I wanna do something interesting today.
So there are basically 4 reasons why Israel, the most admired and powerful nation during Solomon’s time, fell apart and eventually split into two kingdoms.
Of course, the 4 reasons are directly connected to behavior that goes against the Lord’s Torah.
So here’s what I want you to do.
When I give you the 4 reasons one by one, please ask yourself one thing.
How has this sin shown up in my life?
Remember, we’re not studying Scripture to fill our heads with information.
And I’ll do the same here and be open about my failures (and oh my God, there are so many).
So let’s start.
First, reason number 1 for the disintegration of Solomon’s kingdom was that his behavior devolved into that of a typical gentile dictator.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say he became like Kim Jong Un, the ruler of North Korea.
But he definitely fell short of becoming the set-apart king the Lord anointed him to be.
I would say this has shown up in my life as pride and arrogance when I could’ve exercised a lot more humility.
Second, as a result of Solomon’s ungodly behavior, the Lord raised up enemies to weaken his kingdom and eventually tear it apart.
In terms of my life, I can’t think of a specific enemy the Lord raised up as a tool to judge me.
It was more about events not going as expected.
A business deal falling apart.
Coming down with an illness.
Stuff like that.
Third, so this one is almost the same as the second one, but it’s specific.
The 3rd reason is one man: Jeroboam.
Jeroboam was a prideful man who always lusted after power and glory.
The Lord used him as a serious weapon against Solomon to cause utter ruin to his kingdom.
Jeroboam was the man who led the northern rebellion that wanted to separate from the south.
After Solomon died, Jeroboam split the ten tribes from the Davidic dynasty for good.
What’s tragically hilarious about this is that Jeroboam later went on to set up golden calves and lead all of Israel into sin.
In other words, the man who God used to punish Solomon for his idolatry became the poster boy for idolatry himself.
This is truly one of those rare situations that causes you to both laugh and cry at the same time.
In terms of my personal experience, again, I can’t think of a specific dude or dudette who came against me in an attempt to destroy my life.
You know this little thought exercise I proposed at the beginning of this post ain’t going so well, is it?
Ah, screw it, who cares.
I’m going with it.
Alrighty, so the 4th reason is Solomon’s uncontrolled AHAV (love) for his harem of gentile wives and concubines.
Again, the reason this was bad ain’t because Solomon had multiple wives.
That’s the incorrect “sex and lust is evil” Christian interpretation.
The reason it was bad is that those gentile damsels never abandoned worship of their heathen gods.
As a result, they turned Solomon’s heart away from Adonai and led him into pure idolatrous hell.
The Lord could not turn a blind eye towards such flagrant idolatry.
So in terms of my personal life, this actually targets a weakness of mine.
I’m talking about idolizing the beauty of the female body to the point where it has taken over my mind, body, and soul.
This leads to sexually addictive behavior such as regular porno binges and other activity I ain’t about to share here.
In fact, just last night I was approached by two young damsels who wanted to take me for a spin.
There’s a serious underground pickup culture here in Tokyo that foreigners know absolutely nothing about.
And if you know where to go, you can quite easily place yourself at the center of the action.
So what were you doing hanging around in the center of that seedy action, Rich?
That’s what you’re thinking, right?
Look, man, I just confessed it’s a weakness of mine, didn’t I?
And here’s the embarrassing part.
The only reason I said no was that I was tired.
Not because of my love for Adonai.
Not because of the Torah.
Because I was tired and had zero confidence I’d be able to perform.
That’s exactly how Solomon went down, homies.
He didn’t fall in one night. His heart drifted a little at a time while he kept telling himself he had it under control.
And you could say the same about Samson.
I ain’t gonna pretend I’ve got this beat.
But I’m done pretending it ain’t no big deal either.
Alrighty, later homies.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom ahead.
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