Falling Down

Reading from 2 Chronicles 9:22-24, it was impressive that Solomon was "greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings" and that "all the king of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart."

But it was so depressing to read further that Solomon maintained thousands of horses when he had been warned not to multiply horses, and that he had 700 wives plus 300 concubines from nations the Lord warned him not to take wives.  Solomon, in all his wisdom, could not keep from falling down from the mountain  top of pride.

Apparently he began to believe all the praise he received from other kings and thought himself beyond the reach of the temptations that brought others to ruin.  He didn't see the danger of him becoming like those who "trusted in horses and chariots instead of the Lord" (see Ps 20:7).  He dismissed the idea that marrying women from idolatrous nations would "surely turn [his] heart to other gods" (1 Kgs 11:2).

But Solomon was quite wrong.  His pride overcame his wisdom and because he turned away from the Lord to idols, God determined to "tear the kingdom away from [him] and give it to one of his subordinates' (1 Kgs 11:11).  Wisdom is a virtue that co-exists only with humility.  Pride  cannot bear wisdom: "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom" (Pr 11:2).

True wisdom is from the Lord and is shown by "deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom (Js 3:13).  The wisdom of the world, "which is foolishness in God's sight" (1 Cor 3:19) is accompanied by a pride in self and a distain for seeking help, even from the Lord.  "I got this," instead of "God's got this," is the mantra of the one filled with human wisdom.

Solomon fell down from the heights of which no man or king had ever know before or since because he allowed the wisdom from God to be corrupted by the vanity of self.  It has always been and always will be that "pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Pr 16:18).

Pride is a stumbling block that causes the falling down of even the wisest among us.  The active choice of humbly coming before God, seeking his counsel and care is the only antidote to a sin-sick spirit of pride and the destruction that follows.  Jus' Say'n.