Decline of King Solomon

But king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the LORD said to the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in to you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon cleaved to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. (1 Kings 11:1-3)

King Solomon had 700 hundred wives and 300 hundred concubines, many from lands of which God had previously instructed the Israelites to avoid intermarrying. God knew that such intermarrying would lead to the worship of false gods.

In olden times, it was customary for a lesser king to give his daughter in marriage to the greater king (in this case, Solomon). Every time a new treaty was sealed, Solomon ended up with yet another wife. These wives were considered tokens of friendship and “sealed” the relationship between the two kings.

In his pride and honor that was given to Solomon by God, Solomon became utterly disobedient to the God. He was apparently so obsessed with power and wealth that it overshadowed his spiritual life and he ended up falling into apostasy. He worshiped some of the false gods of the women he had married.

Yet in marrying multiple times, Solomon went against God’s revealed will regarding monogamy. From the very beginning God created one woman for one man (see Genesis 1:27; 2:21-25). Deuteronomy 17:17 explicitly instructed the king not to “multiply wives.”

The Law given to Moses by God said

“ Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold." (Deuteronomy 17:16-17).

So Solomon sinned in various ways:

• he engaged in polygamy
  
• he violated God’s commandment against marrying pagans, which ultimately led to his own apostasy
  
• he collected huge numbers of horses (a large chariot army)
  
• he gathered vast amounts of gold and silver.
  

Solomon was led so much away from the God that at his death bed his pagan wives led him to sin against God.

For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, (1 Kings 11:4-9)

Although God appeared to King Solomon twice, even then Solomon, rejected God and worshiped:

• Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians
  
• Milcom
  
• Chemosh
  
• Molech
  

God bless you all

It is a nice article and amazing to see how King Solomon fell and how he was led away from God.

It is so true, I have seen it in my life too. I prayed and prayed for a certain thing and when I got it, Jesus was forgotten. But I learnt my lessons well so now I never forget Jesus. Thank you for posting a reminder for all of us to wake up who take God casually.