God's Faithfulness - Solomon's Story (Part 3)
1 Kings 11:9-13
9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. 11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”
Over the past few weeks, Pastor Daniel has shared characteristics of God through Solomon’s story. We've learned that a relationship with God calls us to:
Be humble,
Show grace in our actions despite our emotions, and
Be faithful.
But what does it mean to be faithful? Pastor Daniel explained that faithfulness means keeping your promises, no matter the circumstances. If God is faithful, then He must have made promises — and kept them.
In 1 Kings 3:12-14, God promised Solomon wisdom, wealth, and honor if he followed His commands. However, Solomon disobeyed by marrying foreign women — breaking God's command at least 1,000 times. Yet in 1 Kings 11:9-13, God shows mercy because of a prior promise to Solomon’s father, David (2 Samuel 7:11-16). God swore to establish David’s line and remain faithful even when his descendants sinned. Despite Solomon’s failures, God kept His word.
What about us? Has God made promises to us? Absolutely. The Bible itself — Old and New Testaments — are covenants, or promises. In the New Testament:
God promises His love will never leave us (Romans 8:38-39).
He promises we are justified through Jesus, not by our own works (Galatians 2:16).
But does that mean we can live however we want? No. God's desire is still for us to obey Him (1 Kings 3:14, 1 Kings 11:11). Yet, we struggle — our faith is inconsistent. That’s why Galatians 2:16 is so powerful. Pastor Daniel pointed out that it's not just our faith, but Jesus’ faithfulness that justifies us. His perfect, unchanging faith bridges the gap between us and God.
So how do we respond?
1. Return to God.
No matter how far we’ve fallen, God is patient. While Solomon’s story ends in disobedience, we know from Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son how God would have welcomed him back. He’ll do the same for us.
2. Be faithful to God.
If God keeps His promises to us daily — even across generations — how can we not strive to be loyal in return?
3. Be faithful to others.
Faithfulness isn’t just vertical; it’s horizontal. We are called to reflect God's image in how we treat each other and keep our word.
If we live this way, our faith will grow. We’ll see God's promises fulfilled — and gain confidence in Him, in others, and in ourselves.
Reflection Questions:
Am I someone others can trust to keep promises? Why or why not?
Where in my life have I struggled to be faithful — to God or to others?
What can I do this week to restore a broken relationship — or strengthen a weak one?
