Solomon

Well we have all heard the story of Solomon. Solomon was the son of king David and is considered one of the wisest men that every lived. We read the story of Solomon and all that he accomplished in 1 Kings 2-11.We know that Solomon completed the temple that David his father had instructed him to do. He also built himself the most magnificent palace anyone had ever seen. Solomon had absolutely no enemies. He had peace during his reign. Kings from other kingdoms came to him seeking advice. He was admired throughout the entire world. He had more wealth than any other king.

Why did Solomon, king of Israel, have all of this? The answer is simple, God. We see in 1 Kings 3:5 that God appeared to Solomon and told him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." Solomon's reply shows you what kind of a king he really was. He began his reply with praise, praising God for everything he had done for David his father and everything that God was doing for him as king. While we do not know exactly how old Solomon was when he became king, we do know that he was fairly young. He replies to the Lord, "Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties." Obviously he wouldn't have been just a child physically because he would have had someone that ruled the kingdom until he became of age. Solomon here is talking about a spiritual child. He had absolutely no idea how to guide a whole kingdom in the ways that God expected him to. Solomon only asks for two things from God as his answer, "A discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong." There is so much Solomon could have asked God for: to live forever,  to have all his enemies extinguished, for all the money in the world. But no, Solomon asked for wisdom. God granted Solomon's request in 1 Kings 3:12. On top of that God gave Solomon wealth and honor so that in his lifetime he would have no equal among kings. God also granted Solomon a long life, with a catch. 1 Kings 3:14, "If you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life."

Of all the things that a person could ask God for, what we as Americans ask God for, discernment and the ability to distinguish between right and wrong are not number one on our plates. American's are not wise in the way God intended for us to be wise. Here is a formula for being wise: wisdom = knowledge + obedience. As you read through the book of Proverbs you learn that there are two forces fighting for your attention. The first is wisdom and the other folly. You have the choice to follow whichever one you choose. Proverbs 2:16 says, "Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman," Just knowing that you should not commit adultery is not enough. Through knowledge we know that cheating on our spouse is wrong, but through obedience to the Lord we do not do it. When you know you shouldn't and you do not, that is wisdom. Wisdom takes knowledge and transforms it into action.

Which one did Solomon choose to follow?


The book of Ecclesiastes does not paint a very pretty picture for anyone. Ecc. 2:11 says, "Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." So how did king Solomon who had anything anyone could ever dream of, unimaginable wealth, honor and respect around the world and the ability to rule Israel the way God wanted him to hit a pit of despair that Ecclesiastes talks about. It's simple, Solomon had the knowledge but did not have the obedience. Solomon did not practice what he preached. Solomon had 3 major sins that led to his despair and ultimately his short tenure as king.

The first sin is that he did not trust in the protection of the Lord. Deuteronomy 17:16 says that a king moreover must not acquire great numbers of horses or chariots. 1 Kings 4:26 says, "Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses." Solomon disobeyed God. God knew that if a king were to increase his army to that extent they would not longer trust in Him for their protection but in themselves and their army. Solomon did just that.

The second sin was that Solomon did not trust in the promise of the Lord. Solomon was constantly building up fortified cities around Jerusalem such as Gezer and other important trade cities according to 1 Kings 9:17-19. Solomon was building up defensive provisions against any philistine attack. Here is the ironic thing, Solomon had no enemies. 1 Chron 22:9 God promised David, Solomon's father, during the reign of his son, Israel would have peace on all sides. God promised Solomon peace so why did Solomon feel the need to fortify his kingdom? Simply put, Solomon did not trust in the promise of the Lord.

Solomon's third sin is that he did not trust in the provision of the Lord. Again in Deut 17:17, God told Israel that a king should not marry foreign women. In 1 Kings 11:1 we see that Solomon had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines. The reason that a king would marry foreign women like this was to enact peace treaties with these other countries in order to secure the peace. In Solomon's older days, his wives turned his heart after other Gods and he was no longer fully devoted to the Lord. Ecc 2:8 says, "I amassed silver and gold for myself." Again Solomon did exactly the opposite of his instructions from God.

Now you tell me, are these the actions of a man that was applying his knowledge to a lifestyle of obedience that brings honor and glory to God or the actions of a foolish man that was more worried about self preservation? Suffice to say, Solomon did not practice what he preached and suffered the consequences. We can choose to learn from the mistakes of Solomon or we can choose to travel down the same road and find ourselves in the same pit of despair that Solomon found himself in.

Injustice

Life never is and never has been fair

I ponder again, as I sit in this chair

Someone taking from this life so violently

We all walk around mindlessly

A child lies awake at night

Not sure what is right

He doesn’t know what went wrong

He just knows he doesn’t belong

A husband and wife start to fight

Unsure if everything will be alright

He lost his job and security

They feel so lost in obscurity

A lonely man walks down the street

Never looks up, but at his feet

People pass by and never notice

A life that’s lost and hopeless

A Soldier comes home from a war

Praying that his life would be restored

He has seen many things in his short life

It all remains in the midst of pain and strife

A rich man sits in his office chair

A life of riches full of despair

He thought money would make life right

It all needs to end, and it just might

Life never is and never has been fair

I ponder again as I sit in this chair

Someone taken from this life so violently

We all walk around aimlessly

Chris Enget 12 November 2010

A Life Lost

A life lost is never easy

A soul of a friend

That was here but briefly

A life lost will bring some tears

And hurt and pain

With so much to fear

A life lost that just slips on by

You feel regret

That you never said goodbye

A life lost hurts so bad

Stopped so short

As erased from this writing pad

A life lost is never easy

A soul of a friend

That was here but briefly

Chris Enget 11 November 2010

Pain

Will I ever get over this pain inside

It’s always there no matter where I hide

I try and try to push it back

It’s always there and it fights back

Where do I fit into life’s plans

Everything is held in my hands

This weight is too heavy

It’s all messed up in this frenzy

Will I ever get over this pain inside

It’s always there no matter where I hide

I try and try to push it back

It’s always there and it fights back

Here it comes yet again

I can feel it starting to begin

The clouds are starting to boil

From this inner turmoil

Will I ever get over this pain inside

It’s always there no matter where I hide

I try and try to push it back

It’s always there and it fights back

My thoughts are all in a fight

Not knowing, where is the light?

This is the beginning of an explosion

As I suppress these emotions

Will I ever get over this pain inside

It’s always there no matter where I hide

I try and try to push it back

It’s always there and it fights back

My emotions are all scattered

Like none of this even mattered

I don’t know where I am

I don’t know where to begin again

Chris Enget 11 November 2010

Sleep

As I lie here ready to weep

Trying my hardest to get to sleep

All the memories start to come back

Here comes the darkest black

I cannot believe that you are gone

It’s like you were just a pawn

Taken from this life

By the cut from this sharp knife

The dreams they keep coming

I feel myself succumbing

To this dark hole

Deep inside my soul

I do not want to fall asleep

I do not want to weep

I do not want to dream

Every time I do, I want to scream

The dreams make me hurt

I have tried to avert

And make them go away

I try and try and pray

They keep coming back

I’m always under attack

I want them to stop

I feel myself starting to drop

I’m falling farther in

Here is the beginning

I don’t know where I am

Inside is nothing but mayhem

It’s dark and lonely here

I just want to disappear

I don’t want to do this

As I start to reminisce

I don’t want to be down

Feeling like I’m going to drown

In these harsh feelings

And making these pleadings

I want it all to end

I want my heart just to mend

I don’t want to hurt anymore

I’m stuck inside this war

This war of life and death

It’s there with every breath

It’s never ending

And only the beginning

I’m falling asleep

Falling into the deep

It’s there, I’m almost gone

It has finally won.

Chris Enget 31 October 2010

October

HHMMM I'm trying to figure this blog thing out and I don't think its working to well. I'm sure I will be getting it soon.

I haven't been on here since July so I figured it was about time that I posted something. I finished the trainer course in Arkansas came home, two weeks later I went to the Minnesota to judge the National Honor Guard competition. That was a blast. There were 8 different states there competing to see who was the best in the Nation. NY came out on top with MN extremely close behind. These Soldier's at the competition really showed how far the National Guard has come when paying final tribute to a Soldier that has passed.

Last week I was in Helena, MT as an instructor for a 40 hour Honor Guard Course. The Soldier's in the class amazed me with how much they were able to take. This class was hard for anyone but to only have a week to learn it all and then test on it showed a level of dedication I have never seen before. Their motivation the whole time (to include at midnight while still working to make their uniforms perfect) was amazing. They went from either knowing nothing, or just a little bit, to performing firing party, casket bearers, and three Soldier flag folds almost to perfection! I attribute their success to the level of motivation they kept. I have been in the army for almost 6 years and have not seen motivation that high. It makes me feel great to be a part of these Soldiers life and hopefully have taught them something they can all take home with them.

And last but definitely not least for this post, I had a meeting with Major Anderson, my boss, and the NCOIC of the Honor Guard and have officially become the new State Master Trainer. This is an additional duty to my area coordinator job but just means that I track the whole State Honor Guard training. It is now my job to make sure all instructors are teaching their Soldier's to standard and to track all members that have been awarded the Honor Guard tab are fulfilling all of their requirements every year to maintain that tab. I am super excited with this new title and hopefully I will be able to a good job at it.

Well that ends it for this one, let's see if I can find the time to do this again sooner and not wait 3 months. =)