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00:00:01 Solomon had three horrible half brothers 00:00:06 —Amnon, 00:00:08 Adonijah, and Absalom. 00:00:12 They were a lot older than he was, 00:00:15 but Solomon didn’t try to imitate them. 00:00:18 And he didn’t allow himself to be stumbled 00:00:20 by their bad conduct, as if to say, 00:00:23 ‘Well, if that’s the kind of people they have around here, 00:00:25 I want nothing to do with Jehovah’s Witnesses.’ 00:00:28 No, Solomon followed his own path. 00:00:31 He developed a strong personal relationship with Jehovah God. 00:00:36 And remember what the Bible says about Solomon in the beginning? 00:00:41 Jehovah loved him. 00:00:44 Isn’t that nice? 00:00:46 Wouldn’t you love it if that were said about you? 00:00:49 I would. 00:00:50 Jehovah loved Solomon, 00:00:52 and Jehovah blessed Solomon in many ways. 00:00:56 For example, while Solomon was faithful, Israel was at peace. 00:01:00 In fact, Solomon said: “Jehovah my God has given me rest [all around]. 00:01:05 “There is no one opposing me 00:01:07 and nothing bad [is] happening.” 00:01:13 So it was only after Solomon became unfaithful 00:01:16 that resisters were raised up in Israel. 00:01:20 Not only was Israel at peace when Solomon was at peace with God, 00:01:24 but Israel was rich. 00:01:27 Solomon had no financial problems. 00:01:29 The Bible says that the silver was as common as the stones. 00:01:33 But when Solomon started drawing away from Jehovah, 00:01:37 Jehovah withdrew his blessing. 00:01:40 So that prosperity didn’t last even during Solomon’s reign. 00:01:44 Insight tells us 00:01:47 that there was a drain on Israel’s economy. 00:01:50 Solomon was still spending money as if it were going out of style, 00:01:54 but he didn’t have the income that he once had. 00:01:57 And so, even materially, Israel suffered. 00:02:01 And Rehoboam did not inherit the wealth from Solomon 00:02:04 that Solomon had had at the peak of his reign. 00:02:08 Now, as our comment points out, for much of his reign, 00:02:11 Solomon did a lot of good things. 00:02:14 But is it possible that right from the beginning, 00:02:18 as involved as Solomon was in theocratic projects, 00:02:22 there was a little red flag 00:02:25 that something wasn’t quite right? 00:02:29 It’s possible. 00:02:31 Now, as our comment points out, when Solomon became king, 00:02:34 he was a young man, but he was a young married man. 00:02:39 In fact, when he became king, 00:02:41 Solomon had probably been married for a couple of years already. 00:02:44 He had a little boy. He was a daddy. 00:02:46 He had a little boy—one-year-old Rehoboam. 00:02:51 But who was his wife 00:02:54 —probably his first wife? 00:02:56 She was an Ammonitess. 00:03:01 Ammonitess—what do we remember about “Ammonitess”? 00:03:05 Oh, yes, Deuteronomy chapter 23 00:03:12 and verse 3. 00:03:16 Now, remember, when Solomon gets married, King David is still alive. 00:03:20 David is probably at the wedding. 00:03:22 Now, here’s what Deuteronomy 23:3 says: 00:03:26 “No Ammonite 00:03:28 “or Moabite may come into the congregation of Jehovah. 00:03:32 “Even to the tenth generation, 00:03:35 “none of their descendants 00:03:37 may ever come into the congregation of Jehovah.” 00:03:42 What part of “never” did Solomon not understand? 00:03:47 And so could that mean that even before he became king, 00:03:52 Solomon had a casual view of Jehovah’s laws on marriage? 00:03:57 It’s possible. 00:03:59 Well, why do we say “possible”? 00:04:01 Well, without being dogmatic, 00:04:04 Insight says that there may have been exceptions for foreign women 00:04:07 like Ruth the Moabitess. 00:04:10 But Insight also says 00:04:13 that Solomon’s Ammonite wife 00:04:15 possibly contributed to his apostasy. 00:04:18 In any event, why was the first wife 00:04:22 a foreign woman and an Ammonitess to boot? 00:04:28 Now, if Solomon had married a nice Jewish girl 00:04:31 (just one) 00:04:34 and ‘rejoiced with the wife of his youth,’ 00:04:37 don’t you think that the history of Israel would have been much different? 00:04:40 I think it would have been. 00:04:42 Well, let’s take a moment to think about the women Solomon did marry 00:04:46 —pagan women. 00:04:49 Now, you may have relatives who are not in the truth; 00:04:53 you love your relatives, and you go visit from time to time. 00:04:57 But how long is it before you run out of things to talk about? 00:05:01 Because we just don’t have the most important thing in common—the truth. 00:05:07 So we have to ask: 00:05:09 Why was Solomon so comfortable with these pagan women? 00:05:14 What did he talk about? 00:05:16 Well, you can be sure he wasn’t studying The Watchtower with them. 00:05:19 But what was he doing? 00:05:21 What was the attraction to these foreign women? 00:05:24 Was it their humility? 00:05:27 their modest dress? 00:05:30 their “chaste conduct”? 00:05:32 their “quiet and mild spirit”? 00:05:35 Or was it mainly physical? 00:05:39 Let’s be blunt. 00:05:41 Solomon was attracted to the wrong kind of woman. 00:05:47 And there may have been early warning signs. 00:05:50 Speaking of “red flags,” when Solomon began marrying many women, 00:05:55 did a prophet or a priest ever approach him 00:05:58 and give him some counsel? 00:06:00 Did they ever read Deuteronomy 17:17, which applied directly to the king? 00:06:06 Deuteronomy 17:17 00:06:09 —it says about the king: 00:06:11 “Neither should he take many wives for himself, 00:06:14 so that his heart may not go astray.” 00:06:19 Well, if he did receive that counsel, he certainly didn’t apply it. 00:06:23 And if he didn’t receive that counsel, we wonder, ‘Why not?’ 00:06:28 Well, what’s the application? 00:06:30 Today, we may be very busy in Jehovah’s organization, 00:06:35 but we have to be alert to any red flags 00:06:39 that despite outward appearances, all is not well with us. 00:06:44 A single brother is a regular publisher. 00:06:47 He’s a regular meeting attender. 00:06:50 But on his nights off, he likes to go to nightclubs, 00:06:53 and he’s comfortable in that atmosphere. 00:06:56 He isn’t shy about striking up conversations with worldly people, 00:07:01 and he loves to dance. 00:07:03 Well, there are no sisters there, so he dances with worldly women. 00:07:07 What’s the attraction? 00:07:09 He is busy in the congregation, 00:07:12 but there’s something there that isn’t quite right. 00:07:17 A young pioneer brother loves to flirt. 00:07:19 Several young sisters think he’s interested only in them. 00:07:23 The attention makes them feel special. 00:07:28 A ministerial servant 00:07:30 spends a lot of time talking to a married woman. 00:07:34 When he was asked about it, he justifies it and says: “We’re just friends. 00:07:38 We’re just talking.” 00:07:40 Famous last words. 00:07:42 A fine young sister is offended 00:07:45 when an older sister approaches her and points out that her skirts and jeans 00:07:50 are too tight, too revealing. 00:07:54 Well, all of these are red flags. 00:07:57 We need to examine ourselves from time to time to see whether, 00:08:01 no matter how many privileges we have, 00:08:03 something isn’t quite right. 00:08:08 When it comes to choosing a mate, 00:08:10 Solomon’s example can be instructive to us. 00:08:13 Now, what qualities do we value in a marriage mate 00:08:17 —spiritual qualities? 00:08:19 Or is it merely the physical 00:08:21 and we hope that the spiritual will catch up later? 00:08:24 A younger sister is getting acquainted with a young brother. 00:08:28 He is really good looking and has a great personality 00:08:31 and gets along with everybody. 00:08:33 But how is he doing spiritually? 00:08:35 Does he have a good schedule for theocratic activities, and does he stick to it? 00:08:40 For example: If you mention an article in a recent magazine, 00:08:44 does he often say, “I must have missed that one”? 00:08:48 If that’s what happens, it’s a bad sign. 00:08:52 Does he make spiritual activities a priority in his life? 00:08:56 If he doesn’t do that while he is single, 00:08:58 what makes you think that he’s going to do it after you get married? 00:09:02 Will you change him, or will he change you? 00:09:08 As our comment reminds us, Solomon enjoyed many privileges. 00:09:12 But he apparently felt that some of God’s laws just didn’t apply to him. 00:09:16 Why not? 00:09:17 Well, we don’t know. 00:09:18 Could it be what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes: 00:09:22 ‘The king does whatever he wants’? 00:09:24 Maybe so. 00:09:27 Solomon multiplied horses and acquired many wives for himself. 00:09:32 So, what’s the lesson for us? 00:09:34 No matter how long we’ve been in the truth, 00:09:36 no matter how many privileges we have, 00:09:39 no matter how much Jehovah has used us, 00:09:41 we can’t afford to let down our guard. 00:09:45 We must guard our heart, 00:09:48 and we mustn’t ignore any red flags 00:09:50 that might indicate that all is not well.
00:00:01 Solomon had three horrible half brothers 00:00:06 —Amnon, 00:00:08 Adonijah, and Absalom. 00:00:12 They were a lot older than he was, 00:00:15 but Solomon didn’t try to imitate them. 00:00:18 And he didn’t allow himself to be stumbled 00:00:20 by their bad conduct, as if to say, 00:00:23 ‘Well, if that’s the kind of people they have around here, 00:00:25 I want nothing to do with Jehovah’s Witnesses.’ 00:00:28 No, Solomon followed his own path. 00:00:31 He developed a strong personal relationship with Jehovah God. 00:00:36 And remember what the Bible says about Solomon in the beginning? 00:00:41 Jehovah loved him. 00:00:44 Isn’t that nice? 00:00:46 Wouldn’t you love it if that were said about you? 00:00:49 I would. 00:00:50 Jehovah loved Solomon, 00:00:52 and Jehovah blessed Solomon in many ways. 00:00:56 For example, while Solomon was faithful, Israel was at peace. 00:01:00 In fact, Solomon said: “Jehovah my God has given me rest [all around]. 00:01:05 “There is no one opposing me 00:01:07 and nothing bad [is] happening.” 00:01:13 So it was only after Solomon became unfaithful 00:01:16 that resisters were raised up in Israel. 00:01:20 Not only was Israel at peace when Solomon was at peace with God, 00:01:24 but Israel was rich. 00:01:27 Solomon had no financial problems. 00:01:29 The Bible says that the silver was as common as the stones. 00:01:33 But when Solomon started drawing away from Jehovah, 00:01:37 Jehovah withdrew his blessing. 00:01:40 So that prosperity didn’t last even during Solomon’s reign. 00:01:44 Insight tells us 00:01:47 that there was a drain on Israel’s economy. 00:01:50 Solomon was still spending money as if it were going out of style, 00:01:54 but he didn’t have the income that he once had. 00:01:57 And so, even materially, Israel suffered. 00:02:01 And Rehoboam did not inherit the wealth from Solomon 00:02:04 that Solomon had had at the peak of his reign. 00:02:08 Now, as our comment points out, for much of his reign, 00:02:11 Solomon did a lot of good things. 00:02:14 But is it possible that right from the beginning, 00:02:18 as involved as Solomon was in theocratic projects, 00:02:22 there was a little red flag 00:02:25 that something wasn’t quite right? 00:02:29 It’s possible. 00:02:31 Now, as our comment points out, when Solomon became king, 00:02:34 he was a young man, but he was a young married man. 00:02:39 In fact, when he became king, 00:02:41 Solomon had probably been married for a couple of years already. 00:02:44 He had a little boy. He was a daddy. 00:02:46 He had a little boy—one-year-old Rehoboam. 00:02:51 But who was his wife 00:02:54 —probably his first wife? 00:02:56 She was an Ammonitess. 00:03:01 Ammonitess—what do we remember about “Ammonitess”? 00:03:05 Oh, yes, Deuteronomy chapter 23 00:03:12 and verse 3. 00:03:16 Now, remember, when Solomon gets married, King David is still alive. 00:03:20 David is probably at the wedding. 00:03:22 Now, here’s what Deuteronomy 23:3 says: 00:03:26 “No Ammonite 00:03:28 “or Moabite may come into the congregation of Jehovah. 00:03:32 “Even to the tenth generation, 00:03:35 “none of their descendants 00:03:37 may ever come into the congregation of Jehovah.” 00:03:42 What part of “never” did Solomon not understand? 00:03:47 And so could that mean that even before he became king, 00:03:52 Solomon had a casual view of Jehovah’s laws on marriage? 00:03:57 It’s possible. 00:03:59 Well, why do we say “possible”? 00:04:01 Well, without being dogmatic, 00:04:04 Insight says that there may have been exceptions for foreign women 00:04:07 like Ruth the Moabitess. 00:04:10 But Insight also says 00:04:13 that Solomon’s Ammonite wife 00:04:15 possibly contributed to his apostasy. 00:04:18 In any event, why was the first wife 00:04:22 a foreign woman and an Ammonitess to boot? 00:04:28 Now, if Solomon had married a nice Jewish girl 00:04:31 (just one) 00:04:34 and ‘rejoiced with the wife of his youth,’ 00:04:37 don’t you think that the history of Israel would have been much different? 00:04:40 I think it would have been. 00:04:42 Well, let’s take a moment to think about the women Solomon did marry 00:04:46 —pagan women. 00:04:49 Now, you may have relatives who are not in the truth; 00:04:53 you love your relatives, and you go visit from time to time. 00:04:57 But how long is it before you run out of things to talk about? 00:05:01 Because we just don’t have the most important thing in common—the truth. 00:05:07 So we have to ask: 00:05:09 Why was Solomon so comfortable with these pagan women? 00:05:14 What did he talk about? 00:05:16 Well, you can be sure he wasn’t studying The Watchtower with them. 00:05:19 But what was he doing? 00:05:21 What was the attraction to these foreign women? 00:05:24 Was it their humility? 00:05:27 their modest dress? 00:05:30 their “chaste conduct”? 00:05:32 their “quiet and mild spirit”? 00:05:35 Or was it mainly physical? 00:05:39 Let’s be blunt. 00:05:41 Solomon was attracted to the wrong kind of woman. 00:05:47 And there may have been early warning signs. 00:05:50 Speaking of “red flags,” when Solomon began marrying many women, 00:05:55 did a prophet or a priest ever approach him 00:05:58 and give him some counsel? 00:06:00 Did they ever read Deuteronomy 17:17, which applied directly to the king? 00:06:06 Deuteronomy 17:17 00:06:09 —it says about the king: 00:06:11 “Neither should he take many wives for himself, 00:06:14 so that his heart may not go astray.” 00:06:19 Well, if he did receive that counsel, he certainly didn’t apply it. 00:06:23 And if he didn’t receive that counsel, we wonder, ‘Why not?’ 00:06:28 Well, what’s the application? 00:06:30 Today, we may be very busy in Jehovah’s organization, 00:06:35 but we have to be alert to any red flags 00:06:39 that despite outward appearances, all is not well with us. 00:06:44 A single brother is a regular publisher. 00:06:47 He’s a regular meeting attender. 00:06:50 But on his nights off, he likes to go to nightclubs, 00:06:53 and he’s comfortable in that atmosphere. 00:06:56 He isn’t shy about striking up conversations with worldly people, 00:07:01 and he loves to dance. 00:07:03 Well, there are no sisters there, so he dances with worldly women. 00:07:07 What’s the attraction? 00:07:09 He is busy in the congregation, 00:07:12 but there’s something there that isn’t quite right. 00:07:17 A young pioneer brother loves to flirt. 00:07:19 Several young sisters think he’s interested only in them. 00:07:23 The attention makes them feel special. 00:07:28 A ministerial servant 00:07:30 spends a lot of time talking to a married woman. 00:07:34 When he was asked about it, he justifies it and says: “We’re just friends. 00:07:38 We’re just talking.” 00:07:40 Famous last words. 00:07:42 A fine young sister is offended 00:07:45 when an older sister approaches her and points out that her skirts and jeans 00:07:50 are too tight, too revealing. 00:07:54 Well, all of these are red flags. 00:07:57 We need to examine ourselves from time to time to see whether, 00:08:01 no matter how many privileges we have, 00:08:03 something isn’t quite right. 00:08:08 When it comes to choosing a mate, 00:08:10 Solomon’s example can be instructive to us. 00:08:13 Now, what qualities do we value in a marriage mate 00:08:17 —spiritual qualities? 00:08:19 Or is it merely the physical 00:08:21 and we hope that the spiritual will catch up later? 00:08:24 A younger sister is getting acquainted with a young brother. 00:08:28 He is really good looking and has a great personality 00:08:31 and gets along with everybody. 00:08:33 But how is he doing spiritually? 00:08:35 Does he have a good schedule for theocratic activities, and does he stick to it? 00:08:40 For example: If you mention an article in a recent magazine, 00:08:44 does he often say, “I must have missed that one”? 00:08:48 If that’s what happens, it’s a bad sign. 00:08:52 Does he make spiritual activities a priority in his life? 00:08:56 If he doesn’t do that while he is single, 00:08:58 what makes you think that he’s going to do it after you get married? 00:09:02 Will you change him, or will he change you? 00:09:08 As our comment reminds us, Solomon enjoyed many privileges. 00:09:12 But he apparently felt that some of God’s laws just didn’t apply to him. 00:09:16 Why not? 00:09:17 Well, we don’t know. 00:09:18 Could it be what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes: 00:09:22 ‘The king does whatever he wants’? 00:09:24 Maybe so. 00:09:27 Solomon multiplied horses and acquired many wives for himself. 00:09:32 So, what’s the lesson for us? 00:09:34 No matter how long we’ve been in the truth, 00:09:36 no matter how many privileges we have, 00:09:39 no matter how much Jehovah has used us, 00:09:41 we can’t afford to let down our guard. 00:09:45 We must guard our heart, 00:09:48 and we mustn’t ignore any red flags 00:09:50 that might indicate that all is not well.
