Sunday, September 17, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading
1 Kings 11:1–13

King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the Israelites, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you; for they will surely incline your heart to follow their gods”; Solomon clung to these in love. Among his wives were seven hundred princesses and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. For Solomon followed Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not completely follow the Lord, as his father David had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who offered incense and sacrificed to their gods.

Then the Lord was angry with Solomon, 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 matter, that he should not follow other gods; but he did not observe what the Lord commanded. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your mind and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of your father David I will not do it in your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. I will not, however, tear away the entire kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.” (NRSV)

Reflection
In the Bible this passage is called "Solomon’s Wives" — I’ve entitled it “What Happened to the Wisdom?"

Solomon had 1,000 women in his household, which included at least 700 wives and 300 concubines. Reading this passage, it was difficult to relate to what was going on. First of all, clearly the women were given and traded much as property and used for creating political alliances with other kings and nations. Secondly, given the great wealth, accomplishments, women, and fame Solomon enjoyed, it was clear he was a celebrity and, it seems to me, addicted to power and all he possessed. What happened to the wisdom?

In attempting to relate to this story at a devotional heart level, I had to read the whole book of 1 Kings. Solomon in his younger years and while building Israel’s empire had a unique and reciprocal relationship with God. God loved him, spoke with him in direct encounters, and worked through Solomon. In turn, Solomon loved God, asked wisely for wisdom, and was blessed with riches and more. He was given the important tasks of building the temple and the palace and strengthening the kingdom of Israel. He was in right relationship with his purpose, legacy, and God.

But then something happened and it all shifted. He went from an intimate relationship with God to what seems like an ego-driven, excessive, addictive lifestyle, relying instead on the ideas, preferences, and influence of his court and wives. He forgot who he was, stopped communication with his inner wisdom and God, and abandoned the responsibility of his calling.

So, how does this relate to us today? Thinking of our current world situation, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest, many were in a comfortable, complacent state. Perhaps a state of denial. Then in came the chaos, turmoil, and a breaking apart of the way things were. This created a lot of fear, confusion, and uncertainty. For many people this led to more isolation and separation from a feeling of connection to self, others, and God. For some, it led to more addictions, anger, reactivity, and higher levels of self-absorption. The ego, having less connection to stability, wisdom, and awareness of who we are, could take the steering wheel and drive lives based on fear and individualism and attach to the influence of others (media, politics, corporations, etc.). We were forgetting who we are.

As humans, we forget that we are still being held in a divine love relationship with an invitation to align with that love. The forgetting of our identity and divine relationship happens because of fear, outside influences, or because of complacency and a sense of entitlement.

The question is how do we surrender to the invitation and align with God, taking responsibility for our side of the relationship? It requires tending our spiritual life with practices and routines that will strengthen and ground us in the truth of who we are. It reminds me of the final lines of the song “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” which is a prayer we could hold dear in our hearts.

Prayer
“O, make me thine forever, and should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to thee.” Amen.

(Prayer from the medieval Latin hymn “O Sacred, Head Now Wounded”)

Reflection written by Susan Schemper, Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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