The Reason For Solomon's Downfall
How could the wisest man who ever lived turn away from the Lord? It is very difficult to comprehend how that would happen. Some people point the finger at his many pagan wives. (I Kings 11:3) Yes, he had 700 wives and 300 concubines, who turned his heart away from the Lord, but that was not the reason for his fall. It was much more basic than that, so we all need to learn this lesson.
God had told all of the people of Israel not to intermarry with people of pagan religions. (I Kings 11:2) It was not a new commandment or something that was hidden from Solomon or anyone else for that matter. God had made it well known that to intermarry with pagans would lead them away to other gods, which it did. Therefore, the downfall of Solomon was caused by willful disobedience of a known command of God. The Bible is full of such commands, and if we decide we know better than God, and we break even one of them, it could lead us to fall away from God. The reason is that one sin does not remain just one sin, but it leads to more and more. Sin is a slippery slope that takes us far from God. We can know something is wrong with our head, but we can justify it in our hearts, so that we disobey God. Then, our drift from God has begun, and it will continue until we repent and confess our sins, returning to follow God fully.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 14-16.
God had told all of the people of Israel not to intermarry with people of pagan religions. (I Kings 11:2) It was not a new commandment or something that was hidden from Solomon or anyone else for that matter. God had made it well known that to intermarry with pagans would lead them away to other gods, which it did. Therefore, the downfall of Solomon was caused by willful disobedience of a known command of God. The Bible is full of such commands, and if we decide we know better than God, and we break even one of them, it could lead us to fall away from God. The reason is that one sin does not remain just one sin, but it leads to more and more. Sin is a slippery slope that takes us far from God. We can know something is wrong with our head, but we can justify it in our hearts, so that we disobey God. Then, our drift from God has begun, and it will continue until we repent and confess our sins, returning to follow God fully.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 14-16.