1 Kings 11:8

_AND LIKEWISE DID HE FOR ALL HIS STRANGE WIVES, WHICH BURNT INCENSE AND SACRIFICED UNTO THEIR GODS._ Burnt incense, and sacrificed unto their gods. The first was considered a higher act of homage, and is often used as synonymous with worship (2 Kings 22:17; 2 Kings 23:5). Thus the wisdom of the uxorious monarch fell before the irresistible power of love. There is a difference between the religion of the heart and that of the head; and while David his father, amid his many great sins, never let his faith be extinguished, but, on repentance, returned with all the ardour of a first love to God as the chosen portion of his soul, Solomon cast off all homage to Yahweh as the covenanted God of Israel. It is impossible to believe that so acute and reflecting a mind as his could settle down into

1-8 There is not a more melancholy and astonishing instance of human depravity in the sacred Scriptures, than that here recorded. Solomon became a public worshipper of abominable idols! Probably he by degrees gave way to pride and luxury, and thus lost his relish for true wisdom. Nothing forms in itself a security against the deceitfulness and depravity of the human heart. Nor will old age cure the heart of any evil propensity. If our sinful passions are not crucified and mortified by the grace of God, they never will die of themselves, but will last even when opportunities to gratify them are taken away. Let him that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall. We see how weak we are of ourselves, without the grace of God; let us therefore live in constant dependence on that grace. Let us watch and be sober: ours is a dangerous warfare, and in an enemy's country, while our worst foes are t...

EXPOSITION SOLOMON'S DEFECTION.—The observant reader will have already remarked in this history some intimations of Solomon's approaching fall. Among these are, first, the repeated warnings which are addressed to him, especially in 1 Kings 9:6, and, second, his repeated transgressions of the law by which he ruled. We have already heard of the multiplication of silver and gold (1 Kings 10:14-11), in defiance of Deuteronomy 17:17, and of the multiplication of horses (1 Kings 10:27-11), in disregard of...

AND LIKEWISE DID HE FOR ALL HIS STRANGE WIVES,.... That is, built high places for their idols, or suffered them to be built; for when he had done it for one, he could not refuse it to another, without greatly disobliging them; even for as many of them, WHICH BURNT INCENSE, AND SACRIFICED UNTO THEIR GODS; the gods of the countries from whence they came, and in the worship of which they had been brought up: this shows that the best and wisest of men, when left to themselves, may do the worst and most foolish of all things; as nothing can be more so than the worship of such wretched deities....

7. SOLOMON'S FAILURE: JUDGMENT ANNOUNCED AND THE BEGINNING OF DISRUPTION CHAPTER 11 _ 1. Solomon's polygamy and departure from God (1 Kings 11:1)_ 2. Hadad the Edomite (1 Kings 11:14) 3. Rezon the second adversary (1 Kings 11:23) 4. Jeroboam (1 Kings 11:26) 5. Solomon's reign and death (1 Kings 11:41) “But--.” An ominous word with which this chapter begins. It introduces us to the sad picture of Solomon's great apostasy. “He shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people

SIN OF SOLOMON, AND THE ADVERSARIES RAISED UP IN CONSEQUENCE. From various differences in the arrangement of the earlier verses in the LXX and Heb., it has been supposed that in its original form the narrative merely recorded the fact that Solomon had a number of wives, and that he built sanctuaries and offered sacrifice to their gods. In its present form the influence of a Deuteronomic editor is unmistakable. But the account of Solomon's adversaries (1 Kings 11:14 ff.) must be derived from an earlier source; and even as it stands does not necessarily mean that they were raised up in punishment of his sin. Hadad, the Edomite (1 Kings 11:14) must have troubled him early in his reign (1 Kings 11:21 f.), and Rezon wa

_and likewise did he for all his strange wives_ i.e. For such of them as desired a special place for their worship. Ashtoreth, Chemosh and Moloch would suffice for the greater number, but we know of other gods among the nations round about, and the text implies that all were equally regarded. In the LXX. (_Vat_.) the order of these eight verses is considerably varied from the Hebrew text, and the narrative commences somewhat differently, thus: -And king Solomon was a lover of women, and he had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines....

I. SOLOMON'S TRANSGRESSIONS 11:1-13 TRANSLATION (1) And King Solomon loved many strange women, even Pharaoh's daughter, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian and Hittite women (2) from the nations of which the LORD had said onto the children of Israel, Do not go among them, and they shall not come among you; surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. Even these Solomon clung to in love. (3) And he had seven hundred wives who were princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. (4) And it came to pass in Solomon's old age that his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not with the LORD his God as was the heart of David his father. (5) And Solomon went after Ashtoreth goddess[292] of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. (6) And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not go fully af...

SOLOMON'S ERRORS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES. HIS DEATH This chapter furnishes an account of Solomon's marriages with numerous foreign princesses, and traces the evil effect of such in the toleration of idolatry, which provoked the Lord's anger. This was manifested in the growth of opposition abroad and disaffection at home, so that an otherwise brilliant reign had a cloudy ending....

GOD’S LESSONS FROM HISTORY 1 KINGS _PHILIP SMITH_ CHAPTER 11 SOLOMON *WORSHIPS FALSE GODS V1 Solomon, however, loved many foreign women. He married the daughter of the king of Egypt. He also married *Hittite women and women from Moab, Ammon, Edom and Sidon. V2 The *Lord had told the *Israelites not to marry anyone from those nations. They would make the *Israelites turn to other gods. But Solomon chose to love these women. V3 Solomon had 700 wives who had royal rank. And he had 300 mistresses. These wives turned him away from God. V4 As Solomon grew old, his wives caused him to *worship other gods. He was not loyal to the *Lord his God as his father David had been. V5 He gave honour to Ashtoreth, who was the female god of the people in Sidon. He also gave honour to