Slow Fade

Slow fade.  King Solomon had wisdom, riches, power, and fame.  All of this was because of God’s favor upon Solomon, who began his reign as king with great sincerity and humility (1 Kings 3).  However, Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter (1 Kings 11:1).  Solomon married many women from different nations, despite God instructing them that they were not to intermarry with other nations because it would cause their hearts to turn away to follow the gods from the nations these women were from (v.2).  So, did it turn Solomon’s heart away or was he the exception?  Of course, it turned Solomon’s heart away (1 Kings 11: 3).  There is a reason why God gave the warning to the people, and even though Solomon was a king and had wisdom from God, the rule applied to him as well.  When he broke that command, it began turning his hear, just as God said it would.  It says, “When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart way to follow other gods” (v.4).  God allowed Solomon to continue his reign as king during his lifetime, but only a portion of the kingdom would be allowed to remain with his descendants due to this costly sin.  Solomon reigned for forty years.