Saturday, February 16, 2019
“Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin” (Nehemiah 13:26 KJV).
Just who are these “outlandish women?”
In the Mosaic Law, JEHOVAH God had sternly prohibited Israel’s intermarriage with idolaters, unbelievers. Exodus chapter 34: “[12] Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: [13] But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: [14] For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: [15] Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; [16] And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. [17] Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.”
Moses, 40 years later, repeated this in Deuteronomy 7:1-11: “[2] And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: [3] Neither [!] shalt [!] thou [!] make [!] marriages [!] with [!] them [!]; thy [!] daughter [!] thou [!] shalt [!] not [!] give [!] unto [!] his [!] son [!], nor [!] his [!] daughter [!] shalt [!] thou [!] take [!] unto [!] thy [!] son [!]. [4] For [!] they [!] will [!] turn [!] away [!] thy [!] son [!] from [!] following [!] me [!], that [!] they [!] may [!] serve [!] other [!] gods [!]: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. [5] But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. [6] For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”
Though wise, King Solomon was still a sinner….
333 Words of Grace 