1 Kings 11

We have seen King Solomon’s slowly turning away from God, but not much about his failure until now.  In chapter 11 we see his failure described.  He married many wives, 700 royal wives and 300 concubines.  God clearly stated in Deuteronomy 17:17 that this was against what God wanted for Israel’s kings.  “He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray.”

It seems Solomon desired many wives because of his lust, but it was also for power and prestige.  Maybe Solomon had become drunk with his fame through the world, because in those days a large harm was a status symbol.  He was never really satisfied.  The more he had, the more he wanted.

Solomon’s wives worshipped foreign gods and to keep them happy Solomon built places of worship for them and with time he joined them in worship.  Age didn’t make him any wiser.  He didn’t lose his faith entirely, but just added sinful things to his life.  He compromised.  His heart was not fully devoted to the Lord as the heart of David his father had been.  For the wisest man on earth, he was very foolish.  If this was the case with the wisest man who ever live, then what hope do we have apart from dependence upon Jesus?  I hope Solomon’s example drives us all to greater dependence on Jesus.

The Lord spoke to Solomon a third time.  He became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from Him.  The Lord had appeared to him twice before and warned him of the dangers of disobedience.  Now that Solomon had disobeyed, the Lord said He would tear down his kingdom and give it to one of his subordinates.  For David’s sake, this wouldn’t be done in Solomon’s lifetime.  Instead it would be torn out of the hand of Solomon’s son. 

What false gods are in your life?  Some idols today are:  famous people, our possessions, our jobs, TV, video games, power, and even our kids can be idols.  Anything or anyone you put before God is an idol.

God raised up adversaries who opposed Solomon – Hadad the Edomite, Rezon son of Eliada, and Jeroboam son of Nebat, who would eventually rule over the 10 northern tribes of Israel.  God left one tribe to the House of David.  The small tribe of Benjamin was absorbed into the tribe of Judah.

Jeroboam was one of Solomon’s officials.  He was a man of standing and was put in charge of the whole labor force.  God assured Jeroboam if he obeyed His rules and commandments, He would be with him and give Israel to him and God would humble David’s descendants, but not forever. 

Jeroboam and David were appointed by God.  David waited on the Lord to make the throne clear and God blessed his reign.  Jeroboam didn’t wait on the Lord, but make his own way to the throne and God didn’t bless his reign.  Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, which shows how wicked he had become.  Jeroboam fled to Egypt and stayed there until Solomon’s death. 

The Lord was very patient with Solomon, because his sin didn’t happen all at once.  It happened over time.  That’s the way Satan works.  You start out with a little sin and all of a sudden it turns into more sin and bigger sins.  Solomon disobeyed almost every rule that God had said kings should follow.  He increased his number of horses and chariots; he gathered great riches to himself; he married women, even foreign women.  Worst of all, he worshiped false gods.  He knew his disobedience brought judgment.

I think Solomon realized what was important and that all his power and possessions were useless when he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes.  He summed up his life in Ecclesiastes 13:8 – “Everything is meaningless”. 

Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for 40 years.  Then he rested with his fathers and was buried.  This doesn’t mean he was a saved man since this term ‘rested with his fathers’ is also used when the wicked died.  So we don’t know if he is heaven or not; however 2 Chronicles 11:17 may be a clue.  But we do know that God can forgive any sin and maybe Solomon came to his senses at the end.  His son Rehoboam succeeded him as king over Judah and Benjamin which was called Judah or the southern kingdom.

David spiritually recovered from his faults and sins, but he never worshiped false gods or built shrines to them.  Both were driven by their egos and their hormones.  David repented, but we are not told if Solomon repented.  David had a heart for God.  Solomon was puffed up and full of himself.  Solomon’s greatest accomplishment was the building of the temple where the people could look to the Lord in prayer and trust Him to hear and answer their prayers.  God punished Solomon, but He kept his promise to David.

Are you guilty of sin or overcome by difficulties and trials in life?  Jesus is our temple.  Turn to Him.  No matter how we fail; Jesus never fails.

Solomon’s life began with great purpose.  It began with his heart following God and obeying His ways, but somewhere along the way he stopped guarding his heart and was led astray.  Jesus warned us in Mark 8:36-37 – “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?  Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Principle:  Begin well and finish well.

Solomon’s life is a warning for our lives.  Solomon had it all and fell.  Watch out if you think you are doing well.  This is an opportunity for Satan to steal your heart from God.  Guard your heart against compromise.  Guard your heart against what seems to be small choices that show love for someone or something other than the Lord your God.  “Now these things happened to them as an example and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.  So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” – 1 Corn. 10:11-12

How can you live a life that stays focused on Jesus and doesn’t turn away? 

Immediately repent of sin – 1 John 1:9

Stay focused on Jesus daily – Hebrews 12:1-2

Depend upon the Holy Spirit to enable you to live the Christian life – Zechariah 4:6; John 15:5

Stay in His Word – Ephesians 6:17

Be obedient – John 14:15

Principles: 

A heart for anything other than God separates us from Him.

God lovingly uses consequences to turn us back to Him.

This is the last of our study on 1 Kings.  Hope to see you here for our next study.

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