The Bible Study Podcast, episode 553. Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of the

kings of Israel and Judah with First Kings 11.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christensen. We said that last week was going to be the highlight of Solomon's reign, and this is the last chapter about Solomon. Solomon's wives. King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter, Malabites, Ammonites, Edomites,

Sidonites, 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 700 wives of

royal birth and 300 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.

He followed Ashterath, the goddess of the Sidionites, and Mulek, the detestable God of the

Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He did not follow the Lord completely,

as David his father had done. On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Tremash,

the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek, the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same thing

for all his foreign wives who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

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.

So this is the first time in this story where I have to go, Solomon doesn't seem quite as bright as he did previously.

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