Solomon’s Errors

1 Ki. 11

We have seen the greatness of Solomon. He “loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women” (1 Ki.11:1). He had 700 wives and 300 concubines! The LORD had already warned the Israelites about these. In Exodus 34:16, the LORD said of the Canaanite women, “You will take wives from among their daughters for your sons, and their daughters who prostitute themselves to their gods will make your sons also prostitute themselves to their gods.” And because of this, the LORD warned the Israelites, “Do not intermarry with them” (Deut. 7:3). But, “Solomon clung to these in love” (1 Ki. 11:2).

The wisest king also fell into this sin and as the LORD had said, “his wives turned away his heart” (1 Ki. 11:3). He followed Astarte, Milcom, Chemosh and Molech and “did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not completely follow the LORD, as his father David had done” (1 Ki. 11:6).

What a sad ending for a glorious king! The LORD then raised up enemies for Solomon and this began a big problem for all Israel, all because “his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel” (1 Ki. 11:9).

How important it is to hold on to the LORD our God today, as we are surrounded by all the glitters of the world. Or have we been clinging to all these things in love just like Solomon did? We need to leave them and turn to the LORD because they will surely lead us away from the true God.