Today is 11/11/11 and, as my fingers begin skipping nimbly across the keyboard, the time is 11:11 AM. What, I wondered should I write about on such a memorable date/time sequence? Almost immediately the thought popped into my mind to consider the eleventh book of the bible paying particular attention to chapter eleven and verse eleven. 1 Kings 11:11 (NKJ) to be exact.
“Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statues which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.”
What exactly had King Solomon done that caused God to take such drastic action? The very thing that God had instructed him not to do. He had broken faith with God and pursued false gods (v. 4). It was not a momentarily turning away or a spontaneous action. Verses 1-3 state that King Solomon had acquired a total of one thousand wives and concubines from foreign nations…an action that God had clearly forbidden. “You shall not intermarry with them nor they with you. For surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods” (v. 2). In fact, the “Lord God of Israel” appeared to Solomon twice and explicitly commanded him not go after other gods (v. 9-10). Sadly, the last sentence in verse 2 leaves no doubt regarding the extent to which King Solomon’s heart had abandoned God and turned toward his wives and concubines, “Solomon clung to these in love.”
His actions were blatant and purposeful…verse 5 tells us that he “went after” false gods and verses 7-8 state that he built altars to various idols from several nations (countries from which his wives and concubines had originated). However, even in his anger God was merciful. He states in verses 12-13, “Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away the whole kingdom, but 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.”
How often do we pursue our desires and wants to the exclusion of a relationship with God? How many toys and games does it take before our attention and loyalty to Him begins to fall apart? Unless our faith is deeply rooted in God, unless we’re diligent in casting down every thing that exalts itself against Him, unless we make every thought obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5), it won’t be long before our feet stumble onto the path that leads to false gods as surely as it did for King Solomon.
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