As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been (1 Kings 11:4).

Not that many of you are dying to know this, but there are three primary ways that preachers become preachers. They take a class in seminary. They practice or “get reps” after seminary (or maybe during the seminary years). And, equally important to training and experience, they listen to other preachers.

For me that third way, observing and listening, has been and continues to be an important way of learning the craft of communicating God’s word. This started during college at the Ingleside Baptist Church in Macon, Ga. I’d listen to pastor Bobby Johns on Sunday mornings, and I began to think, “I’d like to do that.”

As a seminary student I attended a church that was pastored by the most highly esteemed preacher in our denomination. He was regularly on the platform at national meetings. The church he served was large and well attended. He was an especially skilled expositor of the biblical text, and his messages often left me wondering, “How does he do that?”

He was eventually called to another church, larger, more prestigious, a “crown jewel” in the denomination. But within a few years, he resigned. He left the ministry. He left his wife.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who was stunned and saddened by this. I’m sure there’s a story behind all of that that I do not (and don’t need to) know. But the recurring question in my mind was, “What happened to him?” How did this man with such remarkable gifts shipwreck his calling and his family?

If that could happen to him, it could happen to anyone.

What Happened to Solomon

There is no denying that Solomon was a remarkably gifted king. “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore . . . Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom (1 Kings 4:29, 34).”

In addition to his wisdom and understanding, he was a successful builder, overseeing the construction of the temple in Jerusalem – a seven-year project that would anchor the worship life of God’s people.

But something seems to have happened with the passing of the years. His “heart turned after other gods.” This is attributed directly to the influence of his many wives, “foreign women” who worshiped gods other than the God of Israel. Solomon accommodated their religious leanings, providing places of worship for them and participating in their rituals (11:7-8). 

Time passed, and something shifted inside Solomon’s heart and soul. The trajectory of his demise was in motion. The Lord announced this saying, “I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates” (11:11).

The same question surfaces. What happened to Solomon? If it could happen to him, it seems it could happen to anyone. 

Guard Your Heart

A heart that turns away from God doesn’t get that way in a decisive moment that can be placed on the calendar. It doesn’t seem to show up out of the blue as if one morning it occurs to us that we’re done with God, done with faith. Quite often, the heart that turns away from God might not entirely reject God. A vestige of belief remains, along with occasional God-honoring practices.

The path to shipwreck is a slow one. We drift. We accommodate. God’s voice is eclipsed by other voices around us.

For good reason, we tend to think of a faithful life as an obedient life. We think walking with God means doing the good and right thing. But plenty of theologians, including the venerable St. Augustine, have observed that faithfulness is rooted first in our affections. What we do reflects what we love. The highest aim of our life with God isn’t compliance with his rules. God wants our heart. Jesus was clear about this: loving God is the greatest commandment.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (NIV). The NLT Bible says to guard the heart, “for it determines the course of your life.”

One who guards will see potential threat. Where might that be with regard to your heart, your love for God? What competing affections might cause you to drift?

Prayer:

Merciful God, there is so much in this life to love. But our hearts can easily be disordered, our desires misplaced. We confuse the gift for the giver. Help us to guard our hearts that we might be steadfast and faithful in our walk with you, we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.