One of the paradigms we see in God’s Word is how God gives instructions. God tells us what the right thing to do is. Then He tells us that if we do the opposite, what the consequences will be.
In 1 Kings 11:2, God’s charge to His people in the Old Testament isvery clear. “You must not marry them [those who worship idols], because they will turn your hearts to their gods.”
Right thing to do: You must not marry those who worship idols.
Consequence of the wrong thing to do: Idol worship relationships will turn your heart away from God.
The very next verse reveals King Solomon’s decision: He chooses to marry wives who worship idols anyway. God’s warning: to help us not turn from the divine to the flesh, from the door to the floor, from the spark to the dark. God’s word: a weapon for our protection. But if we reject His words, we wreck our worship of Him.
Problem God instructed Solomon: If you give your heart to someone who doesn’t care about God. Path of consequence: They will turn your heart away from God.
This is exactly what happened to Solomon. “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord His God.” (1 Kings 11:4)
The king who possessed everything. More wisdom and wealth than any man (or woman) who has ever walked this earth. But by the end of Solomon’s life, he had lost the only treasure that truly mattered: his faith.
Did Solomon walk away from his faith in one day? No, the path took a period of time, and 700 wives and 300 concubines.
In 1 Kings 10, Solomon’s extravagant treasure trove is described, among them, 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. That’s pretty impressive. An entire paragraph is dedicated to Solomon’s horses alone. But what are 12,000 horses going to do for you if you no longer need God or want God in your life.?
The reality: All the material gain that catapulted Solomon into legend is very small compared to the joy of the peasant in Solomon’s kingdom who chooses God and worships him with all the little that he has.
Prioritize your priorities to glorify God and your spirit will give praise. Position your heart to honor God and your soul will experience peace. Be the peasant who runs after God and who finds the Real Truth. Not the lost king who runs after fake truths and loses his soul. Live out the Real Truth by making the right choice.