Things really don’t go well
when you disobey god…
'King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 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.
The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord , the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord ’s command. So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”' 1 Kings 11:1-4,9-13
i don’t know about every man, even most men, but feel i can speak about many men when i say 'we have all dreamed of having a haram of women’ - not realistic, but still something that has crossed our minds for sure.
how crazy is it to think solomon had so many women at his beck and call. difficult to understand as being married to 1 person is challenging enough - we have our own quirks and differences, though that’s what makes my marriage work, that someone would want to consider a 2nd, 3rd, a 1000 in his case. crap, i don’t think i can recall a thousand people’s names that i have met; how solomon was able to remember them all is a feat in itself.
what these verses come down to is that solomon failed to listen to, and more importantly obey, what God had commanded him - don’t mess around with, especially to marry, those other women. this is not an indictment on women - yes, they played a role in leading him away. the real issue was solomon was warned not to do it. like ‘some men’ we just don’t want to hear it because our ‘little brain” gets excited and has other ideas, i know from experience that this leads to heartache, pain, and suffering - with everyone involved.
for solomon, this came at a tremendous loss: God took the line of the kingdom away from his family, through his offspring, his son, and would never be able to get it back. solomon really had everything, and all he had to do was be obedient and faithful.
the damage i caused and the trail of devastation was like a hurricane or tornado had swept through a fragile town or island that was ill-prepared for it. like recovering from those natural disasters, it took years for even the slightest of consideration for forgiveness, and don’t even think about forgetting from those i hurt - that came much later.
those years provided me with enough work for myself that i didn’t want any part of my old life. as those who i’ve shared with, they include hostess bars, strip bars, even “massage parlors”, to gain the attention of someone other than my wife, and i cringe when any of my past comes up.
for some men, the pull of women is just too strong. just glad that the longing to be with someone other than sachi is not a thing for me, and it has been this way for many years. i’m so very fortunate that The Lord stepped in and took me away from it all; without Him i would be the same self-absorbed, selfish bastard, that wouldn’t listen like solomon, paying a very high price for doing so.
Father God, thank you that we have an example in the story of solomon why choosing to listen to you and being obedient is far more rewarding than to not. although i had to go through a very difficult season, really seasons, you still loved on me, my family, and even gave us a ‘tribe’ instead of taking everything away. you are so, so good, and i want to honor you in my marriage covenant, help me to be the best husband that sachi deserves. to you go all the glory, honor, & praise, in Jesus’ name i pray, amen!