1 Kings 11:1-8--Solomon Turns from the LORD

1 Kings 11:1-8
English Standard Version

Solomon Turns from the LORD
11 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.

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As I mentioned at the end of yesterday's article, Solomon is going to face the natural consequences of breaking the Law that he claims to love so much because he will fall in love with foreign women who love foreign gods and they will turn his heard away from the LORD.  First, he married the caught of Pharaoh, which brought back all the gods that the people of Israel might have worshiped when they lived in Egypt and forgot about the LORD.  Solomon also fell in love with women who were of Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite descent.  The LORD had commanded the Israelites to take wives first from among their own tribe and then only from among the Twelve Tribes of Israel.  They were not to marry or have relations with Gentile women who worshiped other gods.  This command is quoted for us in verse 2.

To say that Solomon had an issue being monogamous was an understatement.  He had 700 wives and 300 concubines, though David wasn't the greatest example of monogamy either.  We don't usually talk about David and his wives, but Solomon learned it from somewhere and it could have been a combination of watching his father David and looking to the other nations around him and how all their kings had vast numbers of wives and concubines.  While David was not the beset father-figure, this passage tells us that David's heart was pure and wholly true and devoted to the LORD.  Solomon at best had a divided heart and that makes him different.

Solomon went after Asheroth, a goddess of fertility, from Sidon and Milcom the god of the Ammonites (called an abomination here).  In chasing after these gods, Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, first by being unfaithful to the LORD, then by building idols for others to worship, and also by doing the things that would be considered "worship" to these false gods that the LORD called abominations.

Solomon also built high places for Chemosh, the god of Moab and Molech, the god of the Ammonites on the mountain in and around Jerusalem so that his wives would not have to go far to worship, but this means all that came to the Temple to worship also saw all these places of worship for these false gods along their way to worship the LORD.  He allowed all his wives and concubines to worship their false gods and did not make them worship the LORD or obey Him, but instead he let his wives tear his heart away from the LORD so that he was rebellious towards him.