Solomon

When I first heard the story of this man, I was left in shock. Well firstly because I was wondering how he could come to the decision of splitting a child into two. The children’s Bible picture book had given me a strange perspective. But as I got to know more about this man, my shock turned to bewilderment. How a man could have such wisdom!!!! And then of course I found out about the many wives and doubted his wisdom. But then read more about the man and eventually reconciled many things. I am not yet done with him.

Solomon is known for nothing short of glamour, wealth, wisdom and knowledge. I would that to many of us have not even began to comprehend the scale, vastness and realty of what it meant to live in Israel in his days.

And yet I found something very interesting about this man’s story. You see, he was not a product of the tutorship of a man like Plato or Socrates. That would have been easy to understand. Neither was he a great scholar in economics nor humanities nor any other thing. He didn’t have the persona of an Absalom. Neither was he necessarily his dad’s favorite son. Actually his dad had promised his mother that he would be heir to the throne but then forgot about it. And speaking of his dad and mom….

Uraih had a wife who went to shower and the king saw the wife. The king called the wife and she came. The king had a night with the wife and she was found with child. The king tried to cover it up by recalling Uriah from war and sending him to his wife. But Uriah was a loyal man, he would not go to his house when the king’s men were at war. The king sent him back to war, with a one way ticket. Uriah died, the wife gave birth and the child too died. The wife mourned, the king comforted her and she was found with child, again. The child was called Solomon.

It’s easy to sing with Israel that ‘He makes all things new.’ It’s equally easier to quote the scriptures that say Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. But when we consider it further, it doesn’t seem to go deep down in our belief system. What does it mean for God to make all things new? What are these things being made new?

Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the LORD”) is a classic example of all things made new. When we read about Solomon that lasting impression is his wisdom and wealth. Well some may linger at the place of the many wives but I hope they get passed it. The point is, the man is more famous for his wisdom than anything else. His past had nothing to look forward to. To many, it would suffice him being that king’s son who sits at the very back, is inferior to the rest and lives in a far away kingdom-funded home. The kingdom image needs to be preserved after all. But that’s not the picture we get. He sits at the very front and very best. The reproach of his history was undone and, it is safe to say, he had pretty little to do with it.

There are many inspiring stories out there. Stories about people rising out of nothing to becoming some thing great and they are nice. There are many people in-house whose lives have had some crazy turns here and there. They wanted a clean path but then it got passed being cleanable. We erred at some point and that got us into a certain place or box. Or maybe someone else erred and it’s like we are the realty of that error. I have come to appreciate that inspiration for a better tomorrow can only do so much for a man who is looking for a new beginning, one that carries no reproach to it.

God makes all things new. The old is gone and the new is come. This sounds really nice!! And is it! There’s this thing called secondary virginity. To be honest, it doesn’t bring freedom. It only makes one feel less guilty about the primary virginity they lost. It is a clear reminder that you came in second- the reproach still holds. However it’s not in the mind of God to regard anyone this way. That’s why we are called saints not former sinners – and may I add,called according to the foreknowledge of God the Father not according to our walks.

We are in a fellowship wherein God has taken it up to himself not to just give a cleaned-up slate but a clean slate. Resetting things to how they ought to be, the blood Jesus speaking on these things. The power not just to forgive sin but to remove both the memory and consequence of it. Now some may want to argue at this point but like it’s written, Anything is possible if a person believes, I choose to believe (and boy has he done a work in me on this end!!)

This fellowship leaves us different people. The longings end, habits break, fears dissipate and insecurities leave. But that’s just not it. The record of them also disappears. It becomes impossible for one to feel the aftermath or effect of anything for as it stands’ nothing ever happened!! It’s in this mind that we see changes from sinner to saint, lost to leader, single-mother to mother, secondary virgin to elect etc in all the fullness and joy of God. We see men who walk back on streets they once were victims of and they are not just happy that they left but are leading many to Christ along the way. Oh the Love of God!!!

I was lying down this morning thinking about something and Solomon crossed my mind. I smiled. It didn’t really understand how it was all gonna work out but I saw the end of it and smiled. I smiled even more because before I prayed he answered! He makes all things new!!!

Newness that is not subject to our degree of carefulness rather a newness that makes and keeps the recipient new- Just like the righteousness of God!! It’s not, ‘start over and do well this time’ rather it is ‘start over for it is well’. The old is gone and the new come. Newness in relationships, purity, financial records, parenting, hopes etc all sustained not by the degree of how well we play the good script(and avoid past mistakes) but the degree to which God has perfected it(and us). Newness that rejuvenates and lightens the countenance, leading from faith to faith, life to life, glory to glory! Newness that carries the testimony that we are the beloved of  God! Oh the Love of God!!!

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)! Romans 11.33 KJV