SCRIP-BITS

Proverbs 28:25    He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat.

Yes my Friends, more comparisons, warnings and instructions from Sol; the wisest man ever. Hn, hn! Every time I consider that fact, I remember the old Derrick Harriot song, ‘Solomon was the wisest man, but he didn’t know the ‘wiles’ of a woman.’  Now ‘wiles’ is my insertion because I forgot the word Derrick used. It might have been ‘strength,’ but ‘wiles’ fits perfectly. (smile) And come to think of it, the Bit admirably fits Sol’s life, though in reverse. At the end of his life, pride got the better of him. I very much doubt that it was senility, since he went through a complete role reversal. ‘But king Solomon loved many strange women…of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God as was the heart of his father David.’ He worshipped the gods of his wives and built high places for them to burn incense and sacrifices. ‘And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord…’(1 Kings 11:1-8) Oh Friends, can you imagine that; Sol doing evil in the Lord’s sight after the wonderful relationship they shared in earlier times? But he certainly did, with a sad result; ‘And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing; that he should not go after other Gods, but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.’ Thus began the strife. The Lord promised to take away the kingdom from Sol, and give it to his servant, not in his days, but out of his son’s hand. And even then, He would not take it away completely, but leave one tribe for his son. Why? ‘For David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.’ (I Kings 11:9-13) Oh my people, I don’t know what got into Sol; possibly too much wine, women and song. That would certainly addle a man’s brain. (smile) But whatever it was, he screwed it up royally, after all the good work Bruh David and he, himself had done in the Lord’s name. Note though, God did not ruin his line completely, because He’d promised Bruh David a continuous royal lineage, from which The Messiah, Jesus, would be born. So the peaceful, secure, wealthy kingdom that Israel had become under Sol’s righteous guidance was now turned asunder through Sol’s stupid pride. And hear these words of his earlier days nuh: ‘Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.’ (Prov.13:10) I guess he wasn’t well advised in later life. ‘But he that putteth his trust in the Lord shall be made fat.’ Yes my Friends, when we put our entire trust in the Lord God Almighty, we are made to prosper. Sol reiterates it in the next verse. ‘He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.’ (Prov.28:26) I still don’t understand how he could have undergone such a complete change of heart, after being such a prominent voice for God. Listen to the Queen of Sheba: ‘It was a true report which I had heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard.’ (2 Chron.9:5-6) Wow! Can you believe it people? The Queen of Sheba, wealthy and powerful in her own right, even more amazed in person, at Sol’s majesty and righteousness than the stories she’d heard. And how did Sol get to that zenith? Because he’d put his trust in the Lord God of his forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and walked in obedience to his commands. ‘And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.’ (2 Chron.1:1) Yuh know mih brethren, Sol was such a lovely, selfless young man, that even when God asked him what he wanted, he said: ‘Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great. And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.’ (2 Chron.1:11-12) Now that’s the magnificent and magnanimous God we worship my people! When we trust and obey, and don’t always put our selfish instincts and interests first, He rewards us with even more than we can ask or imagine. And He kept His word, just like He always does. The Queen of Sheba was held spellbound by Sol’s wisdom and splendour. And Friends, there’s never been another monarch as wise or wealthy as Sol, and most likely will never be, since the Lord God Jehovah decreed it thus. Oh my people, I implore us to let Sol’s life be a living example to us all. Let’s put our trust and faith in the Lord, and keep it there. Obey Him, and leave all the consequences to Him. He looked after Sol admirably when he walked with Him, but quickly allowed strife into his hitherto peaceful life, and took away his kingdom. Remember Friends, the wicked who repent, shall be saved, but the righteous who backslide shall be destroyed. Sol is an excellent example of the latter, let’s not fall into that evil trap. Much LOVE!…to enjoy God’s best…keep your heart right with Him…