold for himself (Deuteronomy 17:17). Instead, the king was to write out a copy of God's Law, read it every day, fear the Lord, and carefully obey His commands (Deuteronomy 17:18–20).

Sadly, Solomon ignored each of these commands. He accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, importing horses from Egypt (1 Kings 10:26–29). He amassed unimaginable wealth, so that silver became as common as stones in Jerusalem (1 Kings 10:14–23, 27). He took 700 wives and 300 concubines, and "his wives turned his heart away" from wholehearted devotion to the Lord (1 Kings 11:1–8).

The tragedy reached its climax when Solomon built high places for Chemosh, the god of Moab, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites, to accommodate the worship of his foreign wives (1 Kings 11:5–8). Scripture teaches that behind the worship of idols are demons (Deuteronomy 32:16–17; Psalm 106:35–38; 1 Corinthians 10:20). The king who built the temple for the worship of the true God also built places where false gods (demons) were worshiped.

Solomon's life reminds us that wisdom alone is not enough. One may know Scripture, teach Scripture, and even possess extraordinary insight, yet still drift into compromise if the heart is not wholly devoted to the Lord. Knowledge without obedience leads to spiritual decline.

Jesus said, "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them" (John 13:17). The Christian life is not measured merely by what we know, but by how faithfully we obey.

May we learn from Solomon's failures as well as his wisdom. Let us daily submit our hearts to God's Word, knowing that true wisdom is demonstrated in joyful obedience to our King.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark