1 Kings 9:6-9 – Stewarding our responsibility wisely

In this second encounter, God promised Solomon that He would bless him, and his people provided he remained faithful and walked with the integrity of heart, and uprightness. However, in 1 Kings 9:6-9, God also cautioned him of dire consequences if the king or the children of Israel should choose not to keep His commandments and statutes. God warned that they would be cut off from Him if they chose to go after other gods to serve them. Furthermore, God alerted Solomon that their unfaithfulness would cause the temple that God had consecrated for Himself to be forgotten and become a memory of the past. They would lose all self-respect as well as the respect of the nations. Worst still, the temple would become a heap of ruins. And Israel would become a laughingstock, subject to the ridicule of bystanders. It would be said that “Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them, therefore the Lord has brought all this adversity on them.”

All Solomon had to do was to remain faithful to God and walk in God’s way. All that was required of him was not to pivot to idolatry to enjoy the continual favor of God. Unfortunately, Solomon eventually adopted destructive habits that sabotaged this grace God had extended to him. He did not remain faithful to God.

We who have the whole Bible know that  Solomon’s actions as the king unwittingly affected the future of his people and his kingdom. He could have chosen to be an inspiration to his subjects but sadly, he did not. His unfaithfulness to God had affected the nation badly. His life reminds us that God expects us to be responsible for whatever He has entrusted to us. Greater responsibility comes with greater accountability. It behooves us not to abuse what God has entrusted. What we do with what has been entrusted affects the lives of others. This is a call to steward our responsibility wisely to avoid dire consequences.