Exception to the Rule

"Solomon loved the Lord and followed all the decrees of his father, David, except that Solomon, too, offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local places of worship. The most important of these places of worship was at Gibeon, so the king went there and sacrificed 1000 burnt offerings. That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, 'What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you.'" 1 Kings 3: 3-5

Usually this passage is quoted to show Solomon's noble request for wisdom. He could have ANYTHING and God promised to give it to him, but he requested wisdom. Now the rest of the story is that God did grant this request and then some. Because Solomon's request pleased God, God made him the wisest man that ever lived - or ever will live. (1 Kings 3:10-12) But wait! There's more! God also made him the richest and most famous man at the time (1 Kings 3:13-14)

But lets take another look at the passage quoted above - specifically verse 3. Though Solomon loved the Lord and followed the Lord, there was a bit of a problem. Did you see it in this passage, "except that Solomon, too, offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local places of worship." Oooooo!!! EXCEPT, except what? EXCEPT is a term usually applied when someone is not following the rules! Except that Solomon was not obedient in worshipping God the way God had commanded His people. Check out Deuteronomy 12:13, 14. God's Laws said the Israelites were to sacrifice only in SPECIFIED places AND that it was to be done under the watchful eye of the priests. Even King Solomon was not immune to God's Law. Notice also, that God did not appear to Solomon as he was offering the sacrifices, but only later that night. Further showing that though God honored Solomon's prayer, but He did not condone the inappropriate sacrifice.

Here's the bottom line. We are all held to accountability to God. God will and does answer our prayers. But, that doesn't mean He is pleased with everything that we are doing. Sometimes He is thrilled with us, like He was with Solomon for asking for wisdom. But other times, maybe not so much. BUT HE ALWAYS LOVES US NO MATTER WHAT! Furthermore, WE CAN ALWAYS CALL ON HIM TO FORGIVE US and HELP US!

We are all human here. We all struggle in our Christian walk every day. Some days we get it right and those days are just AWESOME, aren't they! Some days, well, we mess up big time and wish we could just start the day over. But no matter what, we can rely on Him to help us live righteously - EVERY SINGLE DAY! It's tough. It's overwhelming at times. It can even become tiresome and weary at times. We may experience 'burn out.' And yes, we sometimes fall back into our comfort zone - allowing our past habits and sin to creep into our lives again. Why? Because it's what is most familiar to us. It's not what we want, but it's what happens sometimes. And sometimes, we do cave in to the world and it's demands. Look at Solomon, he worshipped at the most 'important' place of worship - Gibeon. Important in whose eyes? God's or the world's. This happens even today. I've known people who chose the church they attend solely for socio-economic, political, social gain, or other worldly reasons - churches that are important to them because they think they have worldly advantages for attending. (Not that the church is worldly, just that the person's reason for attending the church is worldly.) I'm not judging these people for it - they told me this themselves.

Don't let spiritual missteps keep you from EXPERIENCING GOD in your life. Experience the FULLNESS of what He has to offer you. He'll give you the strength to overcome obstacles that steer you off course and will help you get back on track. Simply ask Him where the 'exceptions' are in your life. Then follow through in obedience to correct what He has revealed to you.

In His Love, Cathy