Breaking God's Clear Instructions

 I know when my children would come to me, and I would explain to them what they needed to do, I was always as clear as possible. Then, if they failed to obey, I would ask them to tell me what I had told them to make sure they understood. Then, if they still did not obey, I would have to punish them pretty severely because of their disobedience. I believe that is what God does for us in several different ways. Once we know His will, we are accountable to Him to keep it faithfully.

Solomon became king of Israel after his father David. God came to him and repeated His will for him several times. (II Chronicles 7:17,18) God told him that if he would follow Him as David his father had done, obeying all of His commands, decrees, and regulations, then He would establish the throne of his dynasty. He promised David that one of his descendants would always rule over Israel, if they obeyed the Lord. However, Solomon sinned terribly, even though He knew better. This is a warning for us, too.

Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived, but He broke many of God's laws which we clearly written in His Word, and he went against what God told him directly. This led to the breakup of his kingdom, and it was totally preventable. God's Word is clear that a man is supposed to have just one wife, Solomon had many wives and concubines. It says that they were not to marry pagan wives, and Solomon did that, too. They turned him from God, and God punished him severely. He dissevered it all.

However, let's not be too hard on Solomon. Now, we have all of the Bible, and as believers, we have the Holy Spirit in us to guide us. I wonder how many times we have disobeyed what we clearly knew from the Bible or what the Holy Spirit brought to our attention? When we did those things, we were just as guilty as Solomon, and God made sure we felt His anger. He knows sin hurts us, so He punishes in love, and He does it well. We need to obey all of God's instructions all of the time, so He can really bless us.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read II Chronicles 8-10.