Proverbs 21:1 NKJV
The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,
Like the rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes.
There are enough chapters in the book of Proverbs to read a chapter a day, and by the end of the month, you will have read the entire book of Proverbs. This means that when you aren’t feeling really “spiritual” you can flip to the chapter that coincides with the day of the month and get a “Word for the day”.
I did this a couple of months ago and this is what the Holy Spirit began to show me.
I read the first verse of Proverbs 21 and questions began to flood my mind: Solomon wrote this, so is he talking about himself? Why would his heart be in the hand of the Lord? How can the Lord turn the king’s heart?
I immediately began to look up the word “turns” in Logos (FYI, this Bible software program costs a lot of money, but you can download a free version from your phone’s app store for FREE). This is what I found out. The word used in Proverbs 21:1 is the same word used in 1 Kings 11:9 to describe the state of Solomon’s heart at the end of his reign. This is what it says:
“So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,”
The sad reality is that God had appeared to Solomon twice to turn Solomon from the direction he was headed. 1 Kings 11 records Solomon’s failure to change his course. Initially, this serves as a warning that even the wisest of man, who are full of understanding can lose their way. This begs the question, how? I believe the answer is found in Job 31.
In verse 7 says, “If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart walked after my eyes…”
There is a correlation between the heart and the eyes. In other words, what has your eyes’ attention will have your heart’s affection. What has your heart’s affection will set your feet’s direction. Solomon’s eyes were fixed on the Lord for the vast majority of his reign as King of Israel, but he took his eyes off the Lord and began to entertain foreign gods. How did the man who built a temple for God in the not-so-distant future forsake that same God? I would dare say, it was because he got distracted.
We know Solomon had many wives and concubines. Many of those wives came from foreign nations. Those foreign nations worshipped other gods. There were three gods that we know Solomon sacrificed to: Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Molech. These gods represented two categories: sex and power. The lust of the flesh can take your eyes off the Lord. Searching for security and power from sources other than God will take your eyes off the Lord. Hence why Solomon’s heart was turned away from the Lord later in his life.
How do we guard against this? I believe the answer is found in Hebrews 12:1-2: “… let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” First, lay aside those weights and sins that are distracting you. Jesus has already paid the ultimate price for those weights and sins, so quit making excuses for having those things in your life. Second, Run after Jesus. You cannot win a race if you are looking in the wrong direction.
Who has your heart? You can narrow it down to what or who has your attention.
A Johnny Idea 
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