This is the end for Solomon, the man who was the wisest the world has ever seen, who was brought down by his bad decisions. When one considers the grand heights of Solomon’s spiritual hunger and the remarkable wisdom granted him by God, it seems impossible that he could have been so foolish as to succumb to idolatry. Yet it did happen, not overnight, but by slow degrees. Solomon’s life is a solemn warning against ungodly alliances and relationships that can only destroy the believer’s spiritual vitality. Lessons From Solomon’s Demise 1 Kings 11:1-3  1. Our Desires Will Lead Us Astray Ch. 11 describes Solomon’s spiritual decline and the results. Solomon started not loving God and following his laws.  By marrying so many women, Solomon had ignored God’s command to kings that they were not to have many wives. But even worse, he violated God’s command not to marry Canaanites who followed other gods and engaged in sinful religious practices. Another danger lay in the fact that there was significant similarity in some of the religious terminology, and though the theology behind the terms was radically different, it was very easy to adopt by degrees a comfortable syncretism and ultimately to forget the Lord and to serve idols. Our heart will lead us astray; it is only through a Spiritually disciplined life that we stay on track with what God wants for our life. 1 Kings 11:4-8  2. Those We Allow Close To Us Have Power As Solomon grew older, his resistance wore down, and he became increasingly vulnerable. His service to the Lord became more and more perfunctory. Notice that his love for the Lord is measured by the standards of David, who, with all his faults, loved God passionately throughout his lifetime. At first, Solomon simply tolerated his wives’ false gods. Then he started depending on these gods himself (vv. 2–9).  In addition to his half-hearted worship of God, Solomon also engaged in the worship of the Sidonian goddess, Ashtoreth (whose worship involved immoral rituals and the worship of the stars), the Moabite god, Chemosh (a sun god), and the Ammonite god, Molech (whose worship involved child sacrifice). No longer could Solomon say that the Lord of the Covenant was his only true God. Solomon’s actions show that knowing about God and being familiar with the Word is not a sure defense against sin and spiritual rebellion. Sin—going our own way and offending and defying God—comes from the heart and can be resisted only if one’s heart is devoted, faithful, and loving toward God. We also must be careful who we allow into our inner circle because those people can push us towards the Lord or away. We all need people who build us up and push us to be better. Plenty of people drain us, and we do not need more. 1 Kings 11:9-13  3. Willful Disobedience Will Cause God To Remove His Hand From Us God’s judgment on Solomon resulted in the division of Israel into two kingdoms, only one of which was ruled by Solomon’s successors. Solomon’s sin was all the greater because of the special privileges he had enjoyed.  God had singled Solomon out by appearing to him twice. Solomon lacked neither proof nor evidence of God’s love and power. The second special privilege that was Solomon’s was his relationship with David and the covenant God had made with him. He had not earned it; he was born into it. Solomon threw aside all these privileges when he followed after idols. He frittered away the continued joy and fellowship with God that could have been his for life. The punishment would be per the terms of the covenant with David. Obedience brings favor; disobedience leads to destruction. What are our transformational moments? Are you following your heart or God’s heart for you? Do people have power in your life that you should not? Does your level of obedience line up with the amount of blessing you seek?