“As for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my degrees and laws,”
~ 1 Kings 9:4
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever felt like you are on a slippery slope? Have you ever tried to walk on ice? What might happen to you if you were to walk on ice? It can be dangerous to walk on ice. Ice can be very slippery. If you fall down while walking on ice, you may get hurt. Ask you dad if he has ever driven on ice? What might happen if a guy or gal drives on ice? It can be dangerous to drive on ice. Because ice is slippery, a guy and gal may have an accident if he or she loses the ability to control his or her car while it is sliding. If black ice is unexpectedly encountered while a guy or gal is driving a car, the guy or gal may possibly lose control of the car that he or she is driving and . . . after suddenly hitting black ice while going down a winding mountain highway shortly after entering British Columbia from Alberta, your grandpaa slid into a guard rail. Your grandpaa had not seen the sign posted higher up on the mountain that warned of the possibility of black ice ahead. Even though smacking the guard rail broke some teeth in the car’s steering mechanism and the impact bent the tie rod to the right wheel, the guard rail kept your grandmaa and grandpaa from tumbling down the side of the mountain in their car. If the car that your grandpaa was driving on the highway that winds around the mountain that is located near Field, British Columbia had after hitting black ice slid into the double line of trucks and cars that were coming up the mountain, that could have been a whole lot more disastrous than just a bent fender and a couple of messed up car parts. Your grandpaa is very glad that that did not happen. One year – right around New Year’s Day and while your grandmaa, grandpaa and Aunt Lynn were on their way early one night through northern Maryland, your grandpaa suddenly realized that the light, misty rain that had been falling was turning into ice and that the windshield wipers of the car that your grandpaa was driving could no longer clean off the slush that was accumulating on his car’s windshield. About this same time, your grandpaa passed a car that was stopped on the side of the highway – facing the opposite direction that your grandpaa was going in his car. It was then that your grandpaa realized that Interstate 68 in northern Maryland had become a very slippery sheet of ice. Your grandpaa immediately slowed down to where his car was hardly moving at all. When your grandmaa, grandpaa and Aunt Lynn finally made it down the ice covered, slippery hill that your grandpaa was going down in his car, your grandpaa encountered a number of stopped cars. Your grandpaa stopped, too. Because Interstate 68 had become so slippery, everyone had to stay stopped. Your grandmaa, grandpaa and Aunt Lynn had to spend a long, cold night alongside Interstate 68 until the next morning when some salt trucks sprinkled salt on the road to help melt the ice that was on the road. Even with the help of salt on the icy road, your grandpaa’s car did a lot of slipping and sliding as it tried to climb the next hill. The breakfast that your grandpaa had at the first town that your grandmaa, grandpaa and Aunt Lynn got to – after spending a long, cold night alongside icy Interstate 68, was one of the most enjoyable breakfasts that your grandpaa has ever had.
When God met with Solomon – after Solomon had finished building an ornate, magnificent temple for Him in the city of Jerusalem, God told Solomon that he and his kids – who would be kings after him, would find themselves on a slippery slope if he or if any of his kids put worshipping handmade wood, stone, clay and metal gods ahead of only worshipping Him. The Kings Book historian recorded in 1 Kings 9 God’s second Father to son talk with Solomon. Verse 4 has God giving Solomon the obedience standard that He expected Solomon as king over the Israelite people group guys and gals to adhere to and that He expected Solomon’s kids to adhere to when they become kings over the Israelite people groups guys and guls, “‘As for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my degrees and laws,” Solomon had access to wealth and support from the country of Egypt to the cities of Tyre to Ophir. Solomon never lacked for having prestige, power and position. Solomon accumulated a lot of wives and concubines. One of Solomon’s wives was the daughter of an Egyptian Pharaoh. Solomon conscripted into his slave labor force from the families of Hivite, Amorite, Hittite, Perizzite and Jebusite people groups guys and gals who had somehow managed to escape from being exterminated by the advancing Israelite people group’s army as the Israelite people group army was marching into the land of Canaan. Solomon’s massive army included horses and chariots. In spite of all this temporal focus, Solomon did do his best to entertain God in his life. God’s temple – where God’s presence took residence, which Solomon had the oversight of building in the city of Jerusalem, was one of the most remarkable and beautiful structures ever constructed anyplace at any time on planet Earth.
Even though Solomon fulfilled the temple obligations to sacrifice fellowship and burnt offerings three times a year on the altar that was in the temple that Solomon had seen to the constructing of in the city of Jerusalem for the presence of God – as God the Father, and for burning incense to God – as God the Father, Solomon ended up on a slippery slope that would lead to his kids disobeying and denying God – as God the Father. Even while Solomon was doing his duty of worshipping God – as God the Father, Solomon first had built for himself an impressive royal palace, constructed ships that were used to bring him more wealth and traded with towns for timber, gold and wives.
1 Kings 9 (889)