Every time I read 1 Kings 11, I am reminded of why God gives us clear instructions not to marry non-christians. This is a hot-burning issue for many Christians and surprisingly some see nothing wrong with it. But God’s word is clear in many passages for example the often quoted 2 Corinthians 6:14 to not get ourselves involved in such ungodly relationships.
Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived and He walked with God and followed God’s commands. That is until he got involved with women who God had clearly instructed him and the children of Israel not to marry in 1 Kings 9:1-9 and Deuteronomy 7:1-4. In 1 Kings 11:4,6 we see the effect his disobedience to God had on him – “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…So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord ; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.” Solomon went as far as building altars for these women so that they could worship their gods. And he even joined in. This all – wise king suddenly became a fool (as defined in the Bible) all because of disobedience.
So what does all this have to do with us?
1. God knows best…we don’t! When He gives us ‘do’ or ‘dont’ instructions, as difficult as it may be, we ought to follow them. He never leads us the wrong way! He says that He wants to prosper us, not to harm us, to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). This applies to ALL areas of our lives including who we marry. Anytime we go against God, we WILL end up in trouble. And it usually doesn’t end well for us. Look at Solomon. God stripped him of his entire Kingdom (1 Kings 11:9-13) because of his disobedience.
2. When we disobey God, we fall out of His favour and protection. If we insist that we will have our own way and do our own thing then God removes His favour from us; He removes that protective spiritual hedge that is around every believer. And no believer wants to be without that! Read the entire story of Israel. Everytime, they disobeyed God, they were beaten in war among other things. From the moment we attempt to get into one of these relationships, we should start feeling uneasy. That’s the Spirit of God warning us that we are about to do something contrary to what God commands. If we insist on pursuing it then we quite simply pay the price.
3. Once we enter into these ungodly relationships, we immediately set ourselves up for a life of spiritual, emotional and sometimes physical stress. Our spiritual lives suffer greatly. The Christian walk is already challenging as it is. Imagine having to deal with a spouse who does not want to go to church or is going but just going through the motions; a spouse who cannot comprehend why you need to be praying so often or reading the Bible; a spouse who sees nothing wrong with doing things which clearly conflicts with your beliefs; a spouse who does not understand the sanctity of marriage as outlined by God; a spouse who does not put God first. I could go on and on. These are the consequences of such a choice. Why would you deliberately want to put yourself through that?
Once we follow God’s commands, we can never go wrong. But the choice is ours. Solomon made the wrong one and paid dearly for it. His example is why you and I should make the right one.
Be blessed today!
By Simone Williams
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