1 Kings 11:4-13
Chapter 11
Solomon served Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites.
He did what displeased the Lord and, unlike his father David, was unfaithful to him.
Solomon even built a high place for Chemosh, the idol of Moab, on the mountain east of Jerusalem and for Molech, the idol of the Ammonites.
He did the same for all his foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel.
The Lord appeared to him twice and commanded him not to follow other gods. But he did not obey the Lord’s command.
Therefore, the Lord said to Solomon: “Since this has been your choice and you have kept neither my Covenant nor the statutes I commanded you, I will take the kingdom from you and give it to your servant.
Nevertheless, I will not do this during your lifetime for the sake of your father David; I will take it from your son.
But I will not take it all; I will reserve one tribe for your son for the sake of David, my servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen.”
Commentaries
Solomon’s Idolatry.
The darker side of Solomon’s kingdom can be summarized in one word: idolatry. The establishment of the Israelite tribes in Canaan posed a significant challenge for believers in the Lord, which was exacerbated by the rise of the monarchy. Instead of trusting in Him, the kings looked to mighty armies and formed alliances, often through marriage. As a result, Solomon married many foreign wives who demanded worship of their gods in pagan temples. To please them, Solomon visited these idolatrous sites, often accompanied by court officials and townspeople. The seriousness of these actions is clearly expressed in the texts of Deuteronomy, which, although written later, remain important (cf. Dt 7:1-6).