Solomon: What You Don’t Steward, Sours
Summary of “Solomon: What You Don’t Steward, Sours.”
In the final message of the Three Kings series, Pastor Torry Sheppard closes with the story of Solomon, the king whose reign began with unmatched wisdom and blessing but ended in compromise and sorrow. The sermon, titled “What You Don’t Steward, Sours,” explores the danger of mishandled blessings and the call to use God-given resources, influence, and opportunities for kingdom purposes.
When Winning Isn’t Enough
Pastor Torry begins by naming a universal experience: achieving something you deeply wanted—only to discover it doesn’t fulfill you. Whether it’s a promotion, a major purchase, or even success itself, many of us know the strange letdown of getting what we wanted and still feeling empty. He illustrates this through golfer Scottie Scheffler’s candid admission before the British Open that, despite being the world’s number one, golf ultimately doesn’t satisfy the deepest parts of his heart.
This echoes Solomon’s haunting words in Ecclesiastes 2:10–11:
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired… Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done… everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
If Solomon—the wisest, wealthiest king in history—could admit the futility of pleasure and success, we must wrestle with the same question he and Scheffler asked: “What’s the point?”
Solomon’s Splendor: Humble Beginnings
To understand how Solomon ended up disillusioned, Pastor Torry takes us back to where it began—in humility. In 1 Kings 3, newly crowned Solomon travels to Gibeon, the most sacred worship site in Israel, to seek God’s help. In a dream, God invites Solomon to ask for anything he wants. Rather than riches or power, Solomon requests wisdom to lead God’s people well.
This reveals a profound truth: Solomon saw himself as a steward. He recognized that the kingdom wasn’t his—it was God’s. And because Solomon sought God’s kingdom first, God granted him not only wisdom but also wealth, honor, and peace.
For a time, Solomon’s priorities were clear: everything he built—especially the temple—pointed to the greatness of Yahweh. Under his leadership, Israel flourished, and even the Queen of Sheba was left breathless at the wisdom, wealth, and glory on display.
But as Pastor Torry notes, Solomon’s story doesn’t end at Gibeon. Over time, his focus drifted. His success became self-serving. The humility that brought him to worship slowly gave way to pride.
The Blessing Paradox: A Pattern Through Scripture
This shift reflects what Pastor Torry calls “The Cycle of Blessing.” It begins with humble dependence on God, which leads to divine empowerment, then to great impact, and eventually to tangible blessing—resources, influence, and success. But often, those very blessings become dangerous when they lead to pride, self-reliance, and ultimately, spiritual drift.
This isn’t unique to Solomon. Pastor Torry points out that this cycle shows up repeatedly throughout Scripture. We see it in King Saul, who began in humility but ended in rebellion. We see it in David, whose heart for God drifted into sin. And we can see it in ourselves if we’re not careful.
And this is the paradox: blessings are meant to build God’s kingdom, but when misused or hoarded, they sour. From this observation, Pastor Torry provides two guiding truths:
Kingdom blessings are for kingdom purposes.
What we don’t steward, sours.”
Crossing the Lines: Solomon’s Slow Fade
Solomon’s decline wasn’t sudden—it was a slow, subtle fade. Pastor Torry highlights how Solomon violated the very warnings God gave in Deuteronomy 17: kings must not accumulate excessive wealth, multiply wives, or rely on military power for themselves.
Yet Solomon did all of these. He built a palace that cost more and took longer than God’s temple. He amassed chariots and gold as symbols of power. He married hundreds of foreign wives who drew his heart toward their gods.
The man who once wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” now lived as though he were the exception to God’s commands. This wasn’t ignorance—it was willful misalignment.
How to Break the Cycle: Gratitude and Surrender
Pastor Torry then shifts to Solomon’s closing words in Ecclesiastes 12, where the weary king offers hard-earned wisdom:
“Remember your Creator… Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.”
Two practices emerge:
Gratitude – “Remember your Creator.” Gratitude humbles us. It reminds us that everything we have—wealth, influence, opportunity—belongs to God. It anchors us in the Giver rather than the gift.
Surrender – “Fear God and keep His commandments.” Worship is more than a song; it’s offering back to God what is most precious. Like Abraham in Genesis 22, true worship is openhandedness—a willingness to live generously and obediently with what God entrusts to us.
Conclusion: Which Part of the Story Are You Living?
Pastor Torry closes with three invitations:
To the blessed: If you’ve been given much, remember your Creator. Use your resources for God’s purposes and expand His kingdom.
To the striving: If you’re chasing “more,” stop. There’s no finish line when “more” becomes your purpose. Fulfillment is found in living for something bigger—God’s kingdom.
To the disappointed: If success has let you down, find hope in surrender. Real purpose begins when you live for the King, not yourself.
Wherever we find ourselves, Solomon’s hard-won wisdom still rings true: “Remember your Creator. Fear God. Keep His commands.” When we live this way, blessings remain blessings—they don’t sour.