Solomon’s enemies

30. June 2010 by Bernice Davis.

Hello Everyone: 

Our text for today deals with Solomon’s enemies.  Up until this point, God had given Solomon rest but when he allowed his heart to be turned towards other gods, God raised up an adversary against him.   

Here is our text:

I Kings 11:14 Then the LORD raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. 15 Earlier when David was fighting with Edom, Joab the commander of the army, who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom. 16 Joab and all the Israelites stayed there for six months, until they had destroyed all the men in Edom. 17 But Hadad, still only a boy, fled to Egypt with some Edomite officials who had served his father. 18 They set out from Midian and went to Paran. Then taking men from Paran with them, they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food. 19 Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage. 20 The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son named Genubath, whom Tahpenes brought up in the royal palace. There Genubath lived with Pharaoh’s own children. 21 While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David rested with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was also dead. Then Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, that I may return to my own country.” 22 “What have you lacked here that you want to go back to your own country?” Pharaoh asked. “Nothing,” Hadad replied, “but do let me go!” 23 And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24 He gathered men around him and became the leader of a band of rebels when David destroyed the forces [of Zobah]; the rebels went to Damascus, where they settled and took control. 25 Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram and was hostile toward Israel.

Our text teaches us that Solomon’s enemies came from battles that David fought.   Hadad was a small boy when Joab killed the men of Edom and when he learned that both David and Joab were dead, he came back to be an enemy to Solomon. 

I look at the stories of the bible and my own life and I look at how God promised them a wonderful life if they just obeyed.   Oh…. How simplistic things could be if we just obey.   Wow…. Makes me want to do so much better.

Stay encouraged everyone and don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »