Chuck Swindoll writes,
I remember only two things from my high school chemistry class. First, I got rid of a wart on the back of my right hand through applications of sulfuric acid for thirty-three consecutive days. Second, I watched the slow death of a frog in an unforgettable experiment.
My teacher placed the hapless creature in an oversized beaker of cool water. Beneath the beaker he moved a Bunsen burner with a very low flame so that the water heated very slowly—something like .017 of a degree Fahrenheit per second. In fact, the temperature rose so gradually that the frog was never aware of the change. Two and a half hours later the frog was dead. . . boiled to death. The change occurred so slowly that the frog neither tried to jump out nor released a complaining kick.
[restrict]
Attentive as I was to the gruesome demonstration, I never realized I was witnessing a profound principle that would remind me of that frog for the rest of my life. The principle, in a word, is erosion – slowly
Deterioration is never sudden. No garden “suddenly” overgrows with thorns. No church “suddenly” splits. No building “suddenly” crumbles. No marriage “suddenly” breaks down. No nation “suddenly” becomes a mediocre power. No person “suddenly” becomes base. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, certain things are accepted that were once rejected. Things once considered hurtful are now secretly tolerated. At the outset it appears harmless, perhaps even exciting, but the wedge it brings leaves a gap that grows wider as moral erosion joins hands with spiritual decay. The gap becomes a canyon. That “way that seems right” becomes, in fact, “the way of death.” Solomon wrote that. He ought to know.
King Solomon blessed with royal blood grew up in a palace and an abundance of brains, Solomon was a natural for the throne of David. He was tutored at the feet of Nathan, groomed through the heart of Bathsheba, polished under the eyes of David, and matured by the hand of God. The mark of excellence was upon him.
Wisdom, loyalty, diplomacy, faithfulness, and efficiency characterized the attitudes and acts of David’s gifted son for the first few years of his kingship. Best of all, “Solomon loved the LORD” and carefully walked in His ways. His achievements, power, international influence, and wealth were nothing short of phenomenal:
Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.
Solomon had it all.
It’s so easy to become inflated with thoughts of our own importance and fail to see the pitfalls on the way. Should God grant riches, fame, and success, don’t run scared or feel guilty. Just stay balanced.
King Solomon a kmal mlo mechelaod ra klisichel ma ududel and couldn’t see beneath his nose. [/restrict]