1 Kings Chapter 11: Verses 1-4 (NLT)
Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.
In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been.
Solomon had great, God-given wisdom, which makes his insistence at disobeying God’s command about not marrying foreign women all the more sad. He knew very well what God had said and why, so this was wilful disobedience. If God says no about something, its always for a good reason, not just to be a spoilsport.
God gave the instruction against marrying foreign women because He knew, and indeed told the people of Israel, that they would encourage their partner to follow other gods, and behave in a way that was not acceptable to God. In Solomon’s case that’s just what they did. Solomon turned away from the God who had given him everything, and followed the gods and practices of his many wives. He never repented of his sin as his father David had done.
When we hold on too tightly to something, that God has either said no to, or asked us to give up, our stubborn, strong-willed decision to do so is a sin, no matter how hard we try to justify it. The NIV translation of these verses says that “Solomon held fast to them in love.” (Verse 2) But there is no way he could truly and properly love hundreds of women.
How ever we try to justify our actions we need to stop, ask for God’s forgiveness and pay attention to what God says. When we are as blinkered as Solomon was about this area of his life, we lose the ability to see the whole picture, including the implications of our actions. God always sees the whole picture, and He always has our good at heart.
Dear God, There are times when being stubborn and strong-willed is of benefit to us, if it keeps us on the road You have chosen for us. But help me to be humble enough to acknowledge when I have been disobedient to Your will and ask for Your forgiveness with a repentant heart. I ask in Jesus’ name.