Sabbath Thought – Fear God

King Solomon is known for his wisdom. As Solomon was taking on the role of king of Israel, he spoke to God through a dream (1 Kings 3:5). Solomon realized the great weight of the responsibility he would be taking on, and so he said to God, “Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" (1 Kings 3:7-9).

God was pleased with Solomon’s words, and He told Solomon that because he asked for wisdom, He would also give Solomon riches and honor (1 Kings 3:13). Solomon indeed did receive riches and honor as Israel rose to its greatest height as a nation during his reign, and many neighboring nations paid tribute to Solomon. Solomon’s reputation as a man of great wisdom traveled far and wide and even caught the attention of the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10 – southwestern Arabia, Ethiopia and Yemen) – a very rich queen in her own right.

Despite Solomon’s wisdom and blessings from God, he eventually strayed from following Him. In 1 Kings 11:3 we read that Solomon had “…seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.”  Over the course of Solomon’s life, he sought pleasure in every form – he emersed himself is seeking more wisdom, he indulged himself with every imaginal self-indulgence, he thought many wives would satisfy him, he even threw himself into various forms of work, and he thought honor would please him – all to no avail.

Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes – a book illustrating the temporary nature of this life, and the things in it – I believe toward the end of his life. He was an old man writing about his laments and what he learned. He came to realize that the only thing of value in this life was to fear God by obeying His instruction, and to enjoy the things from God.

So, we read in Ecclesiastes 12:13 – “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.” Solomon saw by the end of his life that by living a life pleasing to God a person would see that the things of this life are temporary and so will only bring temporary pleasure, and God will judge us for salvation according to the life we live (v.14).

Solomon was probably only about 18-20 years old when he began to reign over Israel. God blessed Solomon with everything he needed to properly rule the nation, and to show the world what a kingdom with God at its center looked like. But Solomon squandered his wisdom, wealth and honor. His son who succeeded him drove away the northern 10 Tribes because of his onerous rulership.

God has blessed every one of us with everything we need to obtain salvation. Do we fear God and keep His instruction by giving our calling our all? This Sabbath day is the perfect time to reflect on these thoughts, and to be reminded to not repeat the mistakes of even someone like Solomon.

I wish you a wonderful Sabbath,

Dan Dowd

29 July, 2025