First Kings
Thursday, August 5, 2010
When Worse Comes to Worse
(I Kings 8:44-53)
Whenever someone asks, “What’s the worst that can happen?” you better look out! More often than not, the worst possible circumstance is headed your way—likely at the speed of light. When someone suggests the worst outcome as a real possibility, fasten your seatbelts! Worse coming to worse is more likely than we’re comfortable admitting. When things get bad, they usually get markedly worse. That’s just how it is in life.
Solomon, along with the nation, was on a spiritual high. The presence of the Lord had just filled the newly completed temple. God gave his nod of approval by visibly taking up residence in Jerusalem. He sanctified the temple by His manifest presence. After such a benchmark spiritual experience, how could either the nation or the king ever stray from God?
As a wise king, Solomon was aware that the spiritual high of dedication day wouldn’t last forever. The nation, more quickly than imagined, would settle into a comfortable spiritual routine. Temple worship would become more commonplace. Sacrifices that were once the delight of the worshipper would become a bit burdensome. In short, the presence of God would eventually be taken for granted. Once the people tired of Jehovah, they would—as history testifies—turn to heathen idols. And, of course, God’s wrath would fall upon His people.
Solomon foresaw a day when worse would come to worse—when God’s people would be taken in captivity (46). But he also saw the possibility of Israel’s repentance and return (47, 48). So he prayed that God would hear His people exiled in foreign lands (49). He prayed that God would sustain them, and that He would forgive them (50). When worse comes to worse in your life, when you sin grievously against God, remember that His ear is attuned to your penitent cry. He is eager to forgive, and in forgiving, He restores.
