April 20, 2024

It’s easy to get caught up in the glamorous life of others, but it isn’t a good idea because humans will disappoint, and King Solomon became one of those disappointments. As soon as I read the heading for 1 Kings 11, I knew Solomon’s reign was over. It said, “Solomon turns away from the Lord.” Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines; that’s 1000 women! These women couldn’t have been anything more than gold diggers (believe me, he had plenty of gold!) because it would have been impossible for one man to have shared quality time in a loving way with so many. Many of these women were from countries God had warned Israel not to mingle with. The worst part is that these women drew him away from God to begin worshipping their idols and fake gods. These gods are not like the material things we call idols today, but the enemy made them believe human sacrifices were necessary, and Solomon fell under that spell and built temples for those gods. His children paid the price for what he did because, after his death, God handed the kingdom of Israel, with its eleven tribes, over to Jeroboam, leaving only one tribe for the children of King David. Solomon tried to have Jeroboam killed, but he escaped to Egypt until Solomon died. Solomon’s son Rehoboam took over Judah in Jerusalem. I left out a lot of details in this summary, so if you have time, it’s an interesting read. 

The main point is to keep your eyes on the one true God. He is the only one who can help you in times of need. Keep worshipping God, and He will reward you for your faithfulness. 

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 11:4