June 21, 2022
"For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been." (1 Kings 11:4)
He was the wisest man in the world, made so by God. But the wisest man can become a fool over time if he doesn’t guard his heart.
How could this happen? Solomon had one evident sin in the latter days of his life. He "loved many foreign women." In fact, he “held fast to these in love.” He had found his idol of choice, and he was not going to let go.
GOD’S WARNING
God had cautioned him, but he refused to heed God's clear command. The result was that he lost his intimacy with God and ultimately lost his kingdom. His sin, seemingly harmless and explainable to him and others, I'm sure, affected his kingdom, his sons, and the reputation of God—a tragic ending to an otherwise well-used, faithful life.
He knew (because God had warned him) that if he "loved many foreign women," his wives would "turn his heart away after their gods."
IT’S THE HEART
This is a consistent principle that God speaks to us repeatedly: if you have an affection for something God has forbidden, it will gradually turn your heart to the god behind that affection. You will not be a man after God's own heart like David, but a man whose heart is turned away after other gods, like Solomon.
Where is it in my life or yours that we think we are above God's warnings? Where do we think we can cheat the system by holding on to one pet sin with no consequences? Where have we been distracted and pulled away from simple, pure devotion to Jesus Christ? The wisest man can become a fool through unguarded worldly affections and gradual steps of disobedience.
If you want the possibility of losing it all and affecting many generations that follow you, hold tightly to your sin. But if you long for an enduring legacy of a faithful life until the end, release your grip and vigilantly guard your heart. It cannot substitute for what God can give.
Father, show me every false God I'm following, every substitute for You. Open my eyes to everything I love more than You … every subtle, deadly turn my heart is making. Give me the grace to repent and turn back to You and restore my first love. Sustain me, as David said in Psalm 51, with a willing spirit. Let my life show the world the value of following You faithfully all the way to the end.
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