Back to 1 Kings, we left Solomon at the height of his glory marveled at by the Queen of Sheba, but ignoring Moses’ commands to future kings including:

And make sure he doesn’t build up a harem, collecting wives who will divert him from the straight and narrow. (Deuteronomy 17.17, MSG)

And how does 1 Kings 11 start?

King Solomon was obsessed with women…He took them from the surrounding pagan nations of which GOD had clearly warned Israel, “You must not marry them; they’ll seduce you into infatuations with their gods.” …He had seven hundred royal wives and three hundred concubines—a thousand women in all! And they did seduce him away from God. As Solomon grew older, his wives beguiled him with their alien gods and he became unfaithful—he didn’t stay true to his GOD as his father David had done. (1 Kings 11.1 – 4, MSG)

God’s response is predictable and also instructive:

GOD was furious with Solomon for abandoning the GOD of Israel, the God who had twice appeared to him and had so clearly commanded him not to fool around with other gods. Solomon faithlessly disobeyed GOD’s orders. (1 Kings 11.9 – 10, MSG)

I get the furious part, but what jumped out at me was “the God who had twice appeared to him…” Twice is not a lot: once when Solomon asked for wisdom, and once when God warned him after the temple was built. Two dramatic encounters with God, and God expected that was enough.

We love our “mountain-top experiences”! I talked with a fellow once who had a dramatic encounter with Jesus when he was playing the part of a Roman soldier at the foot of the cross in his church’s passion play. Every year thereafter, he played that same part, looking in vain for that same encounter. But I’m sure God is thinking, “I met with you once. Now go carry out what I told you to do.”

Appearances and mountaintop experiences are great things, but faith must sustain us for the long haul.

God pronounces judgment on Solomon which begins to play out in chapter 11 and finds its full fruition in chapter 12. Stay tuned:

GOD said to Solomon, “Since this is the way it is with you, that you have no intention of keeping faith with me and doing what I have commanded, I’m going to rip the kingdom from you and hand it over to someone else. But out of respect for your father David I won’t do it in your lifetime. It’s your son who will pay—I’ll rip it right out of his grasp. Even then I won’t take it all; I’ll leave him one tribe in honor of my servant David and out of respect for my chosen city Jerusalem.” (1 Kings 11.11 – 13, MSG)

In the meantime,

Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” – Moses, Deuteronomy 32.45 – 47, ESV