1 Kings 11:1-13 (NLT)
Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. 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. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the LORD.
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. Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. 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.
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. Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.
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. He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the LORD’s command. 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. 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. 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.”
Explanation:
In his book titled Finishing Strong, author Steve Farrar suggests that if the life of faith was literally a race, then among the godly men of the Bible, King Solomon crawled to the finish line. Why is that so? Along with unparalleled wealth, God blessed Solomon with more wisdom than anyone in the East (1 Kings 4:30). With all that God entrusted to him, shouldn’t he have left everyone in the dust?
Sadly, Solomon, like his father, violated God’s laws for marriage by having multiple wives—a sin that led to tragic consequences for both of them. All the wisdom in the world didn’t protect Solomon from committing idolatry once his heart was turned from God. Although it happened in his old age, the trap was set much earlier. The heart is not led astray overnight, but through the consent of one temptation, which leads to another temptation, and another…each one easier to approve than the last. Eventually, we find we have drifted miles away from the center of God’s will.
It’s easy to think God overlooked Solomon’s many wives and mistresses because it was a cultural practice—but He didn’t. Not even kings can avoid the consequences of disobedience. Solomon’s sin permanently divided the nation of Israel and left him spiritually bankrupt. All that God entrusts to us comes with unlimited favor when we honor Him…and unmitigated shame when we don’t.
Action Steps:
What are the top three things God has entrusted to your care?
What safeguards do you have in place to keep your heart from going astray?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for blessing my life in so many ways. I am committed to keeping my eyes on You alone, and not the blessings You have entrusted to me. Please put the right people in my path to hold me accountable when my behavior does not honor You. Amen.