Spanish Evangelism Testimony 9.7.13

September 7, 2013

My evangelism partner and I witnessed today to a few Hispanic families in Greenville. One of our contacts was a Hispanic man from Mexico who has lived here for 10 years.

He goes to a Spanish Catholic church and believes that he needs to confess his sins to a priest in order to have his sins forgiven. I asked him if he reads his Bible, and he said that he does.

I asked him to show me where in the Bible it teaches what he believes about how his sins are forgiven. He said that there was such teaching in the Bible, but he was not able to find it during the time that we talked with him.

As I was probing him about this belief, Peter’s dealings with Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8) came to mind. Because the man to whom we witnessed was pressed for time, I briefly read to him in Spanish the pertinent verses from that account:

Hechos 8:20 Entonces Pedro le dijo: Tu dinero perezca contigo, porque has pensado que el don de Dios se obtiene con dinero. 21 No tienes tú parte ni suerte en este asunto, porque tu corazón no es recto delante de Dios. 22 Arrepiéntete, pues, de esta tu maldad, y ruega a Dios, si quizás te sea perdonado el pensamiento de tu corazón;

I then explained how Peter, the Christ-chosen leader of the apostolic company, confronted this man about his sinfulness but did not tell him to confess his sins to Peter himself or to any other man. Instead, Peter told him to repent (“Arrepiéntete, pues, de esta tu maldad”) and pray to God (y ruega a Dios).

If it had been necessary for Simon to confess his sins to Peter (or to some other man), the account would have recorded that Peter would have told him to do so. Peter, however, did not do so and told him rather to pray to God.

I thank God for giving me on the spot a passage from His Word that directly addressed this man’s need! I pray that he may yet take to heart what the Scripture teaches about this crucial subject and be saved.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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A Biblical Assessment of “Seeing a Woman: A Conversation between a Father and Son”

September 6, 2013

Earlier today, I read “Seeing a Woman: A conversation between a father and son” by Nate Pyle. I believe that this article has several serious problems.1

Concerning how women should dress, he asserts,

There are two views regarding a woman’s dress code that you will be pressured to buy into.  One view will say that women need to dress to get the attention of men.  The other view will say women need to dress to protect men from themselves.  Son, you are better than both of these.  A woman, or any human being, should not have to dress to get your attention.  You should give them the full attention they deserve simply because they are a fellow human being.  On the other side, a woman should not have to feel like she needs to protect you from you.  You need to be in control of you. [Italicized text is bold in the original]

(1) The author holds that “women should not have to dress to get your attention.” Scripture, however, indicates that a woman’s appropriately adorning herself externally is proper. Naomi counseled Ruth how she should make herself appropriately appealing to Boaz:

Rut 3:3 Wash thyself therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor: but make not thyself known unto the man, until he shall have done eating and drinking.

Naomi, obviously, was not just telling Ruth to clothe herself; she was advising Ruth to dress herself attractively. Understanding this, several versions bring out what is clear but implicit:

NAU Rut 3:3 “Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

NET Rut 3:3 So bathe yourself, rub on some perfumed oil, and get dressed up. Then go down to the threshing floor. But don’t let the man know you’re there until he finishes his meal.

NIV Rut 3:3 Wash and perfume yourself, and put on your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.

NKJ Rut 3:3 “Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.

Similarly, the bride in Psalm 45 clothes herself attractively:

Psa 45:13 The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. 14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework:

Moreover, the virtuous woman is skilled in producing clothing (Prov. 31:13, 24) and clothes herself in silk and purple (Prov. 31:22), which signify that she dresses herself attractively in appealing garments.

These Scriptural passages show that women should dress themselves in appropriate attire that does make them appropriately attractive to men in appropriate settings.

(2) Although this author rightly challenges men that they need to be in control of themselves, he errs when he says, “A woman should not have to feel like she needs to protect you from you.  You need to be in control of you.” This statement seems to suggest that women should not be concerned about the possible effects that the way that they present themselves will have on men.

Scripture, however, warns that all believers are responsible not to “put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way” (Rom. 14:13). Knowing the sinful propensity of men to lust when they are presented with seeing women dressed in revealing ways, women do have a responsibility to help their brethren not to lust after them (Rom. 14:20-21).

(3) Concering women’s bodies, the author writes,

We’ve been a taught a woman’s body will cause men to sin.  We’re told that if a woman shows too much of her body men will do stupid things.  Let’s be clear: a woman’s body is not dangerous to you.  Her body will not cause you harm.  It will not make you do stupid things.  If you do stupid things it is because you chose to do stupid things.  So don’t contribute to the fear that exists between men and women.

Yes, men are responsible for the choices that they make. Women, however, are also responsible when men make ungodly choices because the women that they interact with dress and act in seductive ways that are inappropriate for male-female interaction except in the context of marriage.

For example, Scripture warns men about evil women “with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart” (Prov. 7:10). When the daughter of Herodias danced sensually before Herod, she was responsible for fueling his lust (Mark 6:22).

Viewing too much of a woman’s body is dangerous for any man who is not married to her.

(4) Concerning women, he asserts,

But don’t do all this because she is weaker.  That’s the biggest bunch of      . . . out there.  Women are not weaker than men.  They are not the weaker sex.  They are the other sex. [Italicized text is bold in the original]

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the apostle Peter explicitly says otherwise:

1Pe 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. [bold formatting added]

Anyone who believes the Bible must reject the viewpoint of this author concerning women being weaker. Scripture directly teaches that they are.

Conclusion

Although the author means well, Scripture does not support what he has written. Yes, God holds us men responsible for lustfully looking at women, and we must take pains to discipline ourselves not to do so (Matt. 5:28-29). It is unbiblical, however, to assert that women should feel that they do not have to be concerned about protecting men. Biblical love demands that both men and women take care not to harm one another through how they dress and through how they speak and interact with one another.

1 http://natepyle.com/seeing-a-woman/; tellingly, the author cites no Scripture in his article.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

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Guitar Music for “Be Thou My Vision”

September 5, 2013

Be Thou My Vision is a wonderful hymn. This PDF provides the melody notes, chords, and first stanza of the hymn in the key of D.

See much more free guitar music and many other free guitar resources here.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Guitar Music
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Behold the Wondrous Mercy of Our God!

September 2, 2013

King Ahab was a uniquely wicked man (1 Kin. 21:25) whose wickedness so provoked God that He pronounced fierce judgment upon him and his entire house (1 Kin. 21:21-22). Ahab responded to the message of his impending doom in a remarkably humble way that elicited a response from God that highlights His wondrous mercy!

The Unique Wickedness of Ahab

When Ahab murdered Naboth and took possession of his vineyard (1 Kin. 21:1-16), God commanded Elijah to go and confront him with his sinfulness (1 Kin. 21:17-18). The Lord instructed Elijah about what he was to say to the king:

1Ki 21:19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

Because Ahab wickedly had Naboth killed, God sentenced him to experience the same fate that Naboth had experienced—the dogs would lick his blood in the very place where they had licked Naboth’s blood.

Ahab responded to Elijah with a question that revealed that he viewed Elijah as his enemy: And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? (1 Kin. 21:20a). Elijah answered him by declaring further the fierce judgment that he and his entire household would experience because of his wickedness and the wickedness of his wife Jezebel:

20 And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.

21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,

 22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.

 23 And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

 24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

The writer of First Kings then adds two statements that declare the unique wickedness of Ahab:

 25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

 26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

Ahab had sold himself to do wickedness in a unique way, including his murdering Naboth and his being an exceedingly abominable idolater in the sight of the Lord.

The Remarkably Humble Response of Ahab to God’s Pronouncement of His Doom

Hearing of the fierce judgment that God had pronounced upon him for his wickedness, Ahab responded by remarkably humbling himself publicly before God:

1Ki 21:27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

This statement shows that Ahab’s response was not just a momentary response—he abased himself openly for an extended period.

The Wondrously Merciful Response of God to Ahab’s Humbling Himself 

When Ahab responded in such a remarkably humble way, God underscored to Elijah his humility and made known that He would have mercy on him:

1Ki 21:28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

 29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.

God declared that he would not bring His judgment upon Ahab in his days. Ahab’s house, however, eventually would be judged because they would end up not humbling themselves before God, as Ahab did.

Even though Ahab had been so horrifically wicked before God, God bestowed mercy upon him when he humbled himself before Him!

No matter what evil you may have done in your life, you can still receive wondrous mercy from God by truly repenting of your sins and humbling yourself openly before Him (cf. Isa. 55:6-7)! Our God is a God who delights in mercy (Micah 7:18). He has provided the account of His having mercy on Ahab so that you might behold His wondrous mercy and flee from His wrath that is coming on all sinners who do not repent toward Him and believe in His Son Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21).

Behold the wondrous mercy of our God!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Exhortation, Exposition
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God Wants to Redeem You!

August 31, 2013

Through providing us with the Scriptural accounts of His redemption of Rahab the harlot, God has made known that He wants to redeem people by working in their lives, as He did in her life. Six key truths about His desire to redeem people are clear from the accounts about Rahab.

God Wants to Redeem You from False Religion

Rahab was a harlot who lived in Jericho, a Canaanite city. Although we do not know with certainty what her prior religious beliefs were, the Scriptural information that we are given about her imply that she moved from a belief in a false religion to belief in the Lord as the one and only true and living God:

Jos 2:9 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

Heb 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

God wants to redeem you from false religion, as He did with Rahab!

God Wants to Redeem You from Sinful Living

Prior to her encounter with the two Israelite spies, Rahab was a harlot (Josh. 2:1). After the Israelites had destroyed everyone in Jericho except for Rahab and others who were related to her in one way or another, Rahab continued to live among God’s people even to the time when the book of Joshua was written:

Jos 6:25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Had Rahab remained a harlot after coming to believe in the Lord, she would not have been able to live in Israel because the Law of God demanded that any woman who was a harlot was to be put to death (Deut. 22:21; cf. Gen. 38:24). Because Rahab continued to live among the Israelites for many years, we can be certain that she turned away from her harlotry at some point after she came to believe in the Lord.

God, therefore, redeemed Rahab not only from false religion but also from her horrifically sinful living! He wants to do the same for you!

God Wants to Redeem You for the Good of Others

God did more than just redeem Rahab herself; His redemption of her also spared her father, mother, brothers, sisters, and any others who may have been in “her father’s household” at least from destruction by the Israelites (Josh. 2:13; 6:17, 23, 25). Moreover, Rahab later married Salmon, a prominent Israelite man, and became the mother of Boaz, who served as a kinsman-redeemer for Naomi and Ruth (Ruth 2:1, 20; 3:1-4:22; Matt. 1:5).

Through His redemption of Rahab the harlot, God brought great good to many other people. He wants to redeem you also for the good of others!

God Wants to Redeem You for His Own Glory through His Son

Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus Christ reveals that Rahab was a foremother of Jesus the Messiah (Matt. 1:5, 16). God ultimately redeemed Rahab the harlot, therefore, to glorify Himself through His Son who would be her greatest Descendant!

Even as He did with Rahab, God continues today to redeem sinners from false religion and sinful living for His eternal glory in the Church through His Son (Eph. 3:20-21)! He wants to redeem you as well for His own glory through His Son!

God Wants to Redeem You by Faith

The writer of Hebrews includes Rahab the harlot among the exemplars of faith whose faith he highlights (Heb. 11:31). He makes clear that Rahab did not perish because of her faith.

God redeemed Rahab through bringing her to believe in Him (Josh. 2:11) based on what she had heard about Him (Josh. 2:9-11). God wants to redeem you also through faith that is based on your hearing His Word (Rom. 10:17)!

God Wants to Redeem You to Do Good Works

Rahab’s new faith in the Lord led her to hide the Israelite spies who came to her (Josh 2; Heb. 11:31). Her faith was a living faith that produced these good works (James 2:25-26).

Through bringing her to believe in Him, God redeemed Rahab from her false religion and harlotry to do good works for her good, the good of many others, and His eternal glory through His Son. Through bringing you to faith in Him, God also wants to redeem you from your false religion and sinful living to do good works for your good, the good of others, and His eternal glory through His Son!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Exposition, Preaching, Theology
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A Vital Matter for Prayer!

August 28, 2013

Scripture provides us with a vast amount of information about God’s mind concerning the prayer lives of His people. We are given that information in many ways, including commands, examples, and parables.

Reading 1 Chronicles 12 this morning, I was struck by a statement that suggested to me something about which I should pray for, both for myself and for God’s people as a whole. Although this statement does not say anything directly about prayer, it seemed that the Spirit highlighted this matter to me as I read the passage.

At Ziklag, God provided King David with numerous supporters who came “to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God” (1 Chr. 12:22). At Hebron, additional supporters came to him “to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord” (1 Chr. 12:23).

Among the people who gathered to David at this time were more than 200 men from Issachar who served a vital function in his army:

1Ch 12:32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.

In some unspecified manner, these men understood their times in a way that distinguished them in that regard from all the other supporters of David. Their distinctive understanding equipped them to know what the Israelites should do in view of their present circumstances.

The Church of Jesus Christ has a great need for such men in our day. Given the perilous nature of our time (cf. 2 Tim. 3:1-17), we desperately need to have men who understand our times so that they know what God’s people should do!

Sensing an urgent necessity also for me to have more of such understanding and knowledge in my own life, I believe that God would now have me to pray specifically for such understanding and knowledge, both for myself and for all His people throughout the world. I look forward to how He will answer my prayers (cf. James 1:5-8) about this vital matter!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Discipleship, Prayer, Testimony
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Praise God for Solomon’s Glorious Worldwide Legacy!

August 25, 2013

According to Scripture, God blessed Solomon with wisdom that exceeded that of any other person that has ever lived (1 Kin. 3:12) other than Jesus Christ (Matt. 12:42). God, however, did not just give His wisdom to Solomon and to His people Israel when He did so because Solomon in a remarkable way was a channel of that divine wisdom to all the earth:

1Ki 4:34 And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.

1Ki 10:23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. 24 And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.

Furthermore, the wisdom that God gave Solomon was multifaceted:

1Ki 4:32 And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.

 33 And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

This biblical data shows that God has greatly blessed the whole world through Solomon in a profound way that I believe is little appreciated in our day. Only God knows how much good other nations besides Israel have experienced over the years because of God’s goodness to them through Solomon’s glorious worldwide legacy.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your matchless wisdom that you have imparted to all mankind through Solomon! Praise the Lord!

 

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Theology
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The Horrific Legacy of Jeroboam

August 23, 2013

Jeroboam was an evil king of Israel whose evil influence on Israel was so horrific that Scripture records 19 times that he made Israel to sin:

1Ki 14:16 And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.

1Ki 15:26 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

30 Because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, by his provocation wherewith he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.

34 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

1Ki 16:26 For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

1Ki 22:52 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:

2Ki 3:3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

2Ki 10:29 Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.

31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.

2Ki 13:2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

6 Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.

11 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein.

2Ki 14:24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

2Ki 15:9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

18 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

24 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

28 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

2Ki 17:21 For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the LORD, and made them sin a great sin.

2Ki 23:15 Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove.

Moreover, these Scripture passages show that his sinful influence continued to defile God’s people for many years after he was dead and gone! His horrific legacy should warn all of us to take heed to ourselves that we do not influence others knowingly for any reason to do evil.

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Exhortation
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Guitar Music and Audio for “Santo, Santo, Santo”

August 20, 2013

Santo, Santo, Santo is a classic Spanish hymn. This PDF provides the first stanza, melody notes, and guitar chords for the song, and this audio MP3 file provides the melody so that you can practice both the melody and the chords while listening to the melody!

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Guitar Music, Spanish
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Nine Reasons Why Solomon Did Not Perish Eternally

August 19, 2013

Later in his life, Solomon sinned grievously against God. Does Solomon’s sinfulness late in his life and the lack of mention of his repentance mean that he died as an apostate and perished eternally?

Based on my study of Scripture, I believe that there are at least nine solid reasons to hold that he did not perish eternally.

Solomon Did Not Completely Turn Away from God

Scripture records the horrific sinfulness of Solomon later in his life in several passages. First Kings 11 is the primary passage.

Solomon disobeyed God’s commands not to marry women from certain nations who would surely cause him to turn after their gods (1 Kin. 11:1-3; 10, 11). Just as God warned, his foreign wives turned his heart away after other gods (1 Kin. 11:3, 4). As a result, he did much evil in God’s sight, building high places “for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods” (1 Kin. 11:5-8).

Solomon’s horrific sinfulness so angered the Lord that He decreed that He would certainly tear the kingdom from him and give it to his servant (1 Kin. 11:9-11). The Lord stirred up adversaries against Solomon who plagued him for the rest of his life (1 Kin. 11:14-25), and Jereboam rebelled against him (1 Kin. 11:26-40).

Three verses inform us about the rest of his acts, his death, and his burial in Jerusalem, the city of David his father (1 Kin. 11:41-43a-b). His son Rehoboam then reigned in his place (1 Kin. 11:43c).

Two other passages corroborate the dark record of Solomon’s later life (2 Kin. 23:13; Neh. 13:25, 26).

In spite of the darkness that these passages about Solomon record, First Kings 11 makes clear, however, that Solomon did not completely turn away from God:

1 Kings 11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

1 Kings 11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.

The statement that Solomon’s “heart was not perfect with the LORD his God” (1 Kin. 11:4) implies that it was still imperfectly “with the LORD his God.” The statement that he “went not fully after the LORD” (1 Kin. 11:6) also implies that he yet had a continuing relationship with Him.

Solomon did not perish eternally because he never did completely turn away from God. Many other Scriptural considerations confirm this interpretation.

God’s Promises to David about Solomon

Long before Solomon had been born, God made some special promises to David about a special son named Solomon (1 Chron. 22:9) that he would have:

2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:

 15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.

God promised that He would have a Father-son relationship with Solomon, David’s son, who would build for Him a house for His name (2 Sam. 7:13; cf. 1 Chron. 28:6). His special relationship with that seed would include His chastening him if he would commit iniquity (2 Sam. 7:14).

Furthermore, God promised David that although He would chasten that son when he would commit iniquity, He would not take away from His lovingkindness, as He did with Saul (2 Sam. 7:15; 1 Chron. 17:13). These promises make it impossible for Solomon to have perished eternally.

God’s Loving Solomon at His Birth

Beyond God’s special promises about Solomon, God had a special regard for Solomon when he was born:

2Sa 12:24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.

 25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

Solomon is the only person of whom the Scripture explicitly specifies that the Lord loved him when he was born. Moreover, God’s sending a prophet to give him a special name Jedidiah, which means “beloved of the Lord,” highly emphasizes God’s special love for Solomon.

God’s special promises to David about Solomon and His special love for Solomon as a baby make it certain that we will see Solomon in heaven one day.                                                                                                        

Solomon Loved God

The inspired writer of First Kings says that Solomon loved God:

1 Ki 3:3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.

In his natural state, no man loves God (Rom. 5:10; Rom. 8:7); Solomon’s loving God shows that he was a believer. Although his love for God was incomplete, it was genuine because God first loved him (2 Sam. 12:24-25; cf. 1 John 4:19).

As a believer who loved God, Solomon did not perish eternally when he died.

God’s Chastening Solomon

Solomon was David’s son who built the Temple (1 Kin. 5-6) and later committed iniquity. As He had promised to do, God chastened Solomon “with the rod of men and with the stripe of the children of men” (2 Sam. 7:14) through Hadad and Razon (1 Kin. 11:14-25).

God’s chastening Solomon in His mercy to him (cf. 2 Sam. 7:15) shows that Solomon was a true believer whose Heavenly Father chastened him because He loved him (Prov. 3:11-12; written by Solomon). Solomon was a true son of the Heavenly Father who chastens every child of His (Heb. 12:4-11, which quotes Prov. 3:11-12).

Furthermore, First Corinthians 11 teaches plainly that those whom God chastens, He chastens so that they will not be condemned with the world:

1Co 11:30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Even those whom God chastens with death because they do not repent (“many sleep” [1 Cor. 11:30]) will not be condemned with the world (1 Cor. 11:32).

Scripture does not give any clear indication that Solomon repented of his sinfulness before he died. Even if he did not repent before he died, we would be right in inferring that God chastened him with death for his being an unrepentant believer so that he would not be condemned with the world (1 Cor. 11:30-32).

Because of God’s faithfulness to chasten those whom He loves, Solomon, and all other true believers will be together in heaven one day!

The Record of Solomon’s Life in Second Chronicles

Amazingly, the lengthy record of Solomon’s life in Second Chronicles (2 Chron. 1-9) does not explicitly mention anything about Solomon’s great sinfulness. Because 2 Chronicles records at length the sinfulness of other kings of Israel and Judah (for example, 2 Chron. 33:1-9), the lack of mention of Solomon’s sinfulness suggests that God regarded Solomon in a special way so that He inspired the writing of this book of Scripture that does not say explicitly that he sinned against God.

Furthermore, Ecclesiastes also does not explicitly say that Solomon sinned against God. In fact, except for 1 Kings 11 and a few other verses in later Scripture, the vast majority of narrative Scripture passages (excludes Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon) present Solomon in a profoundly positive and spiritual light that does not support holding that he perished eternally when he died.

A Striking Passage That Includes an Emphatic Statement about God’s Love for Solomon

Nehemiah reiterated God’s special love for Solomon as part of his challenge to people who were sinning through mixed marriages:

Neh 13:26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.

Strikingly, this restatement of God’s love for Solomon that emphasizes the uniqueness of God’s love for him (“among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God”) occurs in a statement that has as its main point how his association with evil women made even him to sin. This passage thus explicitly reminds us of God’s special love for Solomon, which again points to his not perishing eternally when he died.

Solomon Was Not an Apostate Writer of Multiple Books of Scripture

Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, most of Proverbs, and he probably also wrote Psalms 72 and 127. Peter specifies that those whom God inspired to write Scripture were special men:

2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

According to these statements, Solomon was a holy man of God whom the Holy Spirit moved to write the Scripture that he wrote. It is untenable to hold that Solomon was such a man of God when he wrote the Scriptures that he wrote but then he apostatized to perish eternally.

No Mention of Solomon in the NT as an Example of One Who Apostatized

The NT briefly refers to Solomon in seven verses (Matt. 1:6, 7; 6:29; 12:42; Luke 11:31; 12:27; Acts 7:47). Had Solomon apostatized from the faith to perish eternally, he would surely have been mentioned in one or more warning passages in the NT because he would have been a profound example of one who did so.

The lack of mention of his apostatizing in the NT makes it certain that he did not do so. We should not read into the OT record of his life what the Bible never says directly, that is, he apostatized, died unrepentant of his sins, and perished eternally.

Conclusion

Based on the reasons given above, I believe that Solomon did not perish eternally when he died. We will see Solomon in heaven one day because of God’s faithfulness to those whom He loves, even when they as believers sin profoundly against Him.

In His love, God chastened Solomon intensely because of what he did. Let us fear to sin as Solomon did through his ungodly associations with ungodly people.

See also Did Solomon Repent Before He Died?

Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.

In Exposition, Interpretation, Theology
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