Trouble now started for Solomon and he suffered many adversaries, this was all a result of his disobedience. The first adversary that God raised up was an Edomite, and this was partly payback for Joab's behaviour. God weaves all sorts of things together in His plan. God's plans are not one dimensional. Rezeh was the next adversary to be raised up.
Trouble also arose from within Solomon's own officials in the form of Jereboam, a man who Solomon had admired and promoted. A prophet met Jereboam and told him that God was tearing ten of the tribes away from Solomon, leaving only one (plus David's own tribe). This was happening because of the idol worship. This would happen after Solomon's death.
Solomon evidently heard about this and tried to kill Jereboam but failed. Solomon died after reigning for forty years and his son Rehoboam succeeded him.
We need to understand that it is our trust and obedience to the Lord that counts more than anything. None of Solomon's wisdom could save him from what was happening. The troubles all came about because of his faithlessness. No doubt many political, economic and military explanations could be found, but the root of it all was Solomon's worship of false gods. We need to apply this to our own lives, and to the nation as well. The most important thing in our lives is our love for God. All sorts of details will sort themselves out if our hearts are committed to God. This does not mean we can live like fools exhibiting no common sense whatsoever, but we need to have true perspective on things.
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