It DOES Matter What You Believe

7 February January 2026  1 Kings 3:4-13

“Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you, and none like you shall arise after you.” (1 Kings 3:12)

So, what happened to Solomon?

“I give you a wise and discerning mind so that none like you has been before you, and none like you shall arise after you” (1 Kings 3:12). There is no indication anywhere in scripture that Solomon changed his mind about God, or that he ever said something like, “I used to follow God, but not anymore.” Solomon appears to have considered himself a loyal Israelite his whole life. In his own mind he found reasons to justify his idolatry and religious compromises, building altars to Chemosh of Moab, and Molech of the Ammonites, and worshipping at them (cf. 1 Kings 11:7-8). 

He found reasons to justify exorbitant taxation and forced labor for his building projects, and for his unequal treatment of the Israelite tribes, which resulted in the division of the kingdom, and eventually led to conquest and exile at the hands of Assyria and Babylon. There is no indication that Solomon ever thought he was departing from divine teaching.

Bible sales increased 24% in 2024, 12% on top of that in 2025. Bible sales are now twice what they were in 2019, driven largely by Millenials and Gen Z. Churches are reporting higher weekly attendance, especially among young men, and evangelization is booming in the global south – Africa alone is projected to have 1.28 billion Christians by 2050

So, what happened to Solomon? We may never know.

So, why did God allow all that to happen?

It has been suggested that sometimes a period of deconstruction is necessary, a diminishment of religion and its influence, so that a new generation can arise that looks at religion with fresh eyes. In the 60s and 70s it became fashionable for Christians to say that it doesn’t really matter what you believe, as long as you support social justice, and help for the poor. That intensified in the years immediately following the attacks of 9/11. Attention to doctrine and clarity of teaching diminished, but that didn’t deliver a more just and tolerant society – just the opposite, in fact. Now many of the same people who used to call for social justice and toleration are intolerant of the voices they oppose, and support policies that are not only unjust, but in many cases defy reason and science. It has poisoned our politics and our civic discourse, and it is unclear whether western civilization can endure that kind of strain.

Now, however, young adults are beginning to look at religion again with fresh eyes. They are starting to think that it does matter what you believe, and so Bible sales increased 24% in 2024, 12% on top of that in 2025. Bible sales are now twice what they were in 2019, driven largely by Millenials and Gen Z. Churches are reporting higher weekly attendance, especially among young men, and evangelization is booming in the global south – Africa alone is projected to have 1.28 billion Christians by 2050, and they are experiencing that growth in the face of withering persecution.

Solomon found reasons to justify a great many unfaithful things in his own mind – so have we. He and his successors found out that this is pure poison, and subjects whole cultures to the acids of disillusionment, decay and destruction – so have we. Israel found out that it does matter what you believe – so have we.

There is a very good book that talks at length about that very thing, and what to do about it. Many more people are now reading it – so should we.