Don't Pass On the Negative

Elder Gong said this recently as he encouraged us to participate in the work of family history: “Learn and acknowledge with gratitude and honesty your family heritage. Celebrate and become the positive and, where needed, humbly do everything possible not to pass on the negative. Let good things begin with you.” I thought about this quote as I considered the story of Solomon. In his family heritage was the tragic fall of his father who, though he had many wives, lusted after another women and committed grievous sin. Unfortunately that kind of negative behavior was passed on to the next generation and Solomon clearly had a similar problem with women: “But king Solomon loved many strange women… And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart” (1 Kings 11:1, 3). Of this fact Jacob recorded this in the Book of Mormon: “Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord” (Jacob 2:24). With the wisdom the Lord had given him Solomon had every chance to break the chain, to stay true to the Lord and His commandments throughout his entire life, to not pass on the bad from the previous generation, but he failed in this regard and like his father fell from righteousness at the end.

                I also thought of this modern declaration of the Lord in relation to Solomon: “Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:7). At the beginning of his life Solomon followed this perfectly as he asked the Lord for “an understanding heart” instead of asking for riches. The Lord responded to this righteous request in these words: “Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart.” But this wasn’t all; unfortunately for Solomon the Lord also gave him “riches, and honour” (1 Kings 3:9-13). So Solomon did not seek for riches but for wisdom and indeed he was made rich and learned the mysteries of God as he was given great wisdom. Eventually he was described this way: “So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom” (1 Kings 10:23). Unfortunately, though, that wisdom and wealth eventually corrupted him and led him to seek foreign wives who turned his heart from the Lord. He was not made rich with eternal life like he should have sought most.

                Solomon’s life is a reminder to us that we need to seek diligently to not pass on the negative behaviors in our families from previous generation. His life had such promise to reject the wicked choices of David with Bathsheba and Uriah, but Solomon let his guard down too. His life and his father’s life teach us that we must continue in righteousness, clinging with all our hearts to the commandments of the Lord throughout our whole lives or we too risk to fall from grace. If we “hearken not unto the counsel of God” then our “wisdom is foolishness” as it ultimately became for Solomon and we “shall perish.” Wisdom will only profit us if we “hearken unto the counsels of God” (2 Nephi 9:28-29). We must cling to these words of the Savior and live by them forever: “Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life” (3 Nephi 15:9).