By Dustin Allman
Pastor, The Fort Church, Kingsport
Focal Passage: 1 Kings 11:1-13
We will all worship something or someone. The question is who or what is the object of our worship?
1 Kings 11 describes the drift of Solomon’s compromising heart. Solomon’s heart was given to other lovers and he fell hard. James 1:15 reminds us, “… after desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.” Desires are good, but disordered desires lead to compromising sin.
Allman
Solomon’s compromise was predictable. We start falling into sin long before we ever fall into disgrace. I remember a particular beach vacation where I went into the ocean while my wife stayed on the beach.
I thought I had a fixed point of reference, but enjoying myself in the waves, I failed to realize that most of the hotels on the beach looked similar from afar. I was overconfident in myself. Before I knew it, the tide had taken me 100 yards away!
I walked onto the shore and could not find my wife! Solomon is a case study on the subtlety of sin. As the old saying goes, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you far more than you want to pay.”
Solomon’s heart was divided. Growing up, I played sports and as an adult, I’ve helped coach a few teams. A common phrase when trailing at halftime, “It’s not how you start … but how you finish!”
The endurance of our heart’s allegiance will determine our direction. Six times in the first nine verses, we read of Solomon’s heart being led astray. There is an incredible contrast between the beginning of Solomon’s story and a rather tragic ending.
1 Kings 3:3 tell us “Solomon loved the LORD.” That’s a great start! But in 1 Kings 11:1-2, we’re told “Solomon loved many foreign women … he was deeply attached.” Will Solomon finish with a divided heart?
Solomon’s downfall had catastrophic consequences. Two particular compromises we trace:
(1) Solomon began to trust more in his own wisdom than in God, the giver of Wisdom and Solomon attached himself to these women as a source of his identity, as opposed to looking to God for his identity!
According to human wisdom, cementing wealth and power through strategic political alliances (via marriages) seems like a savvy move. But Solomon needed no help in acquiring any of these things. They had already been promised to him by God.
(2) Solomon was more concerned with enabling his wives to remain faithful to their gods than he was with remaining faithful to the One True God!
While there is no explicit mention of Solomon participating in the sacrifices of these gods, he certainly allowed it and gave it royal sanction! He even built places of worship for these false gods so his wives could maintain their devotion!
The result of these compromises eventually led to a collapse of Solomon and the kingdom. But our hope is in another King whose kingdom is forever.
Where Solomon compromised, Jesus conquered! Solomon disobeyed, but Jesus obeyed perfectly. This is the King we put our trust in! Jesus is the only King to which every knee will bow! B&R
