Opposition from God

 1 Kings 10-11; 2 Chronicles 9; Romans 6 

“Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite…And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada…Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad…”

1 Kings 11:14, 23, 25

Solomon might have been inclined to blame Satan for raising up Hadad and Rezon against him; however, both of these adversaries were raised up by God. Recognizing the potential for this same pattern, Solomon’s father David refused to strike Shimei when Shimei cursed him on the day he fled Jerusalem (2 Samuel 16:11, 12). God sometimes uses opposition to discipline us, refine our character, and get our attention. Rather than fighting opposition, a wiser approach is by full surrender to the Lord, seeking his counsel and deliverance. Solomon compromised with foreign wives and their gods, so God used opposition to get Solomon’s attention. It’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance.

“Lord Jesus, I repent for rebellion and thank you for repentance, for your glory.”