"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.For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.” (vv.1-4)
After all the praise, admiration, and grandeur of the first ten chapters, today's reading begins with Solomon breaking a solemn command of God (vv.1-2). By explicitly disobeying God's commands about taking wives from the surrounding pagan regions (Deut.7:3-4), a slow change begins to occur in Solomon’s heart - it was no longer wholly devoted to the LORD and was turned “after other gods.”
Our text says, "When Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods." Age did not make Solomon wiser. He seemed to be wiser in his youth, and old age hardened the sinful tendencies that were present in his younger days. Age and experience should make us more godly and wise, but they do not automatically do so.
This turning away did not happen overnight but rather his singular love for God was slowly replaced with other loves. A heart once devoted to the Lord had become a divided heart. Solomon's failure to heed God's explicit commands not only resulted in this divided heart but, eventually, a divided kingdom (vv. 10-11).
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.
The difference between David and Solomon was not that one was holier that the other, for they both were sinners, it was the status of the heart. David’s heart was always toward the LORD but, Solomon’s heart turned after others gods.
Today's passage reminds us that, when an earthly love replaces our love for God and we find ourselves “clinging” to other things for our full satisfaction, we need to change our priorities.
The Truth: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.” (Mark 12:30)
