He Did Not Follow
The LORD Completely
King
Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the
earth. The whole world sought audience
with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. Year after year,
everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons
and spices, and horses and mules.
Solomon
accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve
thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in
1 Kings
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides
Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which
the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because
they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held
fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three
hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his
wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to
the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So
Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD
completely, as David his father had done.
On a
hill east of
The
LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD,
the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden
Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s
command.
1 Kings 11:1-10
What would have been written on Solomon’s tombstone to sum up
his life? Started good, ended bad; Words greater than actions; Pride got to
him; When will we learn? Solomon was a man of virtue and wisdom and wanted God
to be a major part of his life. And yet, for all the good he did, God appeared
to him twice. God was not happy that he had been lured away from God by some of
his wives and concubines. So his life started good, but he was not obedient.
How about you? Are you obedient?
Obedience to God is the key to a life of
blessing.
Our Daily Bread –