Thorns

Sitting this morning and the sun streams in on my Bible, and I find myself grateful. I am reading the life of Solomon in brief today. Come with me?

Here’s his beginning:

1 Kings 4

²⁹ God gave Solomon wisdom, very great insight, and understanding as vast as the sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹ He was wiser than anyone—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, sons of Mahol. His reputation extended to all the surrounding nations.

³² Solomon composed 3,000 proverbs, and his songs numbered 1,005. ³³ He described trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall. He also taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. ³⁴ People came from everywhere, sent by every king on earth who had heard of his wisdom, to listen to Solomon’s wisdom.

Solomon begins with wisdom. Notice, please, who gives him this wisdom. Notice, please, where this source is found. He did not find this wisdom. He did not study hard enough. It was given to him. Then, as a result of his wisdom, wealth, fame, land was added.

Now to the end of Solomon’s life.

1 Kings 11

⁹ The Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. ¹⁰ He had commanded him about this, so that he would not follow other gods, but Solomon did not do what the Lord had commanded.

¹¹ Then the Lord said to Solomon, “Since you have done this^[b] and did not keep My covenant and My statutes, which I commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. ¹² However, I will not do it during your lifetime because of your father David; I will tear it out of your son’s hand. ¹³ Yet I will not tear the entire kingdom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son because of my servant David and because of Jerusalem that I chose.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The process was gradual, but it happened. Solomon, over time, made choices to walk away from his first love. The one who gave him all that he had. God had given him clear guidelines to follow and he made slow, deliberate choices to go the absolute other way. He chose a foreign wife. One step. He built an idol worship for her. One step. He worshiped with her. One step. He sacrificed. One step. All of a sudden, a heart once on fire for the Living God has turned cold.

Before I sound like I am judging Solomon, I am not. You are not in my head this morning, but I today wrote in my study, I am thankful for my thorns. (Hence the picture today.)

I am thankful for the thorns in my life that keep me close to Jesus’ side. I am thankful for the ways I am entirely dependent on Jesus for breath and life. Solomon grew attached more to the idea of his wealth, his wives, his kingdom. Each drew him further and further from reliance on God’s heart. I am finding that while I am not relishing the thorns in my life, I do realize how much closer I rely on Jesus. A hymn comes to mind, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, reminds of this very idea.

 Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee:
prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above. 

I am in his debt, and I am so grateful to be so. I know that my heart will wander and dear Lord, let your goodness bind my wandering heart to you. Miriam Webster defines a fetter as a chain or shackle for the feet. How easy to wander in this time and day. Fear can make my mind wander. News can make me jump on the hamster wheel.

So, I ask the Lord, keep me grounded in Jesus today. I want to stay humble. So, today, I begin with thankfulness for my scars and stand wanting more of him today. It may sound a bit strange but notice the peace that comes from relaying on him in the storm.

So, take a moment, and watch this.

Then, watch the song again. 🙂