Unholy Relationships

I Kings 11:1-2:  "King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter . . . . They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, 'You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.'"

For all of the accolades about Solomon and his great wisdom, I Kings 11 presents a rather surprising account of the unwise decisions of the great Jewish king in the latter years of his life.  Despite the prohibition from the LORD of the Jewish people intermarrying with pagan peoples around them, Solomon chose to do just that.  Given that many of these wives were of royal families (11:3), one can speculate that many of these bethrothals were politically orchestrated so that alliances (and hence peace) might be maintained in the region.  This rationale did not make these marriages right, for if Solomon had simply trusted in the Lord, He (God) would have provided Solomon protection from his enemies.

Nevertheless, we find the consequences from these unholy marriages:

1.  Solomon's wives turned his heart after other gods and his heart was not fully devoted to God (11:4).
2.  Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and he did not follow the LORD completely (11:6).
3.  Solomon built worship places for pagan deities on hilltops, so that incense and offerings could be offered to them (11:7-8).
4.  Even though God had appeared to Solomon twice (once at Gibeon, when Solomon asked for a discerning heart rather than riches to lead the people, and again in Jerusalem after Solomon had built the temple and prayed to dedicate it to the LORD), Solomon's heart was now turned away from the LORD (11:9).
5.  Solomon did not keep the LORD's command, forbidding the king to follow other gods (11:10).

As a result, God declared judgment upon Solomon that a portion of the kingdom would be torn away from Solomon's descendants and given to a subordinate.  God too raised up adversaries to challenge the king's authority and rule in the region.  One such adversary was an Ephraimite official named Jeroboam, who was quite proficient in fulfilling his duties for King Solomon . . . so much so that Solomon had placed him in charge of the entire labor force of the house of Joseph.  But when Solmon began to see the potential threat that Jeroboam might be to his reign, the king sought to destroy him.  Thus the paranoia of Solomon and the fear that someone would usurp his throne would mark the final days of the king's life.  This certainly is not the desired end of a king that had been so blessed by the LORD throughout his life.

This passage is a very good word for believers in Christ today.  Whereas we might have a wonderful fellowship with the LORD, we have to be ever mindful that the relationships into which we commit ourselves can become quite destructive for us emotionally, financially, physically, and most important, spiritually if the people with whom we associate are not followers of Jesus Christ themselves.  Lest we believe that we are beyond the entrapments of disobedience when we enter into such unholy relationships, we only need to look at one of the wisest men who has walked the face of the earth and realize that even he was not impervious to such enticements.

So, let's not follow the pattern of Solomon in his latter years.  Let's be discerning of our relationships.  Let's seek the wisdom of God in making such choices.  Let's ask that He guide our hearts so that we will not allow ourselves to fall into unhealthy associations with those who would draw us away from the rich, intimate fellowship that we have with the Lord.