1 Kings 11:1-13
Our
new nickname for King Solomon is Solomon the pimp. His prayers have
been answered, he's got all the money and knowledge in the world, and
he's rounding up the women. He's got women from Moab, Sidon, Ammon, and
every other nation around him - 1,000 to be exact. I can't imagine how
this would play out, but maybe Solomon had his own narrative going on in
his head telling him he could manage.
Solomon becomes enthralled in the religious beliefs of the women he's in love with, and starts doing as they do. He starts worshiping their gods, and builds temples on the hills east of Jerusalem so they can all offer sacrifices to their gods.
The author is obviously a male, because it's written that "the women led Solomon astray, and turned his heart against the God of Israel." This is where I disagree with the author's interpretation of what was going on at the time. I don't believe the women led Solomon astray, or turned his heart against God. Solomon was the richest, most powerful king in the world. Was the most powerful ruler in the world tied down and forced to worship other gods? I don't think so. Solomon had a choice. Solomon fully participated in his own decision making. The women were doing what they do. Solomon decided to jump in and join them.
For those of us who are thinking, "Well shit. What does that mean for me? I've definitely worshiped other things. I've definitely turned against God. It was those people who made me do it. It was that girlfriend who led me astray. It was my ex who got me to do that," I think there is some principle here that we need to pay attention to.
First, the author says that God appeared to Solomon twice, and they talked to each other. The scriptures say that they communicated clearly to one another. There was a transaction made. The transaction was: Solomon would not follow other gods, and God would back Solomon's leadership. Back in those days, these types of agreements were called covenants.
In this passage, Solomon is breaking covenant with God, which was something very taboo to anyone who knew anything about Israelite tradition. Solomon has the knowledge of the covenant, has practiced the covenant, and has still chosen to chase after other gods. He starts off following the God of Israel, and at some point makes a conscious decision to follow something different. He made the choice, and there was no one else to blame but himself. In order for Solomon to worship other gods, he would have had to stop what he was doing, and completely turn the other way.
Second, although Solomon was the most powerful king in the world, he was not powerful enough to stay true to the covenant he'd made with God and immerse himself in the world of 1,000 women. Could he have done it? Maybe, but it would have been nothing short of God's power to see it succeed. We're not told that Solomon sought out God's help in his wild relationships, so have to assume he dropped God for the girls.
The idea that we shouldn't hang out with "bad" people is a very mainstream idea. It's a good idea, if, we don't have a solid spiritual foundation. If we're not spiritually fit, then we'd better surround ourselves with people who are solid themselves. We may look and act the part, but if our hearts don't have a solid hold, we're playing with fire. But, to say that the "bad" people are going to cause us to stumble or lead our hearts astray is dishonest. The truth is, we choose who we want to be, and Solomon chose who he wanted to be. He wanted to be a pimp.
I once made a decision in my head to follow God. I believed in God and figured that it would be enough to keep me from the fire. However, there was another god waiting for me, and one day I would choose to let that god slowly and surely capture my heart. Alcohol became my master and my source of worship. I had the choice in the beginning years, but after I crossed a line, I lost my power of choice. It became paramount to all other interests in my life, including the God I once chose to follow. No one ever tied me down and forced alcohol down my throat, just like no one forced Solomon to build temples to other gods. I chose to play with fire, and it slowly consumed me one day at a time - one drink at a time.
Today's Action: Have we taken responsibility for our own choices when it comes to following God? Are we spiritually fit enough to go into dark places or hang out with people who don't believe the same things we do? Think about one instance in which we blamed someone else for leading us astray, when we should have been taking responsibility for our own actions.
 |
| Molech - the god of Moab |
Solomon becomes enthralled in the religious beliefs of the women he's in love with, and starts doing as they do. He starts worshiping their gods, and builds temples on the hills east of Jerusalem so they can all offer sacrifices to their gods.
The author is obviously a male, because it's written that "the women led Solomon astray, and turned his heart against the God of Israel." This is where I disagree with the author's interpretation of what was going on at the time. I don't believe the women led Solomon astray, or turned his heart against God. Solomon was the richest, most powerful king in the world. Was the most powerful ruler in the world tied down and forced to worship other gods? I don't think so. Solomon had a choice. Solomon fully participated in his own decision making. The women were doing what they do. Solomon decided to jump in and join them.
For those of us who are thinking, "Well shit. What does that mean for me? I've definitely worshiped other things. I've definitely turned against God. It was those people who made me do it. It was that girlfriend who led me astray. It was my ex who got me to do that," I think there is some principle here that we need to pay attention to.
First, the author says that God appeared to Solomon twice, and they talked to each other. The scriptures say that they communicated clearly to one another. There was a transaction made. The transaction was: Solomon would not follow other gods, and God would back Solomon's leadership. Back in those days, these types of agreements were called covenants.
 |
| The god of Ammon |
In this passage, Solomon is breaking covenant with God, which was something very taboo to anyone who knew anything about Israelite tradition. Solomon has the knowledge of the covenant, has practiced the covenant, and has still chosen to chase after other gods. He starts off following the God of Israel, and at some point makes a conscious decision to follow something different. He made the choice, and there was no one else to blame but himself. In order for Solomon to worship other gods, he would have had to stop what he was doing, and completely turn the other way.
Second, although Solomon was the most powerful king in the world, he was not powerful enough to stay true to the covenant he'd made with God and immerse himself in the world of 1,000 women. Could he have done it? Maybe, but it would have been nothing short of God's power to see it succeed. We're not told that Solomon sought out God's help in his wild relationships, so have to assume he dropped God for the girls.
The idea that we shouldn't hang out with "bad" people is a very mainstream idea. It's a good idea, if, we don't have a solid spiritual foundation. If we're not spiritually fit, then we'd better surround ourselves with people who are solid themselves. We may look and act the part, but if our hearts don't have a solid hold, we're playing with fire. But, to say that the "bad" people are going to cause us to stumble or lead our hearts astray is dishonest. The truth is, we choose who we want to be, and Solomon chose who he wanted to be. He wanted to be a pimp.
 |
| Ashtoreth - goddess of Sidon |
I once made a decision in my head to follow God. I believed in God and figured that it would be enough to keep me from the fire. However, there was another god waiting for me, and one day I would choose to let that god slowly and surely capture my heart. Alcohol became my master and my source of worship. I had the choice in the beginning years, but after I crossed a line, I lost my power of choice. It became paramount to all other interests in my life, including the God I once chose to follow. No one ever tied me down and forced alcohol down my throat, just like no one forced Solomon to build temples to other gods. I chose to play with fire, and it slowly consumed me one day at a time - one drink at a time.
Today's Action: Have we taken responsibility for our own choices when it comes to following God? Are we spiritually fit enough to go into dark places or hang out with people who don't believe the same things we do? Think about one instance in which we blamed someone else for leading us astray, when we should have been taking responsibility for our own actions.
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