February 21, 2024

I Kings 11.4 (NIV)
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts.*

Shame on Solomon! He had everything God could give him but still he turned to idol worship. His wisdom and wealth made him famous throughout the world and down through history. He warned others of the dangers of “strange” women but he didn’t heed his own advice. He worshipped God with his whole heart – until he didn’t. Tragically, he “failed to guard his heart.”*

Shame on us! We let prosperity get in our way, too. We may not fall down before graven images but we worship other gods in other ways. When God gives good things and we start to love them, that is idolatry.

 Another writer describes Solomon as one who stands as an example of a man “who chose a road on which he remained in constant need of forgiveness!”* And so, like us, he is also an example of a man who has been forgiven. 

Let us fear . . . lest, having run well, we seem to come short.*

*Quote sources available upon request.