Solomon's Finish--Proverbs 1

I just finished watching Expedition Impossible tonight and it's actually been a reality show worth watching--please discard all others. Teams of 3 race through extreme expedition challenges far worse than survivor, Amazing Race, etc... It's ridiculously tough! One team of 3 is particularly inspiring (of course it has a local guy). But the 3 on the team consist of a blind man, a man who broke his foot that can't walk and a third guy who is leading the blind man. The last couple of weeks the team slowed to a crawl because of Ike's broken foot, but somehow they determined to finish and by other teams' mistakes, they are still in the race. But what they are teaching is to finish well. You might not finish first, but finish well.

How I wish Solomon would have learned that lesson. Of all his proverbs, one thing that was not included is something about finishing well. But then again, he only needed to have read the proverbs about fearing the Lord to have finished well. Neglect set in.

Solomon had a penchant for women, especially the kind God told him not to marry. Solomon, in all his wisdom, rebelled against God's command, took foreign wives and worshiped foreign gods, and in his latter years they lead him astray. For this, the kingdom would be violently torn in two. He did not finish well.

I was thinking about this today. Here David, his father had a crack in his character getting Bathsheba pregnant. David repented and lived his repentance but the crack in his father's character would become a flood for Solomon--300 wives and 700 concubines. Now Solomon has an additional crack in character by worshiping idols at the end of his life. But his son, to whom he wrote endless proverbs, would not only worship idols, but he would lead the nation in doing so. Sick.

On a side note, a huge majority of the kingdom was given to Jeroboam and God told him that if he only obeyed the commands of the Lord, he would make him as great as David. AS GREAT AS DAVID!!! He wasn't even family! He was just an employee for Solomon. And yet Jeroboam rebelled.

So where am I going with this? I don't know. I really don't. Here are my reflections:

1) What might be a crack of letting sin in for us may very will be the crack that leads to the dam breaking for the next generation.

2) God is searching the earth for someone who will obey his commands. Jeroboam had potential to be a household name even to this day as is King David. God offers so much and he only asks for our obedience. Will we give it to him? All of our days?

3) It's important to finish and to finish well. What happened Solomon? You were the wisest man in history. You wrote proverbs! If you would have only have held on to the first chapter it would have gone well for you. Fear God, keep his commands for this is the whole of man.

4) Our lives need to be a growing crescendo of faith. In Psalm 92 it says our latter years will be fresh and green. This is the heritage of faith! God, help me finish well! Jude 24