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Sold Out, July 6
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the
other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot
serve God and mammon.
Matthew 6:24
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So gradual was Solomon’s apostasy that before he was aware of it, he had
wandered far from God. Almost imperceptibly he began to trust less and less in
divine guidance and blessing, and to put confidence in his own strength....
Engrossed in an overmastering desire to surpass other nations in outward
display, the king overlooked the need of acquiring beauty and perfection of
character. In seeking to glorify himself before the world, he sold his honor and
integrity....
The conscientious, considerate spirit that had marked his dealings with the
people during the early part of his reign, was now changed. From the wisest and
most merciful of rulers, he degenerated into a tyrant. Once the compassionate,
God-fearing guardian of the people, he became oppressive and despotic
Men who have the use of money are to learn a lesson from the history of
Solomon. Those who have a competence are in continual danger of thinking that
money and position will ensure them respect, and they need not be so particular.
But self-exaltation is but a bubble. By misusing the talents given him, Solomon
apostatized from God. When God gives men prosperity, they are to beware of
following the imaginations of their own hearts, lest they endanger the simplicity
of their faith and deteriorate in religious experience
The lesson for us to learn from the history of this perverted life is the
necessity of continual dependence upon the counsels of God; to carefully watch
the tendency of our course, and to reform every habit calculated to draw us from
God. It teaches us that great caution, watchfulness, and prayer are needed to
keep undefiled the simplicity and purity of our faith. If we would rise to the
highest moral excellence, and attain to the perfection of religious character, what
discrimination should be used in the formation of friendships, and the choice of
a companion for life
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15
Prophets and Kings, 55, 56
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16
Manuscript 40, 1898
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17
The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 2:1031
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