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1Ki11a-2021N.docx

SOLOMON DID NOT FOLLOW THE LORD COMPLETELY

1 Kings 11:1-13

Key verse 6

“So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.”

Introduction

King Solomon had a wonderful beginning as a king after David. Solomon asked for wisdom to rule God’s people with justice. God was pleased, and he granted Solomon the wisdom he asked for as well as riches and prosperity. He built the world’s most glorious temple and the palace. There was peace and rest on every side, and the conquered nations paid tribute. People from all over the world wanted to come and listen to the wisdom God had given Solomon. Unfortunately, this glory did not last. Sin would lead to the decline of his kingdom. We will study what led to his downfall.

Read verses 1-6. What did Solomon do in regard to his marriage? (1-3) What was the outcome when he was not faithful to one wife? (4-5) Why is it important for us to love God with all our hearts? (6)

1-1, Read verses 1-6.

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 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. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 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. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lordcompletely, as David his father had done.

1-2, What did Solomon do in regard to his marriage? (1-3)

Solomon loved foreign women who worshipped other gods and brought pagan influences to Israel. He loved many women, rejecting God's plan from the beginning for one man and one woman to become one flesh in marriage in Gen 1 and 2.
As a matter of fact, God warned the Israelites twice in this regard. Exodus 34:15-16 and Deuteronomy 7:3(1-6).

15 “Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. 16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same.

When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites,Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the Lordyour God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally.[a] Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles[b] and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

Solomon wanted romance and sensual fulfillment rather than loving the Lord his God with all his hearts and souls and strength. He clung to these in love instead of giving them up to the LORD by denying himself.
He had seven hundred wives, princesses(royal birth), and three hundred concubines: This is an unbelievable number of marriage partners. They led him astray.
He might have pursued happiness in such a way. But it turned out to be the very disaster in his life and his kingdom. Denying ourselves to love God and obeying Him fully is the one and only way to be happy and meaningful.

1-3, What was the outcome when he was not faithful to one wife? (4-5)

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. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.

Deuteronomy 17:17 also reads, a king must not take many wives, or his heart will be astray. Solomon did multiply wives for himself and it turned away his heart.
His life was a life full of promise fulfilled by the grace of God. But it ended in failure because his heart turned from God as he followed his sensual desire.
Age did not make Solomon wiser. He seemed to be wiser in his youth. His heart was not loyal to the LORD his God: Solomon did not wholly follow the LORD.
“As was the heart of his father David” - Solomon had more than one wife and David had more than one wife. Sadly, David's sons could not control the lust of the flesh, and especially sexual lust.
Yet David's sin did not turn his heart away from the LORD. It is possible for a particular sin in one person to be a hindrance that they would do better without, while in another person that sin is the direct cause of ruin.
We might not accept it unless the Scriptures clearly stated it. This man of great wisdom, and blessing turns to the most depraved gods of the pagan nations.
Probably Solomon did not see this as a denial of the Lord GOD of Israel. In his mind, he probably thought that he still honored the LORD, he simply added the honor of these other gods to his honor of the LORD. But this is never acceptable to God. He demands to be the only God in our life.
This is a tragic example of the power of the lust of the flesh. Because of lust, Solomon found himself in a place where he never thought he would find himself. He found himself burning incense at the altars of depraved pagan gods.
He found himself at the altar of child sacrifice unto the god Molech. This is the power of lust-it can capture us in a spell, in a fog of spiritual confusion until we do things we never thought we would do.

1-4, Why is it important for us to love God with all our hearts? (6)

6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

If this was the case with the wisest man who ever lived on earth, then what hope do we have apart from constant dependence upon Jesus Christ? Let the example of Solomon drive us to greater dependence and abiding with Jesus (John 15).
If we are not fully satisfied with the Lord our God, we are like broken cisterns. Eventually we will become thirsty and end up being astray.
That is why we must love God and follow Him completely. Our heart is created in this way and nothing can fill our one and only heart otherwise. May the Lord help us to love the Lord with all our hearts!

Read verses 7-10. With what purpose did Solomon build high places? (7-8) What was the Lord’s response to what he had done? (9) What did he do despite the Lord’s warnings? (10)

2-1, Read verses 7-10.

On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. 9 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. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command.

2-2, With what purpose did Solomon build high places? (7-8)

7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

God warned Solomon that if he went off to serve other gods and worshipped them, that he would cut off Israel from the land and reject the temple Solomon had built (1 Kings 9:6-7).
Not only was this a direct violation of this special covenant God made with Solomon, but it was also a violation of the first 2 of the Ten Commandments. “You shall have no other gods before me, and You shall not make an image in the form of anything created and bow down to it.”

2-3, What was the Lord’s response to what he had done? (9)

9 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.

God had a special reason to be angry with Solomon. It was because Solomon still went after other gods although He had appeared to him twice in chap 3 and 9.
We sometimes think that great spiritual experiences will keep us from sin and will keep us faithful to God. This was not the case with the wisest man who ever lived, and it will not be the case with us also. It is a great lesson!
Solomon gave his heart and love to another instead of God. Imagine if your spouse, the one who has vowed to love you till death loves someone else. It is a real heart break.
Likewise, God has given us life, what we need and ability to make a living. He gives us our husband or wife. Above all He saved us and gave us a mission.
But because of our sins; ingratitude, greed, or pride, or lust, we turn away from God. We are the ungrateful child who takes our gifts for granted.
The apostle Paul says in Romans (Rom 1:21) about those whom God is angry at, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” The just wrath of God will come upon idolaters, but there is hope.

2-4, What did he do despite the Lord’s warnings? (10)

10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command.

Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command although God had forbidden him to follow other gods again and again.
It was the clear reason why God was angry and very sorry for him. As a result God had to deal with his sins because He is the holy God.

Read verses 11-13. What did the Lord declare about the destiny of Solomon’s kingdom? (11) Yet, what would happen in his lifetime? (12) What would happen to the kingdom? (13) What can we learn from this passage?

3-1, Read verses 11-13.

11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees,which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. 12 Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

3-2, What did the Lord declare about the destiny of Solomon’s kingdom? (11)

I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. God promised the entire kingdom of Israel to the descendants of David forever, if they only remained obedient. David reminded Solomon of this promise shortly before his death (1 Kings 2:4). Yet they could not remain faithful even for one generation.
Solomon's kingdom was an outstanding example of wealth, military power, and prestige. Yet the true security of Israel did not rest in any of those things. It rested in the blessing of God and in the obedience and faithfulness of their king.

3-3, Yet, what would happen in his lifetime? (12)

Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

For the sake of David, God delayed this judgment until after Solomon's generation.

3-4, What would happen to the kingdom? (13)

13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

Even in the midst of judgment, God shows His great mercy and grace. God announces that the kingdom will be divided, and part of it will be loyal to the descendents of David and part of it will be under a different dynasty.
2 Chronicles 11:12 tell us that the southern kingdom was made up of two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. But here in this chapter the southern kingdom is referred to as one tribe. This is because either Benjamin is swallowed up in Judah.

3-5, What can we learn from this passage? Personal reflection!

Conclusion

This passage teaches us a lesson in that we must live by faith from first to last. Especially when we are blessed like Solomon, we must humble our hearts to love God more and more. May the Lord help us to love God with all our hearts and souls and strength so that we may continue to devote our lives for His eternal kingdom purpose instead of settling down with all kinds of our petty desires in this transient world. Amen.

One word: Love God wholeheartedly!