Unequally Yoked - part 14

1 Corinthians 10:11-12. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

As an introduction I have just read a passage from 1 Corinthians chapter 10.  In the first part of that chapter reference is made to situations in the Old Testament especially the books of Moses.  Verses 11 and 12 gives you permission, if you will, to go back into the Old Testament and treat it as something more than a good reading lesson.  These verses tell you that the Old Testament contains examples that can be applied to your everyday life.  What I am saying is that your Old Testament Scripture reading and study must evolve to the point where you began to ask questions like; what is this saying to me and my situation, and how can I avoid doing the same thing in my life. 

Allow me to continue with this introduction for a moment more.  Recall the Scripture passage of 1 Kings 11:1-6

1 Kings 11:1-6. Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done.

How did you receive this passage?  Did you take it as just an old story dealing with a time period that has no relevance to our modern times?  Or did it cause you to ask; how did Solomon get into this state, in the first place, and could it happen or is it going on today? 

I will began to answer the second question for you in today’s message

1 Kings 2:46-3:3.

Then the king commanded Benaiah (bee NIGH uh) the son of Jehoiada (jih HOY uh duh), and he went out and struck him down, and he died

(This person struck down is Shimei (SHIM ih igh (eye)).

So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord. Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.

Verse 12 of 1 Kings 2 says the same as the last verse says

1 Kings 2:12. So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.   Between these book ends from verse 13 to verse 46 we read that the kingdom was established with blood shed, with the death of Adonijah (ad oh NIGH juh), Joab (JOH ab), Shimei (SHIM ih igh (eye)), and expelling Abiathar (uh BIGH uh thahr) the priest.

I must give you this observation before moving on.  It is amazing that the kingdoms in the Old and New Testament were always established with blood!  Jesus is the only one who established His kingdom with His own blood!  Amen

So 1 Kings 2 ends with the establishment of the kingdom in the hands of Solomon and it is in that context that the very first verse of chapter 3 is very odd.

Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh King of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem.

Did Solomon not know what Deuteronomy (DOO tuh RAHN uh mih) said and if he knew why disobey or ignore it?

Deuteronomy 17:16-20.  Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold. “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

And

Deuteronomy 7:3-4. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.

In light of Solomon intentions; building his own house, and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem and verse 3 saying that Solomon loved the Lord, most commentaries that I have read don’t point out the negative implications of these verses.  But brothers and sisters there are some things the Lord wants you to see here.  First Solomon justifies his unequally yoked marriage by bringing in politics; it is a marriage alliance with Pharaoh King of Egypt.  There is no need for an alliance because the kingdom was established, Solomon is on the throne of David his father and his kingdom is firmly established.  And Scripture lets us in on the secrets of Solomon’s heart for it tells us that King Solomon loved many foreign women and this love did not just spring up over night.  Solomon is thinking about pleasing Solomon.  Notice also the structure of verse one, it points to the fact that Solomon is about himself, listen to it again;

Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh King of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem.

Can you hear it can you see it?  He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house.  Stop there!  His own house is mentioned first; and, oh by the way, the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem.

Brothers and Sisters of New Hope, how many of you today and at this very moment are sitting here in worship, preparing or prepared to engage in communion and in your life there is justified sin?  You are young and have accepted the Lord but your unsaved friend is okay because he or she has the latest play station games or we can get on the computer at their house and no one is watching.  Or your buddy has a car and I look good riding in the car with him, they can smoke and curse, I’m not doing it.  Or you may feel that it is okay to compromise your faith in the work place in order to get that promotion or salary increase.  How often do you know what the Lord is telling you to do but for this situation you have made the choice to pretend that you never heard of that or you have just determined to not do it, but here today you can say; I really love the Lord.  Are you at the early stages of being unequally yoked?  At your school, work, neighborhood, frat-house, shopping buddies, eating buddies, family members, and so called inactive believers who for the past few months or years been looking for a place to worship and have not found one yet.  Therefore you need to take heed unless you fall!

Let’s move to verse three for a moment; “Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.”  This passage may be subtle for many so allow me to make the point of contrast with another passage that is unrelated but illustrates the point.  In 2Kings 5, listen to the contrast in verse one.

2 Kings 5:1. Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.  All that greatness and mightiness disappears because Naaman was a leper.

It is the same with the third verse of 1 Kings 3:3, the verse gives the positive but they are over shadowed by the contra ‘only’ he sacrifice and made offerings at the high places.  This is another direct violation to what the Lord had commanded

Exodus 34:13-14. You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),

The high places in scripture are the places where idols were worshiped.  And by 1Kings 11:7 we find King Solomon building high places for his wives.

As King, Solomon is the role model for his people but as we can see here he has two out of the three and that proves to not be good enough.

Two acts of disobedience by the King and each one can be justified.  There is a reason for doing it and the reason should make it acceptable.

Are your thinking patterns like Solomon?  If it was possible to expose your inner thinking, plans and desires, what would they reveal?  And is it easy for you to justify your sin by saying I love the Lord, see I’m here on Sundays or other days?  And are you okay with that?

You see what happened to King Solomon, a man with wisdom, wealth and worth.  Why do you feel that you are so different that it will not happen to you?

The commentary on Kings is sad for there are flaws in all of them Saul, David, Solomon and the rest. 

But I have gospel for you today listen;

Isaiah 9:6-7. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

This son of David proclaims that all authority in heaven and in earth has been given to me.  You need to take note of Solomon yes, but remember Jesus and what he did and accomplish.  You need to look at the Old Testament leaders for example yes, but remember Jesus as the example who did not fail.  Jesus who is our great high place for He said if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.  And when you see your failings, your frailties, your sin, then look to Jesus and proclaim His death until He comes, and live in the newness of life with Him now and for ever more