Cracks in the Crown

One stormy afternoon, Thibodeaux stopped by to visit Boudreaux. When he walked in the door, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Rain was pouring through the roof in a dozen places. There were pots and pans and buckets all over the floor—plink, plink, plunk—and Clotile was running around emptying them out the back door.

Thibodeaux said, “Boudreaux! Why don’t you fix dat roof?”

Boudreaux said, “Mais, Thibodeaux, I can’t fix it today. It’s pourin’ down rain out dere!”

“Well, why didn’t you fix it last week, when de sun was shinin’?”

Boudreaux looked at him like he was crazy. “Thibodeaux, don’t be foolish. When de sun’s shinin’, it don’t leak!”

We laugh, but that’s how most of us live. When life is sunny, we don’t worry about the cracks. Everything looks fine from the outside. Business is good. The family’s okay. Nobody’s complaining. So we leave the little cracks alone—until the storm comes and everything starts pouring in.

Today we are going to look at a king whose roof didn’t leak for a long, long time—King Solomon. For years the sun was shining on his kingdom: peace on every border, gold in the treasury, the most famous wisdom in the world. But underneath, there were cracks in the crown.

Listen to one little line in verse 2: “Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway.”

That was the first crack. And Solomon left it alone—one compromise, one decision at a time—until the storm finally came.

Intro

This is Week 2 of our series, “No King But the True King.”  Last week we saw the people of Israel demand a king so they could be like the other nations. They thought an earthly king would give them power, security, and identity.

So God gave them kings. And for a while, it looked like it was working. They had Saul. They had David. And then they had Solomon—the wisest, wealthiest, most successful king Israel ever knew.

But here is the hard truth:

Even the best earthly kings fail.

Even the wisest leaders fall. Even the strongest kingdoms crumble. When we build our lives on the promises of earthly kings, we are always building on shaky ground.

Let’s read the story of Solomon’s downfall.

1 Kings 11:1–13 NLT

1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. 2 The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, ‘You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.’ Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. 3 He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord. 4 In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been. 5 Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely, as his father, David, had done. 7 On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods. 9 The Lord was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command. 11 So now the Lord said to him, “Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. 12 But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. 13 And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, my chosen city.”

Even the wisest kings can fall.

1 Kings 11:4 NLT

4 In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been.

Think about who Solomon was. The son of David. The builder of the Temple. The writer of Proverbs. The man who asked God for wisdom—and received it. He had it all: divine wisdom, political peace, unmatched wealth, and international influence.

And yet, Solomon fell. This is the man who spoke with God, who built the house of God, who watched the glory of God fill the Temple—and still his heart wandered. Why? Because his loyalty was divided.

People fall away because of divided loyalty

He loved God, yes—but he also loved many other things. And that split heart pulled him off course.

Ironically, Solomon himself wrote the warning he failed to heed:

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Solomon didn’t fall in a day. He drifted.

One compromise after another. One marriage after another. One “just this once” after another. Until eventually, the wisest man in the world was bowing down to idols.

Proverbs 14:12 NLT

12 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

Some paths seem wise. There are pastors and churches that are saying things are ok today that scripture says are wrong. They feel like good decisions. They look like growth, and the culture even applauds them. But if they pull our hearts away from God, they will eventually destroy us.

This is the failure of earthly kings. They may be wise, gifted, even blessed by God—but they are still human. Still fragile. Still capable of falling. And if Solomon could fall, so can every leader. So can every king. So can we.

Our hope isn’t in fallen leaders. Our hope is in the King who never falls, never fails, and never turns away.

Who are you trusting right now that seems wise and strong, but may not actually be leading closer to the Lord?

Earthly kings build for themselves.

1 Kings 11:7–8 NLT

7 On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.

Solomon’s drift didn’t stay private. His compromise became concrete—literally. He used his power, his workforce, and his wealth to build shrines to false gods, right on the hillside facing the Temple he had built for the Lord. forcing sinful ideologies … forcing the shot… the whole trans issues - boys in girls sports…

Here is the tragedy: he used the blessings of God to build rebellion against God. He took the wisdom, wealth, and peace God had given him and built a kingdom for his own comfort instead of God’s glory. We do the same…

We use the blessings of God to build a kingdom for our own comfort instead of God’s glory.

Usually, our leaders use the power to enrich themselves. But that’s a waste because…

Psalm 127:1 NLT

1 Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.

Solomon built—and built—and built. Palaces. Cities. Pic of Solomons’ stables Fortresses. Stables full of horses and chariots.

And near the end of his life, the book of Ecclesiastes—traditionally connected to Solomon—gives this verdict:

Ecclesiastes 2:11 NLT

11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

That is what earthly kings do. They build impressive things. They inspire crowds. They promise greatness. But so often it isn’t about serving people—it’s about building their own name.

We see it in politics. We see it in influencers and celebrities. We see it in bosses and leaders who want loyalty for personal gain. And if we’re honest, sometimes we see it in the mirror.

James 3:16 NLT

16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

Earthly kingdoms are built on self-interest. God’s kingdom is built on self-giving love.

Anything built for self will eventually collapse. But everything built for God’s glory lasts into eternity.

What are you building with your life, and who is it really for?

Only the true King builds what will last.

1 Kings 11:9–11 NLT

9 The Lord was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command. 11 So now the Lord said to him, “Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants.

God had been patient with Solomon. He appeared to him not once, but twice. He warned him specifically. But Solomon did not listen. And the very kingdom he had poured his life into would be torn in two. His accomplishments, his buildings, his legacy—divided and dismantled.

And yet, even in judgment, notice the grace in 1 Ki 11:12

1 Kings 11:12 NLT

12 But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son.

“God kept His promise to David, because God’s plan was bigger than Solomon. A greater Son of David was coming.

Jesus tells us plainly what makes a life stand or fall: building your life on the rock

Matthew 7:24–25 NLT

24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.

It isn’t how impressive your house looks—it’s what it’s built on. Solomon had gold-covered walls and a crumbling heart. His kingdom was built high, but not deep. And when the storm came, it fell.

Hebrews 12:28 NLT

28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.

There is only one kingdom that cannot be shaken, and only one King who builds what truly lasts: Jesus.

◆ He doesn’t build His kingdom on ego—He builds it on grace.

◆ He doesn’t use people to expand His power—He empowers people to serve.

◆ He doesn’t take from us—He gives everything for us.

◆ He doesn’t rule by pride—He rules through sacrificial love.

Are you building your life on the broken promises of human leaders, or on the unshakable promises of Jesus?

There is a flaw we can’t see.

In 1977, a gleaming new skyscraper opened in Manhattan—the 59-story Citicorp Center. It was a marvel. Instead of standing on columns at its corners like most buildings, it was perched on four massive stilts set in the middle of each side, so that its corners hung out over open air. Why? Because a church sat on the corner of that block—St. Peter’s Lutheran Church—and the deal required the church to have its own building. So the engineers lifted the whole tower up and built it around the church.

The chief structural engineer was a brilliant man named William LeMessurier. He was proud of that building, and he had every right to be.

Then in 1978, an engineering student working on a thesis began asking questions about how the tower handled wind hitting it at an angle—striking two sides at once. That question made its way back to LeMessurier, and he decided to rerun his numbers. That is when he discovered two things. The angled winds were far more dangerous than he had calculated. And during construction, to save money, the joints in the building’s steel bracing had been bolted together instead of welded as he had designed.

By his own estimate, if the building’s stabilizing system lost power, a storm strong enough to bring the tower down could hit New York about once every sixteen years. And hurricane season was coming.

From the street, the building looked perfect. Nobody else knew. The flaw was hidden in the joints. LeMessurier was the only man with the full picture—and he faced a choice. He could keep quiet and protect his reputation. Or he could tell the truth, risk his career, and get the flaw fixed before the storm came.

He told the truth. He went to the bank’s leaders and laid it all out. And they acted. Every night, after the office workers went home, welding crews went to work behind the walls, welding heavy steel plates over the bolted joints, one by one. In September, with the work only half done, Hurricane Ella churned up the coast toward New York. The city quietly drew up plans to evacuate the surrounding blocks. And then, at the last moment, the storm turned out to sea.

The repairs were finished in October. The public didn’t learn the story until a magazine article seventeen years later. And that building still stands today, wrapped around a little church on the corner.

Here is what I want you to see.

The building didn’t fall—because someone was willing to bring the hidden flaw into the light before the storm hit.

Solomon never did that. There is no record in 1 Kings 11 that he ever came clean. The flaw stayed hidden in the joints of his heart. The storm came. And the kingdom was torn apart.

Some of us are standing on a hidden flaw right now. From the street, everything looks fine. Nobody else knows. But you know. A compromise you’ve been making. A little shrine on the hillside you thought you could manage. A divided heart.

And here is the good news: you don’t have to pay for the repairs yourself. LeMessurier’s insurance paid for his. Jesus, the True King, paid for ours with His own blood.

1 John 1:9 NLT

9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Even the wisest earthly kings will let you down. Even the strongest leaders will fall. But Jesus will never fail. His kingdom will never fall. His promises will never break. So don’t wait for the storm. Bring the flaw into the light today, and let the True King make your foundation solid.

This weeks commitment: One thing I will do this week to fix my foundation

With God’s help, I will let the True King inspect my foundation. I will name one hidden compromise, confess it to God and to one trusted believer, and replace it with one clear step of obedience. I choose to build my life on Jesus—no king but the True King.

Prayer

Salvation

Altar -

Closing

Lord Jesus, You see what no one else sees. You know the hidden places in our hearts where we have compromised and drifted. We don’t want to wait for the storm. Today we bring it into the light. Thank You that Your blood has already paid for every repair. Forgive us, cleanse us, and make our foundation solid on You. Tear down the shrines we have built, and build in us a life that lasts forever. In Your name, Amen.