So . . . was it a mid-life crisis? Did it come upon him suddenly or had it been building for years? I’m guessing it wasn’t a conscious decision . . . that one morning, he’s doing his devos and decides, “Hey, time to start checking out other gods!” Whatever it was, as I noodle on it this morning, it’s a little bit disconcerting . . . a warning that if he could do it, why couldn’t I . . . a reminder that the work which began by a work of the Spirit is to be completed by the Spirit, and I need to guard against that which would quiet the Spirit’s voice. This morning, Solomon’s got me thinking about old men and other gods.

For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.    (1Kings 11:4 ESV)

The thought of wanting to finish well is not a new one. The apostle Paul was mindful of running the race in order to win . . . of being diligent to, by the grace of God, do what he could to ensure no disqualification on the homestretch. And Solomon himself provides adequate warning about someone who had it all but then lost his way . . . “remember also your Creator in the days of your youth . . . fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:1, 13).

But what hit me this morning is that it was when Solomon was old that his heart went flirting after other gods . . . that it was when the wisest man of all time should have been at his wisest, that he kind of went goofy. A couple of commentaries I briefly checked out put him between 50 and 60 years of age when he started being more “open minded” concerning “other ways.” Yikes! That’s my age!

You’d think that maybe after having sought to follow faithfully for the past 35 years that I’d be “safe.” That after three and a half decades of experiencing the reality of the grace of God . . . the reality of promises fulfilled as He has patiently been working to completion the work begun in me . . . the reality of the blood of Christ being sufficient and of God’s faithfulness being constant in forgiving my sin . . . the reality of the Spirit’s active agency in my life . . . that after all that, at some point, you can coast through the latter season with few worries of absolutely going AWOL on the kingdom of God. Evidently not! . . . if Solomon’s an indicator.

To be sure, it wasn’t an overnight thing with David’s son. I’m guessing it takes a while to engage with 700 wives and 300 concubines. And to be sure, he must have known that he was playing with fire as he pursued loving “many foreign women” (1Kings 11:1, 2b). God’s word was clear, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods” (1Kings 11:2, Ex. 34:16). But Solomon did . . . over-the-top did! But what’s also worth noting is that it didn’t seem to get in his way, at first . . . the “fruit” of scattering these seeds of disobedience wasn’t manifest until later in life . . . but then, when it did, it was with crash-n-burn results . . . his heart gone astray . . . his kingdom to be divided . . . his legacy to be one of “mixed reviews” . . . “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

Old men and other gods. Hmmm . . .

How I need to beware that the race is still being run . . . that the flesh is still in opposition . . . that the enemy is still seeking to devour . . . and that God’s grace is my only foundation . . . the blood of His Son my only plea . . . the power of His Spirit my only strength. And I bring to the table but a holy determination to be found faithful.

O’ that I would keep on keepin’ on . . . by His grace . . . for His glory.