Scripture: 1 Kings 11:1-26 (NKJV)
1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of
Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites—2
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. 3 And he had
seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives
turned away his heart. 4 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. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth
the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the
Ammonites. 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully
follow the LORD, as did his father David. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for
Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for
Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8 And he did likewise for all
his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the
LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 and had commanded him
concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not
keep what the LORD had commanded. 11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon,
“Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes,
which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and
give it to your servant. 12 Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the
sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13
However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your
son for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I
have chosen.”
14 Now the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he
was a descendant of the king in Edom. 15 For it happened, when David was in
Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, after
he had killed every male in Edom 16 (because for six months Joab remained there
with all Israel, until he had cut down every male in Edom), 17 that Hadad fled
to go to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him.
Hadad was still a little child. 18 Then they arose from Midian and came to
Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh
king of Egypt, who gave him a house, apportioned food for him, and gave him
land. 19 And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave
him as wife the sister of his own wife, that is, the sister of Queen Tahpenes.
20 Then the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned
in Pharaoh’s house. And Genubath was in Pharaoh’s household among the sons of
Pharaoh. 21 So when Hadad heard in Egypt that David rested with his fathers,
and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let
me depart, that I may go to my own country.” 22 Then Pharaoh said to him, “But
what have you lacked with me, that suddenly you seek to go to your own
country?” So he answered, “Nothing, but do let me go anyway.”
23 And God raised up another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliadah,
who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24 So he gathered men to
him and became captain over a band of raiders, when David killed those of
Zobah. And they went to Damascus and dwelt there, and reigned in Damascus. 25
He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon (besides the trouble that
Hadad caused); and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria. 26 Then
Solomon’s servant, Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zereda, whose
mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also rebelled against the king.
Devotion
From the beginning God had warned Israel not to intermarry with the pagan
nations around them, or else they would be led into idolatry by their pagan
wives. But Solomon stopped listening to God’s Word when earthly wealth,
pleasure, fame, and glory captured his heart and seduced his soul. He turned
away from God and clung to his foreign wives “in love.” The king’s secret
idolatry soon turned into open idolatry that led the whole nation of Israel
astray. Who would have thought Solomon could fall so hard?
Riches, fame, glory, and unbelieving spouses continue to seduce Christians away
from faith in God. The Apostle Paul warned against these and similar things:
“Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many
foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.” (1
Tim. 6:9). If we think we can ignore God’s warnings and stand firm on our own,
then we fall into Solomon’s trap.
But even amidst the punishments God sent upon Solomon and Israel, He preserved
one tribe to Solomon’s heirs because of His promise to David of a Son who would
reign forever. From this one tribe of Judah has come another Son of David, who
stood firm against every assault and temptation, who refused the devil’s offer
of worldly riches, fame, and glory, and who chose instead to reign as King from
a cross. This King now reigns over a kingdom of grace, earnestly calling us
away from sin and earthly desires to cling to Him Who loved us, and to receive
strength from His Word in our daily battles against carnal temptations.
Posted by The Reverend Jeffrey A. Ahonen on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran
Diocese of North America, publisher of the Lutheran Herald.
_______________________________________________
Sermons mailing list
[email protected]
http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
