“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. 1 Kings 11:1-2 (NKJV)
Solomon’s achilles vulnerability was that he loved women whom God had told the children of Israel to not get involved with. In Solomon’s case he had 700 wives and 300 concubines! Now, I’m sorry, but I think that one wife is enough for any man and one man is enough for any woman. The more females in a household the more trouble is brewing. In Solomon’s case he tended to have different houses for the different wives. There are only 365 days in a year. It would take almost 3 years to even spend one day with each woman.
God’s reason for not intermarrying with foreign women was that the other nations had false gods and getting into a close relationship with someone who had a different belief system makes it impossible to have a home led by God where both parents are seeking God’s presence in all that they do. In the ten commandments God said to have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3).
What would the basis of the “love” be in Solomon’s household? It couldn’t be the pure love of God because there could be no other “gods” except the God of heaven. The only type of “love” in his household would have to be lust of the flesh. Lust is never a basis for long-lasting relationships because beauty fades and turns to disinterest or hate.
Lord, what I want is your pure love in my home and in my life today and always. Cleanse my heart of anything that separates me from your presence. If there are impure relationships in my life, break those relationships so that you and you alone are the focus of my life.
Listen to the Heritage Singers as they sing “When We All Get Together With the Lord.”
Published on MyBibleRoom.com 2/14/25, 6:00 am