So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord as David, his father, had done.
– 1 Kings 11:6
This is such a sad verse, a summary of Solomon’s life and leadership that ends with such a sad legacy. We see God blessing Solomon in so many ways, and yet Solomon’s heart turned away from God toward sexual immorality, toward the possessions of this world, toward the fame and praise of this world. We see Solomon tempted in so many ways you and I are tempted today. When it comes to sexual immorality, when it comes to living for the possessions and praise of this world, when it comes to turning away from God’s ways, and see the description here. Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord.
This Verse Calls for Full Commitment to Christ
Let’s pray that God will help us not to let sin have a foothold in our lives. May we wholly follow Christ.
This verse just compels us to pray that God would help us to wholly follow him. Let’s just pray that right now. God, I don’t presume to know what everyone who’s listening to this right now is tempted by in their lives right now. I know various temptations I’m surrounded with right now in this world. God we pray, we pray to you to help us to wholly follow you, completely follow you. We pray that you would not let sin get any kind of foothold in our lives. God, we pray to you uncover any footholds where that is the case right now.
1 Kings 11:6 Prays for Clean Minds
God I pray, I pray that you would even bring to my heart and mind right now, and as I finish this podcast episode and others right now and as this podcast episode ends God please bring to our hearts and minds any and every way right now or we’re not wholly following you. Please cleanse our minds. God cleanse our desires, our thoughts, our desires, our actions, our words. Lord cause us to wholly follow you we pray. We see the sad legacy in Solomon’s life.
What started with so much blessing, with so much promise and you saying, “Solomon follow me, trust me, walk with me,” and the effects of what happened when he didn’t. Not just on him but on so many others. Oh God we pray, guard us from that, guard us from sin, protect us from ourselves, help us to wholly follow you. God I pray for that in my life, I pray for those who are listening right now. God please, by your grace, by your grace Jesus. We confess, we know we fall short.
1 Kings 11:6 Encourages Hearts Focused on God
All of us have sinned and fall short of your glory. We have not wholly followed you. Jesus we praise you for paying the price for our sin against God. We praise you for forgiving us God through what Jesus did on the cross for us, and so we pray in light of this grace you’d help us to live now with hearts wholly focused on you. Help us to love you with all our heart, and all our soul, and all our mind, and all our strength. God may it be said today, may it be said that I wholly followed you. That those who are listening right now wholly followed you. Please help us, help us by your grace, by your power at work in us. Jesus, please help us to wholly follow you today. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
