1Ki 11:5 | KingComments | STEP | In this chapter we see the failure of Solomon. The development described here and the related events lack in 2 Chronicles. Solomon violates the royal law ( ) in a multiple manner. Here it is mainly about the influence of women on Solomon. When the female element dominates the male, we see what happens here. Nehemiah seriously accuses the returned remnant because of their unholy connections and refers to the great disobedience of the great king Solomon, who thereby caused Israel to sin ( ). He took a thousand wives, but he has not found a good one among them ( ; cf. ). His father David did not give him a good example ( ; ) and Solomon goes much further in this deviation from the LORD. At least David had wives from the people of God, but Solomon takes them from the surrounding pagan nations. He does this against God’s express commandment that His people should not engage with these women ( ; ). With all his wisdom he is not able to control his lusts. If this happened to Solomon, it must make us small and it will be our wisdom to take the warning to heart: “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands, look out that he does not fall” ( ). With his many wives, Solomon also takes their gods into his house. David never did that either. David has always, with all his failures, remained faithful to the LORD. The idolaters all have their own gods, but Solomon takes them all into his house. Someone who knows God’s Word and deviated from it often makes it worse than someone who has never been in touch with God. The corruption of the best is the worst corruption. This all happens “when Solomon was old”. The flesh in the believer does not get better with the climbing of the years. It will even assert itself when we have grown old and we may think that the dangers of life no longer threaten us and we are no longer vigilant. Then it will still do its devastating work with us. The man who so humbly prayed to the LORD at the dedication of the temple becomes an admirer of the Ashtoreth, Milcom, and other heathen abominations. He who built a temple for the LORD sinks so low, that he “built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, … and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon” and for the detestable idols of all his strange wives. The one for Chemosh he builds “on the mountain that lies before Jerusalem” ( ), as it were before the face of Zion, beloved by the LORD. In our time one would call Solomon an open-minded man. He respects everyone’s dignity and participates in all religions. He is no longer a man for whom there is only one God, he is not a ‘fundamentalist’. All gods have become equal to him. He even attaches himself “in love” to them ( ). Then you are king of all people, aren’t you? But you are no longer one after God’s heart! He does “what was evil in the sight of the LORD” ( ). It’s not about how people judge the things we do, but how God judges them. In the history of the kings of Israel we have a picture of the history of professing Christianity. In the middle of the history of Israel we find Ahab and Jezebel. Jezebel is also found in the prophetic description of church history in Revelation 2-3. In the middle of that description we see the church in Thyatira. The Lord Jesus sees something in that church about which He must exhort that church and that is that they tolerate the woman Jezebel ( ). After Ahab and Jezebel comes Jehu, whom we see in the picture in the church in Sardis ( ). Before Ahab and Jezebel we first have Jeroboam. He is a picture of the church in Pergamum ( ). However, the deviations begin with the church in Ephesus, with leaving the first love ( ). We have a picture of this in Solomon, because his heart turn away through his wives to the idols of those wives. His heart is no longer undivided for the LORD. That is why the lampstand will over time be removed. After the giving up of the first love by the church in Ephesus, a tribulation comes in the church in Smyrna as discipline from the Lord ( ). We see this in the picture in the adversaries the LORD has raised up against Solomon later in this chapter ( ).

‏ 1 Kings 11:5

The Unfaithfulness of Solomon

In this chapter we see the failure of Solomon. The development described here and the related events lack in 2 Chronicles.

Solomon violates the royal law (Deu 17:14-20) in a multiple manner. Here it is mainly about the influence of women on Solomon. When the female element dominates the male, we see what happens here. Nehemiah seriously accuses the returned remnant because of their unholy connections and refers to the great disobedience of the great king Solomon, who thereby caused Israel to sin (Neh 13:26). He took a thousand wives, but he has not found a good one among them (Ecc 7:28; cf. Song 6:8-9).

His father David did not give him a good example (1Sam 25:42-44; 2Sam 11:26-27) and Solomon goes much further in this deviation from the LORD. At least David had wives from the people of God, but Solomon takes them from the surrounding pagan nations. He does this against God’s express commandment that His people should not engage with these women (Deu 7:3-4; Exo 34:16). With all his wisdom he is not able to control his lusts. If this happened to Solomon, it must make us small and it will be our wisdom to take the warning to heart: “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands, look out that he does not fall” (1Cor 10:12).

With his many wives, Solomon also takes their gods into his house. David never did that either. David has always, with all his failures, remained faithful to the LORD. The idolaters all have their own gods, but Solomon takes them all into his house. Someone who knows God’s Word and deviated from it often makes it worse than someone who has never been in touch with God. The corruption of the best is the worst corruption.

This all happens “when Solomon was old”. The flesh in the believer does not get better with the climbing of the years. It will even assert itself when we have grown old and we may think that the dangers of life no longer threaten us and we are no longer vigilant. Then it will still do its devastating work with us.

The man who so humbly prayed to the LORD at the dedication of the temple becomes an admirer of the Ashtoreth, Milcom, and other heathen abominations. He who built a temple for the LORD sinks so low, that he “built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, … and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon” and for the detestable idols of all his strange wives. The one for Chemosh he builds “on the mountain that lies before Jerusalem” (1Kgs 11:7), as it were before the face of Zion, beloved by the LORD.

In our time one would call Solomon an open-minded man. He respects everyone’s dignity and participates in all religions. He is no longer a man for whom there is only one God, he is not a ‘fundamentalist’. All gods have become equal to him. He even attaches himself “in love” to them (1Kgs 11:2). Then you are king of all people, aren’t you? But you are no longer one after God’s heart! He does “what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (1Kgs 11:6). It’s not about how people judge the things we do, but how God judges them.

In the history of the kings of Israel we have a picture of the history of professing Christianity. In the middle of the history of Israel we find Ahab and Jezebel. Jezebel is also found in the prophetic description of church history in Revelation 2-3. In the middle of that description we see the church in Thyatira. The Lord Jesus sees something in that church about which He must exhort that church and that is that they tolerate the woman Jezebel (Rev 2:19-24). After Ahab and Jezebel comes Jehu, whom we see in the picture in the church in Sardis (Rev 3:1-3). Before Ahab and Jezebel we first have Jeroboam. He is a picture of the church in Pergamum (Rev 2:13-16).

However, the deviations begin with the church in Ephesus, with leaving the first love (Rev 2:4). We have a picture of this in Solomon, because his heart turn away through his wives to the idols of those wives. His heart is no longer undivided for the LORD. That is why the lampstand will over time be removed.

After the giving up of the first love by the church in Ephesus, a tribulation comes in the church in Smyrna as discipline from the Lord (Rev 2:9-10). We see this in the picture in the adversaries the LORD has raised up against Solomon later in this chapter (1Kgs 11:14 ; 23).