But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 1 Kings 11:1-3
God knew in advance the temptations faced by the kings of Israel, and centuries prior to the Israelites having a king, He warned them and gave them principles by which the kings should govern God’s nation.
“When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. Deuteronomy 17:14-17
The Lord specifically told Moses that the kings should not amass horses, gold, and silver, and neither should they be polygamous and marry foreign wives. Solomon went against everything God had warned. He multiplied his horses, and he did intermarry foreign women, and in turn, he saw the consequence of his bad actions.
Intermarriage was part of the customs in that era allowing the the kings to form alliances with other nations. Solomon may have excused his behavior because it was cultural. Sometimes we excuse our actions and blame it on our history or our culture, but anything that does not line up with the truth has to be driven out of our lives. This may mean not attending certain family gatherings or celebrations, or it may cost us some friendships because people expect us to do certain activities with them. When we walk with God, we are accountable to the truth we know, and we need to follow through with what He has instructed us about.
Having many horses may have caused Solomon to begin relying on his military prowess rather than the power the Lord provides. Similarly, we may rely on our titles, wealth, or certain relationships to cover up our insecurities or to prop us with fictitious power.
In addition, by Solomon giving his heart to foreign women, his heart was not engaged with pleasing God anymore. He loved the women he married, so he desired to please them by worshipping their God and making altars for them. Solomon had to be a hefty price as the consequence for his actions, and God announced that his kingdom was going to be divided after his death.
We live in a culture that many things are permissible and lawful, and people in the world would not look down upon us if we sinned. However, God’s law is higher than the laws of the land. It is important not to evaluate our morality based on the culture around us or what is lawful. The Bible provides us with plumb-line for Godly living, Godly wisdom, and evaluates our actions against its standard. Much of the ills of society can be prevented or minimized, if people followed God’s counsel and instructions instead of doing what everybody else is doing.
In his old age, Solomon penned the book of Ecclesiastes where he shared about the vanity and the meaningless of life and wealth. Apart from God, the things of this world only have a temporary satisfaction, and they eventually leave us empty and bankrupt. Our relationship with God gives us the stability and the wholeness that keeps us steady regardless of our possessions or circumstances. In the last verses of the of book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon concluded with the following:
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
After all the glamour, the glory, and the pitfalls, Solomon understood that the most important thing in life is to fear God, for someday, we will all give an account of our lives to Him!
