**Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.** Proverbs 31:3
So, yesterday’s rant is over. Sorry about that. I just think sometimes, that life hasn’t changed much over the years regarding the protection of women. I understand that sometimes we can act foolishly and ask for trouble, but many, many times I know that we are innocent victims.
It is interesting that Bathsheba talks about men and women in her first advice to her son, Solomon. Relationships can and should be healthy between a man and a woman. But I think she is saying here that Solomon shouldn’t allow the desire for women to cloud his judgment or his actions. That he shouldn’t throw away all the good that he can do by giving into the temptation to be with someone he shouldn’t be.
Unfortunately, Solomon didn’t seem to heed her advice. Women were a great temptation for him. But at least he married them (hundreds of them) but there is no record of him doing what his father did to his mother. It never says he forced any of them or committed murder to justify his marriages.
We need to remember that David was VERY loved by the nation of Israel. He was their hero. They loved to celebrate with him, go to war with him. They saw him as just and good and fair, even honorable. Until Bathsheba. David RUINED his public image over what he did concerning Bathsheba and Uriah. It was completely out of character. I imagine that many felt he could no longer be trusted.
Bathsheba is trying to warn Solomon to not make the same mistake as David. To not give in to whims and fantasies. To not lose sight of what is right and just and pure. Solomon did have many wives but he did not obtain them through force or betrayal. He did get detoured from his faith by his wives.
The funny thing is, as moms, we warn our kids about the things that we faced in our own lives and we don’t always see other things that can derail them. We can teach them to honor and appreciate and respect women and forget to teach them that life is easier with one wife than it is with 100 wives. The financial burden alone is staggering. We want to protect our children from going through what we experienced but we can’t protect them from everything.
Solomon remembers his mother’s advice. He records it. Again, I feel it is a tribute to her. David messed up. Bathsheba was a victim. Solomon was the fruit of a repaired situation. His mother tried to warn him. He didn’t completely listen.
We know that Solomon’s many wives took him off on some bad paths. But he remembers what Bathsheba tried to tell him. ….Don’t give your strength, your name, your reputation away over your desire for women. Have some self control. Be faithful to one wife, or at least the half dozen. 🙂 But don’t let your desires control your actions or your good judgment. Solomon understood it to a point. But he made his own mistakes as well.
Women are men’s downfall again and again. All of history tells us that. Helen of Troy. Romeo and Juliet. Henry the 8th. That’s why church leaders should be the husband of one wife. It shows they have self-control and can learn how to be faithful and honor their marital relationship. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be pure. It builds them a name. It makes them appear stronger as men, not weaker. It proves their inner strength against life’s temptations. One feels they can be trusted.
So, Bathsheba tries to warn Solomon…don’t destroy your name over sexual desires. Don’t let one really bad season erase all the good that you have tried to do. Because the consequences will be great. David lost 4 sons because of it. And his heart was broken over each one. A great price to pay for one night.