Suggested reading: 1 Kings 11

³ He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. ⁴ 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. ⁵ He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁶ So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

1 Kings 11:3-4

I mean… seven hundred wives??? That’s like seeing a different pair of wives for each day of the year! And if you think that’s ridiculous, add a 3rd woman, a mistress, to complete the day.

For any of these women, the next time she sees Solomon will be a year later, while Solomon carries on to the next three women the following day. This is beyond crazy.

¹¹ 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. ¹² 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. ¹³ 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 11:11-13

Today’s world is different. If you’re known to have a 2nd wife, you’re done. But the lesson in the reading is very important. God wasn’t happy with Solomon because “his heart was not fully devoted to God”, as mentioned in 1 Kings 11:4. He had distractions. People who competed for his attention and away from God.

In today’s world, this is the equivalent of binge-watching, aimless scrolling on the phone, or being addicted to drugs, drinking or social media. Anything that makes us not fully devote ourselves to God. We may think of these activities as a small sin, but a small sin can become a bad habit that can lead to destruction, just as did for Solomon.

This is super sad. If you’ve read from the beginning of 1 Kings, you will have been in awe of King Solomon. He was the wise king who made God happy, the one who prioritised his people and served his people, the one who first built God’s temple.

For my dear readers, let’s reflect and think about the things that compete for God’s attention. What keeps us from praying daily? What keeps us from following God? What do we do that wastes precious time that could have been spent on our physical, mental, spiritual, family, friends, and God? Be careful with those small activities as they can become a bad habit that can lead to destruction.