Solomon’s Enemies

Synopsis     1Kings 11:11-21     4/29/2019 

Solomon married an unimaginable number of women. In doing so, he took many foreign women as wives. And these women did not serve the Lord. But instead, they continued to serve the gods from their own people. 

So, the Lord God spoke to Solomon for the third time in his life. And this time, he informed Solomon that he would rip most of the kingdom away from the house of David and give it to one of Solomon’s servants.  

With this, it became clear that Solomon’s reign was not without turmoil. And the enemies that David and Solomon had created in the process of expanding the power of the Israelite kingdom, suddenly reappeared. 

Solomon’s Enemies 

It probably shouldn’t be a surprise that Israel had enemies. The Israelites always had enemies. And the relative peace that came with King Solomon’s reign was the result of Israel’s sudden increase in economic and military power. And so, Solomon wisely used the period to build up the culture and infrastructure of Israel, so that it could remain a power.

However, Israel really did have enemies. And these included people whose lives had been devastated by Israel’s expansion. One of these was Hadad, who had been rescued from extermination by Joab’s forces when they invaded Edom. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave Hadad asylum. And so, Hadad became a favorite in Pharaoh’s court. And so, he remained as a potential adversary until both David and Joab died. It was in this way, and at this time, that this particular adversary returned to his own land. 

Adversaries Everywhere 

Sometimes I pine for peace. In those moments, I just wish that the world of my circumstances was without adversity.  

But I know this wish isn’t reality. I live in a world where there are always adversaries. 

At the most basic level, I live in a physical world filled with germs and parasites and predator animals. And all of these seek to make a meal of me. They never give up. They just bide their time until the opportunity is right. That’s when they strike. 

And the only thing that keeps them at bay is my alertness to danger, my habits of hygiene and the quality of my immune system.  

It’s the same in our walk with God. As the apostle once said, “we war against powers and principalities”. Faith is what protects me. My habits of prayer support my relationship with Jesus – but He protects me.

A knowing man eventually comes to realize that this is the only legitimate hope.

“For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.” Eph 6:12