The world’s library

The world’s library

Bible:1 Kings 11

As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been (V.4).

Reading

Many years ago, one of the guys who actually came up with the internet had a vision for it to be “the great library.” He then said, “It is now technically possible to live up to the dream of the Library of Alexandria.” He was referring to a huge collection of writings in ancient Egypt that was said to house the world’s knowledge. I guess his vision has pretty much come true. You can search for literally anything online! It’s easy to become an expert in whatever you want. But knowing lots is not the same as wisdom. In the end, King Solomon was a man of knowledge (1 KINGS 4:29-34). At his best, he had shown wisdom, following God and relying on Him for everything. But “as Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God” (11:4). Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, all from other nations with false gods. Despite ‘knowing’ better, Solomon showed we can have all the knowledge in the world and still misunderstand the purpose of life (ECCLESIASTES 1:16-18). His lack of devotion to the one true God led to God’s anger (1 KINGS 11:9) and split the nation of Israel (VV.31-33). Solomon’s life is a warning to us. It is so easy to fall down the slippery slope of selfishness and sin. The clever things we know won’t keep us on the right path; but the God we know will—let’s stick close to Him. That’s real wisdom.

NO MATTER HOW CLEVER WE ARE,
IDOLATRY MAKES FOOLS OF US.

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