King Solomon’s story begins gloriously: Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places (1 Kings 3:3).
Chapter 11 highlights how Solomon’s love for the Lord was replaced by devotion to the many wives in his harem.
King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the Israelites,
“You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for they will surely incline your heart to follow their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
Among his wives were seven hundred princesses and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned away his heart (1 Kings 11:1-3).
The king’s syncretism will be an issue that follows Israel for centuries.
Syncretism refers to the blending of two religions into one. Solomon recognized Yahweh, but combined the worship of the Lord with that of other deities of his wives and concubines.
Under Nehemiah’s reforms, he used Solomon as a prime example of why Israelites should not marry foreign women.
Did not King Solomon of Israel sin on account of such women? Among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless, foreign women made even him to sin.
Shall we then listen to you and do all this great evil and act treacherously against our God by marrying foreign women?” (Nehemiah 13:26-27).
Solomon’s lust for multiple wives and concubines turned his heart away from God and adversely affected his rule. His children were not immune to their father’s sin.
Rehoboam was the child of an Ammonite woman. Later in the story, we will read of how Rehoboam was negatively influenced by this pagan wife of his father, Solomon.
God’s promise to Israel was this: “So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
And to keep the commandments of the Lord and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).
Rather than put God above all else, Solomon put his wives first place in his life.
Solomon’s Shameful Worship
Solomon was graced with two separate personal encounters with the Lord. In addition, God granted him wisdom and the honor of building the temple. At the dedication of the temple, he witnessed the glory of God fill the most holy place.
He failed to keep his focus on God and lost sight of the One who was responsible for all of his accomplishments.
For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David (1 Kings 11:4).
We expect that Solomon continued to observe events surrounding the temple. At the same time, he recognized other pagan gods.
- He followed Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians. Astarte was a Canaanite fertility goddess.
- Milcom, Molech, and Chemosh are different ways of describing the same pagan deity that required child sacrifice. Solomon built shrines for an evil idol that required the sacrifice of a child.
Solomon’s shameful acts of combining the worship of Yahweh with the gods of his wives brought God’s judgment on his rule and the nation he was ordained to serve.
Refuse to Be Led Astray
The church fathers and mothers identified actions that will lead us away from our devotion to the Lord. In case we emulate the syncretism of the Israelites of old, let’s learn from the spiritual leaders of the church.
Let’s allow our attitudes and actions to be challenged by the counsel of spiritual leaders who sought an undivided love for the Lord.
(1) No Trespassing: All of us have a “No Trespassing” sign that warns us to avoid certain actions and attitudes.
We recognize the danger to our relationship with God that the “No Trespassing” signs represent and refuse to cross that path.
(2) Purity of Heart: We set our affections on the Lord and refuse thoughts that distract the mind and heart away from God.
If you are like me and scroll your phone when you are bored, you may want to include information on your phone that leads you deeper in your relationship to the Lord.
I like to read between sets at the gym. Instead of doom-scrolling on my phone, I downloaded and read a book that is providing information for this article.
(3) Purity of Mind: Rudy Ross frequently speaks about how thoughts influence behavior.
Solomon probably didn’t immediately compromise his relationship with God. We can expect he first encountered a wife or concubine who wanted to worship her god. After thinking about his options, he chose to honor his wife over the Lord.
As Billy Graham said, “We can’t keep a bird from flying over our head, but we can keep it from building a nest in our hair.” That is good counsel for how to handle thoughts that lead us away from a close relationship with the Lord.
(4) Purity of the Will: Our will is pure when we are always willing to do the will of God.
I like how Henry Blackaby tells us to “quickly align our lives with God,” when we are tempted to go astray.
All of us experience the temptation to go astray with our attitudes and actions. Each temptation should serve as a “red flag” warning, calling us to quickly return to alignment with the Lord’s purpose for our lives.
If these four points seem hard, continue reading 1 Kings. There is a very real cost to discipleship. However, the cost of human failure to follow God’s will is far greater.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 