The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 153: The Decline of Solomon (2023)

Episode Date: June 2, 2023

Today, as we hear about the decline of Solomon, Fr. Mike points out how the consequences of our decisions can have ramifications far beyond ourselves. The readings are 1 Kings 11, Ecclesiastes 10-12, and Psalm 9. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 153. It is our last day of King Solomon. His last day of 1 Kings chapter 11 is our reading today, as well as the last three chapters in Ecclesiastes. That's

Ecclesiastes 10, 11, and 12. We're also praying Psalm 9 today. The Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, the Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe, and then you will be subscribed. As I said, chapter 11 of 1 Kings, this is where we finally hear what we know was coming. We saw hints of Solomon's cracks. It was hints of Solomon losing his way. And this is finally the time when we see it, we see it happen.

And it is horrible. It's devastating, but it also is the truth. And so pay attention to Solomon in first Kings 11, as well as listen to the wisdom of Solomon or of the author of Ecclesiastes 10, 11, and 12. And we then also get to pray with King David in Psalm 9. The first book of Kings, chapter 11, Solomon's errors. Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, the daughter of Pharaoh and Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, you shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. Solomon clung to these in love.

He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines, and his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not wholly follow the Lord as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, and for Moloch, the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away

from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, Since this has been your mind, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of David, my servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen. Adversaries of Solomon. And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite.

He was of the royal house in Edom. For when David was in Edom and Joab the commander of the army went up to bury the slain, he slew every male in Edom. For Joab and all Israel remained there six months until he had cut off every male in Edom. But Hadad fled to Egypt together with certain Edomites of his father's servants, Hadad being yet a little child. They set out from Midian and came to Paran and took men with them from Paran, and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and assigned him an allowance of food, and gave him land. And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Taphins the queen. And the sister of Taphins

bore him Genubath his son, whom Taphins weaned in Pharaoh's house. And Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh. But when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me depart, that I may go to my own country. But Pharaoh said to him, What have you lacked with me, that you are now seeking to go to your own country. And he said to him, only let me go. God also raised up as an adversary to him, Rezon, the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his master Hazad-Ezer, king of Zobah. And he gathered men about him and became leader of a marauding band after the slaughter by David. And they went to Damascus and dwelt there and made him king in

Damascus. He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon doing mischief as Hadad did, and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Syria. Jeroboam's Rebellion. Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zerudah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king. And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built the millow and closed up the breach of the city of David, his father. The man Jeroboam was very able. And when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious,

he gave him charge over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph. And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah, the Shulunite, found him on the road. Now, Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country. Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and will give you ten tribes.

But he shall have one tribe for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. Because he has forsaken me, and worshipped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh, the god of Moab, and Milcom, the god of the Ammonites, and has not walked in my ways,

doing what is right in my sight, and keeping my statutes and my ordinances, as David his father did. Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes. But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and will give it to you, 10 tribes. Yet to his son, I will give one tribe, that David, my servant, may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name. And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments as David, my servant did. I will be with you and we'll build you a sure house as I built for David. And I will give Israel to you. And I will for this afflict the descendants of David, but not forever. Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam,

but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. The death of Solomon. Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and all that he did and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was 40 years. And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead. The Book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 10. Observations of Wisdom Dead flies make a perfumer's ointment give off an evil odor,

so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. A wise man's heart inclines him toward the right, but a fool's heart toward the left. Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool. If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for deference will make amends for great offenses. There is an evil, which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler. Folly is set in many high places and the rich sit in a low place.

I have seen slaves on horses and princes walking on foot like slaves. He who digs a pit will fall into it and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall. He who quarries stones is hurt by them and he who splits logs is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them. If the iron is blunt, and one does not wet the edge, he must put forth more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed. If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is

no advantage in a charmer. The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is wicked madness. A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be and who can tell him what will be after him. The toil of a fool wearies him, so that he does not know the way to the city. Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning. Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of free men, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength and not for drunkenness. Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks. Bread is made for

laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything. Even in your thought do not curse the king, nor in your bedchamber curse the rich. For the bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter. Chapter 11. The Value of Diligence. Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven or even to eight, for you know not what evil may happen on earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

As you do not know how the Spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand. For you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. Youth and Old Age Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun. For if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all. But let him remember that the days of darkness will be many.

All that comes is vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. Remove vexation from your mind and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. Chapter 12. Advice to the Young. Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when you will say, I have no pleasure in them, before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain. In the day when the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men are bent

and the grinders cease because they are few and those that look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut. When the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low, they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way. The almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails. Because man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets. Before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returned to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the preacher. All is vanity.

Epilogue Besides being wise, the preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging proverbs with great care. The preacher sought to find pleasing words, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. The sayings of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings which are given by one shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond

these, of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment with every secret thing, whether good or evil. Psalm 9, God's power and justice, to the choir master, according to Muthleben, a psalm of David. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart. I will tell of your wonderful deeds, To the choir master, according to Muthleben, a psalm of David. My just cause, you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment. You have rebuked the nations. You have destroyed the wicked. You have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins. Their cities you have rooted out. The very memory of them has perished. But the Lord sits enthroned forever. He has established his throne for judgment, and he judges the world with righteousness. He judges the peoples with equity.

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. Sing praises to the Lord who dwells in Zion. Tell among the peoples his deeds. For he who avenges blood is mindful of them. He does not forget the cry of the poor. Be gracious to me, O Lord. Behold what I suffer from those who hate me.

O you who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your deliverance. The nations have sunk in the pit which they made. In the net which they hid has their own foot been caught. The Lord has made himself known. He has executed judgment. The wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all nations that forget God. For the needy shall not always be forgotten,

and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail. Let the nations be judged before you. Put them in fear, O Lord. Let the nations know that they are but men. Father in heaven, yes, give us wisdom. Give us wisdom to number our days correctly. Give us wisdom to know who we are. Yes, yesterday we prayed that Psalm, Psalm 8, of how, who are we that you mind to care for us? Who are we that as human beings

that you even keep us in mind? And now today, Lord God, we just are struck. We're struck by our need to ask you, please be reminded of how we need you to care for us, how we need you to pay attention to us because of the fact that there are so many obstacles, there are so many battles, there are so many things that are facing us this day

that we just ask you for your grace and for your strength. We ask for your attentiveness and your love to be present in our lives, especially in the midst of battle, in the midst of struggle, in the midst of this life. We trust in you. We praise you and we love

you. Please receive this in Jesus name. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Oh gosh, here we go. You guys, so King Solomon, we started off by talking about King Solomon. Here he is in 1 Kings chapter 11, that he started out well and he did not end well. He started out wise and he ended foolishly. He started out even as relatively well and he did not end well. He started out wise and he ended foolishly. He started out even as relatively good and he did not end as a good person. He did not end as a good man. He did not end as a good king. And what we're going to see is what we've been talking about, you know, a bunch in the course of this Bible in a year. It's that, you know, sometimes we make decisions, we make choices and other people have to experience the consequences of those choices. Not because someone's being punished

for someone else's being punished arbitrarily, right. For my own decisions. But we realized that our decisions have consequences and those consequences don't always end with us. They don't always just end with our own lives, but we pass those on. Um, the, the way in which, you know, we can, parents can raise their kids, those bad decisions can pass on the consequences of those decisions in their kids' lives. How I serve the campus here and how I serve the people in our diocese, if I choose the wrong thing, it has consequences in their lives. And if I choose the right thing, it has consequences in their lives. Here we have King David, right? Who was an absent father who did not pass on that holiness or that his relationship with the Lord to Solomon.

And here's Solomon who, even though he was blessed so much by God, not only with wisdom, but also, I mean, the Lord spoke to him and reminded him of the need that he had to be faithful and he refused. Now it's, this is one of the things we just want to make a note of before we move on to the last chapters of Ecclesiastes. And that is a lot of us have knowledge. We don't always have the will. In fact, a lot of times where our faith gets unraveled, maybe where our faith can be given away is not necessarily because we came up against a really good argument against our faith, but more because we gave our heart to someone other than the Lord.

We gave our time to someone other than the Lord. We gave the deepest part of us to someone other than the Lord. This is what happens to Solomon with his 300 wives and his 700 concubines. He said he loved them all. Okay. Okay, dude. He loved them all. He gave his heart to not just many wives and many concubines, which is not a good thing to do in the first place, but he gave his heart to them in a way that opened himself up to false worship. And that's, it's the most devastating lines. And we've just heard about how King Solomon built incredible, this amazing temple for the Lord God, like all of the sacrifices he offered, all the gold that he brought into the temple,

like all the incredible, just everything he gave to the Lord. And then you also have, wait, he also built temples for his wives. He also built temples to other gods. And it's just in those scriptures, it's so devastating to recognize that here is the man who has spoken with the Lord. Here's a man who's been guided by the Lord. And he turns to these other false gods. In fact, that's just kind of any old false gods, but even Molech, which means if he participated in the worship of Molech, that involved human sacrifice, child human sacrifice.

And here is Solomon, who is the great builder, who's the wise one, who participated in this great evil, not because he was convinced that it was true, because he is wise, but because he gave his heart to places and to people that did not deserve his heart, that led him astray. And this is one of the reasons, you know, hard to say this, but it's the truth. One of the reasons why it is very important. So if you want to stay faithful in your walk with the Lord, as St. Paul says, to not be yoked to unbelievers, to not marry someone who doesn't share your faith passionately, doesn't share your faith in that intense way, and doesn't share your faith in that same

way. Because what happens is, it's called spiritual physics, and it's much easier to pull someone down than it is to pull them up. When choosing a spouse, so important to choose a spouse who loves the Lord, to choose a spouse that you share your faith with or else our lives can start out great and end like Solomon's life, a disaster, a disaster. One last note about the book of Ecclesiastes and the wisdom of Ecclesiastes, two notes actually. One is in chapter 12, the very last chapter, because we have all this advice.

And I just think it's so, this is a beautiful, beautiful wording, a beautiful poetry essentially in scripture in chapter 12, the advice to the young. And it says, the days are gonna come when it goes on and says, where you'll say I have no pleasure in them. Before the sun and the light of the moon

and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain. That sense of like, yeah, the days where your eyes will grow dim. And the day when the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men are bent and the grinders cease because they're few. And those that look through the windows are dimmed. All this, it's just like this, you just have this vision of getting older and older and older. And it talks about even, they're afraid also of what is high. What does that mean? Well, it's, it's, you know, as we keep getting older, we get less and less stable, right? And what happens? I'm not going to jump up on the chair to change the light

bulb. Now I can jump up on the table to change the smoke detector. And so I'm afraid of what is high tears in the way. And the grasshopper drags along, this desire fails like that longing for another person, the sexual desire fails. This, the author is highlighting just these small things that we don't think about that are signs of here's this age, I'm getting closer and closer to death. And it's just, it's just really, really, as it's beautiful. If you want to get a chance to pick up your Bible and actually not just listen to it, but read those words, there's something powerful. And the conclusion is vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Now, one of the things we want to highlight is why did we read Ecclesiastes? Why did the preacher teach these things? Why did Coaleth or Solomon, why is this in the Bible?

And part of it is because of the wisdom of this, because we don't always get what we want. So you might do the good. Remember, the race is not to the swift or the victory is to the strong always or the success to those who are smartest. That's how it would be great if that was the case. But sometimes we grasp after Hevel, right? It's that vapor, that meaninglessness or vanities,

but it's like, hmm, it seems to have shape, that meaninglessness or vanities, but it's like, it seems to have shape, but if you try to grasp it, it's gone. So one of the lessons is you can't always get, or you don't always get what you want, but still choose the good. And again, one of the things that is the message of Ecclesiastes is not to get people to lose hope, but to make them humble. I came across a commentary that pointed that out, that it's not to get people who read Ecclesiastes to lose hope, but to make them humble. And that's it, to be able to say, okay, everything is going to end. I can appreciate it all while it's here. Yes, at some point, it's all going to be taken from me, but I can appreciate it when it's here. And that the last lines of Ecclesiastes chapter 12,

the end of the matter, all has been heard. Here's what you need to do. Fear God and keep his commandments. This is the whole duty of man. And it's so, so good. God will bring every deed into judgment with every secret thing, whether good or evil. And it's so, such a great, powerful reminder

that yes, it might seem like life is meaningless, but it is not. I might not know the meaning of this moment, but this moment absolutely has meaning. So we keep walking forward. And tomorrow, speaking of walking forward, we're jumping into walking into our next second messianic checkpoint where we beginning the gospel of Mark tomorrow. I cannot wait. Continue to live wisely, wisely today, fearing God, keeping his commandments and praying for each other. Please pray for each other. I am praying for you. Please,

if you don't mind, pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.