"Now King Solomon loved many foreign women…: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love." - 1 Kings 11:1-2
"His heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done." - 1 Kings 11:4-6
Solomon’s heart was drawn away from the Lord by his love for his pagan wives. In his desire to keep them happy he turned His back on God’s Word. He built them temples in Jerusalem so they could worship their favorite idols. Solomon was “following his heart,” instead of following God’s Word.
The worship of these false gods involved immoral behavior and child sacrifice. God knew that if His people just “followed their hearts” instead of His Word they would be led into this sinful behavior and destroyed.
True story: A few years ago a market research organization was hired to find a way to make perverted sexual behavior more acceptable to the American public. Five years of study and five million dollars later, they had the answer: “don’t let the discussion be about sinful behavior; instead turn it into an argument about love.“ They came up with the slogan: “You can’t keep people from loving each other!” After all, anyone who’s opposed to love must be a terrible person!
That’s a lie, of course: it isn’t about love at all. But they sold it and people bought it, and that slogan has replaced rational thinking for many people.
God defines love. By His definition, love seeks the good of the ones we love. Love especially seeks their eternal salvation; not just their temporal happiness or enabling them to feel they're comfortable in their sin. Love calls us to repent of our sin and find forgiveness in Jesus.
Lord Jesus, forgive me for listening to the lies this world tells me. Keep my eyes fixed on the truth of Your Word instead of the deceitfulness of my own heart. Hold me close, Lord! Amen.
Pastor Dan Giles