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Chronicles 11:23 “He dealt wisely, and
dispersed some of his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and
Benjamin, to every fortified city; and he gave them provisions in abundance. He
also sought many wives for them.”
At times, Christians do certain things or go
through a particular life thinking what they are doing or going through only
matters to them.
One wrongly assumes that each life and style chosen is
totally independent from that of another. And thus insist on a certain kind of
life and even pass it on to their children even when it may be contrary to Biblical
truth and values.
Truth be told, no one Christian is absolutely independent from all others in their Christian conduct.
There are other Christians, people of the earth everywhere, and our children included that are ever learning from
who we are than what we say or teach.
Solomon, what he was and what he taught had a great
barring on what become of his children. the text that heads this article is a great example of what Solomon's son learned from him. You can quickly observe two things: Solomon's great administrative abilities but also his multiplicity of wives (contrary to what was commanded of kings in Deuteronomy 17:17: "Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away..."). These two things coupled with his great wisdom stand tall in Solomon's life.
Among the pillars of Solomon's life One thing that stood out with so much negativity and brought a lot of regret in his later years was his marriages to countless women; far more than enough. It is no wonder that many of his sons followed suit. Thank God he later realized and taught otherwise “Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life…” (Eccl 9:8). Meaning, one wife was enough. However, and sadly so, in this area, many of his sons learned more from his life than his teaching.
Rehoboam, Solomon’s inheritor and son, one being addressed in the above text, was, in my understanding, the wildest son in acquiring wives
and concubines. He went to the point of even marring his own auntie and niece. As
though that was not enough, Rehoboam further
engaged himself in a campaign of seeking many wives for his sons.
Friends, it does not matter which side of life we decide to take; good or bad, we sure do need to be mindful of who we are
and what we do with our lives. There are people watching and hearing us daily. Our
friends in our areas of placement, many other young in the Lord in the church
and especially children in our homes. They look up to us and learn more from
what they see in us much more than what they hear from us. Besides, what they hear
blesses them more when we walk the talk.
Therefore, Here then is your encouragement; guard your life. In
so doing you will be guarding and guiding a multitude of others who are ever
watching you.
