wisdom of Soloman

I think it shows that if Solomon is capable of making mistakes and survive, then there hope for the rest of us "less wise" folks

 

I have a theory on this topic. All of the commands in God's Word should be obeyed, I think we'd all agree. But have you considered that the "negative" commands carry more weight in regards to consequenses than do the "positive" commands?

For example, God told Adam and Eve they could eat from every tree in the garden. He said they couldn't eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If they failed to obey the positive commands, nothing would have happened. They wouldn't have starved. But to disobey the negative command meant death and plunged the human race into sin.

You and I do the same thing. We tell our children, "You may play in the sandbox, jump on the trampoline, shoot basketball in the driveway, but do not play in the road!"

Nothing will much happen if our child ingnores the positive commands. He'll be alright if he does not play in the sand box or does not jump on the trampoline, or shoot baskets in the driveway. But if he disobeys the negative command and plays in the road, he may be killed. The negative command carries the greater weight.

How does this apply to Solomon? Notice Deuteronomy chapter 17. Verses 18 and 19 give us some positive commands that Solomon was to do.
Deut 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life : that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do themKJV)

In verses 16 and 17 we see the negative commands that Solomon was NOT supposed to do.
Deut 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself , nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself , that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. (KJV)

We don't know if Solomon obeyed the positive commands; we assume he did. Biut we know for certain that he disobeyed the negative commands.

1Kings 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. (KJV)

Exactly what God said would happen, happened.

I believe there is a lesson in here for all of us.

 

He got 1,000 Mother In Laws~

Just Kidding... Great reply, Pastor Bob. We had that question in Sunday School last quarter and your answer is excellent. I think I'll cut and paste, with your permission, and send it to my S/S class via email! Okay with you?

Diane Tavegia

 

There is no difference between positive and negative commands. Commands come with consequences, whether or not they are stated in the positive or negative.

If I tell my daughter she "may" play in the sand box, then that is not a command it is an option. If it were a command there would be a consequence if she did NOT play in the sand box.

Look at the 10 commandments, most of them are listed in the negative, but a few are listed in the positive. Remember the Sabbath day, is listed in the positive without the "Thou shalt not" in front of it, but if this law was broken it still required a punishment of death.

~Lorelei

 

I can agree that disobeying any command of God comes with consequences. But I still assert that disobeying the negative commands carry the greater weight.

It is like two road signs. The first says, "Drive Carefully" That is a positive command. If you disobey that command, you may or may not get injured.

The negative command would be like a sign that said, "Danger! Bridge Out-DO NOT ENTER!" If you disobey that command, you are in big trouble.

 

I love to follow this commandment, that "ye believe upon the name of the Lord"

1 John 3: 21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

 

Wise doe not equal smart. I know plenty of smart people who are very foolish. I also know some folks who...uh...let's just say they are no threat in trivial pursuit, yet, they make good decisions in how to run their lives and please the Lord (true wisdom). Solomon's wisdom was in making righteous judgements as a king. He KNEW what was right but didn't necessarily follow his own good advice.

 

We could both come up with different examples all day. If you are going to to assert this based off of Solomon, do so scripturally. I already mentioned a command that said "Remember the Sabbath day to Keep it Holy" and the penalty for not obeying was death. Some of the "Thou Shalt Nots" of those same 10 commandments had a weaker penalty than that.

It's a nice theory, but it's not scriptural.
~Lorelei

 

What about Achan and the Battle of Jericho? He obeyed the positive commands, he went to battle and helped wipe out the enemy. But, he disobeyed the negative command to "take not of the unccursed thing."

What would have happened if Achan would have went to the battle and simply stood around and watched the action? He would have been guilty of disobeying a postive command but I seriously doubt the consequences would have been as severe.

He disobeyed the negative command and it cost him and his family their lives. I'd say the negative command carried the greater weight.

This truth is most definitely a scriptural principle. I see it played out in the real world everyday.

To answer your example, what would have happened to a man who didn't keep the Sabbath holy? He just went to his tent and stayed home. He may not even believe in the true God. He may go into his tent and worship an idol. Nothing would have happened. Sure he would observe the negative aspects of this commandment like not working, not picking up sticks, etc.. Why? Because the negative commands carry the greater consequences.

But if he violated the other commandments that where negative commands, the penalty would have been death.

 

This positive command leads to these grave consequences.

This negative command leads to less severe consequences.

Yes, there are times when the positively stated commands have less severe consequences, and there are times when they do not. It is not a "rule" of scripture.

~Lorelei

 

Do you think that the books written after he committed those sins would have been written if he hadn't sinned? As God has seen His will to be done, what was done in sin, God gave it for a good purpose. Solomon's life experiences were all "vanity" and he found nothing good "under the sun". We can now read about the good and the bad instead of finding those experiences and results through our own experiences.