Solomon’s Error

“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. 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.” (1 Kings 11:1-4)

Solomon’s reign as the king had started great, but as we see, his reign and even his life later went horribly wrong. The Bible also tells us why it happened: he kept company with the wrong people.

After Israel left Egypt, God had warned them not to fellowship with heathen people and their false gods: “Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.” (Exodus 23:32) However, Israel repeatedly went “…a-whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them:” (Judges 2:17) and God chastised them for their disobedience.

To be clear, the point here is NOT for Christians to be “holier than thou.” Isaiah 65:5 says people “Which say, “Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou.” are “…a smoke in my [God’s] nose, a fire that burneth all the day.” Jesus wants to save people. He is “…not willing that any should perish,” (2 Peter 3:9) Christians are to love people as He does.

The warning is against sinning in order to get along with people. If being liked matters more than obeying God, bad things can happen. You may grow cold toward the Lord, as Solomon did. At first he “…loved the LORD,” (1 Kings 3:3) Yet when he kept company with the wrong people and started acting like them, “…his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God,” (1 Kings 11:4)

You also may find yourself doing things you never thought you would. If Solomon had been told that one day he’d marry heathen wives and facilitate their evil worship, he may never have believed it. Yet he did. Solomon even built a place of worship for a deity named Molech. Children were offered as sacrifices to “…pass through the fire unto Molech;” (Jeremiah 32:35)

The temptation to sin is always strong in any environment. Yet the Lord can help you live pleasing to Him and “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) Stay in God’s Word, pray often, attend a good church, and trust Him to help: “…my heart trusted in him, and I am helped:” (Psalm 28:7)

Most importantly, if you aren’t sure you’ll be in heaven when you die but you’d love to be sure, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links”, then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”

Brian Miller 12/9/2021

Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822