King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women. (1 Kings 11:1)The smartest man in the world lost his head over foreign women. Oftentimes a king would give his daughter in marriage to another king to seal an alliance. That's probably where a lot of Solomon's wives came from. Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase wedding present. But no matter where they came from, the result was that these foreign women enticed Solomon to worship their gods.
These dalliances affected not only Solomon, but brought great hardship on the kingdom. Today's passage cites Solomon's disobedience as the root cause of Israel's dissolution, which would be realized during the reign of his son Rehoboam.
Due to God's favor and David's capable leadership, Israel was the premier military strength in the region. It didn't have to worry about being attacked by any foreign enemy. What no one counted on was the new king inviting an even more formidable foe right in the front door.
How are your defenses?
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