1 Kings 11-13

Apparently, King Solomon was successful in picking up women, but sadly, he got dumped by God.

In I Kings chapter 11, we see the fall of a once smart and skilled ruler.

The wisest man in all the earth ends up a fool.

Well, verse 1 tells us that the heresy began with his harem.

But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites, from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you.

Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love, and he had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines, and his wives turned away his heart.

In the ancient Orient, peace treaties between nations were ratified when a lesser king would give his daughter in marriage to the greater king.

Both kings now had a common interest.

As family, they were less likely to attack each other.

No doubt, this is how Solomon accumulated such a large harem.

But his motive was not just political and diplomatic.

Verse 2 tells us, Solomon clung to these in love.

There was a romantic attraction here.

Solomon was a playboy, you might say, perhaps a sex addict.

He liked exotic women and pretty princesses.

The king had placed no reins on his sexual appetite.

Depth and meaning with one woman had been replaced with the variety and superficiality of many women.

With a thousand sexual partners, he'd long stopped caring for these women as people.

They were now just objects to him, toys to satisfy his sexual fantasies.

And to keep his harem happy, he compromised his loyalty to God.

When these foreigners moved into the royal court, they brought with them pagan gods and religions.

Their idolatry was the spider that weaved a web around Solomon's heart and then injected it with poison.

See, to appease his wives, Solomon betrayed his God.

He made increasing concessions to pacify the pagan tastes of his wives.

His indulgent lifestyle broke his will to say no.

Apparently, King Solomon was successful in picking up women, but sadly, he got dumped by God.

In I Kings chapter 11, we see the fall of a once smart and skilled ruler.

The wisest man in all the earth ends up a fool.

Well, verse 1 tells us that the heresy began with his harem.

But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites, from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you.

Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love, and he had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines, and his wives turned away his heart.

In the ancient Orient, peace treaties between nations were ratified when a lesser king would give his daughter in marriage to the greater king.

Both kings now had a common interest.

As family, they were less likely to attack each other.

No doubt, this is how Solomon accumulated such a large harem.

But his motive was not just political and diplomatic.

Verse 2 tells us, Solomon clung to these in love.

There was a romantic attraction here.

Solomon was a playboy, you might say, perhaps a sex addict.

He liked exotic women and pretty princesses.

The king had placed no reins on his sexual appetite.

Depth and meaning with one woman had been replaced with the variety and superficiality of many women.

With a thousand sexual partners, he'd long stopped caring for these women as people.

They were now just objects to him, toys to satisfy his sexual fantasies.

And to keep his harem happy, he compromised his loyalty to God.

When these foreigners moved into the royal court, they brought with them pagan gods and religions.

Their idolatry was the spider that weaved a web around Solomon's heart and then injected it with poison.

See, to appease his wives, Solomon betrayed his God.

He made increasing concessions to pacify the pagan tastes of his wives.

His indulgent lifestyle broke his will to say no.