Started digging into King Solomon’s story the other day. That dude had, like, 700 wives and 300 concubines. Seriously. Thousand women. Got curious about what kinda person manages that mess.
First thing I did was grab my worn-out Bible. Flipped straight to 1 Kings 11. Reading there, plain as day: “King Solomon loved many foreign women.” Pharaoh’s daughter, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, Hittites. List went on. Felt overwhelming just reading it.
My Reality Check Moment
Sat back, coffee cold by now. Thinking: okay, Solomon was super wise, right? But what happened here? Started scribbling notes:
- Problem #1: The Rules Didn’t Apply to Him? Scripture is clear about marrying outside the faith. Moses laid it down. Solomon just… ignored it. Figured his wisdom made him exempt? Big mistake.
- Problem #2: Keeping Up the Joneses (But Royal Version) Seemed like marrying princesses was part of political alliances. Trade deal? Marry a daughter. Peace treaty? Marry another. Felt less about hearts, more about power and perks. Like collecting trophies.
- Problem #3: Heart Got Divided Big kicker right here. All these wives and concubines brought their own gods. Solomon, trying to please everybody, started building places for idol worship. Asherah poles, Chemosh altars… the stuff God hated. Wisdom took a backseat to peer pressure.
Sucked seeing it unfold. He knew better. Seriously. God appeared to him twice. Straight up gave him wisdom & riches. Yet… he chose this path. Ended the chapter feeling pretty heavy. His kingdom got torn apart as consequence. Not exactly a surprise.
What Stuck With Me Practically
Finished my notes, stared out the window. This ain’t about literal concubines today, obviously. But principles screamed loud:
- No One’s Too Smart to Mess Up Solomon proves it. Knowledge alone won’t save you from stupid decisions.
- Compromise Creeps Up Started maybe small – one political marriage. Ended with altar-building madness. Small bends of your values lead straight to wreckage.
- Divided Heart = Divided Life Trying to serve God and people’s expectations? Impossible. Solomon’s downfall started when his loyalty split.
- Popularity is a Lousy Compass Wanting to be liked? Powerful? It drove him straight off a cliff. Consequences were brutal.
Closed the book. Felt kinda sobered. You chase wisdom like Solomon? Sure. But don’t chase his compromises. Your heart’s got limits. Guard it. Period.
