S)"17 He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself"
Deuteronomy 17:17 (NASB)
O) How much does this verse sum up the problems that Solomon had? He was the last king of Israel to sit on the unified throne and his falling away had everything to do with his lust, which caused infidelity toward God, and his money, which caused all sorts of confusion for him (if he did, indeed, write Ecclesiastes, as most believe). I'm not saying that Solomon didn't make it to heaven, but the guy clearly had issues. Regardless of his eventual resting place, women and money are the biggest motivators for men in this world and they are consequently the two biggest saboteurs.
A) Guard my heart! That's the root lesson of this verse. Obviously, today's culture also looks poorly on polygomy, or even cheating on a spouse. On the Christian side of things, almost all will aknowledge that pornography is still a form of cheating on your spouse, but even more defining, a wandering eye is still a problem. Cheating on your spouse in your heart is still adultary (see Matthew 5:28), so that part of this verse didn't really stand out as anything new. The part that was a little more challenging, though, was the end, to not greatly increase wealth. Obviously that's a little subjective (what is "greatly" increased?), but I think the point can't be missed. God gives me opportunity to work at all, and any money I make is because of His blessings on me, but the money is not the blessing itself. I need to follow God's lead in terms of where I work, how much I seek promotion, and even how much I work (e.g., overtime). I need to continue realigning my perspective to remember that He is my provider, not a job. He is my security, not a house, 401k, or a savings account.
P) Father, You provide everything for me. Let me remember that what You give me isn't the blessing. The blessing is that I am called a son of the Most High, everything else is evidence of that blessing. Holy Spirit, continue to lead me in all things according to the will of the Father. Help me see every opportunity at work or in my career or in my education that I seek, help me see all of it from the LORD's perspective. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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