Proverbs - Wisdom for LifeSample

King Solomon was wise and strong. People came from lands near and far to hear the wisdom of this great king. Solomon was tasked to build a temple for God, but he couldn’t rule Israel and build the temple on his own, so Solomon appointed officials and governors to help him. Hiram, the king of Tyre, was Solomon's friend and helped him build the temple.

The two kings had a treaty. In return for supplying timber for the temple, Solomon provided food for Hiram’s royal household. Solomon had to build the temple and do what God asked him to do, build good friendships, and work with others.

Solomon had some great friendships, but sadly, Solomon didn’t always get it right. Even though he was the wisest king ever, he made some bad choices and had some bad friendships. God had forbidden his people to follow other gods, but Solomon didn’t keep the Lord’s command and married many women who worshipped idols instead of the one true God. Solomon’s heart turned away from God, and his wives led him astray. King Solomon had more wisdom than anyone else on earth, but the bad friendships he made were his undoing.

What kind of friendships are you building? What kind of friend is really a friend to your future? Just like Solomon, we can choose what kind of friendships we build: those that lead us toward good things or friendships that lead us away from good things.