Would you turn to 1 Kings 11.
This is in my Bible. I'll wait for that to go on. Look in verse 14 of 1 Kings 11. And the Lord stirred up an adversary
unto Solomon. Verse 23. And God stirred him up another
adversary. Reason, the son of Eliad. Look
in verse 26. And Jeroboam, the son of Nebat,
a Nephrithite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name
was Zerua, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against
the king. Let's pray. Lord, we ask in Christ's name
that we might have your presence and your blessing And that by
your spirit, through your word, you'd speak to our hearts for
the Lord's sake. Lord, we thank you for that son
and the salvation that's in him. Lord, we thank you for the forgiveness
of sin. How grateful we are that you've
made a way to be just and yet justify people like us. We give
thanks. We thank you for the freeness
of your grace. We thank you for your word. We thank you for the
fellowship you allow us to have in our blessed son. Now be our
teacher for Christ's sake. In his name we pray. Amen. If I was going to give this a
title, I would call it the chastisement of Solomon. Turn with me for
a moment to Proverbs chapter three. These are the words of
Solomon. Proverbs chapter three, verse 11. Solomon writes, my
son despised, not the chasing of the Lord, neither be weary
of his correction, for whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth, even
as a father the son in whom he delighteth." Now, thank the Lord
for that passage of scripture. The Lord corrects his children
because he delights in them. Now, This event of Solomon's
correction was prophesied before he was even born. Turn to 2 Samuel
chapter 7. We read where the Lord stirred
up these adversaries. Now this is before Solomon was
born. This was before the event with
Bathsheba, verse 12, And when thy days be fulfilled, God is
speaking to David, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers. I will
set up thy seat after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels,
and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my
name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
I'll be his father and he'll be my son. If he commit iniquity,
I'll chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of
the children of men. Now, We just read where the Lord
raised up three adversaries to him. But, verse 15, my mercy
shall not depart away from him as I took it from Saul, whom
I put away before thee. Now these men that we just read
of were prepared by God to chasten Solomon for his idolatry. We considered that last week.
Now let's pick up in verse 14 of 1 Kings 11. Now, the Lord raised these men
up. He stirred them up. I love that language. You know,
that reminds me that the Lord is in control of everything.
God hath made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked
for the day of evil. He stirred up these men. He prepared
these men for the chastening of his son. And I have no doubt
that Solomon was corrected and that he did once again looked
to Christ only and repented of this idolatry that he had been
guilty of committing. I have no doubt about that because
the Lord's chastening always works. And it's always for the
good of his people. It's not for punishment. It's
because the Lord delighted in Solomon, that he corrected him.
And like I said last week, I don't want to be corrected and
I don't want to be without it. That's how every one of God's
children feel. It's not like, hey, give me a whipping. No,
I don't want to be corrected in that sense, but I don't want
to be without it. I want to have the Lord's correction
just like Solomon did. Now, beginning in verse 14, and
the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon. Remember he said,
I'll chasten him with the stripes of men. And this was one of the
men that he raised up. Remember this, every time you
look at the paper, well, most of you probably don't look at
the paper, you look at your computers, I still read the paper. With
whatever's going on, remember this is the Lord doing it. Doesn't
matter what it is, whatever's taking place in this day, it's
the Lord working. Everybody is employed by the
Lord. He's doing his purpose in all things. There's no unemployment
in the kingdom of heaven. He uses everything. And we're
gonna see that from these scriptures that we're going to look at.
But the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon. Hey dad, the Edomite. He was of the king's seed in
Edom. For it came to pass when David was in Edom and Joab the
captain of the host was gone up to bury the slain after he'd
smitten every male in Edom. Remember, David was a mighty
man of war, and so was Joab. And they had come in and wiped
out Edom. And this man was unable to escape. You know, this was the Lord's
purpose for him to escape. He wasn't wiped out. David and Joab
killed everybody, all males. But this man escaped, all according
to God's purpose, because God was going to preserve him so
he could be an adversary to Solomon. Let's go on reading. For six
months, did Joab remain there with Israel until he cut off
every male in Edom, that Hadad fled. He and certain Edomites
of his father's servants with him to go into Egypt. Hadad being
yet a little child, God preserved him. And they arose out of Midian,
and came to Paran. And they took men with them out
of Paran. And they came to Egypt under
Pharaoh king of Egypt, which gave him an house, and appointed
him vittles, and gave him land. And Hadad found great favor in
the sight of Pharaoh. This was all according to God's
purpose. So that he gave him to wife, the sister of his own
wife, the sister of Taupinus, the queen. And the sister of
Taupinus bare him Ganuba, his son, whom Taupinus weaned in
Pharaoh's house. And Ganuba was in Pharaoh's household
among the house of Pharaoh. And when Hadad heard in Egypt
that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the captain of
the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, let me depart that
I might go to my own country. And I have no doubt that he wanted
vengeance. He was afraid to go back as long
as David was around. As long as Joab was around, these
were men who had just destroyed their nations, and he wasn't
going to go back when those guys were there. But after they died,
he said, let's go back and let's create problems. Then Pharaoh
said unto him, but what hast thou lacked with me, that behold,
thou seekest to go to thine own country? And he answered, nothing,
how be it let me go on any wise. Now this was the adversary God
stirred up. Hold your finger there and turn
to Isaiah 45. Now this was written of Cyrus
over 200 years before Cyrus was born. It's very enlightening. Verse one, Isaiah 45 verse one,
thus say the Lord to his anointed to Cyrus. He's the one who's
going to let the children of Israel go back after the Babylonian
captivity. And this was written 200 years
before he was even born. God is mentioning him by name,
the one that he had raised up. Thus saith the Lord to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I've holden to subdue nations before
him, and I'll loose the loins of kings to open before him the
two-leaved gates, and the gates shall not be shut. I will go
before thee and make the crooked places straight. I will break
in pieces the gates of brass and cut and sunder the bars of
iron, and I will give thee the treasures of darkness and hidden
riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the
Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For
Jacob, my servant's sake, and Israel, mine elect." I love throughout
the book of Isaiah, in the same verse of scripture, he talks
about Jacob and Israel. As every believer, that's the
old man Jacob, the new man Israel. We're going to consider that
more next week, what that means. But for Jacob, my servant's sake,
and Israel, mine elect, I've even called thee by thy name.
I've surnamed thee, though thou has not known me. You don't know
anything about what I'm doing. You don't know that I'm the one
who gave you your name. I am the Lord and there's none else.
There's no God beside me. I girded thee, though thou has
not known me. This wicked king, God says, I'm
in control of you. and every move you're making,
it's only because of my will. Verse six, that they may know
from the rising of the sun and from the west that there's none
else beside me. I'm the Lord and there's none else. I form
the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil.
I, the Lord, do all these things. Now, here Cyrus is prophesied
of 200 years before he was born. He's the one who's going to let
the children of Israel leave Babylon and go back to Jerusalem.
And God said, I've girded thee, I've controlled you. I've purposed
all of this that my purpose might be brought to pass. Now, turn
back to 1 Kings 11. And God stirred up another adversary. I love the way it says God stirred
these men up. You know any adversary you have,
you know why you have him? God stirred him up for your good.
and for His glory. God is in control of everything.
That gives me such comfort. God controls everybody. He controls the free thoughts
and the free actions of men. Men do what they want to do,
uncoerced, totally freely. And God is in absolute sovereign
control of the free actions of everybody and everything. You
know what that means? He's God. He's God. He controls everybody. So here,
another adversary is raised up to create problems for Solomon. And the Lord is going to use
this to bring Solomon back to himself. Look in verse 23. And
God stirred up another adversary. Reason, the son of Elijah, which
fled from his Lord, had Eazar king of Zobah. All this was according
to God's prophets. And he gathered men unto him
and became captain over a band when David slew them. He remembered
David. David was a bloody man and he
killed a whole lot of people and a lot of people wanted vengeance
against Israel because of David. Remember, David had become at
this time, the most powerful man in the world. The Lord put
the fear of David over every nation. And there were people
who hated David. Look at this man. And he gathered
men unto him, and became captain over a band. When David slew
them of Zobah, they went to Damascus, and dwelt there. And he reigned
in Damascus. And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon.
Beside the mischief that Hadad did, and he abhorred Israel and
he reigned over Syria. Now he abhorred Israel because
of David. He remembered what David did and he wanted vengeance
and he was going to create every kind of problem he could create.
This was for Solomon's good. Look in verse 26, I'm going to
read a lengthy passage of scripture here to the end of the chapter
without making much comment on it, but let's see what took place. And Jeroboam, the son of Neboth,
an Ephrathite of Zerudah, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name
was Zeruiah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against
the king. This is the third man God raised up to be an adversary
to Solomon. And this was the cause that he
lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built Milo and
repaired the breaches of the city of David, his father. And
the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. And Solomon, seeing
the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the
charge of the house of Joseph. Now here we have this man that
Solomon observed, this man is going to be good for me. He's
an industrious man. He's a mighty man of valor. He
can be in charge of many of these building projects. Verse 29,
it came to pass at the time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem,
that the prophet Ahijah, the Shilonite, found him in the way,
and he had clad himself with a new garment, and they too were
alone in the field. And Ahijah caught the new garment
that was on him, and ran it in twelve pieces. And he said to
Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces, for thus saith the Lord the God
of Israel, Behold, I'll rend the kingdom out of the hand of
Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee. But he shall have one
tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake,
the city which I've chosen out of all the tribes of Israel,
because they have forsaken me through Solomon's influence. They have forsaken me and have
worshipped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidians, Chemosh, the
god of the Moabites, and Milcom, the god of the children of Ammon.
They've not walked in my ways to do that which is right in
mine eyes, to keep my statutes and my judgments as did David
his father. How be it? I'll not take the whole kingdom
out of his hand, but I will make him prince the days of the life
of David for my servant's sake, whom I chose because he kept
my commandments of my statutes. But I'll take the kingdom out
of his son's hand and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. And unto his son I'll give one
tribe that David my servant might have a light always before me
in Jerusalem, the city which I've chosen me to put my name
there. And I'll take thee, he's speaking to Jeroboam, and thou
shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shall
be king over Israel. And it shall be, if thou would
hearken unto me, unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk
in my ways, and do that which is right in my sight, to keep
my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, then
I'll be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built
for David, and will give Israel unto thee. And I will for this
afflict the seed of David, talking about Solomon, but not forever,
Well, Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. Somehow he
found out about this and Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt unto
Shishak the king of Egypt and was in Egypt until the death
of Solomon and the rest of the acts of Solomon and all that
he did in his wisdom are they not written in the book of the
acts of Solomon. And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem
over Israel was 40 years. And Solomon slept with his father
and was buried in the city of David, his father, and Rehoboam,
his son, reigned in his stead. Now, as I said, I am sure through
the Lord's correction that Solomon was made to look to Christ only
again. It doesn't say this. But whom
the Lord loveth, he correcteth. And the Lord said, I'm not going
to take my mercy from him. And I'm going to correct him.
And his correction always works. He's God. He doesn't try to do
anything. Anything he does is successful. Now, looking at Solomon, we do
not look down upon him. We believe that we will be worse
than him apart from the restraining grace of God. Do you believe
that about yourself? That you personally will be worse
than Solomon if you're not preserved by the Lord himself. Now, what I love about this is
it's a reminder to us that God controls everything. Turn with me to 2 Samuel 24. We looked at this some months
ago. Verse 1, and again, the anger
of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And he moved David against
them to say, go number Israel and Judah. Now you remember that.
David numbered the people without the atonement money. He was viewing
them as just men without looking at them in light of the atonement.
That's why that they were children of Israel. God said, never take
a census without taking the atonement money. David took a census without
the atonement money and says, God moved him to do that. And
in God moving to do that, over 70,000 people were killed because
of that, because of God's anger. Now look in first Chronicles
21. First Chronicles 21, the same
event is spoken of and it says in verse one, and Satan stood
up against Israel. and provoke David to number Israel. Now, in Samuel, it said God did
it. In Chronicles, it said Satan did it. Satan is God's ape, doing
God's will, performing God's purposes. He doesn't know it.
When he provoked David and tempted David to number the people without
the atonement money. He thought, I'm doing this against
God. I'm doing this against the people
of Israel. And he didn't realize he was God's ape doing God's
will, accomplishing God's purposes. Now think of Job. He says to
Satan, the Lord says to Satan, have you considered my servant,
Job? Now, I don't think he had considered
him. He had a lot of other things to do, but God brings up Job
to Satan. Have you considered what a perfect
man he is? And Satan replies, well, you
just made it easy for him. He's the richest man in the world.
He has nothing but riches and wealth and health. And you've
put a hedge about him. He doesn't have any trouble.
You know, and the Lord said, there he is. And you know the
story and all this was used by God. to bring Job to bow the
knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything was used by God. I
think of Peter. Peter, Peter, Satan has asked
permission for you. He's desired to have thee that
he may sift thee as wheat. And that's exactly what he did.
He turned him inside out. But when you're converted, I've
never really thought about this, when you're converted. God had
a purpose in this. It was to bring Peter away from this proud,
arrogant position he was in. Though everybody else denies
you, I won't do it. I'll die with you. Now he meant
it. It was very noble of him to say
that, but he didn't realize the arrogance and the pride that
was controlling him. When you're converted, I'm going
to use this to convert you. You know, we need to be converted
all the time, don't we? That means turned, turned. When you're
turned, strengthen your brethren. I'm going to use this so you'll
be turned and that you will strengthen your brethren. I think the most
powerful example we have of this is Joseph. Joseph, the favorite
of his father, wore the coat of many colors. even had dreams
that his brothers would have to bow down to him. And he even
dreamed that the moon and the stars would bow down before him. Such an obvious type of Christ.
But think about what happened to him. His brothers hated him.
They sold him into slavery. He was shipped down into Egypt. He was falsely accused of something,
put in prison for something he didn't do. He interpreted the
dreams while he was in prison that came true. And they forgot
him even though he was in prison. They didn't do anything for him.
He's left there to rot in prison. The scripture says in Psalm,
I think it's 107, I'm not sure which Psalm it is, but his feet
were put in fetters and he hurt his feet in fetters. And here
he is. Now, God was using all of this, all of these terrible
things that took place to him. And here's where we end up. Turn
to Genesis chapter 45. Verse one, then Joseph could
refrain himself before all them that stood by him. And he cried,
cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with
him while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians
in the house of Pharaoh heard, and Joseph said unto his brethren,
I'm Joseph. Doth my father yet live? And
his brethren could not answer him. for they were troubled at
his presence." Can you imagine how afraid they were? We sold
him as a slave. And now here he is with our lives
in his hands. They were scared to death. And I understand why. Verse four,
and Joseph said to his brethren, come near to me, I pray you.
And they came near and he said, I am Joseph, your brother, whom
you sold into Egypt. He remembered. Somebody says
you ought not ever remember anybody's sins against you. You ought not,
but Joseph remembered, didn't he? The only one who doesn't
remember is the Lord himself, because he made a way to make
that sin not to be. Now, be forgiving like Joseph,
but I think it's I would like to herd the way he said that
I'm Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. I think
he's given a little dig here to let him know you're in my
hands. Verse five. Now, therefore, be not grieved
nor angry with yourselves that you sold me hither. For God did
send me before you to preserve life for these two years hath
the famine been in the land. And yet there are five years
in the which there should neither be earing nor harvest. And God
sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth
and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not
you that sent me hither, but God. You did it and there's no
excuse. It was sinful, but it was God
who did it. Now that is true of everything. God did this. Now, if you would
read the book of Ecclesiastes, which was written by Solomon,
it appears that he wrote this book at the end of his life.
Because remember in the first couple of chapters, how I talked
about all the things that he had tried and found to be vanity. He experienced this, he experienced
that. He talked about all the experiences of life. And he said,
they're all vanity. And I think he was made to see
through the chasing hand of God that everything is in fact vanity.
Vanity of vanity sayeth the preacher, all is vanity. But let's look
at this passage in Ecclesiastes chapter three that he was made
to see. Ecclesiastes chapter three. Verse one. To everything, there is a season
and a time to every purpose under the heaven. The time to be born
and a time to die. The time to plant and a time
to pluck up that which is planted. The time to kill and a time to
heal. A time to break down and a time
to build up. A time to weep and a time to
laugh. A time to mourn and a time to
dance. A time to cast away stones and
a time to gather stones together. A time to embrace and a time
to refrain from embracing. A time to get And a time to lose. A time to keep. And a time to
cast away, just to forget it. A time to rend. And a time to
sow. A time to keep silence. I wish
I'd learned when that time is. And a time to speak. A time to
love. And a time to hate. A time of
war. And a time of peace. What profit
hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth? I've seen
the travail which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised
in it. You know, all that's going on,
we don't get it. He does. He does. He hath made everything beautiful
in his time. Everything beautiful in his time. Also, he hath set the world in
their hearts so that no man can find out the work that God maketh
from the beginning to the end. I know that there's no good in
them, but for a man to rejoice and to do good in his life, and
also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good
of all his labor. It's the gift of God. Now I know that whatsoever
God doeth, it shall be forever. Nothing can be put to it, nor
anything taken from it. And God doeth it that men should
fear before him. That which hath been, is now,
and that which is to be hath already been, and God requireth
that which is past. Now let's close by turning to
Hebrews chapter 12. This is where the writer to the
Hebrews quotes Solomon, what we read initially in Proverbs
chapter 3 verses 10 and 11. Verse 5. Hebrews chapter 12, and have
you forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto
children? Wonder how much we forget. That's
why we need to hear the gospel over and over again. Because
as soon as we hear it and walk out the door, we forget. And
that's what was happening here. He says, have you forgotten?
And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto
children. My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord,
nor faint when thou are rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth,
he chasteneth, and he scourges every son whom he receiveth.
If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons.
For what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if you be
without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you
bastards and not sons. Furthermore, we've had fathers
of our flesh, which corrected us, and we gave them reverence.
Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the father of
spirits and live? For they verily for a few days
chastened us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit." that we might be partakers of
His holiness. Now, no chastening for the present
time seems to be joyous but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward, it yieldeth
the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised
thereby." Now, God raised up these adversaries to Solomon,
and he was chastened with the men And who was in control of
all? God. And it was for Solomon's
good and His glory.