February 12, 2004
1 Kings 9:5-7
700 wives and 300 concubines
Down through the ages, the name Solomon has become almost a synonym for wisdom. “The wisdom of Solomon”. The son of David was a wise man who did wonderful things for the people of Israel. Unfortunately, he was also a great sinner, and sin will catch up with you sooner or later, no matter who you are.
1st Kings tells us that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, and this was long before the days of Viagra and Levitra. His appetite for the ladies led directly to the break-up of his kingdom. (quote from reading)
God had actually appeared to Solomon twice. The second time, according to the 9th chapter of 1st Kings, God warned him against doing exactly what he did in today’s reading.
“I will establish your throne of sovereignty over Israel forever, as I promised your father David when I said, ‘You shall always have someone from your line on the throne of Israel. But if you and your descendants ever withdraw from me, fail to keep the commandments and statutes which I set before you, and proceed to venerate and worship strange gods, I will cut off Israel from the land I gave them and repudiate the temple I have consecrated to my honor.”
As Dr. Phil would say, “Sol, what were you thinking??”
Which brings us to Abraham Lincoln. Today is his birthday. We all know that Lincoln was a man of principle. Every election year, the Republicans running for office invoke the name of Lincoln. The Democrats do the same with Truman. Sometimes they even get confused and the Republicans try to associate themselves with Truman and the Democrats try to compare themselves to Lincoln. Most of the time, they’re wrong.
Most of today’s office-holders and wanna-bes won’t eat breakfast in the morning until they check with their pollsters and find out what the majority of people want them to eat. They have wrinkled index fingers from doing this so much (lick finger and test for wind). They won’t make a move until they know which way the wind is blowing.
Recently a local official made the statement that he was opposed to gambling, but since the people seemed to want it, he was going to support it. Whether you support gambling or not, isn’t it too bad that we have people in office who aren’t willing to stand up for what they believe in? If a thing is bad, it’s bad. Kids love candy, but would a good parent serve Hershey Bars for breakfast? Of course not. Like a good parent, a leader’s role is to do what’s right, not what’s popular.
If Lincoln had run the country according to opinion polls, we might still all own slaves. Or, we might be slaves. Remember, in the 19th century, blacks weren’t the only minority that was persecuted. If you saw the movie “The Gangs of New York” you know that Irish Catholics in New York weren’t slaves, but they might as well have been. Being a Catholic in the United States in those days could definitely be hazardous to your health. Other minorities, like the Chinese who helped build the railroads, weren’t technically slaves, but they weren’t free either.
Lincoln, and other brave men of conviction helped us change for the better.
Our new archbishop has stirred up quite a controversy by suggesting that Catholic politicians should act like Catholics. Either walk the walk or stop talking the talk. Be leaders, like Lincoln; not followers like Solomon. As Catholics, we hold certain core beliefs and if you don’t share those beliefs, don’t say you’re Catholic. Seems pretty simple. But today, it’s all about being reelected. How ironic it is that they all want to be thought of as great leaders, but they’re not willing to lead. They’re the biggest followers of all.
So, today we have quite a contrast. Solomon’s name has come to mean “wisdom.” But in the end, his desire to please his 1,000 women led to the destruction of his kingdom, which wasn’t very wise at all. Most men have a hard time keeping one woman happy, much less a thousand of them. What was he thinking?
Then we have Lincoln, who stood up for his beliefs, saved the Union, and got himself assassinated for his trouble. Today, 200 years later, we consider Lincoln one of the great leaders of our country. So great, that politicians try to compare themselves to him, even though, most of the time, they couldn’t be more the opposite.
Maybe, just maybe, if a Catholic politician would take Archbishop Burke’s advise, he (or she) might just end up being a great leader. They might make an actual difference. They might cause positive change in our country. They might even get reelected.
I think there are two messages for us in today’s reading. First, and most obvious is that we are not to worship false gods. For Solomon it was the pagan gods that his wives and concubines worshipped. For us it’s anything that distracts us from the worship of the one true God. It might be money or power. It might be sports or television. God said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”.
Second, we shouldn’t waver in our beliefs. Solomon enjoyed great favor from God. But, when it came time to choose between his wives and his Creator, the wise Solomon made the wrong choice. Let’s not make that same mistake.
Headed for Heaven or Hell?
How would Lincoln answer? His political opponent, a famous frontier preacher, wanted to know.
Abraham Lincoln ran for Congress in 1846, and he faced a formidable opponent: Peter Cartwright. Cartwright, a raw-boned, circuit-riding Methodist preacher, was known throughout Illinois. During his sixty-five years of riding the circuit, he would baptize nearly ten thousand converts.
During the intense 1846 Congressional campaign, some of Cartwright's followers accused Lincoln of being an "infidel." In response, Lincoln decided to meet Cartwright on his own ground and attend one of his evangelistic rallies.
Carl Sandburg, in Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years, tells the story this way:
In due time Cartwright said, "All who desire to lead a new life, to give their hearts to God, and go to heaven, will stand," and a sprinkling of men, women, and children stood up. Then the preacher exhorted, "All who do not wish to go to hell will stand." All stood up—except Lincoln. Then said Cartwright in his gravest voice, "I observe that many responded to the first invitation to give their hearts to God and go to heaven. And I further observe that all of you save one indicated that you did not desire to go to hell. The sole exception is Mr. Lincoln, who did not respond to either invitation. May I inquire of you, Mr. Lincoln, where are you going?"
And Lincoln slowly rose and slowly spoke. "I came here as a respectful listener. I did not know that I was to be singled out by Brother Cartwright. I believe in treating religious matters with due solemnity. I admit that the questions propounded by Brother Cartwright are of great importance. I did not feel called upon to answer as the rest did. Brother Cartwright asks me directly where I am going. I desire to reply with equal directness: I am going to Congress."
He went.
700 wives and 300 concubines
Down through the ages, the name Solomon has become almost a synonym for wisdom. “The wisdom of Solomon”. The son of David was a wise man who did wonderful things for the people of Israel. Unfortunately, he was also a great sinner, and sin will catch up with you sooner or later, no matter who you are.
1st Kings tells us that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, and this was long before the days of Viagra and Levitra. His appetite for the ladies led directly to the break-up of his kingdom. (quote from reading)
God had actually appeared to Solomon twice. The second time, according to the 9th chapter of 1st Kings, God warned him against doing exactly what he did in today’s reading.
“I will establish your throne of sovereignty over Israel forever, as I promised your father David when I said, ‘You shall always have someone from your line on the throne of Israel. But if you and your descendants ever withdraw from me, fail to keep the commandments and statutes which I set before you, and proceed to venerate and worship strange gods, I will cut off Israel from the land I gave them and repudiate the temple I have consecrated to my honor.”
As Dr. Phil would say, “Sol, what were you thinking??”
Which brings us to Abraham Lincoln. Today is his birthday. We all know that Lincoln was a man of principle. Every election year, the Republicans running for office invoke the name of Lincoln. The Democrats do the same with Truman. Sometimes they even get confused and the Republicans try to associate themselves with Truman and the Democrats try to compare themselves to Lincoln. Most of the time, they’re wrong.
Most of today’s office-holders and wanna-bes won’t eat breakfast in the morning until they check with their pollsters and find out what the majority of people want them to eat. They have wrinkled index fingers from doing this so much (lick finger and test for wind). They won’t make a move until they know which way the wind is blowing.
Recently a local official made the statement that he was opposed to gambling, but since the people seemed to want it, he was going to support it. Whether you support gambling or not, isn’t it too bad that we have people in office who aren’t willing to stand up for what they believe in? If a thing is bad, it’s bad. Kids love candy, but would a good parent serve Hershey Bars for breakfast? Of course not. Like a good parent, a leader’s role is to do what’s right, not what’s popular.
If Lincoln had run the country according to opinion polls, we might still all own slaves. Or, we might be slaves. Remember, in the 19th century, blacks weren’t the only minority that was persecuted. If you saw the movie “The Gangs of New York” you know that Irish Catholics in New York weren’t slaves, but they might as well have been. Being a Catholic in the United States in those days could definitely be hazardous to your health. Other minorities, like the Chinese who helped build the railroads, weren’t technically slaves, but they weren’t free either.
Lincoln, and other brave men of conviction helped us change for the better.
Our new archbishop has stirred up quite a controversy by suggesting that Catholic politicians should act like Catholics. Either walk the walk or stop talking the talk. Be leaders, like Lincoln; not followers like Solomon. As Catholics, we hold certain core beliefs and if you don’t share those beliefs, don’t say you’re Catholic. Seems pretty simple. But today, it’s all about being reelected. How ironic it is that they all want to be thought of as great leaders, but they’re not willing to lead. They’re the biggest followers of all.
So, today we have quite a contrast. Solomon’s name has come to mean “wisdom.” But in the end, his desire to please his 1,000 women led to the destruction of his kingdom, which wasn’t very wise at all. Most men have a hard time keeping one woman happy, much less a thousand of them. What was he thinking?
Then we have Lincoln, who stood up for his beliefs, saved the Union, and got himself assassinated for his trouble. Today, 200 years later, we consider Lincoln one of the great leaders of our country. So great, that politicians try to compare themselves to him, even though, most of the time, they couldn’t be more the opposite.
Maybe, just maybe, if a Catholic politician would take Archbishop Burke’s advise, he (or she) might just end up being a great leader. They might make an actual difference. They might cause positive change in our country. They might even get reelected.
I think there are two messages for us in today’s reading. First, and most obvious is that we are not to worship false gods. For Solomon it was the pagan gods that his wives and concubines worshipped. For us it’s anything that distracts us from the worship of the one true God. It might be money or power. It might be sports or television. God said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”.
Second, we shouldn’t waver in our beliefs. Solomon enjoyed great favor from God. But, when it came time to choose between his wives and his Creator, the wise Solomon made the wrong choice. Let’s not make that same mistake.
Headed for Heaven or Hell?
How would Lincoln answer? His political opponent, a famous frontier preacher, wanted to know.
Abraham Lincoln ran for Congress in 1846, and he faced a formidable opponent: Peter Cartwright. Cartwright, a raw-boned, circuit-riding Methodist preacher, was known throughout Illinois. During his sixty-five years of riding the circuit, he would baptize nearly ten thousand converts.
During the intense 1846 Congressional campaign, some of Cartwright's followers accused Lincoln of being an "infidel." In response, Lincoln decided to meet Cartwright on his own ground and attend one of his evangelistic rallies.
Carl Sandburg, in Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years, tells the story this way:
In due time Cartwright said, "All who desire to lead a new life, to give their hearts to God, and go to heaven, will stand," and a sprinkling of men, women, and children stood up. Then the preacher exhorted, "All who do not wish to go to hell will stand." All stood up—except Lincoln. Then said Cartwright in his gravest voice, "I observe that many responded to the first invitation to give their hearts to God and go to heaven. And I further observe that all of you save one indicated that you did not desire to go to hell. The sole exception is Mr. Lincoln, who did not respond to either invitation. May I inquire of you, Mr. Lincoln, where are you going?"
And Lincoln slowly rose and slowly spoke. "I came here as a respectful listener. I did not know that I was to be singled out by Brother Cartwright. I believe in treating religious matters with due solemnity. I admit that the questions propounded by Brother Cartwright are of great importance. I did not feel called upon to answer as the rest did. Brother Cartwright asks me directly where I am going. I desire to reply with equal directness: I am going to Congress."
He went.
posted by Mike at 12:06 PM
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