“The people, however, were still sacrificing on the high places, because no house had yet been built for the name of Adonai. Shlomo loved Adonai, living according to the regulations set forth by David his father; nevertheless, he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.“-1 Kings 3:2
On the face of it, Israel appeared to be prospering.
The Lord seemed very pleased with his people.
However, verse 2 lets us know that all wasn’t well.
Why?
Because the Hebrews were sacrificing at the “high places.”
Yet, in the same breath, the narrator says that Solomon loved the Lord.
The word for “love” here is a totally different term from what was used to describe David’s relationship with God.
In David’s case, we’re told he had great zeal or passion for the Lord.
However, the term “love” or AHAV in Hebrew, when applied to Solomon, does NOT refer to warm fuzzy feelings.
Instead, it means something like loyalty or dedication.
The idea is that of a servant faithful to his master.
It had more of a political ring to it.
So a more accurate translation of this verse would be to simply say, “Solomon was loyal to Yahweh.”
Rashi explains that Solomon’s marriage to the Egyptian Princess marked the beginning of his decline in devotion to the Lord.
In other words, by saying Solomon loved Adonai while also mentioning his marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter, the text is showing this was the peak of his faithfulness.
In other words, things would start to go downhill from here.
And this decline all had to do with the worship and sacrifices taking place at the high places.
Remember, “high places” weren’t neutral locations.
They were hilltop shrines used by the Canaanites.
So they were connected with other gods, rituals, and symbols.
We’ll talk about this more the next time we meet.
But for now, let’s switch over to the takeaway.
So the lesson for me today is this:
It doesn’t matter how much you say you love God if your worship doesn’t align with what He commands in Scripture.
Ya feel me?
At first, compromise may seem harmless.
Solomon loved the Lord, yet even at his peak, cracks were forming.
And over time, those cracks widened.
So the question you need to ask yourself daily is…
Are you living a life fully set apart for Him?
Or are you allowing small compromises to take root?
Ya feel me?
Done.
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