“Just take one bite and see how good it is …” are words many a dieter hears around the holidays. These are words to encourage them to relax from their disciplined eating as they attempt to lose weight. It is true that one bite will not kill a diet, but once the barrier has been crossed in the dieter’s mind, it is harder to get back to the program.
It is even more serious when a recovering alcoholic is tempted to “take just one drink.” In doing so, the one who is recovering can see his effort toward staying sober defeated because he cannot stop with one. In these two cases, compromise can be harmful to one’s health or, in some cases, harmful to others.
This week’s passage lays bare the faults and frailties of King Solomon in his later years. Although Solomon had received from God unusual wisdom, incredible wealth and great opportunities, in his later years, he turned from the Lord, made foolish decisions and his testimony was destroyed.
In 1 Kings 11:1-3, we find what amounts to an indictment against Israel’s king. Solomon’s decisions blatantly violated the law of Moses with the way he used his excessive wealth and choosing his wives from pagan nations. These actions alone caused not only difficulties for him, but for the generations that would follow.
Disregarding his father David’s warnings, Solomon compromised his own beliefs in how he gave in to the wishes of his foreign-born wives. His marriages to these women were primarily political in nature which was part of his foreign policy of establishing peace and profitable trade relations for Israel. However, it was his deep attachment to some of these wives that paved the way for the spiritual compromise the Lord had warned his people against in the law of Moses.
This compromise was not sudden. Solomon gradually allowed himself to become involved in idol worship. First, he permitted his wives to worship their own gods; then, he built shrines for them. Finally, he began to take part in worshipping these false gods with their pagan practices along with his wives.
In 11:4, we read Solomon’s “heart was not fully devoted to the Lord God as the heart of his father David had been.” The Lord had ceased to be the major factor in his life. His sensual love for his many wives was more compelling than his spiritual love for the Lord, the God of Israel.
Instead of insisting the nations he had conquered worship the God of Israel, Solomon worshipped the gods of the people he had conquered and already controlled.
In our present day, as followers of Jesus, we must take seriously the Lord’s warnings to be faithful to him and to never allow our love for “the things of the world” to overcome our love for him. When we recognize the symptoms of spiritual compromise in our lives, we can confess our sins, turn from them and return wholeheartedly to following the Lord.
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That is the promise of the New Testament: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
In 11:9, we are reminded of two instances where the Lord appeared to Solomon. On both occasions, God reminded Solomon of the need for him to remain faithful in his walk with the Lord and in his spiritual stewardship of leading the nation of Israel to worship him and him alone.
Solomon’s calling in leading Israel to be faithful to the Lord’s covenant was not just about the king and his ongoing dynasty but about the nation’s role as God’s people for all generations. His powerful and glorious kingdom could have been blessed for all time. Instead, it was approaching its end.
Solomon had been given God’s promises, guidance and answers to prayer, but he allowed sin and compromise a place to fester and grow. Eventually it corrupted him to the point he had no desire to obey God. When he rebelled and disobeyed the law of Moses, Solomon’s spiritual choices caused terrible and far-reaching consequences. God would punish Solomon by giving his enemies the ability to “tear away” (v. 11) the kingdom from his family to the point his linage would only rule one tribe (v. 13).
Solomon had begun his reign by laying the foundation with God for a nation that would be a tool God would use to reach all other nations. However, Solomon did not follow through in his later years. He compromised his beliefs and ignored the warnings from the Lord himself. As a result, he lost everything.
This is a truth for all of us who have been given the responsibility of ministry. It is not enough to get off to a good start in our marriage, career or church by being obedient to the Lord and living out his word. We must remain faithful to God to the end. He must be in control of our lives from start to finish. We must remain obedient and never compromise our calling for the satisfaction of what this world may give us.
Spiritual compromise will put us in danger of facing God’s judgment, including missing out on plans the Lord has to use and bless us. May our lives be filled with the constant presence of the Lord Jesus Christ as we follow him all the days of our lives. May we be able to say to us, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
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