Session 3 1 Kings 11:1-13
1 KINGS 11:1-13
MEMORY VERSE: PROVERBS 25:26
Many today would consider the ability to compromise a good character trait. Married couples sometimes disagree but work together to compromise and meet somewhere in the middle. Politicians often need to compromise on deciding matters of public policy. Spiritual compromise, however, can lead to ruin because our allegiance to God is non-negotiable.
(In PSG, p. 28)
God appeared to King Solomon after Solomon dedicated the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 9:1-9). The Lord affirmed His presence in the temple and promised great blessing if Solomon followed the Lord, but He warned Solomon judgment would come on Jerusalem and his descendants if the king failed to walk with God and keep the covenant God had made with David.
Solomon concluded his agreement with Hiram, king of Tyre, regarding the building of the temple and Solomon’s palace (9:10-14). He then organized labor teams for building projects throughout the land (9:15-23).
The Queen of Sheba came from a great distance to visit Solomon (10:1-13). She had heard of Solomon’s wisdom and asked him many questions, and he was able to answer all she asked (10:1-3). The queen saw all Solomon was and had, and praised both the king and his God (10:4-9). Solomon’s wisdom and kingdom had far exceeded her expectations. The two exchanged gifts, and the queen returned to her country (10:10-13).
Solomon’s wealth exceeded all the kings of his time (10:14-29). His influence extended far, and tribute came in from many countries and regions (10:25-29). He and his kingdom became exceedingly wealthy and prosperous.
Tragically, Solomon’s reign did not end well (11:1-43). He took many foreign wives, and his accommodation of their pagan beliefs and practices led to his own spiritual compromise (11:1-13). As neighboring peoples discerned Solomon was distracted with all his wives, they began to assert their own independence. Hadad the Edomite assumed control over the territory of Edom to the southeast and reigned there (11:14-22). Rezon took over Damascus in the country of Syria and asserted his own independence north of Israel (11:23-26). Finally, Jeroboam, son of Nebat, who had served Solomon as an important labor official (11:27-28), learned through a prophet that he one day would reign over many of Israel’s tribes (11:29-40). When Solomon heard of this, he sought to kill Jeroboam, who escaped and fled to Egypt.
Solomon died after a forty-year reign and was buried in Jerusalem, but the seeds of spiritual compromise had already been sown (11:41-43). Solomon’s son Rehoboam assumed Israel’s throne.
EXPLORE THE TEXT
1 King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women 2 from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, and they must not intermarry with you, because they will turn your heart away to follow their gods.” To these women Solomon was deeply attached in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives who were princesses and three hundred who were concubines, and they turned his heart away.
King Solomon loved many foreign women. First Kings 11 marks a turning point in Solomon’s story. Solomon already had married Pharaoh’s daughter as part of an alliance with the king of Egypt (1 Kings 3:1). However, Solomon also took to himself Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women. Most of these women probably were part of political alliances with other leaders.
All Solomon’s women were from people groups who worshiped other gods and did not share Israel’s faith convictions. Because of their ungodliness, the LORD had told the Israelites through Moses: You must not intermarry with them, and they must not intermarry with you (Deut. 7:3-4). Sometimes people today mistakenly interpret these verses to mean believers cannot marry someone from a different ethnic group. However, the law of Moses prohibited marrying pagan peoples because they will turn your heart away to follow their gods. The underlying concern was the danger of spiritual compromise.
The text reveals that to these women Solomon was deeply attached in love. The king loved women who did not share his spiritual worldview. When our children were beginning to date, my wife and I encouraged them to date only Christians, and we are grateful they all married committed believers. The apostle Paul warned against marrying unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14), though he also encouraged believers to remain with an unbelieving spouse they had married (1 Cor. 7:12-14).
Solomon had seven hundred wives who were princesses. He also had three hundred other women who were concubines. A concubine was essentially a wife of lower status. These women turned his heart away from God. In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, Moses had described the requirements for Israel’s king. He needed to be an Israelite who would govern by the principles in God’s Word. He also was not to accumulate too many wives or too many other assets, lest he become self-absorbed and forget the Lord. Military power and riches did not necessarily disqualify a king of Israel; God had given these to Solomon. Yet, they provided a serious temptation to forsake the Lord. Indeed, Solomon’s sexual attraction to so many women would draw him away from God. The king’s failure reminds us that many things of this world can distract us from our ultimate allegiance to God.
4 When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away to follow other gods. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been. 5 Solomon followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the abhorrent idol of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, and unlike his father David, he did not remain loyal to the LORD.
When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away to follow other gods. Solomon’s failure came during his later years, whereas his early reign featured a dependence on God (1 Kings 3:4-15). Solomon dedicated his life to the Lord and constructed the temple as God’s earthly dwelling place (1 Kings 6–8). Nevertheless, Solomon’s reign also featured much extravagance (1 Kings 9–10). Over time, he eventually yielded to the temptations his success had brought him.
Christians typically do not yield to serious sin all of a sudden. Rather, a series of smaller indiscretions often leads to serious failure. Following all God’s commands—small or great—can protect us from hardening our hearts to sin.
In his old age, Solomon was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God. The expression not wholeheartedly devoted literally means “not completely with” and contains a word related to the Hebrew word shalom. “Shalom” sometimes is translated “peace” but often denotes the kind of complete life God intends. Rather than embracing all God offered, Solomon turned his heart toward his many women. Furthermore, he turned his heart toward their gods—the very reason God had cautioned against marrying outside the Israelite community.
Solomon’s spiritual failure contrasted with the faithfulness of his father David. To be sure, David sinned grievously when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and then ordered the murder of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband (2 Sam. 11). But he then repented deeply (2 Sam. 12:1-14; Ps. 51). David wanted to make things right when he had wronged God, but his son Solomon did not finish well.
The text records Solomon’s worship of two pagan deities. First, Solomon followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians. Ashtoreth was a significant Canaanite goddess of fertility who often was associated with Baal, a god of agriculture and fertility. Baal worship often infiltrated the Northern Kingdom of Israel in later times. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel were chief promoters of Baal worship during the days of the prophet Elijah, who confronted the worship of Baal and tried to turn Israel back to the Lord (1 Kings 18:17-40).
Second, Solomon worshiped Milcom, the abhorrent idol of the Ammonites. Milcom is an alternate spelling for “Molech.” Generations later, Jeremiah condemned God’s people for sacrificing their own children to Molech or Milcom (Jer. 7:31). The word translated abhorrent refers to utter disgust. Such was the worship of Milcom.
The words Solomon did what was evil in the LORD’s sight refer primarily to his idol worship. The king began his reign faithful to God, but gradually added the worship of other gods. In this regard, Solomon was unlike his father David, who did not yield to idol worship. The indicting words regarding Solomon were that he did not remain loyal to the LORD.
7 At that time, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abhorrent idol of Moab, and for Milcom, the abhorrent idol of the Ammonites, on the hill across from Jerusalem. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who were burning incense and offering sacrifices to their gods.
Israel’s king moved from practicing idolatry to providing for it. First, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abhorrent idol of Moab to the southeast of Israel. Chemosh was a sun-god and god of war. The word translated high place refers to an elevated area where people gathered to worship their god or gods. In general, once the temple was completed, the people of Israel were no longer to worship at such sites. However, Solomon was building a high place outside Jerusalem for a pagan deity!
Solomon also built a high place of worship for Milcom, the abhorrent idol of the Ammonites. Solomon built these shrines on the hill across from Jerusalem, just across the Kidron Valley near the southern edge of the Mount of Olives. Such shrines existed in full view of Jerusalem’s population and provided ongoing testimony that Israel’s king was compromising on spiritual matters.
The text records that Solomon did the same for all his foreign wives. His women from other countries and faiths were burning incense and offering sacrifices to their gods. We do not know exactly how Solomon ended up following these other deities. Perhaps initially, he wanted to build these shrines to accommodate his pagan wives who were far from their homelands. Maybe on a few occasions, the king then accompanied them to their religious rituals. Before long, he was participating in those rituals.
Committing sin hardens us to sin. If we practice smaller sins, we can become calloused toward bigger sins. People do not suddenly decide one day to cheat on their spouse, nor do bankers suddenly decide to embezzle ten million dollars. Instead, such people become hardened to sin through smaller sins that they call “indiscretions” or “little sins no one cares about.” Scripture warns us not to go down this path, but to lay a foundation in our lives with God’s Word (Ps. 1:1-2).
God expects His people to worship Him alone. Before the people of God ever entered the land, God warned them to rid the land of the pagan religions they would encounter (Deut. 12:2-3). Likewise, the Lord reminds us today He will not share His glory with another (Isa. 42:8). We should view God’s Word as the lens through which we interpret the world; doing so will help us avoid spiritual compromise.
9 The LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 He had commanded him about this, so that he would not follow other gods, but Solomon did not do what the LORD had commanded.
The words, the LORD was angry with Solomon, prepare the reader for what happens next. God earlier had promised Solomon blessing if Solomon followed God’s ways and judgment if the king did not (1 Kings 9:1-9). Solomon’s heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel. The text highlights the seriousness of Solomon’s sin by reminding us that God had appeared to him twice. First, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at the beginning of Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 3:5). Second, God appeared to Solomon after the king finished dedicating the temple (1 Kings 9:2). Experiencing God’s presence in such powerful ways should have provided the incentive Solomon needed to follow the Lord; yet it did not.
The words, he had commanded him about this, recall God’s earlier words to Solomon (1 Kings 6:12; 9:6-7). They also may generally refer to the law of Moses and its prescription for kings in Israel (Deut. 17:14-20). God had warned both the people and the king not to follow other gods to their own ruin. Nevertheless, Solomon did not do what the LORD had commanded.
Some Christians view God’s commands as restrictive or confining, as limiting their freedom to live as they please. On the contrary, God has given us His commands for our protection and blessing. Too often, people fail God because they think God somehow is withholding something good from them rather than protecting them from harm.
$$11 Then the LORD said to Solomon, “Since you have done this and did not keep my covenant and my statutes, which I commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 12 However, I will not do it during your lifetime for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of your son’s hand. 13 Yet I will not tear the entire kingdom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem that I chose.”
God held the king accountable for his disobedience. He reminded the king about His covenant and His statutes, which He had commanded Solomon to observe. However, Solomon had failed miserably. He had yielded to temptation, and now would face the consequences.
God told Solomon, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. The language here is emphatic; the word translated “tear” elsewhere refers to ripping or tearing a garment. People sometimes tore their clothes as a sign of despair or lament (Num. 14:6; Acts 14:14); Solomon’s sin was likewise disastrous and provoked God’s serious response.
God also said He would give the kingdom to Solomon’s servant. Interpreters identify the servant as Jeroboam, son of Nebat, who formerly had served as one of Solomon’s trustworthy officials (1 Kings 11:28). However, when the prophet Ahijah revealed Jeroboam would become king over much of Israel, Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam and Jeroboam fled to Egypt (1 Kings 11:29-40).
God’s grace appeared to Israel’s wayward king in the words, I will not do it during your lifetime for the sake of your father David. All in all, the Lord was pleased with David’s life before Him and had promised David He would watch over David’s line forever, though David’s descendants needed to remain faithful to God to receive God’s blessing (2 Sam. 7:12-16; 1 Kings 2:3-4). Generations later, when King Hezekiah, another descendant of David, stood against the mighty Assyrian army, God granted Hezekiah’s prayer and spared Jerusalem for David’s sake (2 Kings 19:34). God’s grace allowed Solomon to finish his reign, yet the consequences of Solomon’s sin were disastrous.
Regarding the kingdom, the Lord told Solomon, I will tear it out of your son’s hand. That son was Rehoboam. Rehoboam lost most of the kingdom his father Solomon had ruled (1 Kings 12:20). From that time on, Israel was divided into two kingdoms—the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
The Bible promises God’s ongoing blessing on families who love Him and keep His commands (Ex. 20:6). Will God choose to bless your descendants many generations later because of your faithful life? God chose to do so because of David’s life, and perhaps He will do the same for us if we remain faithful.
God’s promise, yet I will not tear the entire kingdom away from him, further demonstrated God’s grace toward David, Solomon, and the kings who would descend from them. Rehoboam’s foolish response to the northern tribes would lead to the division of Israel (1 Kings 12:12-17). Nevertheless, God would leave Rehoboam in place as king over Jerusalem and Judah, even as He affirmed, I will give one tribe to your son.
God said He extended grace for the sake of my servant David. He had made a promise to David, and for David’s sake, God would allow the promise to continue into future generations. God also said He would do this for the sake of Jerusalem that I chose. Centuries earlier, Moses told the Israelites that when they entered the land, they should worship in the place God would choose (Deut. 12:10-11). God confirmed His choice of Jerusalem during the days of David and Solomon (2 Sam. 6:12; 1 Kings 9:3). God’s temple in Jerusalem was a sign of God’s presence with His people. God intended that Jerusalem remain in the hands of Solomon’s descendant for David’s sake.
God brought His divine discipline against Solomon. However, He did not bring an end to David’s dynasty when Solomon failed God. God’s purpose would continue despite Solomon’s failures; nevertheless, Solomon’s spiritual compromise cost him and his people dearly. Solomon’s idolatry suggested to Israelite citizens that spiritual compromise was acceptable.
Likewise, we need to be on guard against spiritual compromise in our lives. God’s discipline may come on us, but further consequences may extend into future generations. Instead, we should cling to God and God alone, trusting Him for the grace to live the lives He wants us to live. Standing strong against spiritual compromise positions us well not only to receive God’s blessing, but to be channels of it to future generations.
Salvation (Sanctification)
Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person’s life. (See Philippians 3:13-14; 2 Peter 3:17-18.)
Use other Scripture to help understand a Bible passage.
Read 2 Samuel 7:1-29, 1 Kings 2:3-4, and 1 Kings 9:1-9 to familiarize yourself more with the covenant God made with David and David’s family line. How do these passages help us better understand God’s response to Solomon’s idolatry?