The Dangers of Compromise

Introduction Tonight we are going to talk about the dangers of compromise. We come to Solomon. First, we are going to see him ask for wisdom in 1 Kings 3, then we will see his eventual downfall in 1 Kings 11. We will see that small compromises can lead to significant consequences. We are to stay true to God’s commands and be careful that we don’t allow worldly influences to erode our faith and convictions.

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1 Kings 3:1–15 NKJV

1 Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall all around Jerusalem. 2 Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days. 3 And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. 4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” 6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 15 Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

Solomon begins his reign with humility and a desire to honor the Lord. But even here in the opening verse of his story, the seeds of compromise are already being sown. Marrying Pharaoh’s daughter wasn’t just about love—it was a political alliance. Ancient kings often secured their power through such marriages, but for Israel, this was a red flag. Deuteronomy 17:17 warned kings not to “multiply wives” or seek alliances with foreign nations that could turn their hearts away from God.

This sets a tension right at the start: a man who seeks God’s wisdom but also makes worldly decisions.

3 And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places...

Even while loving the Lord, Solomon worshiped at high places—locations formerly used for pagan worship. These “small exceptions” seem minor but hint at deeper issues of misplaced worship.

Theological Note: The Hebrew Word for Wisdom

When Solomon asks for wisdom in verse 9, he uses the Hebrew word חָכְמָה (chokmah), which doesn’t just mean intelligence or knowledge—it refers to skillful living. It’s the same word used for artisans constructing the tabernacle (Exodus 31:3) and describes someone who lives righteously and rightly before God.

“I am a little child…give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people.”

Here we see humility. Solomon knows his own limitations. And that humility is the soil in which divine wisdom takes root.

“The speech pleased the Lord…”

God is pleased not because Solomon asked for personal gain, but because he asked for something aligned with God’s kingdom.

This passage reminds us of Jesus, the embodiment of perfect wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30). Just as Solomon asked for an understanding heart to govern well, we’re invited to seek wisdom from Christ—wisdom not only for leadership, but for life. We might be inspired to seek God’s wisdom consistently and avoid complacency, recognizing that true success lies in our reliance on God’s wisdom rather than our understanding.

“Then Solomon awoke… and made a feast.”

Solomon begins his reign by acknowledging his need for God. He is a model of what it means to start well.

2. Show Sound Judgment

1 Kings 3:16–28 NKJV

16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him. 17 And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. 18 Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. 19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.” 22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king. 23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ” 24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.” 26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.” 27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.” 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

Solomon’s famous judgment involving the two women and a baby shows how divine wisdom plays out in real life.

This wasn’t just a clever solution—it was discernment guided by compassion. The Hebrew word for compassion (racham) is used here to describe the mother’s deep yearning for her child.

Solomon’s judgment wasn’t cold or calculated; it reflected a heart aligned with God’s. This story reveals that true wisdom isn’t just about truth—it’s about justice, mercy, and love.

“All Israel heard… and feared the king, for they saw the wisdom of God was in him.”

Solomon becomes known not just as a ruler, but as a wise and just king—a type that points us forward to Jesus, the righteous Judge, who sees through all pretense and knows every heart.

But here’s a warning: wisdom applied in one area doesn’t automatically protect us in another. We must walk in wisdom daily, not just occasionally. As James 1:5 tells us, God gives wisdom generously—but we must keep seeking it, not assume we already have enough.

3. Shun Subtle Compromise

1 Kings 11:1–8 NKJV

1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— 2 from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8 And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

The narrative takes a dark turn. The same Solomon who loved the Lord in chapter 3 now clings to women from nations God had warned against. The danger isn’t just the marriages—it’s what they represent: alliances of the heart with foreign gods and values.

“His wives turned away his heart…”

The Hebrew word used here for “turned away” is נָטָה (natah), meaning to bend, stretch, or incline. It’s not an immediate about-face—it’s a slow, subtle tilt of the heart. The same word is used in Psalm 119:36: “Incline my heart to your testimonies…”

Solomon’s heart didn’t crash—it tilted. It bent. And what started as small shifts led to building altars for pagan gods like Ashtoreth, Milcom, Chemosh, and Molech—all tied to horrific practices, including child sacrifice.

“He did evil in the sight of the Lord…”

This is the same man who once built the temple of the Lord. Now he builds high places for idols. Compromise corrodes convictions, one small decision at a time.

As believers, we must stay vigilant. The devil rarely tempts us with full-blown rebellion—he leads us into rationalized compromise. And Solomon’s story shows us how even the wisest fall when they stop guarding their hearts.

4. Submit to Sovereign Grace

1 Kings 11:9–13 NKJV

9 So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded. 11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 12 Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

“The Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord…”

Twice God had appeared to Solomon. Twice He gave wisdom and warning. And still, Solomon chose disobedience.

“I will surely tear the kingdom away from you…”

God’s judgment is clear—but even here, mercy breaks through. “For the sake of David,” God delays judgment. He allows a remnant. This is not just about Solomon—it’s about God’s covenant faithfulness.

Solomon’s failure underscores our need for a better king. We see the limits of human wisdom and the necessity of divine grace. In Jesus—the greater Solomon—we find a King who never compromised, who always pleased the Father, and who gave His life for those who did not.

This passage reminds us: it’s not how you start, but how you finish. And it’s only by God’s grace that we can endure to the end.

“Submit to sovereign grace.”

That means repentance, humility, and renewed dependence on Christ.

🧭 Conclusion: What Will You Choose?

Solomon started with wisdom but ended in idolatry. He began his reign by building the temple, and ended it by building shrines to false gods. What a warning this is: giftedness without obedience is dangerous. Wisdom without worship becomes pride.

Yet there is hope. Through Jesus Christ, we have access to the perfect wisdom of God, and the mercy that restores what we’ve broken.

Where might your heart be tilting away from the Lord right now? What compromises have crept in under the banner of convenience or culture?

Let us ask God tonight not just for wisdom—but for a loyal heart, one that stays fixed on Him no matter what.