2 Chronicles 8

“Now all the work of Solomon was well-ordered from the day of the foundation of the house of the Lord until it was finished. So the house of the Lord was completed.” 2 Chronicles 8:16 (NKJV)

Oh, the glory days of Jerusalem! It must have been fantastic to walk through the temple complex and smell fresh paint still lingering alongside the fragrance of incense & lamb roasting on the altar. Israel’s enemies were subdued, and the children of those enemies (left unconquered by Israel’s forefathers) were pressed into the service of the kingdom. You can almost hear wise Solomon sighing to his friends, “Breathe in the goodness, exhale and relax!”  All was well, or was it? In the midst of all the progress reporting of chapter 8, one sentence seems out of place.

“Now Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, ‘My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.’” 2 Chronicles 8:11 (NKJV)

Like I tell my children, “Never date someone you would be embarrassed to take to church.”  Solomon had entered into compromise. It didn’t seem like a big deal; a political marriage (or several) may ensure peace. After all, don’t we need separation of church and state?

“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” Galatians 5:9 (NKJV)

A little leaven and a lot of time are enough to bring down an entire kingdom. While I do not want our current government teaching my children their opinions of what the Bible says, it is safe to say that God does not want to separate from ANY aspect of human involvement! Eventually, disengagement leads to disenfranchisement.

“For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.”  1 Kings 11:4-10 (KJV)

A kingdom may be God-originated, but once it becomes man-centered, it ends up God-forsaken. I am awaiting the place the Son of David is preparing. (John 14:2b-3)