“King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter…They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been…So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done. On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord…” 1 Kings 11:1-9, ESV, bold added
Why did God command King Solomon NOT to intermarry with foreign women? Because they would TURN HIS HEART away from Him! Why was God angry at Solomon and did He punish him? Because the king intermarried and the women TURNED HIS HEART AWAY FROM GOD. This was the reason God told him not to do it! Note the language. He “HELD FAST TO THEM IN LOVE.” The King James version says, “clave.” In other words, he CLEAVED to them. He CLUNG to them. He HELD ONTO THEM FOR DEAR LIFE. To whom did he cling? The women or their gods? Probably both! He was “LED ASTRAY”! Note the language. “HIS HEART WAS NOT FULLY DEVOTED TO THE LORD.” And, “HE DID NOT FOLLOW THE LORD COMPLETELY.” What is the significance of this language for us today?
God commands us to LOVE HIM WITH ALL OUR HEARTS (Mt. 22:37) and to have NO OTHER GODS BEFORE HIM (Ex. 20:3)! God is not seeking lukewarm, halfhearted, partly devoted, sort of committed, haphazard, lackadaisical, once-in-a-while-interested believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants our WHOLE HEARTS, WHOLE LIVES, WHOLE DEVOTION, WHOLE OBEDIENCE, WHOLE WORSHIP, and WHOLE PRAISE. He wants us WHOLLY COMMITTED to Christ. He wants us to HOLD FAST to Him, to CLING and CLEAVE to HIM! The verses above contain a message for those who desire a relationship with God now and forever in heaven instead of forever apart from God in hell and the lake of fire to CLING, CLEAVE, and HOLD ONTO FOR DEAR LIFE the LORD with WHOLLY DEVOTED hearts & lives and to beware of anything or anyone that might turn us away from Him.
Be careful!