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Today’s reading is 1st Kings 3–4, picking up with Solomon’s reign following the death of his father. Solomon is a young leader, lacking in experience. As the reader, it can be quite jarring to jump so quickly into his career with the opening line of verse 1,

“Then Solomon formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt…”

We recognize this as unfaithfulness right out of the gates; we know God had already given clear counsel through Moses in Deuteronomy 17:16–17. God had instructed the future kings not to,

“…cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away…”

I think the inward tension of this opening verse is exactly what the author intended. God wants us to feel this tension so we recognize we’re in process and that we need His grace in it.

To press the tension even further, we’re told,

“…Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”

Can both be true? Can someone genuinely love the Lord and still live with areas of compromise? Even if Solomon intended to worship the Lord, he was doing so in ways not fully aligned with God’s design.

Solomon had just begun reigning; he was just beginning the path of leadership and faith. He even refers to himself as a little child in verse 7. This doesn’t excuse compromise, but it does remind us that spiritual maturity is a process. No matter where we are in our walk with Christ, we should know we’re not perfect. I’ve always tried to envision spiritual maturity as a literal path we’re walking. There are some far ahead of me, and others behind me—but we’re all on the same path that leads to full maturity in Christ.

Let’s stop and think through these verses that stir our emotions. How many of us would say, “I love the Lord my God with all my heart,” only to then view something, say something, or take part in something that is not God’s very best for us? If that’s true of Solomon—and if it’s true of us—then shouldn’t it change the way we respond to others? Shouldn’t we show the same grace to others that we so readily receive for ourselves?

Solomon’s love for God is real, but his faith is still immature. We know what that is like. We get distracted, we stumble, and sometimes we even wander from the straight and narrow. Our walk with God is not instant—it’s a process, and we’re all in need of grace along the way.

The tension in these opening verses is meant to bring us here. A place where we humbly accept the process and receive the grace involved in spiritual growth, and where we extend patience and grace to those around us who need that same space to grow.

Be patient with the process—God is. And today, as you walk with others on that same path, extend to them the same grace God is extending to you. Have a great day!