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to 1 Kings chapter 11. Our focus will be the first 13 
verses, but I do want to read the chapter, and I'll begin reading 
in 1 Kings 11 at verse 1. 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. For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned 
his heart after other gods. And his heart was not loyal to 
the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. For 
Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, 
and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did 
evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the 
Lord, as did his father David. Then Solomon built a high place 
for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is 
east of Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the people 
of Ammon. And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who 
burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. So the Lord became 
angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord 
God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded 
him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other 
gods. But he did not keep what the Lord had commanded. Therefore, 
the Lord said to Solomon, because you have done this and have not 
kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I 
will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to 
your servant. Nevertheless, I will not do it 
in your days for the sake of your father, David. I will tear 
it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away 
the whole kingdom. I will give one tribe to your 
son for the sake of my servant, David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, 
which I have chosen. Now the Lord raised up an adversary 
against Solomon, Hadad, the Edomite. He was a descendant of the king 
in Edom. For it happened when David was in Edom, and Joab, 
the commander of the army, had gone up to bury the slain after 
he had killed every male in Edom, because for six months Joab remained 
there with all Israel until he had cut down every male in Edom. 
That Hadad fled to go to Egypt. He and certain Edomites of his 
father's servants with him. Hadad was still a little child. 
Then they arose from Midian and came to Paran, and they took 
men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king 
of Egypt, who gave him a house, apportioned food for him, and 
gave him land. And Hadad found great favor in 
the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister 
of his own, that is, the sister of Queen Tapanes. Then the sister 
of Tapanes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tapanes weaned 
in Pharaoh's house. And Genubath was in Pharaoh's 
household among the sons of Pharaoh. So when Hadad heard in Egypt 
that David rested with his fathers, and that Joab the commander of 
the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, let me depart, that 
I may go to my own country. Then Pharaoh said to him, but 
what have you lacked with me, that suddenly you seek to go 
to your own country? So he answered, nothing, but 
do let me go anyway. And God raised up another adversary 
against him, Razan, the son of Elodiah, who had fled from his 
lord, Hadadezer, king of Zobah. So he gathered men to him and 
became captain over a band of raiders when David killed those 
of Zobah. And they went to Damascus and 
dwelt there and reigned in Damascus. He was an adversary of Israel 
all the days of Solomon, besides the trouble that Hadad caused. 
And he abhorred Israel and reigned over Syria. And Solomon's servant, 
Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zerita, whose 
mother's name was Zerua, a widow, also rebelled against the king. 
And this is what caused him to rebel against the king. Solomon 
had built the Milo and repaired the damages to the city of David 
his father. The man Jeroboam was a mighty 
man of valor, and Solomon, seeing that the young man was industrious, 
made him the officer over all the labor force of the house 
of Joseph. Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went 
out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah, the Shilonite, met him 
on the way. And he had clothed himself with 
a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. Then Ahijah 
took hold of the new garment that was on him and tore it into 
12 pieces. And he said to Jeroboam, take 
for yourself 10 pieces. For thus says the Lord, the God 
of Israel, behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of 
Solomon and will give 10 tribes to you. But he shall have one 
tribe for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, 
the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, 
because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth, the 
goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh, the god of the Moabites, and 
Milcom, the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked 
in my ways to do what is right in my eyes and keep my statutes 
and my judgments, as did his father David. However, I will 
not take the whole kingdom out of his hand because I have made 
him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of my servant 
David, whom I chose because he kept my commandments and my statutes. 
But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and give it 
to you, 10 tribes. And to his son, I will give one 
tribe that my servant David may always have a lamp before me 
in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put 
my name there. So I will take you and you shall 
reign over all your heart desires and you shall be king over Israel. 
Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk 
in my ways and do what is right in my sight to keep my statutes 
and my commandments as my servant David did, then I will be with 
you and build for you an enduring house as I built for David and 
will give Israel to you. And I will afflict the descendants 
of David because of this, but not forever. Solomon therefore 
sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to 
Egypt, to Shishak, king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death 
of Solomon. Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, 
all that he did and his wisdom, are they not written in the book 
of the acts of Solomon? And the period that Solomon reigned 
in Jerusalem over all Israel was 40 years. Then Solomon rested 
with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. 
And Rehoboam, his son, reigned in his place. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the various 
things written in the old covenant that point us to our blessed 
Savior, and as well, they are for our admonition, for our encouragement, 
and we pray that tonight your Holy Spirit would take this passage 
and show us the the reality that even a godly man like Solomon 
fell into idolatry. Help us, Father, to guard our 
hearts and our minds. Help us by your protecting Spirit, 
and help us to walk in the truth as it is in Jesus. We ask that 
you would forgive us for all of our sin and unrighteousness, 
and again, fill us now with your Spirit, we pray, in the name 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, up to this point 
in 1 Kings, you have the rise of Solomon in chapters 1 and 
2. He, of course, is a son of David. And then the reign of Solomon 
in chapter 3, beginning in verse 1 to the end of chapter 11, here 
where we see that he dies. Chapter 11 describes his fall 
and subsequent turmoil in Israel. As a result of what Solomon does, 
we see the division of the kingdom. Now, this is chapters 3 to 10 
are usually called the Golden Era. Solomon reigned in such 
a way that was consistent with the law of God and the Lord blessed 
him. In fact, if you look at chapter 
10, the Queen of Sheba comes and praises the wisdom of Solomon. The end of chapter 10 indicates 
his great wealth. The end of chapter 10 shows that 
in fact God's blessing was upon him. But of course, he didn't 
guard his heart. He did breach the law of God. 
And as a result, he plunged himself into this sin. So in chapter 
11, you have the idolatry of Solomon in verses 1 to 13. Secondly, 
the rebellions against Solomon in verses 14 to 28. The prophecy 
concerning the kingdom in verses 29 to 40. And then the death 
of Solomon in verses 41 to 43. We're not going to take up all 
that. Just kind of wanted to map it out for you. You see verse 
14, now the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, hey 
dad, the Edomite. Verse 23, God raised up another 
adversary against him, Razon, the son of Eliadah. And then 
in verse 26, then Solomon's servant, Jeroboam, the son of Nebite, 
an Ephraimite from Zerudah, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, 
also rebelled against the king. So Solomon did not go unscathed 
as a result of this idolatry. And I bring this message for 
two specific reasons. The epistle of 1 John ends on 
this note. My little children, or little 
children, keep yourselves from idols. We need to guard our hearts. 
We need to engage in a careful walk before the Lord and not 
be corrupted by those external influences. But as well, one 
of the most horrifying sections in this particular passage is 
specifically in verse 4. Notice it says, for it was so 
when Solomon was old. Old is not necessarily synonymous 
with holy. Just because a man ages in the 
grace of God, just because a man has persevered for a while, doesn't 
mean he's safe. We always, well, it means he's 
safe under God's care, but we must utilize the means, we must 
maintain fidelity, we must run the race that is set before us 
in earnest, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our 
faith. So I wanna look first at the 
idolatry of Solomon in verses one to eight, and then secondly, 
the divine response to Solomon in verses nine to 13. So when 
we look at the idolatry, I have three Ps. First, the problem, 
secondly, the precedent, and then thirdly, the practice. Notice 
the problem in verse one. But King Solomon loved many foreign 
women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh. Women of the Moabites, 
Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. There is a marked 
contrast here with chapter 3 and verse 3 when we embark on the 
reign of Solomon. In chapter 3, verse 3, we read, 
And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father 
David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high 
places. Notice as well the connection with chapter 10. Chapter 10 is 
a glowing report concerning Solomon, but there is this contrast in 
11.1, but King Solomon loved many foreign women. One man says 
after the glowing report in chapter 10, these verses are the literary 
equivalent of a blow to the face. The fact that a man as blessed 
as he was by God, the fact that a man who had written much of 
Holy Scripture, the fact that a man does what he does in this 
instance is indeed a blow to the face. But then notice the 
concern specifically. He loved many foreign women. Now, some think, according to 
Gill, that he did this with his political views to get intelligence 
of the state of those countries or to abate and extinguish their 
enmity, but it rather seems to be the fruit of lust or pride. A modern commentator, Dale Ralph 
Davis, agrees. He says, many of these marriages 
were political. meant to cement alliances concluded 
with other nations or groups. I see no reason to dispute this, 
but the text says more. The text is not interested in 
Solomon's politics, but in his affections. Solomon clung to 
these women in love is what it says. And so this is indicative 
of his downfall. This is indicative of the problem. It is the case that he loved 
many women. Now, if you go back to the book 
of Deuteronomy, you see some context which explains this further. Go all the way to Deuteronomy 
chapter 7. Deuteronomy chapter 7. This was instruction by Yahweh 
to the children of Israel concerning holy war in Canaan. When they 
go into the land of Canaan, they're to dispossess the land of the 
Canaanites. They're not supposed to marry them, they're not supposed 
to do politics with them, and they're certainly not to worship 
with them in terms of religion. Notice in chapter 7 at verse 
1, when the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go 
to possess and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites, 
and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, 
and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations 
greater and mightier than you. And when the Lord your God delivers 
them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. 
You shall make no covenant with them, nor show mercy to them, 
nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give 
your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your 
son, for they will turn your sons away from following me to 
serve other gods. So the anger of the Lord will 
be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. But thus you shall 
deal with them, you shall destroy, you shall destroy, I'm sorry, 
but thus you shall deal with them. You shall destroy their 
altars and break down their sacred pillars and cut down their wooden 
images and burn their carved images with fire. So this is 
a prohibition, generally speaking, to all of the children of Israel 
on their conduct when they go into the land. Again, no political 
alliances, no social alliances, and certainly no religious alliances 
with the Canaanites in the land. So that's problem number one. 
Solomon violated that. Problem number two is found over 
in Deuteronomy chapter 17, the instructions given for the king, 
the monarchy in Israel. Notice in Deuteronomy chapter 
17 at verse 14, when you come to the land which the Lord your 
God is giving you and possess it and dwell in it and say, I 
will set a king over me like all the nations that are around 
me, you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God 
chooses. One from among your brethren, you shall set as king 
over you. You may not set a foreigner over 
you who is not your brother, but he shall not multiply horses 
for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply 
horses. For the Lord has said to you, 
you shall not return that way again. Neither shall he multiply 
wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he greatly 
multiply silver and gold for himself. Intriguingly, the description 
in chapter 10 sort of sets us up for what we find here in chapter 
11 at verse 1. He had multiplied wealth. He 
had, in fact, multiplied those things that would serve or function 
in terms of his power in the kingdom. Now again, in terms 
of the precedent, you see the prohibition for kings in Deuteronomy 
17. You see the prohibition for all 
Israel in Deuteronomy chapter 7. And yet this text, like a 
blow to the face, tells us that he loved many foreign women. The fact that he loved them and 
clung to them ought to be a concern for those familiar with the book 
of Deuteronomy. Those verbs are used often in 
terms of Israel's response to the true and living God. They're 
supposed to love Yahweh, they're supposed to cling to Yahweh. 
Proven says the use of both verbs is to be understood in terms 
of their appearance in Deuteronomy 6, 10, 11, 13, and 30, where 
they speak of unswerving human loyalty to God. The Israel was 
to love the Lord wholeheartedly, Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 
5. And so we have this marked contrast, 
the glowing golden age, the era of Solomon is coming to an end, 
and it's not ending on a positive note. It's not ending on a good 
note. And brethren, this is why I highlight 
verse four, when he was old, It's not enough to initially 
believe the gospel, repent from our sins, find that grace and 
mercy from God Most High initially. It must be ongoing. It must be 
fighting. It must be watching. It must 
be praying. It must be guarding the heart. 
We need to remember the admonition by the apostle in Romans 13, 
14, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision 
for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. We need to be about faithfulness 
in our perseverance in terms of God's Holy Kingdom. Our brother 
prayed that we should fear the Lord. The Bible is filled with 
that fear of the Lord. Acts 9, 31 describes the characteristics 
of churches in a particular region. It says they continued in the 
fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Those things 
are not inconsistent. Those things are absolutely consistent. the fear of the Lord and the 
comfort of the Holy Spirit. In fact, we might acknowledge 
that it's because of the fear of the Lord that we enjoy that 
comfort of the Holy Spirit. So verse 1 indicates that Solomon 
loved many foreign women. So we've seen the problem, verse 
1. The precedent, verse 2, he says, Solomon clung to these 
in love. See, God knows better than we 
do. God knows us more than we know ourselves. And so the prohibition 
wasn't to rain on their parade. It wasn't to be a cosmic killjoy. 
It wasn't to be one who didn't want them to have a happy and 
fulfilled life. No, God understands all too well 
that if we have these social alliances, we have these political 
alliances, it will be easy to compromise when it comes to religious 
alliances. This is the emphasis in Deuteronomy 
12 with reference to a central sanctuary in Israel for worship. God didn't want the children 
of Israel just worshiping wherever they had a hankering. It had 
to be regulated by God's word. It had to be ordered according 
to God's word. And so the emphasis there was 
on orthodoxy in terms of bringing the people together at a central 
place for the worship of God. Now notice thirdly, the practice 
in verses three to eight. We see the number of women in 
verse three. And he had 700 wives, princesses, 
and 300 concubines. But what we see following shows 
the detrimental effect upon his soul. So he has these social 
alliances with not just one, but with a multitude. Again, 
he had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And then 
notice in verse 3b, and his wives, turned away his heart. The king's 
heart was turned away from the Lord. Now go back to chapter 
8. In his prayer at the dedication of the temple, he specifically 
invokes God that this would not happen. We need to learn from 
this, that we pray, and then when we get up off our knees, 
we seek by the grace of God to be faithful in light of that 
prayer. In other words, we don't pray the Lord's Prayer, do not 
lead me into temptation, and then go look at internet pornography. That is simply to undo the petition 
that we just offered up. In other words, when we pray, 
we need to think of that not only in terms of worship and 
an expression of dependence, but as well as a confession of 
our own faith that we will strive to live in light of those things 
that we pray. Notice in chapter 8 at verse 
58. that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His 
ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, 
which He commanded our fathers. The Old Testament was always 
concerned with heart obedience. It's not just externalism, it's 
not just a formalism, but you shall love the Lord your God 
with all your heart, with all your soul, all your mind, all 
your strength. Everything in you is to be engaged in wholehearted 
commitment to the living and true God. The principle of Matthew 
6, 24 is underscored here. No one can serve two masters. 
You multiply wives, you engage in that social alliance. It won't 
be long before you are engaged in their religious practices 
and that is precisely what happens. Notice in 11, four, the first 
part of the verse. For it was so when Solomon was 
old that his wives turned his heart after other gods. His wives turned his heart after 
other gods. The pressure is real. The implications 
are legit. The reality is, is that we're 
typically not nearly as holy as we may think that we are. 
We need to take the admonition of James. Pure and undefiled 
religion in the sight of God and the Father is this, to visit 
widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself unspotted 
from the world. We are not to be thinking that 
we have the holiness about us to go out and effect change among 
everyone around us. We need to take heed, we need 
to be on guard, we need to watch and pray. And Solomon compromised 
at this particular level. So he has these multitudes of 
wives and they turn his heart after other gods. Notice the 
king's heart was not loyal to the Lord, his God. Verse four. It says, in the middle, and his 
heart was not loyal to the Lord as God, as was the heart of his 
father, David. Again, look back at his prayer 
in chapter eight. He prays for that loyalty in 
verse 61. Let your heart therefore be loyal 
to the Lord, our God, to walk in his statutes and keep his 
commandments as at this day. Now, intriguingly, brethren, 
Solomon's got the problem here, but it certainly affected the 
entirety of the kingdom. Solomon is a public man. Solomon 
is a kingly man. Solomon is a representative of 
the nation. In fact, later on in the chapter, 
if you look specifically at verse 33, because they have forsaken 
me and worship Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh, 
the god of the Moabites, and Milcom, the god of the people 
of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways to do what is right 
in my eyes and keep my statutes and my judgments as did his father 
David. So he led by example. And in 
this particular instance, the example was horrific. It was 
terrible. It was bad. And so this precedent 
had been set and the people of Israel followed suit. He rejected 
the good example of his father, David. Now, David was not a sinless 
man. David was not a perfect man, 
but David was a faithful man relative to the worship of God 
Almighty. David's problem was not idolatry. Certainly adultery and murder 
are big problems. I'm not condoning that. I'm not 
encouraging that. But I am suggesting when you 
read the life of David, it's not the problem of idolatry that 
plagues him. That's why I believe he's being 
held out as the benchmark relative to obedience in the kingship 
in Israel. And then notice the practical 
results that flow from this. So we have the number of women, 
the spiritual effect upon Solomon, and then the practical results 
in verses 5 to 8. First, Solomon went after Ashtoreth, 
the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination 
of the Ammonites. So he pursued these false gods. He pursued that which is not 
God. He has the living and true God. In fact, when he takes the throne, 
according to 2 Chronicles, he sits on the throne of Yahweh. In other words, he is the one, 
the visible representative of the kingdom of God on earth. 
And now he's gone a whoring from that true and living God to seek 
out these abominations of the nations. As well, the king did 
evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow his 
father David. Verse 6. Solomon did evil in 
the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as 
did his father David. Again, he's not suggesting that 
David was a sinlessly perfect man. He is rather suggesting 
that David was a covenantally faithful man. He sinned, God 
dealt with him, God forgave him, and nevertheless he constantly 
served the living and the true God. The king rather rejected 
the good example of his father David. And then notice that the 
king builds high places for the false gods to facilitate and 
participate in their worship. Verse 7, then Solomon built a 
high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is 
east of Jerusalem. And for Molech, the abomination 
of the people of Ammon. Molech was the notoriously wicked 
god or idol that stretched out its arms and you threw your babies 
into the arms of Molech and then it would bounce off into the 
fire that was at the feet or base of Molech. So this is not 
a good commentary. And he did likewise for all his 
foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. One commentator, Paul House, 
makes this observation. He says, other than their link 
to his wives, Solomon's choice of gods makes no sense. Now listen to what he says. In 
the ancient world, polytheists tended to worship the gods of 
the nations who had conquered their armies, or at least the 
gods of countries more powerful than their own. So if you were 
a conquering nation, you came into the other, not only did 
you decimate them, but you put your gods in their country. He 
says, ironically, Solomon worships the gods of the people he has 
conquered and already controls. What could he possibly gain from 
such activity? And then he makes this statement, 
the whole episode makes no sense, just as idolatry itself makes 
no sense. Think about the apostle in Romans 
chapter 1 and his condemnation of idolatry. He highlights the 
reality that Gentiles in that particular context, they exchange 
the glory of the creator and they worship the creation. They 
worship the creature. They give religious homage. They 
give religious praise. They give religious worship to 
that which is created. Paul the Apostle says this is 
wrong, it is condemned. With reference to the Thessalonians, 
the Apostle Paul is able to commend them because they turn from their 
useless idols to the true and the living God. So this idea 
of idolatry, it is absolutely ludicrous. We have the real God, 
we have the creator, We have the one who's revealed himself 
in creation and in the gospel of our salvation. He is the one 
that sent his son, the only begotten son, to live, to die, to rise 
again, so that we might have everlasting life. And yet we 
reject that, we disregard that, and we turn our attention to 
those things which are not God. That's the problem that Solomon 
has engaged in. Now notice, secondly, the divine 
response to Solomon. We see first the anger of the 
Lord in verses 9 and 10, and then the word of the Lord in 
verses 11 to 13. The statement is clear, and it 
should not surprise us whatsoever. Notice in verse 9, So the Lord 
became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the 
Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. God had appeared 
to Solomon twice. Go back to 1 Kings chapter 3. 
1 Kings chapter 3 to see this. 1 Kings chapter 3, specifically 
in verse 14, the admonition. So God appears to him, he reveals 
himself to him, and then in verse 14, so if you walk in my ways 
to keep my statutes and my commandments as your father David walked, 
then I will lengthen your days. He also appears to him again 
in chapter 9, you can turn there. This time, it's negative. So 
in chapter 3, he gives a positive admonition. Do what you're supposed 
to do, and you'll retain the kingship. Do what you're supposed 
to do, and you'll be blessed. Do what you're supposed to do, 
and you'll extend the kingdom of God on earth vis-a-vis this 
temporal kingdom. Notice in chapter 9, it comes 
across more negatively, at verse 6 specifically. Verse 6, he says, 
but if you or your sons at all turn from following me and do 
not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set 
before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 
then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them. 
And this house which I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of 
my sight. Israel will be a proverb and 
a byword among all peoples. And as for this house, which 
is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and 
will hiss and say, why has the Lord done thus to this land and 
to this house? Then they will answer, because 
they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out 
of the land of Egypt and have embraced other gods and worship 
them and serve them. Therefore, the Lord has brought 
all this calamity on them. So back to chapter 11, verse 
nine, it's obvious. This is the divine response. 
This is justice. This is righteousness. This is 
holiness. This is the appropriate response 
from Yahweh to Solomon in his sin, in his idolatry. So the 
Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned 
from the Lord God of Israel who had appeared to him twice. And 
then notice the aggravation involved in that. That statement that 
he had appeared to him twice, we would know that if we were 
reading through 1 Kings. We would know it happened in 
1 Kings 3 at Gibeon, and we would know it happened in 1 Kings 9 
at the time of the temple. But we are reminded here because 
it exacerbates the criminal activity of Solomon in terms of turning 
away from Yahweh to these false gods. The Lord appeared to him 
twice. He had experienced great grace. 
Consider this in a new covenant setting. If we were to defect 
from our blessed Jesus and turn to the idols of our day, we would 
be able to see that same sort of aggravation. We have been 
blessed richly. We have churches. We have Bibles. 
We have doctrine. We have all kinds of things that 
God has calculated to give to us. Sort of like in 2 Samuel 
chapter 11, when the prophet Nathan rebukes David. Remember, 
he tells him the story, and David gets upset, and David wants there 
to be an exaction of justice upon that man, and then Nathan 
says, thou art the man. And God, through the prophet, 
says, I gave you houses, I gave you women, I gave you all these 
things, and if that was too little, I would have given you more. 
it aggravates or exacerbates or demonstrates the wretchedness 
of this kind of practice. We have been blessed with much. 
We have been given many encouragements from our Lord. We have been blessed 
richly to live in a land where we can worship God, where we 
can do those things which the Lord calls us unto. And yet, 
if we were to turn away from our Savior, that would be aggravated 
in the sense of all of the blessings He had conveyed upon us prior 
to that. And then notice with reference 
to this statement, verse 10, and had commanded him concerning 
this saying that he should not go after other gods, but he did 
not keep what the Lord had commanded. So you see what he's saying in 
and through this whole passage. And I'm gonna bring this out 
when we get to some concluding lessons in a few minutes. But 
David or rather Solomon had a good pedigree. Again, not a perfect 
father, but a good father, a benchmark father for Israel. Solomon had 
religious experience, didn't he? He saw God in chapter 3 and 
in chapter 9. He was a man that had received 
the law. So all of those things, apart 
from the ministry of the Holy Spirit and active dependence 
upon our Savior, may not avail in the day of trial. So we may 
have good pedigree, we may have had good experience, we may have 
a reformed understanding of the law, but if we are not dependent 
upon our blessed Savior, if we are not mindful of John 15, apart 
from me, you can do nothing, we may be prone to wander and 
prone to leave the God that we love. I'm not suggesting that 
we jettison that good pedigree, we reject or revile the time 
we've had good experience. I am suggesting, however, that 
those things unaided by the Spirit and our dependence upon God may 
not avail. And Solomon had all those resources, 
and nevertheless, Solomon did this. He had Deuteronomy 7, he 
had Deuteronomy 17, he had a good father, he had the law of God, 
he had the internalization of the gospel in his own heart, 
and yet he turns to these foreign gods as a result of this practical 
failure on his part to guard his heart from these women. And now the word of the Lord 
in verses 11 to 13. He tells Solomon that there will 
be a division of the kingdom. That's what happens in 1 Kings 
chapter 12. What we had under David and Solomon was a united 
monarchy. What you had under Solomon was 
an expanded united monarchy. Solomon was the man of peace. 
Remember, David was prohibited from building the temple because 
he was a man of war. That's no commentary, ethically, 
on David being a bad guy. But David was about destroying 
the enemies of Israel. With reference to Solomon, Solomon 
would enjoy a peaceful reign and he would be the one to build 
a house for the name of God. And so Solomon, having all these 
things, Solomon being blessed by God in this vein, has now 
plunged the kingdom into a mess. There's gonna be a division. 
Notice, he violated God's commandment, verse 11. Therefore, the Lord 
said to Solomon, because you have done this and have not kept 
my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I 
will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to 
your servant. When we compare this with 1 Samuel 
13 and 1 Samuel 15, we see that that indictment was made concerning 
Saul as well. Remember Saul? Saul didn't wanna 
wait for Samuel. So Saul undertook to go ahead 
and worship on his own. 1 Samuel 13. He most likely thought 
he was doing a noble thing. And Samuel rather says, that's 
not a noble thing. You have defied the living and 
the true God. First Samuel chapter 15, Saul is given command to 
go and utterly destroy Agag and all of the Amalekites. He says, 
of course, Lord, I'll go destroy Agag and all the Amalekites. 
So they go on their battle, they go on their mission and they 
return. and God comes to deal with him through Samuel. And 
Samuel says, did you do what you were supposed to do? Of course 
I did what I'm supposed to do. And Samuel says, well, why am 
I hearing oxen? Why am I hearing cattle? They 
were under the ban as well, and they were to be destroyed. And 
then Saul starts to backpedal and starts to renegotiate and 
starts to say, well, you know, I actually did carry out the 
plan, but it was those people, it was the people that led me 
away. Well, in that particular section, we are told that the 
kingdom will be stripped out of Saul's hand. And the same 
thing is true here now with reference to Solomon. So the tearing away 
of the kingdom, one man says a divided heart will lead to 
a divided kingdom. And that is precisely the transition 
between 1 Kings 11 and 1 Kings 12. But then notice the Davidic 
covenant is appealed to in verses 12 and 13. First of all, the 
judgment would affect Solomon's son, not Solomon. Verse 12, nevertheless, 
I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father, 
David. Now this again, wasn't because 
David was a perfect man, but David was the recipient of the 
Davidic covenant in 2 Samuel chapter 7, which prophesied a 
line of kings culminating in the Messiah of whose kingdom 
there would be no end. But that physical line from David 
getting to Jesus would have some kings that would engage in some 
humdingers like this. And God would chastise them. 
God would deliver blows to them. God would bring judgment to bear 
upon them. And that's what he's indicating 
here in verse 12. Nevertheless, I will not do it 
in your days for the sake of your father David. I will tear 
it out of the hand of your son." It'll be Rehoboam that ultimately 
loses the kingdom with reference to Jeroboam, that son of Nebat. He'll be back, brethren, and 
he'll be back with a vengeance. And Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, 
will go down as the benchmark in the northern kingdom for sin, 
for wickedness, and for depravity. Now Ahab comes along and kind 
of almost out-Jeroboam, Jeroboam's Jeroboam. But nevertheless, Jeroboam 
the son of Nebat is the benchmark in the northern kingdom for bad 
guys. And then notice in 13. However, 
I will not tear away the whole kingdom. I will give one tribe 
to your son for the sake of my servant David and for the sake 
of Jerusalem, which I have chosen. This causes some degree of curiosity. There were 12 tribes, and there 
is a division in the kingdom. You had the 10 northern tribes 
and the two southern tribes. Most likely, he's talking about 
Judah along with Benjamin would serve as the southern tribes. 
And again, this harkens back to that Davidic covenant. In 
fact, you can turn there to 2 Samuel 7. It's paradigmatic or it's 
programmatic for what we find in redemptive history. 2 Samuel 
7, you'll remember the scene, David is victorious, David is 
now in his palace, and David is musing that he is dwelling 
in a palace, and yet the Lord God most high dwells in a tent. And so he has this desire to 
build a house, and yet God says, no, it's not gonna be you. The 
parallel in Chronicles tells us it is because he was a man 
with bloody hands. Again, not an ethical comment 
that he was a bad guy, but that was his focus. That was his calling. That was what he was specifically 
designed to do, was basically to smash heads and establish 
the kingdom. Solomon would enjoy the fruit 
of that, and Solomon would have an age of peace wherein he could 
build the temple. But notice in chapter 7 at verse 
12, when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, 
I will set up your seat after you. who will come from your 
body and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house 
for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 
I will be his father and he shall be my son. Now this is applied 
in the book of Hebrews specifically to our Lord Jesus Christ. So 
again, you've got this line of kings that come from David culminating 
in the Lord Christ. So that's the terminus, that's 
the focus, that's the scope. But there will be this line of 
kings in Judah until the coming of the son of man. Notice, I 
will be his father and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, 
I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of 
the sons of men. But my mercy shall not depart 
from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 
And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever 
before you. Your throne shall be established 
forever. So with reference to Saul, there was no deferral. 
There was no, I'm gonna do this later. No, he strips it from 
Saul, gives it to the Davidic line. But with reference to the 
line of David, you'll see that as you read through these former 
prophets, there will be those little incidental statements 
except for the promise made to David. And that's the focus. 
It is 2 Samuel chapter seven. So back to our text, however, 
I will not tear away the whole kingdom. I will give one tribe 
to your son for the sake of my servant, David, and for the sake 
of Jerusalem, which I have chosen. The judgment will be spelled 
out specifically by Ahijah in verses 29 to 39, and then the 
judgment would proceed exactly as specified in 2 Samuel 7, 14 
and 15. There would be blows, there would 
be dealing, there would be judgment as a result of the infidelity 
of Judah's kings. You see that all throughout, 
as I said, these former prophets. The northern kingdom never had 
a good king, not one. The southern kingdom was pretty 
bad for the most part, but there were good men there. But the 
southern kingdom was ultimately preserved not because of those 
good men, but because of God's promise to David that from his 
line, he would raise up Christ. He would raise up Jesus to be 
that king over whose kingdom there would be no end. In conclusion, 
a few thoughts. First, the sinfulness of Solomon. The sinfulness of Solomon. We 
cannot condone what he has done. The sin of Solomon was aggravated 
by his knowledge of the law. Verse 2, he knew the precedent. He knew Deuteronomy 7. He knew 
Deuteronomy 17. He as well was aggravated by 
the good example in his father, verse 6. He had David as a father. David, again, not a perfect man, 
but a faithful man, would bring him to the house of the Lord, 
would bring him to that place of worship, would bring him to 
the family altar. He would catechize him, he would 
discipline him, he would instruct him. and his experience of God's 
grace, verses 9 and 10. He had experienced the very vision 
of Yahweh Most High in chapter 3 and in chapter 9. So sin is 
exacerbated by those blessings that God had given to him. Secondly, 
the loyalty of David. You see that in verses four and 
six. Benchmark for Judah in terms 
of kings. Whenever the author tells us 
or compares kings, typically David is the standard with reference 
to their fidelity or their infidelity. Gil says, who though guilty of 
many sins, never inclined to idolatry. His heart was always 
right in that point and sincere in his worship. That is a statement 
that I think is accurate, and I think it is right, and I think 
it is good. Thirdly, the faithfulness of 
God. There is a conditional element 
in, well, it's an unconditional covenant in terms of 2 Samuel 
chapter 7, but relative to those earthly kings, there would be 
judgment. There would be chastening. They 
would be dealt the blows and the chastisement for their sin. But that unconditionalness is 
seen in the reality that again, Christ is the scope, Christ is 
the focus, Christ is the telos or purpose of that 2 Samuel 7 
Davidic covenant. And then the consistent condemnation 
of idolatry. When you read verse nine, so 
the Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned 
from the Lord God of Israel who had appeared to him twice. See 
there the faithfulness of God. the faithfulness of God. He consistently 
condemns idolatry in both testaments. The first and second commandment 
are calculated against the sin of idolatry. The first deals 
with the object of worship, and the second deals with the manner 
of worship. We may have the right God, first 
commandment, but we may worship him the wrong way. Or, of course, 
we could have the wrong God, in which sense there's no proper 
way to worship Him. So God consistently opposes idolatry, 
whether first Old or New Testament. And then notice God's commentary 
on the idols. And after Milcom, the abomination 
of the Ammonites, verse 5. Chemosh, the abomination of Moab. Moloch, the abomination of the 
people of Ammon, verse 7. God's not a pluralist. God doesn't 
say, well, you know, those people, they've just taken a worship 
in a way that suits them. They've taken a worship in a 
way that pleases them. They've taken a worship in a 
way that, you know, it's not altogether consistent, but hey, 
that's the way it happens. No, they are abominations as 
far as God's indictment concerning these idols. And then I would 
suggest there are some practical warnings in the section for each 
and every one of us. practical warnings in this section 
for each and every one of us. First, the believer must marry 
in the Lord. The believer must marry in the 
Lord. That, I think, jumps out practically 
from this passage. What happens when you don't marry 
in the Lord? Well, typically, if things being 
equal as they are, we will end up compromised. We will end up 
in a problem situation. We may be led astray to serve 
false gods if we're not on guard. And further, each of us need 
to be a one-woman man, 1 Timothy 3.2, or a one-man woman, 1 Timothy 
5.9. We need to understand the effect 
of our closest relationships upon our spirituality. Deuteronomy 
chapter 13 deals with the seduction to commit idolatry. First, the 
false prophet is condemned. Third, a city that is opposed 
to the Lord God most high is condemned. You know what finds 
its place in the second? It is those intimate relationships. In fact, Yahweh through Moses 
says, even the wife of your bosom, if she seduces you to commit 
idolatry, if she tries to draw you away after another God, then 
the penalty prescribed in Deuteronomy 13 applies to her as well. We need to make sure that we're 
faithful relative to God's commandment. Secondly, the believer must maintain 
fidelity to the Lord by obeying his commandments. I mentioned 
1 Kings 3, verse 3, as a contrast to 1 Kings 11, verse 1. You can 
turn back to 1 Kings 3, verse 3. Notice what it says. And Solomon 
loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, 
except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. Now, as far as I can tell, a 
lot of the kings of Judah, most of the kings of Judah had that 
same problem. But it's not right. It wasn't 
okay. They had the admonition from 
God, Deuteronomy 12, central sanctuary. You weren't supposed 
to have high places. You weren't supposed to have 
alternate places for worship. All of our hearts are to be engaged 
in all of God's law. Thirdly, the believer must guard 
the eyes and the heart and, dare I say, political motivation. 
It was commonplace for kings in the ancient Near East to marry 
for political alliances. That's not a lie. That's not 
a fabrication. You married Pharaoh's daughter, 
you got certain benefits. You made certain deals. I mean, 
there's nothing new under the sun. Politicians today make lots 
of deals. Politicians back then made lots 
of deals. One of the ways they'd make lots 
of deals is through marrying competitors' daughters, marrying 
and finding some degree of solidarity such that they could profit. 
So the believer must guard the eyes and the heart. King Solomon 
loved many foreign women. Brethren, again, probably that 
they were attractive. Probably they were something 
that he thought he wasn't getting. We need to guard against that. 
Happiness and fulfillment aren't numero uno for the people of 
God. Obedience is, carefulness is, 
precision is. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. Fourth, 
the believer ought to be mindful of Solomon's age when he fell, 
when Solomon was old. Again, older does not necessarily 
mean holier. It should, we should be persevering, 
growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus 
Christ. But we can't ever think, well, now I'm 55, now I'm 65, 
now I'm 75, now I'm 85. I can just sort of rest and everything's 
gonna be hunky dory. I remember many years ago, there 
was a brother, a pastor that has now gone to be with the Lord. 
I point to Joanne because he was a dear friend of Joanne and 
Don, and this fellow would get his car serviced in Chilliwack. 
I think he lived in Maple Ridge, and he'd come here, and there 
was another old Baptist, retired Baptist pastor that he would 
meet for coffee, and they invited me one time. I felt privileged. 
I felt special. And with these two old brothers, 
and old brothers, they were probably 70s or 80s at that particular 
time. And we were talking and having a good time of fellowship. 
And I had mentioned something that I had read one time about 
Gandhi. Gandhi being such a man of self-control, 
he could lie between two naked women and maintain fidelity. 
And both these old brothers said, I'm not that holy. I'm not that 
faithful. I couldn't do that. And I thought 
to myself, I said to myself later, self, did you hear those men? 
It doesn't necessarily get easier because you get older. It doesn't 
necessarily get easier because you get older. We still have 
remaining corruption. An old sinner can be just as 
bad as a young sinner. I remember when I used to go 
to the retirement residence to preach to the older folks there, 
these blue haired old ladies and the old men. I always treated 
them as sinners, not sinner, dirty, rotten, filthy scoundrel, 
but preach the Bible to them. It's not the case that they're 
perfectly spotless and holy and pure. This is a terrifying statement 
when he was old. Paul cautions in 2 Timothy 2 
at verse 22, flee also youthful lusts. Solomon underscores that 
lusts are not confined to the youth. It can happen to the older 
people as well, so we need to take heed. Fifth, a believer 
should realize that past experiences do not always secure present 
faithfulness. But the Lord appeared to him 
in chapter 3 and chapter 9. That should be it. No, it obviously 
wasn't it. Those experiences did not mean 
faithfulness in the present. Six, the believer should realize 
that good examples do not always secure present faithfulness. 
David was a good example. Parents, be good examples, but 
bring your children before the throne of grace. Pray to God 
Most High to open their hearts, to grant them the graces of faith 
and repentance, so that they may be converted, that they may 
be believers, that they may be faithful to our blessed God and 
serve Him all their days. As well, the believer should 
realize that knowledge itself does not always secure present 
faithfulness. You might have a lot of knowledge, 
but if you're not putting it into practice, if you're not 
watching and praying and fighting and seeking by grace to be faithful, 
that knowledge may not avail you. As well, the believer should 
realize that wisdom does not always secure present faithfulness. Who's the wisest man in the Bible? 
Solomon. Now, Jesus in Matthew 12 says 
there is a greater than Solomon here. Colossians 2 tells us that 
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in him. Now, 
he is the second person of the Trinity who for us men and for 
our salvation came down from heaven. He took on our humanity. 
So he's in a class by himself. But in terms of humans, when 
you look at scripture, 1 Kings chapter 3 demonstrates that the 
prayer that he had when God comes to him in chapter 2 and says, 
what do you want? And Solomon says, I want wisdom. And so God 
says, because you haven't asked for this, because you haven't 
asked for that, I'm going to flood you with wisdom. And that 
wisdom is demonstrated in the case of the harlots that come 
to him to adjudicate their particular scenario. He was a wise man. But brethren, a wise man who 
doesn't watch, who doesn't pray, who doesn't fight, who doesn't 
resist, is a man that goes astray. And then the believer ought to 
realize his utter dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Again, 
I quote John Gill. This shows that the best and 
wisest of men, when left to themselves, may do the worst and most foolish 
of all things, as nothing can be more so than the worship of 
such wretched deities. Yes, we can have experience. 
Yes, we can have good fathers. Yes, we can have the law of God 
and a great deal of wisdom. We must watch, we must pray, 
we must fight. Isn't that our Lord's words of 
encouragement in Gethsemane? Watch and pray. Isn't that an 
emphasis heavily throughout the New Testament? Watch and pray. That statement again, put on 
the Lord Jesus Christ, make no provision for the flesh. Why 
do you think the apostle does that? because he knows the reality 
of remaining corruption, Romans 7. He knows the reality of remaining 
corruption, Galatians 5. He knows the reality because 
he had it in his own heart, he sees it in his own Bible, and 
he cautions the people of God against pride, against arrogance, 
and against this idea that we're gonna be okay. I'm old now, I'm 
blessed of God now, and I'm just gonna kinda cruise my way into 
heaven. There's no retirement in the 
Christian life. There's no eternal golf match. We have to fight, we have to 
pray, we have to watch. Solomon doesn't do that. Now the question everyone asks, 
was Solomon saved? Or typically after they read 
1 Kings 11. Not usually when they read Proverbs, but when 
they read 1 Kings 11. 2 Timothy 2.19, nevertheless, 
the solid foundation of God stands having this seal. The Lord knows 
those who are his and let everyone who names the name of Christ 
depart from iniquity. Now this might be a weaselly 
way out, but I'm gonna quote Gil with reference to Solomon. He says, though nothing is said 
of Solomon's repentance, there is no doubt, but he was a good 
man, repented of his sins and was saved. as may be concluded 
from the commendations of him after his death." 2 Chronicles 
11, 17. From the promise of God that 
he made, that his mercy should not depart from him, though he 
chastised him. 2 Samuel 7, 14. From his being 
an inspired writer, who were all holy men. 2 Peter 1, 20. 
And especially from his writing the book of Ecclesiastes after 
his fall. which contains a full acknowledgment 
of all his evils, a recantation of them, and repentance for them." 
Now the question everyone should ask is that, what about me? Well, 
for us, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and repentance unto God. We have that statement in Matthew 
12. He functioned in a whole host 
of ways, but he was certainly typological, and he does point us forward 
to our Savior, that one who sits upon the throne 
of Yahweh, that one who is over the kingdom forever and ever. 
And it is by grace through faith in him that sinners have everlasting 
life. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. Even these unsavory parts 
that reveal the the sins, the wretchedness of heroes in the 
faith. God, I pray that you would help us to watch and pray, to 
be faithful, to be persevering, and to be dependent always upon 
your grace and your mercy. Let us always contemplate the 
words of the Savior, apart from me you can do nothing, and may 
we live in light of that reality. Guard our hearts from this desire 
for idolatry, help us to Hear the admonition of the apostle, 
little children, keep yourselves from idols. And we ask this in 
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. We'll close with a brief 
time of meditation.