Hi ,
The words above were written by King Solomon. Indeed, in his own youth, he did remember his Creator. So did his father, David. I'm sure Eli did, too, as did Samuel. These, and others mentioned in the Bible, are all honorable people. They have a high place in the history of Israel.
But in each case, there was a serious flaw. With Eli, he apparently did his job as a priest in an honorable way. But, he apparently did not train his children correctly. Even though he confronted them about their sinful ways, he did nothing to stop them or remove them from their positions, which he had the power to do.
David was similar. He did very little to train his children. In the case of Adonijah, who tried to seize the throne, the scriptures say that David never reprimanded him or challenged him for his actions. (I Kings 1:6) This eventually cost Adonijah his life.
Do I dare to mention one of the most honored men in the Bible? Samuel! He was another who apparently did not pass the torch on to his children. At the end of his life, the nation wanted a king because they all knew that Samuel's sons - plural! - did not walk in his ways! (I Sam. 8:3) That's tragic!
But, at least they all ended their personal lives still following the Lord. BUT, King Solomon, the wisest of the wise, did not! Though he certainly knew better, he deliberately and systematically walked away from God, allowing his biggest weakness, women, to lure him ever so slowly away over time.
Growing cold like that, or indifferent, or apathetic... these scare me more than anything! The Apostle Paul talks about keeping the faith and finishing his race well (II Tim. 4:7). That's the goal. That's my goal! Passing the torch of God's truth on to my children is one thing. Finishing well personally is something else entirely! I,
personally, am responsible for my own decisions.
My constant prayer is that I will be strive to be faithful to the Lord to the end, in all aspects of biblical instruction. And actually, if I do that, then I'm on the right track with everything else in my life, too. I pray this for you, too.
