Solomon had everything a man could wish for. Solomon walked with God, Solomon was king, he had wisdom, knowledge, wealth, etc. In short, Solomon had a prosperous life. Solomon had the privilege to build the house for the Lord. But… somewhere it went wrong and Solomon entered the way to destruction. How did Solomon enter the way to destruction? Where did it go wrong in Solomon’s life? What can we learn from Solomon’s life and how can you prevent from entering the way to destruction?
The first visitation of the Lord
The Lord appeared to Solomon twice. Both times, the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream. The first time the Lord appeared to Solomon, the Lord asked Solomon what he desired. Solomon answered: “Give therefore Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this Thy so great a people” (1 Kings 3:9)
What Solomon desired and asked for, pleased the Lord. Therefore the Lord gave Solomon a wise and understanding heart. The Lord gave Solomon even more than he asked for. Besides wisdom, the Lord gave Solomon also riches and honor.
There was just one thing, that the Lord commanded Solomon and that was to walk according to His commandments.
The second visitation of the Lord
The second time, that the Lord appeared to Solomon, was after Solomon had finished building the House of God. The Lord said:
I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before Me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put My Name there for ever; and Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually. And if thou wilt walk before Me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep My statutes and My judgments: then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.
But if you shall at all turn from following Me, you or your children, and will not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for My Name, will I cast out of My sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people: and at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and to this house?
And they shall answer, Because they forsook the Lord their God, Who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the Lord brought upon them all this evil (1 Kings 9:3-9)
The Lord warned Solomon and showed him the way of the blessing and the way of the curse
The Lord instructed Solomon twice, to walk in His commandments. He showed Solomon, what would happen if he stayed obedient to God and walked in His commandments and statutes.
As long as Solomon stayed obedient to Him, God would be with him and his kingdom.
But if Solomon would turn away from the Lord, by serving and worshiping other gods, He would cut off Israel from the land, that the Lord had given them.
Solomon was a wise man and he knew, that if he would turn away from the Lord, he would enter the way to destruction (Read also: The commandments of God and the commandments of Jesus).
Solomon entered the way to destruction
In the beginning, Solomon stayed obedient to God’s Word, until very slowly something came into his life. Solomon was not cautious and was led by his flesh; his emotions and his feelings. His feelings began to rule over the wisdom and understanding of God’s Word (Read also: Take authority over your thoughts before they take authority over you).
Instead of being led by the commandments and statutes of God’s Word, Solomon was led by his feelings.
The Lord commanded Solomon to walk according to His commandments and statutes. But Solomon did not obey God’s commandment, which says:
Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; and thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods (Exodus 34:15-16)
Solomon was regardless concerning this commandment of God. Solomon opened his heart to strange women and allowed strange women to capture his heart.
The beauty of all these strange women seduced Solomon and Solomon began to love these strange women. Because of Solomon’s love for strange women and his carnal weakness, Solomon entered the way to destruction. His love for strange women led to idolatry, which led to his destruction.
Solomon’s love for strange women
King Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
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, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.
Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen (1 Kings 11:1-13)
It seemed so innocent and harmless
At first, it seemed innocent and harmless, but when Solomon was getting old, something changed. His wives caused his heart to turn away from God, to serve other gods.
Because Solomon obeyed his wives and built high places for these other gods and burnt incense and made sacrifices and worshipped other gods, Solomon’s heart was not perfect before the Lord anymore.
Solomon left the commandments of the Lord and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and His disobedience to God led to his destruction.
Because the Lord was angry and did exactly, what He had foretold Solomon.
God has given His Word for a reason
God gave His commandments; His Word, for a reason. Not because God wants to control people. But because God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all there is within. He knows the spiritual realm and its laws, and He knows people (Read also: Is the spiritual realm fiction or real?).
God wants to keep you from evil and prevent you from being captivated by the devil and living in spiritual bondage to sin and death. He doesn’t want anything bad to happen in your life that will lead to your destruction. God doesn’t want you to enter the way of destruction. He loves you and wants the best for you. That’s why, He has given His Word.
Solomon had a choice
God appeared to Solomon twice and both times He had made His will known to Solomon and warned him. Solomon had two choices, namely to obey God or not obey God. There was no way in between. It was either one or the other.
Despite the warnings of God, Solomon thought it wouldn’t matter to leave the commandment of God and have relationships with strange women. The beauty of these women had seduced his heart. What may have seemed innocent and beautiful was not so innocent and beautiful after all. No, it opened the door to destruction, which became visible at the end of his life.
Solomon knew he had made the biggest mistake by leaving the commandments of the Lord and wrote in the Book of Proverbs to warn others:
The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein (Proverbs 22:14)
Therefore be watchful. Stay awake and stay faithful to God. Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and stay obedient to His Word. Be led by the Word of God instead of being led by your senses, feelings, emotions, etc. As a born-again believer, you ought to walk after the Spirit instead of the flesh.
Don’t leave His commandments and don’t become rebellious. Because if you leave His Word, you will enter the way that leads to destruction.
