Saul was the first king of Israel. He did not want to be king and when they came for him, he was hiding. His life was troubled with doubt and jealousy. The way Scripture describes him, he probably had a mental illness. He sought out the advice of a witch. He repeatedly disobeyed God. He died by suicide in a battle.
David was selected to replace Saul as king. Most of his life was a battle in one form or another. He had to fight for the Israelites to gain control of their own territory. As result of his failures in fighting off sinful behavior, his infant child died and repeatedly there were those in his kingdom including his own sons who rebelled against him. Much of his life he was in hiding from those who wanted to kill him.
Solomon was the third king of Israel. As a child he asked God for wisdom to lead the people. As a result of his request, God also granted him absolute success and fame and fortune. Solomon was still considered the wisest man by his remarkable leadership. However, this king did not apply wisdom to his own life. He became so distraught that he said life was vanity and vexation.
There are Bible verses that provide a short sentence with a big message. Now, we can have our own set of modern Proverbs for believers.
In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all my mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” From this text we are reminded that God is not optional. He is not one of many gods. He is the only God. Also, a man must honor himself before he can honor other people. Proper and biblical self-esteem is highly important in relating to others, in serving God.
In Luke 12:18 Jesus gave an example of a man that did not have his priorities in order. The man said, “This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and all my goods.” From this Scripture we could learn that the quality of man’s life is not in what he wants but in building with what he has. Not all of us have the luxury of wealth, but we all have the opportunity to make more of ourselves. We also learn that character comes from closing the gap between what a man likes to think of himself and what he really is. It is very difficult to look at a mirror and admit what kind of a person we are. In fact, some people are so self-deceived. they refuse to face the good, the bad, the ugly of who they are. The first step that follows self-revelation can lead to salvation. Afterwards, spiritual growth can have the opportunity to blossom making the man more than he was.
From Solomon’s own words comes the Scripture of Proverbs 30:32 that says, “If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.” It is quite easy for a person to say or do foolish things. Sometimes it is intentional. Sometimes it is as a slip of the tongue. Nonetheless, we all find ourselves in that situation from time to time. It could require an apology. It could require a restatement of what was really intended. However, whether a person is foolish or wise depends on the man’s real motives. In the heart dwells those motives which might require seeking God’s forgiveness and the Holy Spirit’s transformation. When a man artificially boost his self-esteem, he apparently is guilty of self-deception. To get the most value from reading the Bible, it would be best to apply those verses to ourselves to see whether we need to offer repentance to God or seek a new direction in serving him. It is a person with genuine intent that makes his life better and more valuable to the rest of the world
Christian Writer 