1 Kings 11:1-3 – Beware of the seduction of our sensual desire

In the earlier chapters of 1 Kings, Solomon was seen to have started his reign well. However, as time progressed, he was slowly but surely showing signs of decline. Now in chapter 11, we see his weaknesses and compromise come full bloom. His failures did not just affect himself but also the whole nation. Here, the plot of his life had taken a tragic downward turn. From heights of great power, he fell deeply into idolatry. The nation’s trouble careening in a downward descent and eventually into exile was largely his failings. Had he and the people remained faithful to God and set the pace in covenant faithfulness to God,  all these could have been avoided. What he did leave God with no other option but to discipline the nation.   

One very evident weakness of Solomon was his love for women. First Kings 11:1-2 said that he “…loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women from the nations….” Concerning this matter, God had already stipulated in Deuteronomy 1:7 that the King should “…not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away (from God). However, Solomon did not take heed to the words. He held fast to these women in love. In total Solomon accumulated 700 hundred wives of royal descent and 300 concubines. Much of these marriages were for political alliance.

As a matter of fact, his marriages brought peace between him and his many foreign in-laws. That however had caused him to break his trust with God by disobeying Him. Besides, Moses had clearly commanded that kings should not marry foreign women because they would turn the kings’ hearts toward their idols. Just as God had said would happen if a king should marry a foreign wife, every word came true in Solomon’s experience.

Solomon’s women were a huge problem for him to start with. One foreign woman would be enough to turn his heart away from God, let alone one thousand. The damages they had caused him and the nation were colossal. A lesson: None of us, especially the man, should kid ourselves that we can withstand the subtle temptation of lust. There is no willpower strong enough to protect against the blandishment of a sinister diabolical charm. What can we do in a world where the seduction of sensuality is so real? Hear the wise counsels of the aged Paul and Peter. In 2 Timothy 2:22, Paul said, “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” And Peter admonished us saying “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). Take heed, lest we fall!