“But king Solomon loved many strange women,… 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.” 1 Kings 11: 1, 4
King Solomon has been called the wisest man who ever lived. But he had a vice, and it is a vice that many men have shared.
And I am not just talking about loving many strange women… because that would be too easy for us to say, “that’s not me!” to.
To understand how we are like Solomon… to make sure that we don’t follow him down the path to a heart that is not perfect with the LORD our God… we have to ask ourselves…
What other wives have we taken?
The word used for loved in the above verse is 'ahab and it can be used to mean human appetite for objects such as food, drink, sleep, wisdom.
We always need to be watching out appetite. We need to be looking at the things we are taken in, the things we are developing a taste for… because you are what you eat.
I think that one of the reasons Solomon had so many wives was because he saw it as part of his identity. It became a way for him to set himself apart from all the other men.
I mean, really, who else could have “seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines” (11:3)… who could afford them!
We are also called to set ourselves apart – which is what to be holy means – but we are to do it not by being the best of the world, but the best in the world.
We set ourselves apart not by what we amass… but by what we release.
If you begin to seek the acceptance and respect of men over the acceptance and love of Jesus… your heart will be turned away.
While you may be the husband of one wife be careful that you don’t take others in your heart… be careful that you find your identity in being the bride of Christ, betrothed to Him alone…
Are you married to your stuff… your job… your hobbies… your habits… your etc…?
Focus.
Guard your heart.
Be a man after God’s.
SDG
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