I Kings 11:1-10
“But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.” (I Kings 11:1-2)
In Exodus 34:12-16, God warned Israel against making treaties with or intermarrying with the people in the land of Canaan. “Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.”
The warning was that getting involved with these groups would eventually result in lowering their standards and getting involved with their religion as well. It is the same principel we see in II Corinthians 6:14-18. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
As long as they are clinging to their old religion and customs, there will be pressure for you to go along with those things even though they are in direct conflict with what God demands. Please understand that the problem was not interracial marriage, but of religious standards. God punished Aaron and Miriam for getting upset that Moses married an Ethiopian. Both Rahab and Ruth were of the peoples God had forbidden Israel to marry, but both turned from their old religion to God, and both became ancestors to Jesus Christ physically.
Solomon fell into the same trap a lot of other men fall into, wanting to have every pretty woman he saw. As king, he had power and wealth, that a lot of women were attracted to, much like a moth is attracted to a light. In addition, other countries viewed a marriage with the ruler as a way of cementing peaceful relations between the countries. Taking advantage of these things, Solomon indulged his every fancy, according to Ecclesiastes 2:9-10. “So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.”
“And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 1 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.” (I Kings 11:3-6)
In addition to ignoring God’s command in Exodus about making treaties with and marrying those who worshipped other gods, Solomon also ignored the commands about kings in Deuteronomy 17:15-17. “Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.”
Solomon had formal state weddings with seven hundred princesses to cement treaties with their countries. He also had three hundred ordinary women as mistresses, without all the formal hoopla, feeding his ego. Coupled with his efforts to build such a strong military he didn’t need to depend on God by accumulating a huge herd of horses and chariots, and his constant efforts to increase his riches, he has broken every part of Deuteronomy 17:15-17.
Starting with his love for God, but sacrificing in the high places in I Kings 3:3, to his devoting more effort to building his own house than to God’s, to this point in time, we see a continual gradual progression away from what God had commanded. As a result, when his wives began to pressure him to do things that were directly contrary to what God commanded, he yielded, putting their wishes ahead of God.
“Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.” (I Kings 11:7-8)
Once he gave in, , building a worship to please one of his wives, everyone of the others could complain that he wasn’t being fair if he didn’t do the same thing for her, and suddenly, all his efforts were involved in sacrifices to all the other gods, rather than in worshipping God. His mistresses were the only ones who didn’t put him under this pressure.
“And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.” (I Kings 11:9-10)
Shortly after Solomon became king, God appeared to him making promises to bless him concluding in I Kings 3:14, “And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.”
About twenty years later, when Solomon’s changing priorities were mor apparent, God again appeared to him, and warned him again in I Kings 9:4-7. “And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:”
Not only had Solomon disobeyed God ‘s commandments in the Law, he had ignored two personal warnings from God himself. His sin was the cumulative result of deliberate choices to disobey God. It was not his wives’ fault, although they contributed to the problem.
People almost never suddenly turn away from what is right. Like Solomon, they make decisions and allow attitudes that turn their heart away. While it may come as a complete surprise to others, it is usually something they have been building toward for some time. Sudden things like David’s sin with Bathsheba are rare, and even then there is usually a period of development before the sin occurs..
“But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.” (I Kings 11:1-2)
In Exodus 34:12-16, God warned Israel against making treaties with or intermarrying with the people in the land of Canaan. “Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.”
The warning was that getting involved with these groups would eventually result in lowering their standards and getting involved with their religion as well. It is the same principel we see in II Corinthians 6:14-18. “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
As long as they are clinging to their old religion and customs, there will be pressure for you to go along with those things even though they are in direct conflict with what God demands. Please understand that the problem was not interracial marriage, but of religious standards. God punished Aaron and Miriam for getting upset that Moses married an Ethiopian. Both Rahab and Ruth were of the peoples God had forbidden Israel to marry, but both turned from their old religion to God, and both became ancestors to Jesus Christ physically.
Solomon fell into the same trap a lot of other men fall into, wanting to have every pretty woman he saw. As king, he had power and wealth, that a lot of women were attracted to, much like a moth is attracted to a light. In addition, other countries viewed a marriage with the ruler as a way of cementing peaceful relations between the countries. Taking advantage of these things, Solomon indulged his every fancy, according to Ecclesiastes 2:9-10. “So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.”
“And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 1 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.” (I Kings 11:3-6)
In addition to ignoring God’s command in Exodus about making treaties with and marrying those who worshipped other gods, Solomon also ignored the commands about kings in Deuteronomy 17:15-17. “Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.”
Solomon had formal state weddings with seven hundred princesses to cement treaties with their countries. He also had three hundred ordinary women as mistresses, without all the formal hoopla, feeding his ego. Coupled with his efforts to build such a strong military he didn’t need to depend on God by accumulating a huge herd of horses and chariots, and his constant efforts to increase his riches, he has broken every part of Deuteronomy 17:15-17.
Starting with his love for God, but sacrificing in the high places in I Kings 3:3, to his devoting more effort to building his own house than to God’s, to this point in time, we see a continual gradual progression away from what God had commanded. As a result, when his wives began to pressure him to do things that were directly contrary to what God commanded, he yielded, putting their wishes ahead of God.
“Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.” (I Kings 11:7-8)
Once he gave in, , building a worship to please one of his wives, everyone of the others could complain that he wasn’t being fair if he didn’t do the same thing for her, and suddenly, all his efforts were involved in sacrifices to all the other gods, rather than in worshipping God. His mistresses were the only ones who didn’t put him under this pressure.
“And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.” (I Kings 11:9-10)
Shortly after Solomon became king, God appeared to him making promises to bless him concluding in I Kings 3:14, “And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.”
About twenty years later, when Solomon’s changing priorities were mor apparent, God again appeared to him, and warned him again in I Kings 9:4-7. “And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:”
Not only had Solomon disobeyed God ‘s commandments in the Law, he had ignored two personal warnings from God himself. His sin was the cumulative result of deliberate choices to disobey God. It was not his wives’ fault, although they contributed to the problem.
People almost never suddenly turn away from what is right. Like Solomon, they make decisions and allow attitudes that turn their heart away. While it may come as a complete surprise to others, it is usually something they have been building toward for some time. Sudden things like David’s sin with Bathsheba are rare, and even then there is usually a period of development before the sin occurs..
Dear Donald,
ReplyDeleteIt was a great pity about the direction King Solomon had taken, especially as one having great wisdom as he did.
But thanks be to the grace of God, I believe that he still went to paradise, or Abraham's Bosom, after death, much to the relief of his father.
It does make me wonder how parents feel when their children fall away from their faith after being brought up in it. No doubt that their prayer is that God's mercy will over rule, and that their backslidden offspring will return to the faith, as Solomon apparently did.
A great post, like all the others you have written.
Thanks, Frank.
DeleteI am so thankful that God is a forgiving and loving father. Even though our sin may anger him, he doesn't disown us, although he may be forced to withdraw his blessings.