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11, 1 Kings 11. Pastor Cam is preaching next 
Sunday night, and then Pastor Ed Romine will be preaching the 
following Sunday. So I wanna maintain continuity 
in our studies in Philippians. And then I wanted to visit something 
I mentioned last week in the sermon on 1 Kings 8. I had alluded 
to Solomon's downfall in 1 Kings 11. So we're gonna take that 
up, verses 1 to 13. I'll read this portion of scripture, 
we'll pray, and then we'll look at it in some detail. So 1 Kings 
11, beginning 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, 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. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in Heaven, we come now to a very sobering passage of 
Holy Scripture. We pray that Your Holy Spirit 
would guide us as we consider this Your Word. May we approach 
it with that reverence and awe that is certainly fitting for 
the approach to Scripture. God, we pray as well that you 
would cause us to reflect upon this downfall of a godly man. We ask that you would guard our 
hearts and guard our minds and keep us by your grace and according 
to the ministry of your Holy Spirit. We know, Father, that 
we are full of remaining corruption and there is that proneness to 
wander and proneness to leave the God that we love. So restrain 
our hearts, guard our minds, give us grace, God, to fill ourselves 
with the scriptures, and to be prayerful men and women for your 
glory and for your honor. Even now, forgive us for all 
of our sin and unrighteousness, and we pray through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. Well, as we look at the 
book of 1 Kings, we have the rise of Solomon in chapters 1 
and 2, and then the reign of Solomon in chapters 3 to 11. 
Chapters 3 to 10 are something of the golden age of Solomon. 
Everything he does is blessed of God. Everything he does is 
encouraging to the reader. Chapter 11 here, however, describes 
his fall and subsequent turmoil in the kingdom of Israel. So 
what is promised later in chapter 11 comes to fruition in chapter 
12 with the division of the kingdom, the north and the south there 
in the nation of Israel. And essentially what we have 
in the chapter before us is the idolatry of Solomon in verses 
1 to 13, the rebellions against Solomon in verses 14 to 28, the 
prophecy concerning the kingdom in verses 29-40, and then the 
chapter ends with the death of Solomon in verses 41-43. But 
as I said, we'll just take up that first section under two 
considerations. First, the idolatry of Solomon 
in verses 1-8, and then the divine response to Solomon in verses 
9 to 13. And as we conclude later on, 
I don't want to moralize the text, but I think it would be 
delinquent not to make some observations with reference to a practical 
nature in terms of the fall of this particular man with reference 
to these sins. So with reference to the idolatry, 
note first the problem. The problem in 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. This is a contrast from say, 
for instance, 1 Kings chapter 3 and verse 3, where it says 
that Solomon loved Yahweh. Solomon loved the Lord. And remember 
in chapter 10 is that glowing report when the queen of Sheba 
comes to visit Solomon and hears his wisdom and sees his wealth 
and sees the great blessing of God upon him. In fact, Paul House 
says after the glowing report in chapter 10, these verses in 
chapter 11 are the literary equivalent of a blow to the face. And I 
think he's right. Notice as well, the concern of 
the text. He loved many foreign women. Verse two tells us that he clung 
to them in love. Gill says, some think he did 
this with 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. Davis agrees in a modern commentary. 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, it says. And so the emphasis here is, 
again, it's not on his political alliances, it's not marrying 
a king or a daughter of a king so that he can cement or forge 
an alliance. He is multiplying women, which 
was prohibited by God with reference to the kings of Israel. If you 
turn back to the book of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter seven, we 
have 17 rather, we have the principles involved with reference to the 
king in Israel. Deuteronomy chapter seven, specifically 
in verse 17, 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. So the prohibition here 
is not against being married. The prohibition here is not against 
a standing army. The prohibition here is not against 
wealth, but it's dependence upon those things or it is trust in 
those things that would take the place of trust in God Most 
High. And if you turn back to the book 
of Deuteronomy chapter 7, you have the prescription for holy 
war given to the nation of Israel. And we see these passages serve 
as the background for what Solomon is doing or doing wrongly in 
1 Kings 11. So notice in Deuteronomy 7.1, 
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. Notice, 
if that happens, if we have these social alliances with the pagans 
in the land, verse 4 is the inevitability. But thus you shall deal with 
them, you shall destroy their altars, break down their sacred 
pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved 
images with fire." So no political alliances, no social alliances, 
and certainly no religious alliances. And of course, God knows that 
if you make those political or social, it won't be long until 
you're violating the religious fidelity to God Most High. So 
going back to our passage, we see the problem and we see as 
well the precedent for Solomon. He had that in his wheelhouse. He had Deuteronomy 17. He had 
Deuteronomy 7. He knew the specifics with reference 
to this particular issue. The fact that Solomon loved them 
and clung to them ought to be a concern as you read through 
the book of Deuteronomy. Ian Proven makes the observation 
that the use of both verbs is to be understood in terms of 
their appearance in Deuteronomy, where they speak of unswerving 
human loyalty to God. The Israelite was to love the 
Lord wholeheartedly. So we're tipped off right at 
the beginning in verses 1 and 2 that Solomon's problem was 
that he violated the precedent, the commandment of God Most High, 
and he did not maintain fidelity to Yahweh. He opened himself 
up to these false gods via these particular women. Obviously, 
this is condemned by the Lord. Then the text goes on to specify 
his practice. Notice in verses 3 to 8, gives 
us the number of his wives, the number of his women. In verse 
3a, he had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. We notice 
the spiritual effect upon Solomon. This is not a good thing. We're 
not to be missionary daters. We're not to go out and try and 
truck with pagans so that we can win them to the Lord. Now, 
God in His mercy and grace oftentimes overrules our foolishness, but 
there's no hint in the text whatsoever that that's why Solomon is marrying 
these women. His heart has been led astray. Notice that the king's heart 
has turned away from the Lord. according to verse 4. For it 
was so when Solomon was old that his wives turned his heart after 
other gods. Look back at 1 Kings 8 in that 
prayer of the dedication or at the time of the dedication of 
the temple and then the blessing of Solomon upon the people subsequent 
to that prayer Notice in 8 at verse 58 that God 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. Solomon reneged on that. Solomon 
prayed that, pronounced that blessing upon the people of Israel. 
But now he's contracted these relationships with all of these 
particular women, and now he has turned astray. So it was 
so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after 
other gods. Notice, he not only went after 
other gods, but his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God. 
And here's a shout-out to David, twice, in verses 4 and 7. I mentioned 
last time that David is noteworthy as not having ever committed 
idolatry. Now, I know he committed adultery 
and conspiracy to murder to cover it up. I'm not suggesting that 
those are a walk in the park in terms of ethics. but he was 
always faithful to God in terms of his allegiance to the Lord. 
Not so with Solomon. And that's what is told us in 
the middle of verse four. His heart was not loyal to the 
Lord as God, as was the heart of his father, David. And notice 
he rejected all of the benefits of that good parentage at this 
particular stage in his life. Now, I want us to consider something 
just by way of some foreshadowing with reference to application 
later. Note verse 4, for it was so when Solomon was old. That 
should kind of scare all of us. When Solomon was old, the apostle 
tells Timothy to flee youthful lusts. Well, Solomon indicates 
or underscores or highlights the reality that youthful lusts 
aren't only consigned to the youthful. When Solomon was old, 
this happened. Now, I think there's this mindset 
in us that older necessarily means holier. No, not necessarily, 
and we see that here in the case of Solomon. It is never the time 
to shrink back from faithfulness and perseverance and diligence. There's no retirement in terms 
of the spiritual life. You don't hit age 80 and no longer 
are there any lusts or any temptations or any hardships or any difficulties 
that one needs to resist. It's to the very bitter end. 
We need to fight. We need to be faithful. We need 
to be watchful and prayerful. Obviously, Solomon let down his 
guard when he was an older man, and that opened him up to all 
manner of lawlessness and wickedness. So notice, after the spiritual 
effect upon Solomon there in verses 3 and 4, we see the practical 
results in verses 5 to 8. The king pursued the false gods, 
Ashtoreth, Milcom, or Moloch, and Chemosh, according to verses 
five and seven. The king did evil in the sight 
of the Lord. Notice in verse six, Solomon 
did evil in the sight of the Lord and did not fully follow 
the Lord as did his father David. I said five and seven, it's five 
and six. David again, once again gets 
the shout out for his loyalty and his faithfulness throughout 
his entire life. And then note, as well, the king 
built high places for the false gods to facilitate and participate 
in their worship. This is a very distressing passage. This is a very scary passage. This is the kind of passage we 
should take into our prayer closets and meditate upon and pray to 
the Lord, God help me not to go the way of Solomon at the 
end of his life. So again, verse 7, Solomon built 
a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the hill 
that is east of Jerusalem, and for Moloch, the abomination of 
the people of Ammon. And he did likewise for all his 
foreign wives who burned incense in sacrifice to their gods. Robert 
Alter says one may infer that he initially allowed them freedom 
of worship. Listen to this. He initially 
allowed them freedom of worship. Go ahead, honey. Go ahead, honey. Go ahead, honey. Go ahead, honey. Multiply that by a thousand. 
Go ahead, honey. Walter goes on to say, and then 
was drawn into their pagan ways. Hence the prohibition in Deuteronomy 
7. If you marry them, you will then 
allow them, and then you will then participate with them. God 
knew the heart, God knows the heart, and God ordered His law 
to speak to the heart of the children of Israel. You're going 
into a foreign land. There's going to be foreign peoples. 
There's going to be foreign gods. There's going to be all manner 
of temptation. And if you don't walk carefully before the Lord 
and incline your heart to follow Him wholly, then it won't be 
long before you're married to them, and it won't be long before 
you're worshiping with them, and not Yahweh, not the living 
and true God. So the king who had built a house 
for God and centralized worship in accordance with Deuteronomy 
12, is now in the business of building high places for the 
false gods that surround the covenant people. House again 
says, other than their link to its wives, listen to this. This 
is, I think, a very perceptive comment. Other than their link 
to his wives, Solomon's choice of gods makes no sense. 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. Kind of makes sense, if you're 
a pagan, you see your neighbors and they're doing quite well, 
well, I think I'll go transfer to their god. He goes on to say, 
ironically, Solomon worships the gods of the people he has 
conquered and already controls. What could he possibly gain from 
such activity? He says the whole episode makes 
no sense, just as idolatry itself makes no sense. Perhaps the narrator 
is trying to present that reality to us so that we will reflect, 
so that we will contemplate, and so that we will meditate 
upon this reality and resist and take heed to John's words. 
1 John 5.21, he ends the epistle, my little children, keep yourselves 
from idols. That's an interesting way for 
a New Testament apostle to end his first epistle. No, it isn't. Not when you realize that our 
hearts are prone to wander and prone to leave the God that we 
love. Not when you consider that a man like Solomon, a man who 
had consolidated power, a man who had a golden reign according 
to chapters 3 to 10, a man who was held in high esteem by the 
nations around, Witness the Queen of Sheba's visit to him in 1 
Kings chapter 10, a man who had the blessing of God. The chronicler 
tells us that when Solomon ascended the throne, he sat on the throne 
of Yahweh. He knew the blessing of God most 
high. He loved the Lord. And now we 
come to the place when he's old. He's not having to flee youthful 
lusts, he's having to flee elderly lusts, and he does not do that. 
It is nonsensical. Notice, then, the divine response 
to Solomon. We see the anger of the Lord 
expressed 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. He appears to him in 1 Kings 
chapter 3, that famous instance where God asks him, what is it 
that you would like? And Solomon requests wisdom. 
And then he appears to him again in 1 Kings chapter 9. So this 
isn't like, you know, 20,000 years ago. No, this is the real 
deal. God maintained close communion 
and gave him vision and spoke to him. And then notice the specific 
violation is in view, because his heart had turned from the 
Lord God of Israel. Not because he married a thousand 
women. That's not commended. That's not promoted. That's not, thus saith the Lord, 
it's okay. But the issue here is the first 
commandment. The issue here is that these 
pagan women turned his heart from following wholly the Lord 
God Most High. And the fact that the Lord had 
appeared to him twice only aggravates the scene before us. Now, I'm 
not suggesting that if you haven't had two visions, it's okay for 
you to go out and marry a thousand women. I'm not suggesting that 
if you haven't had two visions, it's okay for you to turn to 
their fake gods. I'm not saying that, but I'm 
saying that these two visions exacerbate the closeness of God 
to Solomon in terms of his rule and reign, exacerbates the sin 
that is before us. Gil says, which is mentioned 
here, this two-time vision, as an aggravation of his sin, that 
he should fall into it when the Lord had condescended to appear 
to him so graciously. Notice verse 10, 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. It was 
a simple act of transgression of God's holy law. He lacked 
conformity unto it. He stepped, he breached, he violated 
the first commandment with reference to these gods. And then note 
the word of the Lord. He speaks concerning that division 
of the kingdom that's going to come in 1 Kings 12. Brethren, 
that's a bad thing, right? See, in the reign of David, he 
secures the kingdom. And in the reign of Solomon, 
he builds the temple and he expands the kingdom. It was a time of 
peace. It was a time of prosperity. It was a time of great blessing. 
And imagine now they're going to have a divided kingdom and 
they're going to be at odds with one another. 1 Kings 12 is not 
a joke either. So the division of the kingdom 
is the result of broken commandment. Notice in 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. going to take it away. There's 
going to be a breach. Rehoboam is going to ascend the 
throne after Solomon and Rehoboam is going to be challenged by 
Jeroboam and Jeroboam is basically going to say we're not happy. 
Rehoboam does what Morons do. He doesn't seek or take the counsel 
of the elders that surrounded his father, but he listens to 
his boneheaded friends and he brings these oppressive measures 
upon his own people. 1 Kings 12 is a sad commentary 
in the life of Old Covenant Israel. Division of the kingdom, breach, 
idolatry, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat becomes the benchmark for 
sin and godlessness in that series of kings that obtains. So the 
faithfulness of God is seen in his keeping of promise to judge 
in this manner. He says as much in 3.14 and in 
9.6-9 in those visions. As long as your sons are faithful, 
as long as you yourselves are faithful, there will be blessings. 
And again, the backdrop here is Deuteronomy 28, Leviticus 
26. Blessings in the land if you 
obey, cursings in the land if you disobey. You see the big 
difference already between Joshua and judges? And my brother's 
reading tonight, did you catch that? How frequently they didn't 
dispossess the Canaanites? How frequently they ended up 
living amongst the Canaanites? How frequently they turned their 
back upon what God had commanded in terms of Deuteronomy chapter 
7? How do you think the book of Judges is going to go? I mean, 
that series of sin, oppression, repentance, which really isn't 
repentance on their part, it's typically crying out for the 
pain that has been inflicted upon them, and then deliverance. It's continuous cycles, sin and 
oppression. And I should say that the oppression 
there isn't the bad consequences that sin brings upon the heart. 
It's God raising up foreign invaders and sending them as instruments 
of chastisement upon the covenant people. You see, God is faithful 
to his promises, and that means judgment as well. And so you 
see that here. The tearing away of the kingdom. 
Proven makes the observation a divided heart will lead to 
a divided kingdom. Solomon's divided heart is the 
predicate for this divided kingdom. As I said, it will be carried 
out in chapter 12. Basically, the request there 
of the northern tribes, the revolt of the northern tribes, and then 
the requirement for the southern tribes. They're not to engage 
them as enemy. They're not to engage in a civil 
war. They're to understand that there is now this division between 
the northern and the southern tribes. But this section ends 
on God's mercy. God's kindness, he's faithful 
to execute judgment, according to verse 11, but he's also faithful 
to execute his grace and mercy. Note verse 12, nevertheless. You should love neverthelesses 
in Old Testament's prophecy. You should love it like you love 
but God in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 4. So here he says, 
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. So the judgment would affect 
Solomon's son, not him directly. The judgment would leave Judah 
intact. It would be divided. It would 
be hurt. There would be all kinds of problems 
and difficulties. But in terms of the Davidic covenant, 
2 Samuel 7, which I think is other background here, is God 
says he'll leave Judah intact and he will leave Jerusalem intact. 
And he does so for the sake of my servant David, according to 
verse 13. That's covenant language. It's 
not based on David's merit, but it's based upon God's promise 
to David in 2 Samuel chapter 7. So the judgment then will 
be spelled out by Ahijah in verses 29 to 39, and the judgment would 
proceed exactly as God had prescribed in 2 Samuel 7. You can turn there. I think it's good to have that 
in the background. 2 Samuel chapter 7, God's promise to David that 
he's going to build a house for David, a dynasty of kings. Notice 
in 2 Samuel 7, 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. If he commits iniquity, I will 
chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons 
of men." That speaks to that line of Judaic kings, those kings 
of Judah that sinned, Solomon, Rehoboam, and down the line. There would be chastisement, 
there would be exile, there would be the curses of the covenant 
executed upon the children of Israel. Verse 15, we notice, 
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. Now we know that ultimately this 
has fruition and fulfillment and execution in and through 
our Lord Jesus Christ. He is that greater than Solomon 
that sinners look to and are saved. And so the chapter, rather, 
the section ends with a mention of God's mercy. Nevertheless, 
I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father, 
David. Well, as we pull out some thoughts 
here, again, don't want to moralize, but there is some practical warnings, 
but before those practical warnings, the sinfulness of Solomon. This is a bad scene. There's 
no way to gloss this. And I think it's another evidence 
of inspiration by the Holy Spirit. Whenever I've preached on the 
fall of David in 2 Samuel 11 and 12, I mentioned that it's 
an evidence of divine inspiration. We tend to gloss over the faults 
of our heroes, right? If David was your hero and you 
had the opportunity to write his biography, you might just 
keep out that pesky bit about adultery and murder. If Solomon 
was your hero, you might be inclined to say, well, you know, I don't 
want to kind of pick on the old boy that's now gone. So I'm just 
going to, I'm not going to put that part in. You see, all of 
the Old Testament converges to this reality, that every hero 
that Israel had would fall, save one. There's one hero in the 
Holy Scriptures, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ, the greater 
than Solomon, according to Matthew chapter 12. So what we have here 
is his sin highlighted. It was aggravated by his knowledge 
of the law. Verse 2. He knew Deuteronomy 
chapter 7. He knew Deuteronomy chapter 17. 
In fact, in Deuteronomy chapter 17, had we continued to read, 
we would know that one of the main functions, or rather first 
functions, of the reigning king of Israel was to write out the 
law of God for his own personal use. He didn't have an iPad. He didn't have an iPhone. He 
didn't have lawofgod.ca. He wrote it out, and that was 
what he meditated upon. That's what he thought through. 
That's what he contemplated. Now, I suspect there were a lot 
of derelict kings in both tribes, the North and the South. But 
I suspect that if one king probably did that, it would have been 
the son of David. the son of the man who wrote 
Psalm 119, the son of the man who understood that the blessed 
man meditates upon God's law day and night. So there was a 
lesson that David most likely passed on to Solomon that came 
from the book of Deuteronomy. Solomon, when you take the throne, 
I want you to write out that law and I want you to meditate 
upon it day and night. So he knew the law. As well, 
the sin of Solomon is aggravated by the good example of his father, 
David. Again, not a perfect example, 
not a flawless example, not a sinless example, but a good example. And so we ask the question, why 
would you do that, Solomon? But as well, his experience of 
God's grace. He's got the knowledge of the 
law, he's got the great pattern or paradigm of his own father, 
and he's got his own experience of God's grace. Again, 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. 
He had appeared to him twice. He's got the knowledge of the 
law, he's got the pattern of his father, but he's got his 
own experiential knowledge of God Most High because God Most 
High has appeared to him twice. There's no excuse. It's horrible. It's bad. And as I'm saying this, 
and as I'm preaching this, I realize that all sit. There's no excuse. And I'm saying that as a sitter. 
I'm saying that as a remaining sitter. These things are terrifying. As Calvin says, with reference 
to 2 Samuel 11 and 12, David's fall, when he commits adultery, 
when he conspires to murder Uriah the Hittite, Calvin says, this 
passage ought to make our hair stand up on end. It is terrifying. And I think that emphasis, when 
he was old, Old sinners still sin. I always used to try to 
keep that in my mind. I would go to minister prior 
to COVID. They put the kibosh on that. 
I'd go visit the old dolls, as I would call them. As I'm getting 
older, I'm becoming an older, not doll, but whatever they call 
a guy. But I would go there, and I would remember these sweet, 
blue-haired old women. They were sinners. They looked 
nice. They didn't look like sinners. 
They looked friendly and kind. But old sinners sin. People sin. Doesn't matter where you're at, 
you know, on the timeline there. And the fact that Solomon does 
this when he's old, I think, causes the hair to stand on end. I would suggest, in light of, 
or in contrast with, the sinfulness of Solomon, the loyalty of David. The loyalty of David in verses 
four and six, he's a benchmark. He is the man after God's own 
heart. 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. Whatever else 
David had going wrong, whatever other problems David had, in 
this point, his heart was faithful to the Lord as God. Now, in terms 
of the practical warnings, I would suggest first, the believer, 
this is kind of stepping back, looking at Solomon, not moralistically, 
but practically. Paul says that the scriptures 
are written for our admonition, for our encouragement. So I would 
suggest first, the believer must marry in the Lord. That is a 
new covenant imperative, 1 Corinthians 7, verse 39. As well, that believer married 
in the Lord must maintain sexual fidelity. According to the Apostle 
Paul in 1 Timothy chapter 3, an elder must be a one-woman 
man. That means he is faithful sexually, 
he is faithful conjugally, he is faithful covenantally to his 
wife. As well, for the woman that's 
being placed on the widow's list in 1 Timothy chapter 5, she must 
be a one-man woman. In other words, she's a widow, 
but it cannot be the case, if she's to be on that list, that 
she had a profligate, rebellious, and godless life. No, she was 
a one-man woman. I would suggest, secondly, the 
believer must maintain fidelity to the Lord by obeying His commandments. Notice what I did not say. I 
did not say that the person or the believer becomes a believer 
by obedience to the commandments of the Lord. No. We're justified 
freely by God's grace. When we believe the gospel, we're 
forgiven of our sins, we receive the imputed righteousness of 
Jesus Christ, received by faith alone. But in light of that justification, 
what inevitably follows and is inextricably connected is sanctification. Solomon should have walked carefully 
before the Lord his God. And we in the New Covenant are 
to walk carefully before the Lord our God, according to the 
Spirit and the Word. I would suggest, thirdly, the 
believer must guard the eyes and the heart. And in Solomon's 
instance, perhaps political motivations were involved in that as well. 
But as the text says, he clung to them, he loved them. So we 
need to maintain a watchfulness over the eyes and the heart. 
And you know what's kind of sad? Well, it's not kind of sad, it's 
really sad. Solomon teaches us all that in the Proverbs. I'm 
not spitballing here. I don't have some wealth of data. 
This is all just Bible application and much of it owing to Solomon 
in the book of Proverbs. Fourthly, the believer ought 
to be mindful of Solomon's age when he fell. When Solomon was 
old, when Solomon was old. Now that doesn't mean, okay, 
as young people, you're off the hook. No, there's a text I said 
that mentions that. Flee also youthful lusts. So whatever place in the timeline 
we are, there are temptations. There is a necessity for us to 
watch and pray. There is a necessity for us to 
fight. There is a necessity for us not to sort of glide into 
heaven. I'm not condemning retirement 
per se. When I speak of spiritual retirement, 
I mean we need to be watchful, we need to be prayerful, we need 
to be mindful, and we need to fight. I would suggest, fifthly, 
that the believer should realize that past experiences do not 
always ensure present faithfulness. Past experiences, verses nine 
and 10, God appeared to him twice, do not necessarily ensure present 
faithfulness. Just because you've been on the 
mountaintops with Jesus, just because you participated in a 
revival, just because every time you've opened up the scripture, 
it's like nuggets have been falling into your heart, just because 
of all that, that does not ensure present faithfulness. What ensures 
present faithfulness is dependence upon the Holy Spirit, a mind 
rooted in God's word, and a constant recognition that I am prone to 
wander. I am prone to leave the God I 
love. So Lord, protect me. Deliver us not into evil. We know the propensities and 
the tendencies of our heart. I cannot bank on my past experiences. I need to make sure that I am 
presently faithful to the God who has saved me. Sixth, the 
believer should realize that good examples do not always secure 
present faithfulness either. David was a great example. And 
parents, be good examples. But bathe that example in lots 
of prayer that God gets a hold of their heart and that they 
wholly follow him always. Because the good example that 
Solomon had with reference to David was not enough to secure 
present faithfulness when all of these women captured his heart 
and took him off to their worship services. I would suggest, seventhly, 
the believer should realize that knowledge itself does not always 
secure present faithfulness. I'm not suggesting don't have 
knowledge, but just because you know a lot doesn't necessarily 
mean that you're gonna be faithful in the present. Solomon counsels 
his sons in Proverbs chapter five, remove your way far from 
her, do not go near the door of her. house. He says, rejoice 
in the wife of your youth. He says, remember that a man's 
ways is always before God. He counsels his son specifically 
in Proverbs chapter 5 about avoiding sexual sin and immorality. So 
the knowledge that Solomon has doesn't inoculate him from the 
lusts that Solomon gives vent to. As well, the believer should 
realize that wisdom does not always secure present faithfulness. Solomon was the wisest man on 
the earth, save our Lord Jesus Christ. I mean, he's heralded 
by pagans, too. Everybody comes. They marvel 
at the wisdom of Solomon. I mean, people for millennia 
have marveled at the wisdom of Solomon recorded in the Book 
of Proverbs and in Ecclesiastes, but that wisdom itself does not 
necessarily secure present faithfulness. So, not experience, not example, 
not even knowledge and wisdom. So what are we supposed to do? 
You're supposed to trust and depend upon God most high. You're supposed to listen to 
Jesus in John 17, 17. Sanctify them by thy truth, thy 
word is truth. It's to show us our absolute 
need for the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit. Because 
if it happens to Solomon, who was experienced, who had example, 
who had knowledge, who had wisdom, if it can happen to him, it can 
most likely happen to any of us. And so what do we need? We 
need the Holy Spirit. We need the Spirit of truth. 
We need the other comforter that strengthens us. Gil says, 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. So we 
need to understand that. We need God constantly. Utterly, 
always, consistently. And then I want to end on this. The question everyone asks, was 
Solomon saved? Was Solomon saved? I mean, if 
you read this chapter, it's bleak. It's depressing, it's distressing, 
it's hair raising. 2 Timothy 2.19 tells us, 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. I'm going to lean on Gil here, 
so if you've got problems with my explanation, you can take 
it up with the brother when you get to heaven. I think he's right, 
though. He says, Though nothing is said 
of Solomon's repentance, there is no doubt that he was a good 
man, repented of his sins, and was saved. as may be concluded from the 
commendations of him after his death. He mentions 2 Chronicles 
11, 17, where the people followed David and Solomon. 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, according to 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." I suggest that's the question 
everybody usually asks, but here's the question I think we should 
all ask. How do I avoid that? As a believer, depend upon the 
triune God for your help. As a believer, be in the scriptures, 
even the negative examples like these, and let your hair stand 
on end, because hopefully it promotes in you a fear to not 
go thou and do likewise. As a believer, do not be conformed 
to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 
As a believer, make sure that you are watchful and that you 
are prayerful and that you understand that we have something that Solomon 
didn't have. We've got the internet. We've 
got all kinds of things. I'm not suggesting that Solomon 
is somehow off the hook. There is a whole host of things 
that are vying for the attention of men and women in this godless 
age. And as well, if you're not a 
believer, look to the one who describes himself as greater 
than Solomon in Matthew chapter 12. I think Matthew chapter 12, 
Christ shows that he's a greater priest, he's a greater prophet, 
and he's a greater king. And Solomon is the foil for him, 
to say that he is a greater king. So believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ and you shall be saved. And believer on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, walk in his truth, walk in dependence upon him and flee 
these sorts of sins. Well, let us pray. Our God and 
Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your goodness 
and for your kindness to us. We pray that you would help us 
to learn the lesson of chapters like these and help us to be 
faithful and persevering by your grace and for your glory. We 
know that faithfulness and perseverance on our part requires much grace, 
much mercy, and much provision on your part. We want to be dependent 
wholly upon you. We want to serve you. We want 
to glorify and honor you. So keep us by that grace and 
cause us to glorify and honor you individually, as families, 
and as a local church. And we pray this in the name 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.