Abundance Leads To Abandonment

“The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the LORD has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’ The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the LORD. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself. [Deuteronomy 17.16-17] 

It is as if God knew Solomon was coming.

Solomon had 12,000 horses, 700 wives and 300 concubines, and his wealth was unmatched.

In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the LORD his God, as his father, David, had been. [1 Kings 11.4]

An abundance of warhorses, wives and wealth does not substitute for obedience. In fact, Solomon's abundance led to his abandonment of God. The fact that God warned against such abundance for the king (as leader) gives us a pretty good idea how He feels about it for everyone. Abundance leads to abandonment.

Jesus said this:

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” [Mark 10.23]

There is overwhelming evidence in the Bible that abundance leads to abandonment. Yes, there may be exceptions, but they are indeed exceptions. We all think we are the exception! The truth is however that not everyone can be the exception...

Father, forgive me for always thinking myself the exception when it comes to Your Word and the warnings expressed therein. May my life reveal my concern only for Your Kingdom and not my own. So be it.