Blogging Bible Study: The Heart of the Matter - 1 Kings Part 3, Solomon's Error and the Kingdom Split

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

After the glorious descriptions of life in Israel under King Solomon in 1 Kings 10...1 Kings 11 begins with  a very ominous observation.

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. - 1 Kings 11:1 - 4.

Now, the truth is that in that time and place it was not unusual for one king or ruler to give a daughter to another king to marry...read, add to his harem...as a sign of a treaty or alliance.  However, Solomon allowed that to become extreme.  I have always found it incredible that someone with so much wisdom could do something so...stupid...as to go so blatantly against the instructions God gave in more than one place and in more than one way.  But...his heart was led astray.  ('Heart' here, and everywhere else it appears today with two exceptions, is Strong's H 3584, Lebab)  He did not follow God, who had supernaturally spoken with him twice, who had given him wealth and riches and fame and wisdom for ruling,  with his whole heart.  

I have always thought that Solomon, after years of living with all those blessings and wisdom, kind of forgot where it came from.  We will get to the book of Ecclesiastes down the road a bit and see how Solomon's mind was working in his later years, but he had asked for wisdom to govern the people and God gave it to him.  And so, in my humble opinion, Solomon didn't really need God; he could run the country on his own.

So he did.  And he, in his human wisdom, completely forgot the basic instructions God had given them regarding living in that land.  David, in all his screw ups, never forgot that God was the one who gave victory and who guarded the land and led his people. Solomon started doing what made sense to him.  And it cost him.

The LORD became very 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.   -- 1 Kings 11: 9-10.

You can read the story in 1 Kings 11...God told Solomon he would take the bulk of the kingdom away from him, but, for the sake of David, would leave a remnant following the house of David.   Jeroboam, son of Nebat, from the half tribe of Ephraim, was told by the prophet Abijah that God would give him ten of the tribes of Israel and make him king, since Solomon had turned after other gods:

"I will take the kingdom from his son's hands and give you ten tribes. I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. However,  as for you, I  will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel." -- 1 Kings 11:35-37 (Heart: Strong's H5315, Nepes...which, interestingly enough, is not translated as 'heart' in other translations.  For instance, NASB skips it altogether, just  rendering 'whatever you desire'; KJV translates it as 'that thy soul desireth'.  Interestingly, this word also carries the connotation of appetite.)

Sure enough, after Solomon died, his son Rehoboam acted arrogantly towards the people and ten tribes rebelled. There was war and Jeroboam became king of the rebelling tribes.  And he, despite the promises and warnings and even seeing the consequences playing out right in front of him with Solomon and Rehoboam, immediately built an alter in Bethel and shrines in high places so his people would NOT go down to Jerusalem to worship God, lest they get the idea that they needed to reunite with the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin.  

Jeroboam was told, through the prophet Ahijah, 

"I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes.  You have done more evil than all who lived before you.  You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have provoked me to anger and thrust be behind your back." - 1 Kings 14:8 - 9

After Jeroboam died, he was succeeded by his son Nadab, who was assassinated after just 2 years by Baasha, of the tribe of Issachar.  Baasha's first action was to slaughter the entire family belonging to Jeroboam (1 Kings 15:29) and the dynasty that could have been was completely annihilated. 

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, Rehoboam died and was succeeded by his son, Abijah.

He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully committed to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been.  (1 Kings 15:3)

Abijah only reigned 3 years, and then he died, and he was succeeded by his son, Asa.  Asa was king for 41 yeas, so he must have been pretty young when he took the throne.  Asa, however, was different than his dad and granddad:

Although he did not remove the high places, Asa's heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. -- 1 Kings 15:14

 In the Northern Kingdom of Israel, Baasha died and his son Elah succeeded him, and was assassinated after two years by Zimri, one of his captains.  Zimri's tribe is not mentioned, but he reigned exactly long enough to slaughter the entire family of Baasha...one week.  The army, led by Omri, laid seige to the city so Zimri set the palace on fire and died there.  A brief power struggle ensued between Omri and Tibni, but Tibni died and Omri emerged as king, ultimately moving the capital to Samaria.  After twelve years, Omri died and was succeeded by his son Ahab...who was married to Jezebel, and had a run-in with a prophet named Elijah, who said it would not rain again until he said so.

Ultimately, the drought lasted three years and culminated with a showdown between the priests of Baal and Elijah on Mount Carmel.  The sacrifice to Baal drew nothing but flies all day, despite the frenzy of the priests, then Elijah stepped up, building the altar, arranging the butchered bull, and, unbelievably, pouring twelve large jars of precious water over the sacrifice and the altar and filling a trench he'd dug around it.

"At the time of the sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "Oh LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel,  let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." -- 1 Kings 18:37 ('Heart' is Strong's H 3820, Leb, a form of  H3824, above)

The fire fell, the people worshiped God and then slaughtered the pagan priests.  Elijah prayed for rain, sent word to Ahab that a deluge was coming, and ran all the way back to Jezreel, beating Ahab, who presumably got bogged down in the mud.

We have more history recorded in 1 Kings, but that's the last mention of 'heart/ hearts'.

And it's interesting...the heart is the key.  A committed heart...mostly does the right things.  A heart that isn't fully committed...does the wrong things.

I imagine we will see this on repeat as we go through the rest of the History books...