A Flicker of Fame

Reading of the Day 4/11/25: 1 Kings 10-12

1 Kings 10:7: Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.

Just as quickly as a flame can light up a candle, it can be put out just as fast. This is unfortunately what happened with king Solomon. The Queen of Sheba came to see him & spoke the words above. She basically was saying that his fame, prosperity & wisdom were far greater than she ever imagined...she had to see it to believe it! But sadly, the chapter following this one tells of Solomon's downfall. He married many wives who served many different gods, and soon he forgot The One True God who gave him his position, palace & precious gifts in the first place! In one chapter, we see someone giving Solomon admiration & fame, and in the next, we see that's the very thing that destroyed him! Fame is like a flame! How quickly that light can be put out when we forget it's true meaning! Solomon should have made sure to make The Name of The Lord famous among those giving him admiration! He should have made The Name of The Lord famous among his wives so they did not carry his heart away toward other gods! If this had been the case, Solomon's flicker of fame would have been a fire burning for generations to come. Instead, one tribe stayed loyal to Solomon's son when he took the throne, and the rest went and served under another king. The Lord stated that this division of the kingdom would take place before it actually happened, and sure enough, it did! Also, Solomon's son wouldn't have even had a tribe to reign over if it hadn't been for the loyalty of David! God only kept that one tribe for David's sake! David's fire was still burning bright, while Solomon's flicker of fame only lasted so long. We must be careful not to allow ourselves to try to exalt ourselves above God! If we come into success, it is because of Him! If we are delivered, it is because of Him! We must make The Name of Jesus famous, lighting a fire & passion which burns brightly for all eternity!