Proverbs 4, verse 20. My son, be attentive to my words. Incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight. Keep them within your heart, for they are life to those who find them and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left. Turn your foot away from evil. So this father gives instructions to his son, what he ought to do with his ears and his eyes and his mouth and his feet and his whole body. But at the center of it all is verse 23, where it says, keep your hearts with all diligence for from it flow the springs of life. I was looking at this verse this week. Something's interesting to me. I put the ESV version along with the Christian Standard Bible up there. A lot of the differences that you find in the translations just relate to moving from one language to another. But in the part that's in red, the reason that the translations are different is because there's two different texts that it comes from. So if you're following the Masoretic Hebrew text there's a word in there that has the meaning of with everything so above all else where if you're following the Greeks of two agent the the word has to do with Working diligence and so because the texts are different you get different Translations that come out in the English. I'll spare you the details, but I prefer the Masoretic text. And so I think the idea is Above all else guard your heart so young people Guard your lips, and guard your feet, and guard your eyes, and guard your ears, but above all else, guard your heart. And then why? Why above all else your heart? Well, as this verse says it, it's from your heart flow the springs of life. When I was in 15 years ago, I went to Kosovo with the church. We had a mission strip team going there up to the mountains with Keith and Pam Zelmer. And there's another team going this summer. We're praying for them as they prepare to go. And I don't know if they've gotten more civilized in the mountains of Kosovo since then, but when we were there, there was just a pipe that came out of the ground and that was tapped in somehow to a freshwater spring. It was just a little ways from camp and so every day we would walk down there and we'd all take jugs and we fill up the water jugs with this with this fresh Clear water and we all lived off of that water. That was our source of water Gave life to us literally as we were up in the mountains A few years later, I went camping in Nebraska and there was another pipe sticking out of the ground water coming out of it and I drank water out of that, also fresh and clear, but there was something in that water that I didn't see, something invisible, and a few days later I was in my living room writhing in pain on the floor for days. Guard your heart, for from it flow the springs of life. If you take your heart and you give it to the Lord, And so He's shaping your heart and your thoughts. Then out of you will come good, and in your life you'll see good flow out of that choice. Just, my heart's going to be the Lord's. And even in difficult times that we'll all walk through, if your heart's the Lord's, then it's cleanness that flows from that. Where if instead, with your heart, you love the world or money or you love yourself or the things of this life more than the Lord then there's an impure source and it's gonna it's gonna affect your life who you are and what comes from you and so that's the theme of that verse above all else guard your hearts for from it flows the springs of life now we're going to look today at the life of King Solomon. We've been doing an Old Testament survey here, and we've come to David's son Solomon and his reign. As we've been walking through the Old Testament, here's where we are. The books of the Bible, if you just go in order that you find them, it goes 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles. But it's not chronological, because when you get to 1 and 2 Chronicles, it backs up and it retells the stories. And so last week we looked at David's reign from these two books. Today, we're coming to the first part of 1 Kings and the first part of 2 Chronicles, which tells about the reign of King Solomon. And what we'll see as we look at Solomon's life, this is the true story of how one man's heart set the direction of an entire kingdom. And it's the story of how no matter what, the Lord is faithful to his word. Okay, to understand the life of Solomon from a biblical perspective, you need to back up and see what was promised about him. And so for that, turn with me in your Bibles to 2 Samuel 7, because God made this covenant with Solomon's dad, David, and there's specific promises that he made to him. Okay, so we're going to 2 Samuel 7 to find what God promised David about Solomon. In these promises to David that we find in 2 Samuel 7, there's some short-term promises that relate just to Solomon. There's also eternal promises that God gives to David, and they're kind of all blended together. So, in the short term, what does God promise David? These are your first blanks on your sheet if you want to fill it in. What did God promise David about Solomon? Well, he promised that God would establish the kingdom of David's son, and when he sinned, he would be punished but still loved. Right? So the promise to David was when your son Solomon sins, he's going to be punished, but still loved. Look here at 2 Samuel 7, verse 12. God says to David, when your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you who shall come from your body and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name. Speaking of the temple that Solomon will build. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you." So you see the promises to Solomon. He's going to sin, I'm going to punish him, but my love won't be taken away. Okay, and that's about Solomon. But in the midst of here, there's things that are eternal, right? That he talked about his eternal kingdom. And then look in verse 16, verse 16, and your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me, your throne shall be established forever. That isn't dependent on what anyone does, whether Solomon sins or not, or David's descendants sin or not. What God said about David's, there's going to be a son of David that's going to rule forever. That's going to happen no matter what people do. Okay, those are the promises to David. We need that background. Now let's see how this works out in the life of Solomon, David's son. Okay, Solomon loved the Lord. Go with me to 1 Kings again. Okay, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 Kings. We're going to 1 Kings 3 to see the beginning of Solomon's reign. 1 Kings 3. Look there. Solomon loved the Lord. walking in the statues of David, his father, only he sacrificed and made soft offerings at the high places. As you study this passage, the question is, how big of a deal is it that he's making these sacrifices at the high places? The implication is he should be doing it at the tabernacle, but he's not. He's doing these sacrifices in other places. But the Lord isn't upset with him for this here, because he's going to be offering sacrifices at one of these high places in Gibeon, and God will bless him. And so it doesn't seem to be a big deal at this time for Solomon to be doing this. But the key thing we want to pull out of verse three is Solomon loved the Lord. Do you know, in the Old Testament, there is that you could read in the Old Testament of King David saying to God, I love you, Lord. But this here, this verse is the only place in all the Old Testament where it's where the biblical narrator says of a particular person, he loved the Lord. The only place in all the Old Testament where it says this person loved the Lord, and it says it here of Solomon. It's a unique thing. He loved the Lord. And right away in this passage, we get a sense of how a person who loves the Lord lives. On your sheets, if you're trying to take notes, Solomon loved the Lord there under number two. Well, how does a person who loved the Lord live? Well, Solomon pleased God. by caring more for those entrusted to his care than he did for himself. This is how he showed his love for God was by caring for the people that God had entrusted to him. He cared for them. We're going to see this in verses 7 through 9. Okay, so what happens here? There is a classic story that comes up all the time in fairy tales about someone finds a bottle and then they rub the bottle and out pops a genie and the genie says, you have three wishes, right? It must be a fun story because it shows up all over the place. And so then, when I was a kid, we used to try to imagine, what are your best three wishes, right? You've got to have a plan for this in case it happens. Okay, this story is like that, except that it's true. Right? Really, God Almighty appeared to Solomon and said, I asked what you wish, and I'll give it to you. It's a pretty significant thing. And so you don't want to have tricks. If you're really working with God Almighty, you wouldn't want to say, I wish for a thousand more wishes, right? That's, that's not how you want to treat God Almighty, right? And Solomon's too wise for that already. So Solomon gets God and he says, ask what I shall wish you, wish for you. And Solomon does well with this. The first thing that Solomon does when God says, hey, ask for something. The first thing that Solomon does is he says, thank you. Lord, you promised my father, David, that I would be sitting on the throne, and here I am. And so you have just shown your unshakable love. Then he asks him for something. Look in verse 7 for his request. Verse Kings 3, 7. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David, my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. Solomon is being humble here. He's not a little child. What he's saying is I just got, I don't know. I don't know what to do a lot of times. And so verse eight and your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people. that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this, your great people?" Solomon's request is wisdom. He says, God, will you grant me wisdom so that I can be a good king and I can care well for these people that you have entrusted to me? Look at verse 10. It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. Do you want to please the Lord this morning? If so, Take care of the people that God has entrusted to your care. Right? Moms, take care of those kids that God has given to you. Love them, point them to Christ, meet their needs. Please the Lord. Dads, do you want to please the Lord? Then provide for and protect your families and love your wife. Maybe you're an employer that wants to please the Lord. What do you do? Well, you take good care of those employees that work for you. If you're an employee, how do you please the Lord? Well, do great work for those customers that you're taking care of. Pastors, elders, shepherd the flock of God for whom Christ died. Solomon pleased God by caring for more for those that he was entrusted with than himself. And so God, in his response to Solomon's great request for wisdom, is going to say, yes. But he gives him more than he asks for. C on your sheets there, God granted Solomon more than he asked. What is he going to grant him? Let's look in verse 13, 1 Kings 3, 13. Well, let's go back to verse 10. So verse 10, it pleases God. And then verse 11, God said to Solomon, because you have asked this, And have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right. Behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you." Okay, so the first thing he promises them is wisdom. Wisdom. But it's not just, I'm going to give you wisdom so you can do your job. I'm going to give you incomparable wisdom. But beyond that, God promises him other things. Number two and three on your sheets will be riches and honor. He asks for wisdom. God says, OK, I'm going to give you incomparable wisdom and incomparable riches and incomparable honor. Look, verse 13, I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you all your days. This is a story of how one man's heart set the direction of an entire kingdom. And the story of how no matter what, God is faithful to his word. So we want to know, does God keep these promises to Solomon? He promises him incomparable wisdom, riches, honor. And the answer to all those things is yes. A lot of 1st Kings and 2nd Chronicles are about this. Come with me to 1st Kings chapter 4. Let's see, does God give Solomon wisdom? Like he promised? 1st Kings 4.29. 1st Kings 4.29. And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure and breath of mind like the sand on the seashore. So that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan, the Ezra heights and man, Calco and Darta, the sons of Mayhole. And his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He also spoke 3000 Proverbs and his songs were 1005. He spoke of trees from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts and of birds and of reptiles and of fish. And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon and from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom. So, yes, God gives him wisdom. He also promised him riches. Did God give God Solomon riches? Turn ahead to 1 Kings chapter 10. We could read several chapters of the riches of Solomon. It's described in here. I just want to pull a piece out for you. Look at first Kings chapter 10 verse 22. Remember God promised him riches. And so here we go. First Kings 10 22 for the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years, the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silvery, ivory, apes, and peacocks. Verse 24, and the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. So the people are coming from all over the world to talk to him, to see his wisdom. And when they come, look what they bring. Verse 25, every one of them brought his presence. Articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses and mules, so much year by year. Skip down to verse 27. And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah." Okay, so yes, I'll give you wisdom, I gave you riches. Also, God promised him honor. What about that? Does God give him honor? Skip with me ahead to 2 Chronicles. So we're moving ahead a couple of books in your Bible past 1 Chronicles. But we're not moving ahead in time, right? It's just, this is a parallel account in 2 Chronicles. Go to 2 Chronicles 9. We're looking for, does God grant him honor like he promised? 2 Chronicles 9, look at verse 1. Now, when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials and the attendance of his servants and their clothing, his cupbearers and their clothing and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her. And she said to the king, the report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom. But I did not believe the reports until I came in my own eyes have seen it. And behold, half of the greatness of your wisdom has not been told me. You surpass the report that I heard. Go down to verse 23, 2 Chronicles 9, 23. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. So wisdom, honor, wealth. He's given them all the things that he said. A highlight of Solomon's reign was when he built a temple for the Lord. In fact, if you're going to pick a theme of Chronicles, the Solomon temples got to be one of the things that stands out. Solomon built a temple for Yahweh. It was a magnificent building. I just think about some of this stuff only God ever sees. Like it's in the holiest of holies, but they build it all out of gold. Some of these things are solid gold, or it's at least plated with gold, and the richest of materials. One person estimated the value of the temple, if we're going to do it in common in everyday now dollars, they said something like seven billion dollars it would cost to build this building. I want to show you what happened at the dedication of this temple. So go back with me to 2 Chronicles chapter 6. So, after they completed this magnificent temple, the whole nation comes together. Solomon calls them all, and then he gets up on a platform in front of the whole nation, and he gets down on his knees before God, and he raises his hands, and he prays a prayer for God's blessing on the land. Look, I just want to show you the end of it. 2 Corinthians 6, verse 41. Solomon's been praying, he says, and now arise, O Lord God, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. Let your priest, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation and let your saints rejoice in your goodness. O Lord God, do not turn away the face of your anointed one. Remember your steadfast love for David, your servant. And as soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven. and consumed the burnt offerings and the sacrifices and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, For he is good and his steadfast love endures forever. Skip down to verse 10, so they have a week-long celebration. They're dedicating the temple and God has taken up His residence there. Look at the joy they go home with at the end of the celebration. 2 Chronicles 7, verse 10, On the twenty-third day of the seventh month, He sent the people away to their homes, joyful and glad of heart for the prosperity that the Lord had granted to David and to Solomon and to Israel, His people. Above all else, guard your heart For from it flow the springs of life." This is the story, true story, of how one man's heart directed a whole kingdom. When Solomon loved the Lord, it was Israel's golden era, literally golden. But when Solomon's heart wandered, it led to a permanent split in the nation. When Solomon's heart wandered, it led to a permanent split in Israel. Turn with me back to 1 Kings. Let's go read the story of Solomon's heart wandering. 1 Kings chapter 11. Look there. Now Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh, Moabites, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women. Now, the Bible never speaks approvingly of having more than one wife. Some of the patriarchs have more than one, but you can see the troubles that it brings as you read their stories. But for the king, there's specific instruction in the law of Moses that the kings that would come in Israel were not to multiply wives for themselves. Look here, this is from the law that Solomon was to read every day. Deuteronomy 17, 17, it says, and he, the king, shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away. Nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold. Do you notice there? Why does the law say don't have all these wives? It's lest his heart turn away. Now, to be fair, David had multiple wives too. Not as many as Solomon, but David's wives tended to be Israelite women. Solomon takes the sin of multiple wives a step farther. He has a thousand wives and They're from all these nations Look at verse 2 first Kings 11 to From the nations concerning which the Lord had said the people of Israel you shall not enter into marriage with them Neither shall they with you for surely they will turn your heart away after their gods Solomon clung to these in love and Listen, singles that are in the room, the one decision that you will make that has the greatest impact on the future of your heart for the rest of your life is the person that you date and then the person that you marry. When I was single, I used to pray, I used to pray, Lord, if I get married someday, and please let me be married someday, but if I get married someday, will you send me a lady that loves the Lord more than I do? Because the direction of your heart is going to go with this person. Solomon knew that God did not want him to marry these foreign women because they didn't love his God. And yet, he clung to these in love. Look at 1 Kings 4, 11-4, for when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart after other gods. The human heart only has enough room for one great love. The great love of your heart cannot be God and some woman. The great love of your heart cannot be God and money, or God and a career, or God and the respect of the people around you. Solomon loved God, but then he clung to these women in love. And eventually, inevitably, Solomon's heart went after their gods as well. Look, verse 5. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not wholly follow the Lord as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Kamash, the abomination of Moab, and for Molech, the abomination of the Ammonites on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives who made offerings and sacrifice to their gods. I want you to notice something. When did this happen? When did Solomon turn his heart away from God? You see, in verse four, when Solomon was old, This didn't happen when he was young and impressionable and full of youthful passions. Listen, as I quote Dale Ralph Davis here, he talks to the older people in the room. He says, we must take a moment to be frightened. How this text ought to go to older believers to pray the last petition of the Lord's Prayer, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. How did Solomon fall away? He continues, it took years, the result of the creeping pace of accumulated compromises, the fruit of a conscience desensitized by repeated permissiveness. Older believers, are you still guarding your heart? Are you still careful to love him above all other love? You are not safer than Solomon. Does successfully raising children and sending them off and being at the end of your career, maybe coming into retirement, do those things bring with them the temptation to cultivate new loves that might take the place of the one who you loved when you were young? If you are not intentional about guarding your heart and your one true love until the end of your life, will your family and friends say of you too, when she was old, her heart turned away. Well, when Solomon's heart wandered, it led to a permanent split in the nation of Israel. Look at me at 1 Kings 11 9, after it talks about Solomon's heart, going away from the Lord. First nine. And the Lord was angry with Solomon. First Kings eleven nine, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. Therefore, the Lord said to Solomon, since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and we'll give it to your servants. God has said if Solomon sinned, he would punish him, and so here's the punishment is the kingdom is going to be torn away. But wait, hadn't God also said that the line of David will continue eternally? How is God going to keep both of these promises at the same time? We see it in verse 12. Yet for the sake of David, your father, I will not do it in your days, but I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of David, my servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen. This is the story of that one man's heart set the direction for an entire kingdom. And this is the story of a God who, no matter what, is faithful to his word. So to punish Solomon for straying, he's going to take the kingdom away. But to be true to David, the punishment is going to be delayed, so it'll be Solomon's son. And also, David's line will get to keep one tribe, Judah. Here's a map that shows the kingdom after the split. OK, you can see Israel is in green. This is the 10 northern tribes and Judah. Actually, there's two tribes that are included in this, Judah and Benjamin. Benjamin doesn't get much press because they're little. So, but it's to Judah and Benjamin, uh, stay loyal to the Kings of the South. So David's line, Solomon's sons, they'll reign over Judah. And, but the 10 tribes in the North are going to be independent. It's going to be two nations. And this split that's about to happen after Solomon's life will continue for the rest of the existence of these nations until they're, until they're taken off into captivity hundreds of years later. Uh, Solomon, when he was ruling, he ruled this whole territory plus I mean, up onto the ceiling, there's lots of territory that he had. But his heart wandered away from the Lord. And I have Shechem circled on this map, because the division happens there. So I want you to go to 1 Kings chapter 12, we'll read of how this happens. So Solomon dies, his son's name is Rehoboam. Rehoboam is next in line to become king, and they plan an official coronation ceremony for Rehoboam. Some don't like the new king, but... So Rehoboam's going to be appointed king. And it's kind of just a formality. Everybody gathers at Shechem, they're going to appoint him king. There's a problem though. There's this guy named Jeroboam. Jeroboam had conflict with Solomon during Solomon's reign, and Solomon had driven him out of the kingdom. Well, when Jeroboam, the troublemaker, finds out that there's going to be a coronation for Rehoboam, he comes back into town and he goes to Shechem. He's looking to cause trouble however he can. Now, Jeroboam is a natural leader. The people of the north, they kind of view Jeroboam as the voice of the people. And so at Rehoboam's coronation ceremony, they decide, hey, this is a good time to ask for some relief. They like everyone want tax relief. Solomon had built some amazing things. And so there was had been heavy taxes and also work that they had to do. And so the people send Jeroboam as a representative and say, hey, go talk to the king, Rehoboam, and ask him that now that he's starting his new reign, will he take it a little easier on us? Lighten up the taxes a little. So they send this request. Go to 1 Kings 12, verse 4. Here's the request they bring to Rehoboam, Solomon's son. They say, Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore, lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you. Okay, Rehoboam takes three days to think about it. First, he goes and he asks the wise old men that used to be Solomon's counselors. He said, Hey, they're asking for some relief from the taxes and things. What should I tell them? So look down to verse seven for the advice of Solomon's counselors. And they said to him, if you will be a servant to this people today and serve them and speak good words to them, when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever. And so Solomon's friends, the old counselors, they say, hey, listen, Solomon built his 40 year reign on the idea that we don't, it's not about us, it's about the people and it's for their good. And so you do the same thing. Be their servant today. Tell them you're going to work for their good. And if you do that, they'll be loyal to you for the rest of your reign. Well, Rehoboam wanted a second opinion, so he goes to his buddies that he grew up with and asks, what do you guys think I should do about this request? Go down to verse 10. Here's the advice Rehoboam's friends give him. The young men who had grown up with him said to him, thus shall you speak to this people who said to you, your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us. Thus you shall say to them, my little finger is thicker than my father's thighs. And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I'll discipline you with scorpions." They're like, you gotta lay down the law, man. You start giving these people stuff, they're gonna take it their whole way. This is the day to be strong. So, what's he gonna do? Verse 13. Here's Rahab on his response to the people when they come back after three days. And the king answered the people harshly. and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given to him, he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your reoak heavy, but I will add to your reoak. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions." Okay, class, do you think this is a good move? Right? Like, no, don't do that. Now, we're just like farmers and teachers and pastors from Iowa. If we can figure this out, why can't Rehoboam? This is a bad idea. Well, partly he's a fool and he's listening to bad counsel, getting all riled up. Partly it's because this is God's plan, right? Through Rehoboam's foolishness, he's going to do what he said and take 10 tribes away. So look here at 1 Kings 12, verse 15. So the king did not listen to the people. For it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by a hydra, the Shiloh night to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. See, not only had God promised to Solomon that he would take these tribes away, but he promised to Jeroboam that he would give him the 10 tribes. And so through the foolishness of Rehoboam, it happened just like God had said. Look at verse 16. And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel. Look now to your own house, David. So Israel went to their tents, and they stayed there for hundreds of years. And the division of the land was not healed. I have a question. What happened to Solomon? Do you remember to David when he was telling him what would come of his son? He made this promise, these words about Solomon. God said, I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men. And we saw that kingdom is going to be taken away. But my steadfast love will not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Okay, my question is, what does the Lord mean, my steadfast love won't depart from him? Maybe he just means, well, I'm not going to take the kingdom away during his life. And I'm not going to take all the kingdom away. I'm going to be faithful to David. But could it be that the Lord is saying something about Solomon personally here? I'm going to discipline him, but my steadfast love will not depart from him. Could it be that Solomon and before he died, humbled himself and came back to the Lord? I think the answer is yes. I think Solomon learned from the discipline of God and took his heart back to where it started, loving the Lord. The reason that I think that is the book of Ecclesiastes. Turn there in your Bibles. OK, so in the middle of your Bible, you got Psalms. Right after Psalms comes Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. We're going to Ecclesiastes. We want to go to the last verse of Ecclesiastes, so chapter 12. We're going to, it's Ecclesiastes. The reason we're turning to Ecclesiastes is that Ecclesiastes was the last book that Solomon wrote. So, seems like it's at the end of his life. He's lived his 40-year reign, he's coming to the end, and Ecclesiastes is kind of his capstone of what he's learned about life on this earth, over his time on earth. And so when we come to Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse 13, we read the last recorded words of King Solomon. Look at what it says, what Solomon says last. The end of the matter, all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment with every secret thing whether good or evil. I think that this shows that Solomon repented. I think, at the end of his life, Solomon bowed his heart in humility before God the Judge. And do you know, if anyone will ever come in humility before God the Judge, He will forgive them. That's an amazing thing, but in Christ who died for you, it's true. I think this is Solomon saying, listen, What's his last words? God knows the secret things. God knows the secret things of your heart. And so fear him and keep his commandments. So friends, whether you are young today, and today is the day of your graduation, or whether you are old and you're nearing the finish line of your life, what's the lesson of Solomon's life for us? It's this. Above all else, Guard your hearts, for from it flow springs of life. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for your word. You say to us in the New Testament that these things of the Old Testament are written for our instruction upon whom the ends of the ages have come. And so, teach us this lesson of Solomon. God, our hearts are deceitful. We even deceive ourselves. Will you grant to us an accurate picture of our own hearts? Lord, if we're here today and we're starting to let go of that consuming love for you and replace it and cling to some other love, will you show us that this morning so that we might cast that away and resolutely, with all that we have, simple-minded, trust in you, give our hearts to you. We just pray that you might make it be that for us. We love you until the end. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. Thanks everyone. God bless you.