King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.
Even with his wealth of God-given earthly wisdom, it still is not enough to keep him out of trouble. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Solomon. He had great wealth, fame, popularity, etc., and I’m sure he had foreign rulers offering their daughters and the best looking women their country had to offer. I’m thinking that Solomon believed it was quite harmless in the beginning. After all, he did build a separate palace to keep them separated from God…
This make me think of an excerpt from C.S. Lewis – The Screwtape Letters where Screwtape, the senior demon, is instructing his nephew Wormwood who is a junior tempter in a series of satirical letters.
“Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy’s ground. I know we have won many a soul through pleasure. All the same, it is His invention, not ours. He made all the pleasures: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one. All we can do is to encourage the humans to take pleasures which our Enemy has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees, which He has forbidden. Hence we always try to work away from the natural condition of any pleasure to that in which it is least natural, least redolent of its Maker, and least pleasurable.”
It is important to remember that Satan cannot create anything but is a master at turning God’s creation against us. Whenever God blesses someone, it is a certainty that Satan will be close behind looking for a way to turn it around. It is rare that he uses a brute force attack and usually tries to wedge his way into a small crack and keeps working it slowly open. In this case, he starts with Pharaoh’s daughter and moves on to others. With wealth and power comes great responsibility. I am fortunate to make a good living but don’t care to ever be wealthy. It’s easy to say that I wouldn’t abuse it, but I’m human.
Lord, thank you for freeing us from sin, even those that have not been committed yet. Even though we are free from it, let us turn a deaf ear to sin. The loud noise of sin drowns out the sound of your voice which we desperately need to hear. I always want to turn to you. Give me the strength to resist the enemy and his empty promises and shield me from his manipulative ways. In Jesus name I pray.
shaneknick 