STRENGTH TURNED INSIDE-OUT (2 Chronicles 8)

Solomon built impulsively and extravagantly--whenever a whim took him. (2 Chronicles 8:6)

Solomon brought Pharaoh's daughter from the City of David to a house built especially for her. "Because," he said, "my wife cannot live in the house of David king of Israel, for the areas in which the Chest has entered are sacred." (2 Chronicles 8:11)

I believe that my weaknesses are my strengths carried to excess.

My ability to focus on writing in excess has led to a lack of physical exercise with fairly bad consequences.

I see the same principle at work here.  Solomon clearly had great skills as an administrator.  He led two detailed building projects (temple and palace) plus a long list of other places.  He made sure the accounts were handled to the penny.

But he was impulsive in his building. In fact, Solomon liked it so much, that he ended up building temples to his wives' gods. Starting with the holy-sounding reason, "I can't let Pharaoh's daughter live in a place which housed the Chest of God."

Sounds good, especially if she made no effort to worship Solomon's God.

But . . . would Solomon's story have ended differently if he had sought to include his wife in worship?  If instead of shutting her away from God, he had introduced her to Him instead?

In his impulsive building decisions, would Solomon have listened to a prophet warning him, "God says no," the way David listened about the temple? (In fact, I find it hard to believe that prophets didn't warn Solomon about building those temples. But that's only supposition, no record kept.)

God has generously given each of us gifts, of personality, and family, work and spiritual gifts, material goods and immaterial blessings.  But they still belong to Him--and perhaps we should check in more often before we get carried away.