Steadfastness - 1 Kings 10-13

1 Kings 11:4-8 (ESV Strong's)
4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.

Steadfastness

One of the New Testament statements about “old men” is written by the Apostle Paul to young, preacher Titus.  Here is what he wrote to encourage Titus as he grows old:

Titus 2:2 (ESV Strong's)
2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

They are to be “sound in faith, sound in love and sound in steadfastness.”   Paul often wrote about his own “finishing the race” well. To young pastor Timothy he wrote:

2 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV Strong's)
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

These verses all stand in contrast to what we read, above, for Solomon.  Despite the fact that Solomon was given the very wisdom of God and wrote thousands of proverbs about God’s wisdom, he failed in the end of his life.  He did not run with steadfastness.   He allowed his appetites for women to cause him to succumb.   This seems to be true in a lot of lives of believers. Their “addiction” to something, in the end, brings them down.   Paul tells us to run to the very end.  We are not to let our guard down. We are to remember that sin never sleeps and has no age limit on defeating us.   Sin does not give up. Sin has steadfastness.  Satan has steadfastness.  We need to, in the Spirit, have steadfastness.