WHAT KIND OF CHAINS BIND YOU?
Kings 11:9 The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
It seems that Solomon’s great blessings had become his greatest curse and down fall. It didn’t have to be that way, but he allowed it to be so. The Bible says that he was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift - articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, horses and mules. He had accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value there was so much gold. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. He had everything he could ever want. Well, he almost did.
When we look to the Book of Ecclesiastes that he wrote we see a sad shell of a man who seemed to have everything. In this book he starts of with saying, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is Meaningless!” He says that even his pleasures are meaningless. Life is so much chasing after the wind. Death will overtake everyone! Life’s work is meaningless. He says, “For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. It is meaningless and a great misfortune.” He ended Ecclesiastes by saying, “Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or bad.
Solomon’s life didn’t have to end up such a tragedy. If he would have use all that he had to glorify the Lord and bless others. He would have had a joy and fulfillment that the world couldn’t give or take away. The money and great blessings of life is not the root of all evil! I Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many gifts.
Jesus told us that the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. It is a matter of putting the Lord right where he belongs, and that is first place in our heart and life. It doesn’t bother God to bless us. He wants to bless us greatly! All he wants in return is to love the giver more than the gifts.
Solomon allowed his gifts to control him, rather than the other way around. He had the greatest chance to glorify the Lord by using his great wealth to help others to know and love the Lord and to bless them. When we look to II Chronicles 10:4 we see where Solomon put a heavy yoke of harsh labor on his own people. His desire for great personal wealth and honor took his desire to rule God’s people with wisdom, to putting them under his feet. As a hand full of sand is soon distorted with a tight grip, so will greed and the pride of life distort the blessings of God in our life.
You might think that it is better to be poor, but that is not really the case either. Just as the pendulum in one direction it can also swing in the opposite. Instead of pride of the rich, the poor can have resentment for their lack. Instead of glorifying the Lord and blessing others with what they have sometimes anger and resentment will take away any love for the Lord and witness they could have given to the Lord. So, is it better to be in the middle of the riches of life and the poverty of the poor?Not really! While they have blessings it may never be enough, and what joy they could have with them they hold so tight to with fear of loosing them that they too can be bound in their gifts.
One of my favorite quotes was by a French Roman Catholic archbishop by the name of Francois Fenelon. He said that chains made of gold are still chains that bind. Whatever keeps us from loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength are really chains in disguise. It doesn’t matter whether they are gold or rusty iron. Rich or poor people can have them. The thing is they all bring ultimately emptiness and regret.
How are you handling the cards that have been dealt in your life? My wife and mother-in-law like to play cards with our son’s family. They usually, almost always have fun until one of the kids get a bad hand to play and they throw a fit. That’s when grandma reminds them they play what they get and don’t throw a fit! That usually puts an end to the fit, but sometimes in the lives of adults they never seem to learn. This includes the very rich, the very poor and yes the middle class too! Instead of taking what they get in life to glorify the Lord and bless others,they squeeze tighter their grip on what is in their heart.
My mother-in-law is a great inspiration to me in how she handles what little she has. She is constantly glorifying the Lord in her generosity. While she is on a fixed income, if she hears of a need she is the first to share. She will never end up like Solomon with a bank full of money and only emptiness and regret to show for it. What fills your heart with passion? Is it bound in chains of gold or rusty iron, or is it motivated with love for the Lord and for others?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for all our many blessings. You have only been good to us even when you said no. Sometimes Jesus we have found out that you're no has become in reality our greatest blessing. Please help us to always be thankful for all you do for us and give us. Please help us to be quick to want to help others too. We ask this in your holy name.
