May 17

For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been. — 1 Kgs 11:4 BSB

Solomon’s problem was in his heart. It is the heart that needs to be watched and guarded most carefully. A “perfect” heart doesn’t mean a sinless heart, but a heart that is completely devoted to God and His service.

Solomon gave part of his heart to the Lord, but reserved other parts for the gods of the nations around him. Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money.”

We must be on guard against the kind of religion Solomon had. There is plenty of it in the world today. It avoids preaching the hard truths of God’s Word about sin and its consequences, and about the need for holiness. It wants to believe that almost everyone will go to heaven and that hell is just a myth. It calls strict Christians “puritanical” or “narrow-minded.” It calls great sins “mistakes” or “escapades” and has no use for psalms like Psalm 51.

It’s not hard to see from this verse which type of religion pleases God and which leads to the best end.