Solomon and The Cycle of Compromise, By Hillary-Beth

Solomon and The Cycle of Compromise

By Hillary-Beth Koenig

Have you ever heard the story of Solomon? A great king and really wise, right? But then, at the end, he started to “love many foreign women.”
Ever wonder how he got all the way to such an obvious sin? Why was the ending of his story a total nightmare?
*1 Kings 11*
Solomon was told by God to stay away from women from other countries because they did not know God and did not love Him. They would make it hard for Solomon to love God. So how could Solomon end up marrying them?! He knew what God said, but he slowly developed a love for exactly what was against God. He loved sin above loving God.
When you compromise, first you admire from a distance, then you associate with the thing, then you form a deep relationship with it. It ends in corruption.
That is, first you make yourself believe you really aren’t sinning it’s just looking at it. Then you start to feel like it’s a part of your identity, who you are - it excites you to think about it or hear news about it, and you obtain much knowledge and familiarity with it. Then you do it habitually and it is a part of you. You aren’t pure any more.
Solomon held fast to these dependencies (knowing it’s wrong) He had sensual love, not genuine love. He turned his heart away from God. It didn’t just happen. He pursued it. That means he took steps toward it.
When we love something above God, we take steps toward it and away from God. We hang out with the people we shouldn’t be with again and again. Or we re-visit a bad website again and again. We lie to cover up lies because we don’t want to be found out. We leave the bad radio station on the preset buttons because we are lazy. We turn the TV to the station our parents don’t want us to watch again anyhow when they leave. And more.
You cannot compromise on even one conviction and be holy. You are called to holiness.
*1 Peter 1:13* Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
Don’t surrender to other gods! See, you might think you can love both God and other things, but you can’t. Solomon couldn’t have loved anyone God told him not to associate with if he loved God!
Why did Solomon disobey? To fulfill his wants and needs. Really, he let his pride take over. Because God promises to provide for us what is best for us, but Solomon couldn’t trust God.
What things do you need?
Do you trust God that He can provide, or do you feel like you must disobey to get these things?
Everything you admire will come in you, possessing you. If you are admiring God above all, what He wills you to do, you will do.
If you are in sin, know this: The Lord heals the broken, collapsed, and surrendered. You have the power to walk away through Jesus. He broke the power of sin and death with His death and resurrection! If you know this, you know you can turn to Him now, either for the first time or the 100^th time! If you’re wise, you will let God deal with your sin.
The Lord was angry with Solomon about his turned heart. Solomon did not surrender, though. There’s the cycle: First there’s Compromise, then Corruption and finally, Collapse, unless there’s a Change.
The Lord raised an adversary, which means an enemy. It was a pagan, heathen, adversary to be against Israel. God used people who were against him to punish for Solomon’s sin.
Your life collapses around you; all of your dreams, desires, and goals come crashing down when you compromise.
The fatal step is when you say, “I know it’s wrong, but I’ll do it anyway.”
Instead of doing it, stand against the temptation, and really know and believe that God will save you from it. God will do the fighting for you; all you have to do is stand.
*Ephesians 6:13* Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
He will provide the way out. *1 Corinthians 10:13* No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.