Necessary Loyalty

"Let your heart therefore be loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day." I Kings 8:61

Mom, Katie, and I are doing a Bible study together this summer in 1&2 Kings/2 Chronicles. Looking at the beginning of Solomon's reign, he seemed humbly determined to remain loyal to God and exhorted the Israelites to do the same. So what happened between this and the end of his life where he was creating temples for and offering sacrifices to other gods? Not being at the end of the study, I've only been surmising based on previous studies and discussions--but could it be that he had it too easy? Israel was in a state of peace. Unlike his father David, Solomon was not running for his life or fighting enemies. Peace is good, but I wonder if the lack of "helplessness" created a environment of comfort in which he wasn't forced to walk in daily dependence on His God. Certainly this would only be one facet, but it has caused me to think more about the value of difficulty and seemingly impossible situations. David was not perfect, yet he was a man after God's own heart. He recognized and acted upon his helplessness without God by seeking Him. How much greater to be in this position then that of a man who had it all, yet sadly concluded at the end of his life that it was all vanity.

My heart it prone to wander. How gracious is our God to keep us in need of Him.