Solomon's 3 Sins Include "Horse Power"

In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, God warned Israel's future kings not to accumulate Horses, wives, and wealth. And He told them to write and read from His law daily.

In yesterday’s devotion, we talked of King Solomon's godly attitude which led God to make Solomon wiser and more powerful than any other king on earth (1 Kings 9). 

However, as the years passed, Solomon lost his resolve, gave in to worldly values, and violated all three of God's warnings. 

1. He filled his palace with hundreds of foreign wives and concubines who “turned his heart after other gods” (1 Kings 11:1-8). See note below regarding polygamy.

2. He focused on wealth (1 Kings 10:14-29). 

3. He filled his stables with horses from Egypt (2 Chronicles 1:14). 

We understand the damage of wealth and pagan wives. But what about horses?

Horses symbolized power and greatness for ancient kings, but Solomon's father David understood the source of true power: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7)

Solomon trusted worldly “horse-power” instead of God's power, and this contributed to his downfall (Ephesians 6:10; Isaiah 31:1; Proverbs 3:5-6).  

It's easy to get caught up in worldly or pagan promises for health and well-being (e.g., yoga, boundaries, Enneagram, Reiki).  And it's becoming common for Christians to excuse serious errors in Christian materials (e.g., The Chosen, Jesus Calling, The Shack, He Gets Us).

Please ask God if there are areas where you're depending on worldly philosophies instead of God's Word. 

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More on pagan promises, horses, polygamy, and Ecclesiastes

1. Worldly and pagan practices are attractive and addictive.

The more a Christian gets involved in pagan practices, the more addicted they become. They may claim these things are harmless, but paganism draws people away from pure faith in Christ. 

And worldly wisdom sidetracks and contradicts God's Word, no matter how hard people try to justify it. For example, read Christian author Lysa TerKeurst's explanation of her best selling book Good Boundaries and Goodbyes. Just like the author of Jesus Calling, she believes God's Word is not enough: 

"Most healthy therapeutic principles come from the Bible. However, somebody has to be trained to make the connection between our emotional health and those biblical therapeutic principles... Psychology and our understanding of the Bible work hand in hand. So, I needed someone who knew the Bible and psychology so that I could tend well to my spiritual and emotional health." (source)

Psychology is a human answer to our problems and even though Boundaries are presented as biblical, they are not. Please see the Boundaries collection for more proof of this.

2. More about the meaning and significance of horses:

Egyptian horses were part of God's life-saving rescue of His people from Egypt:

When God freed His people from slavery in Egypt, the Egyptians brought “six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt” to destroy God's people, but God miraculously led them  through the sea (Exodus 14:7). It was normal for 2 horses to pull each chariot, so we're talking about more than a thousand horses.

God's law included a warning for Jewish kings not to pursue a relationship with their former captors: “The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, 'You are not to go back that way again.'” Deuteronomy 17:16

2. Why Did God Allow Polygamy?

This is one of those areas that can't be answered quickly or easily. God allowed polygamy during a certain time in Israel's history. But He never affirmed it as part of His creation design. From the beginning, it proved to cause problems because we can't go against God's creation design and find true order, peace, and joy. 

Why Did God Allow Polygamy? (Got Questions)

Does God Change His Mind: Polygamy (Bible Love Notes) 

Why Did God Allow Polygamy? (Desiring God) 

Why Did God Allow Polygamy in the Old Testament? (Ligoniers)  

3. Did Solomon repent and write Ecclesiastes?

Although there is no proof of authorship, many believe Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes because it tells the story of a man who spent his life pursuing the wrong things and, in the end realized that the only real meaning in life is found by focusing on God.

If you want a quick overview of Ecclesiastes check out this 8 minute illustrated video on Bible Project. I really enjoyed it!