1 Kings 11:1-13 “Solomon’s AbominationS” Chapter 10 is the fulfillment of many men’s dreams to build their own kingdom here on earth. • BUT – Solomon was never satisfied • BUT – Solomon wasted his life pursuing the whirlwind Ecclesiastes 2:4–11 (NLT) Solomon speaking: 4 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. 7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. 8 I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! 9 So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. 11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. 1 1 But (ve) King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— 2 from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. BUT – Solomon “loved” many foreign women • There was no “love” in Solomon’s attraction to 1000 women • Today we would liken the train wreck of Hugh Hefner’s life to Solomon’s: o Solomon “LOVED” himself only 1 Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013), Ec 2:10–11. 1 Kings 11:1-13 1 § J. Vernon McGee: “I think this is the one place in Scripture where the word love can be changed to sex. That was Solomon’s motive. He had been raised in the women’s palace and had never known anything rough or manly. When he became an adult, Solomon spent his time gathering women. He was accustomed to their company. He was a dandy. He was like many men we have in our society today. God is going to deal with him in this connection.” 2 BUT – Solomon clung to his sin! • Solomon refused to give these women and their pagan practices up! • The avalanche of sin had overwhelmed him and he couldn’t see it! o 1692 [dabaq /daw·bak/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 398; GK 1815; 54 occurrences; AV translates as “cleave” 32 times, “follow hard” five times, “overtake” three times, “stick” three times, “keep fast” twice, “… together” twice, “abide” once, “close” once, “joined” once, “pursued” once, and “take” once. 3 § cleave, cling, stick to, stick with, follow closely, catch, keep close to, join to, overtake. 4 3 AND (ve) he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 519 وَ Arabic ;ו TWOT demonstr. adv. and conj. so, then, and (Ph. Moab. Aramaic ָו ,וּ ,ו◌ְ • (wa); Ethiopic ወ (wa) Assyrian u Dl (but between vbs. the usual connective is the enclitic ma KAT 508, Dl§ 82, 150). 5 4 For (ve) it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and (ve) his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David. Deuteronomy 17:16–17 2 J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary, electronic ed., vol. 2 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 270. 3 James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001). ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old ”, ָדּ ַבק Earl S. Kalland, “398 4 Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 177. 5 Francis Brown, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs, Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 2000), 251. 16 But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ 17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. • Not only many bad women, many strange and pagan women as well. o Evil’s earmarks: § Lust of the eyes § The pride of life § Flagrant disobedience of the Lord God of Israel • So Balaam advised Moab concerning Israel. The daughters of Moab fascinated the poor Israelites by their charms, and when once they had been brought to prostitute their bodies, the transition was soon made to the prostitution of their souls. 6 • Is this why the Lord, through James, tells us that a double minded man is unstable in ALL of his ways? James 1:5–8 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. • Jon Courson: “There is a misconception in today’s society on the part of both men and women that says, “If I just had someone else, I’d be happier. If I was with someone else, I know I’d be more fulfilled.” It’s a subtle lie of Satan that he whispers in our ears and it was whispered in the ears of Solomon, as well. He thought that happiness was right around the corner—the next relationship, the next concubine, the next marriage— surely then he would be fulfilled. But he wasn’t. Keep Solomon in mind next time you’re tempted to think you’d be happier with someone else. Solomon had the opportunity to experiment greatly in that area. It didn’t work for him, and it won’t for you.” 7 5 For (ve) Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and (ve) after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, 6 Robert Hawker, Poor Man’s Old Testament Commentary: 1 Kings–Esther, vol. 3 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2013), 76. 7 Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary: Volume One: Genesis–Job (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 991. 1 Kings 11:1-13 3 and (ve) did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David. 7 Then (ve) Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, (on the Mount of Olives facing Jerusalem) and (ve) for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8 And (ve) he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. • Not just the pagan women, Solomon participated as well. Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians: • The text says that Solomon “went after” Ashtoreth o He pursued against all better judgment o He practiced sin, teaching others that 2 gods could be successfully worshipped § God of Israel § Goddess of the Sidonians • Ashtoreth was the Sidonian goddess of fertility whose worship involved not only sexual rites, but astrology; also known as: Asherah, Ashtoreth, Ashtaroth, Ishtar, Astarte, Ashtoret, Ashtarot, Astartu, Uni-Astre, Ashtart, Athtart, “the queen of heaven” (Jeremiah 44:25) 8 o the moon goddess of the Phoenicians, representing the passive principle in nature, their principal female deity; frequently associated with the name of Baal, the sun-god, their chief male deity (Judg. 10:6; 1 Sam. 7:4; 12:10) o These names often occur in the plural (Ashtaroth, Baalim), probably as indicating either different statues or different modifications of the deities. This deity is spoken of as Ashtoreth of the Zidonians. She was the Ishtar of the Accadians and the Astarte of the Greeks (Jer. 44:17; 1 Kings 11:5, 33; 2 Kings 23:13). o There was a temple of this goddess among the Philistines in the time of Saul (1 Sam. 31:10). Under the name of Ishtar, she was one of the great deities of the Assyrians. The Phoenicians called her Astarte. o Solomon introduced the worship of this idol (1 Kings 11:33). Jezebel’s 400 priests were probably employed in its service (1 Kings 18:19). It was called the “queen of heaven” (Jer. 44:25). 9 Chemosh, the abomination of the Moabites • Meaning: the destroyer, subduer, or fish-god • the god of the Moabites (Num. 21:29; Jer. 48:7, 13, 46) o On the “Moabite stone” (q.v.), Mesha (2 Kings 3:5) ascribes his victories over the king of Israel to this god, “And Chemosh drove him before my sight.” 10 Milcom the abomination of the Ammorites • The worship of Milcom or Molech included human sacrifices, especially of children. 11 8 Jack W.