King David set up his son Solomon with every benefit possible so that he could succeed in building the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. The favor of the Lord was upon Solomon in that God gave him wisdom, riches, and fame. Yet, Solomon did not use the wisdom given to him. Footnotes from the Chronological Life Application Study Bible explain: "Wisdom is only effective when it is put into action. Early in his life, Solomon had the sense to recognize his need for wisdom. But by the time Solomon asked for wisdom to rule his kingdom, he had already started a habit that would make wisdom ineffective for his own life—he sealed a pact with Egypt by marrying Pharaoh's daughter. She was the first of hundreds of wives married for political reasons. In doing this, Solomon went against not only his father's last words but also against God's direct commands." (Page 607)
There are so many problems with Solomon's chosen lifestyle. I believe the major one is his failure to follow the Ten Commandments, especially the first one, as it lays the foundation for all the others: "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3) It is difficult to understand how Solomon could have gone so far astray. It was he who penned Proverbs 1:7. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." The fear of the Lord is such a deep reverence and respect for God that we have no higher priority than honoring Him and His laws.
Imagine this king making an alliance with the nation of Egypt after Israel's history of being in slavery to the Egyptian rulers for 430 years! When Solomon made this and other pacts with foreign nations, he would marry a daughter of their king and bring her to Jerusalem. She would bring her idols to her new home. Solomon would build his new wife a temple for her idols. This foolish pattern brought him into worship of many foreign gods and the disrespect of the first commandment—the foundation of a life that honors the One True God.
Over 500 years later, Nehemiah, the one who led the Jewish remnant to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, noticed that some of the men of Judah had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. Their wives led them astray, and Nehemiah had to lay down the law for them. "You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves. Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon, king of Israel, sinned?" (Nehemiah 13:25-26)
Idols take many forms. Anything that takes on more value than God is an idol. As I pointed out before, if the Lord is first in our lives, all ten of the Commandments should be followed. Moses told the Israelites that if they obeyed what the Lord had taught them it would go well with them and they would "increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors promised you." (Deuteronomy 6:3) Moses went on to sum up all God's commandments in two sentences: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) This Jewish prayer is known as the "Shema," meaning "Hear." It is the centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayers.
I grieve for myself and those in our nation because we have embraced so many idols. The nation of the United States was established on godly principles. In fact, numerous government buildings have the Ten Commandments etched in stone or hanging on the walls of their entrances. How have we gone so far astray? Can we find our way back? There is such a need for the fear of the Lord and a spirit of repentance to fall on our nation. Many are asking God to revive us. We are in desperate need of revival so that we remember who God is and what He has done for us. Will you join me in prayer for the transformation of the people of America?
Joan E. Mathias