annotated-Spiritual%20Risk

.pdf

School

Liberty University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

714

Subject

Arts Humanities

Date

Dec 6, 2023

Type

pdf

Pages

9

Uploaded by JusticeFreedomGorilla2111

Report
SPRITUAL RISK 1 Spiritual Risk in the Life of Solomon Kimberly M. Thomas BMAL 727, Liberty University Author Note Kimberly M. Thomas I have no known conflict of interest to disclose. Correspondence concerning this article should be address to Kimberly M. Thomas. Email: kthomas225@liberty.edu
SPRITUAL RISK 2 Abstract Much like his father, David, King Solomon began his tenure as the leader of Israel as a devoted follower of the Lord and his commandments. Solomon’s faithfulness and his desire to be a great ruler and bring the nation of Israel into prosperity was rewarded with wisdom that only the Lord could provide. This gift of wisdom was at the specific request of King Solomon to the God that he served. Despite the supernatural wisdom that the Lord provided to King Solomon the nature of sin soon captured Solomon’s heart. His desire for wealth, power, and pleasure led him to make decisions that would ultimately lead the nation of Israel into disrepair and debt. The decisions that King Solomon made, largely influenced by the people who he surrounded himself with, did not honor the Lord or his commands. This paper will discuss King Solomons life and leadership of the nation of Israel and how he could have used risk management principles to ensure the stability and future of his nation. Keywords: godly wisdom, spiritual risk, King Solomon, risk management
SPRITUAL RISK 3 Spiritual Risk in the Life of Solomon Introduction David is known as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, King James Version). Therefore it makes sense that David’s son, Solomon was also gifted with supernatural gifts. This lineage is marked by the fingerprints of the almighty as later in history these men would become direct relatives of Jesus (Merida, 2015). David, on his death bed, reminded his son, Solomon, that there is no better blessing than obeying the laws of the Lord and walking in a manner that demonstrates understanding of those laws (Merida, 2015). Solomon, understanding his own sin nature, requested that the Lord bless him with wisdom. Because of the nature of this request, God granted Solomon with supernatural wisdom which Solomon used to build his legacy. The effects of Solomons reign over Israel was more expansive than any other king in history (Merida, 2015). However, Solomon was human, and therefore subject to the swaying of the enemy. As Solomon’s reign of Israel continued, his trust and reliance on the Lord lessened. This led to the nation of Israel falling to a ruler from a different line (Friedman & Friedman, 2019). Defining Spiritual Risk Risk management, according to Wright (2017), focuses on identifying and categorizing any circumstances or situations that may lead to less than optimal outcomes. Once these events have been identified they can then be categorized and evaluated to determine the probability of the event occurring. One common misconnection is for risky events to be associated with negative outcomes. While this is often the case, occasionally risk events could create positive results. Spiritual risk is specifically attributed to any situation or circumstance that could have an
SPRITUAL RISK 4 effect on an individual’s relationship with God. These risks can have eternal effects as sin, by its very nature, separates the believer from fellowship and communion with their savior. Scripture encourages followers of jesus that the God that they serve not only knows everything, but is also infinite and not bound by the human restraints of time or place (Psalm 147:5, New International Version). Psalm 139:4 states “Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely” (New International Version). Due to the fact that God exists beyond time and space, and has the ability to know everything throughout all of time, believers are encouraged to trust their entire being, past, present, and future, to this God they serve. Evaluating spiritual risk in the life of a follower of Jesus can be paired down to a single scripture. Mark 8:36 asks believers “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (New International Version). In this verse Jesus is communicating to his followers that he can be trusted and that the risks associated with walking according to the way are worth taking. However, humanity is finite. Therefore the issues arise when the sinful nature of pride and selfishness whisper to the believer that any personal losses that are experienced will far outweigh the promises that God has already made. The enemy has tried to lure believers from their faith by whispering in their ears the lies that if they are following God then they will experience a life that is free from risk. However, quite the opposite is true. God promises in John 16:33 that believers will experience trouble as they walk through the world and interact with other humans. The beautiful promise of God is that there is no need to fear the trouble that will be encountered as he has already overcome everything that could ever be experienced. When followers of Jesus experience hardship of any kind there are two typical reactions that occur. Both of these reactions are based in blame. Either the believer will lose faith that the almighty God is who he says he is, and they will blame him
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
  • Access to all documents
  • Unlimited textbook solutions
  • 24/7 expert homework help