God’s Anger and Grace - Solomon’s Story as a Guide
1 Kings 11:1-13
Last week we learned that God loves the humble but opposes the proud. Humility is essential to having a strong relationship with Him. This week, we looked at God's grace through the life of King Solomon.
As we know from last week’s sermon, Solomon loved God, but later he turned away. He disobeyed God’s clear commands by marrying 700 wives and 300 concubines. It’s also important to note that he repeatedly disobeyed God’s command, continually defying God over Solomon’s 40 year reign. He knew what God required but chose his own desires and ambitions instead. His disobedience became a repeated habit, and 1 Kings 11:9 tells us, “The Lord was angry with Solomon.” This reminds us that God is not distant or mechanical. He has emotions like anger, sadness, and joy. Because of this, God can truly sympathize with us when we struggle (Hebrews 4:14–16).
We all experience emotions like anger, which can often lead to hurtful actions. Studies show that uncontrolled anger damages health, relationships, and even safety. Feeling anger is natural, but acting on it is a choice. While practical steps like exercise, communication, and meditation help, as Christians we are called to respond differently, by showing grace.
Despite Solomon’s repeated disobedience, God did not immediately punish him. Instead, He showed patience and delayed judgment (1 Kings 11:13), giving Solomon many opportunities to repent. This is what grace looks like: giving someone what they do not deserve. Sadly, Solomon never repented, but God’s patience still reflected His gracious nature.
For us today, God’s grace changes our relationship with Him and with others.
When we feel misunderstood or alone, we can come to God, who sympathizes with our weaknesses and comforts us.
If we have sinned, we must not take God’s patience lightly. His delay in judgment is not a sign of approval but of grace. We should take this time to repent.
We are called to mirror God’s grace in our relationships. Instead of letting anger control us, we can choose patience and forgiveness, even when others do not deserve it.
Let us decide to be people of grace. Just as God has patiently given us what we do not deserve, may we also extend grace to those around us.
Discussion Questions:
How does understanding that God has emotions (like anger, sadness, and joy) change the way you view your relationship with Him?
How have you personally experienced God’s patience and grace in your life?
Are there any ways you are repeatedly disobeying God? Share about your experience with practicing repentance or struggles to repent.
What are your takeaways from this sermon?
