Don’t Settle for Less Than God’s Best

1 Kings 11:1-13  (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 11:1-13.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 11:1-13 (NIV)
¹  King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter–Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.
²  They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.
³  He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.
⁴  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.
⁵  He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.
⁶  So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.
⁷  On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.
⁸  He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.
⁹  The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
¹⁰  Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command.
¹¹  So the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.
¹²  Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
¹³  Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

On verses 1-13:  As wise and as rich as Solomon had become by God’s grace, here we see Solomon’s fatal flaw: his insistence on being romantically involved with women who did not worship the LORD.  The LORD had already commanded that kings must not take on many wives (Deuteronomy 17:17).  Even more, the LORD had commanded the Israelites not to marry people who did not worship Him, knowing that the Israelites would be led astray from their faith in Him if they did (Exodus 23:32-33; Exodus 34:15-16; Deuteronomy 7:3; Joshua 23:11-13).  Yet Solomon refused to obey these commands from God.  Instead, Solomon married hundreds of wives who did not worship the LORD, and the result was just as God had warned: “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God” (v4).  Just as God had warned, Solomon’s insistence on marrying women who did not worship the LORD would lead Solomon to worship other gods himself (v5, 7-8) and would ultimately lead to the downfall of his faith and the removal of his kingdom (v9-13).

Why is it that over and over in Scripture the Lord commands His people not to become romantically involved with those who do not worship the same God as them (see for example 2 Corinthians 6:14-18)?  It’s for a very practical reason: it’s to protect their faith and relationship with God, which is the most precious possession we have both for now and for eternity (1 Peter 1:7).

What can we learn from this?  The lesson should be more than clear.  One of the most foolish and dangerous things we can do as followers of Jesus is to become romantically involved with someone who is not a follower of Jesus.  To do so is risking spiritual suicide.  For as long as you are romantically involved with someone who does not acknowledge the lordship of Jesus, your faith in Christ will be stifled, compromised, and confused.

If you are a Christian and you are currently dating someone who does not follow Jesus, what are you doing?  You are essentially asking for your faith in Jesus to be stifled and your life in Christ to be severely limited.  Of course God loves that person you are dating, but He does not want you to sacrifice the most important thing in your life — your relationship with Jesus — for someone who doesn’t want to follow Him.

Perhaps you have heard of a miracle story where a Christian dated or went ahead and married a non-Christian and that non-Christian came to faith.  In my experience, those “miracle stories” are very rare.  Most end up like Solomon, led astray from their faith, a severely compromised version of what they could have been in Christ.
So practically speaking, what should you do?

– If you’re dating someone who does not acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and they are open to coming to faith in Jesus, do not marry them until after they come to a genuine relationship with Jesus and get baptized to evidence their faith.

– If you’re dating someone who does not acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and they are persistently closed to the Gospel, do not proceed further with the relationship.  End it now.  It doesn’t matter how rich, good looking or nice that person is, or how compatible you think you guys think you are.  The long-term pain will not be worth it.  Why wait for a miracle that may never come and gamble your faith and the rest of your life away in the process?

– If you are married to someone who does not acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, don’t seek a divorce on that basis (see 1 Corinthians 7).  Because you’re already bound to a marriage covenant, there’s not much you can do except to do your best to love your spouse and to pray for a miracle to take place in your unbelieving spouse’s heart, that one day they would trust in Jesus too.  But if you’re single and reading this, don’t settle for this third option!  You still have a chance for something much more peaceful and less troublesome.

Want more detailed reasons as to why a follower of Jesus should not date or marry someone who does not follow Jesus?  Check out my GAME sharing on 2 Corinthians 6:11-18.  In it I detail 3 reasons why dating someone who does not acknowledge the lordship of Jesus is an unwise thing for a Christian to do.

This is a topic I feel very strongly about.  It’s because I so want you to experience God’s best for your life.  But you won’t experience God’s best if you chose your way over God’s way in the area of relationships.

Father, I pray for all of my friends who are reading this GAME sharing today.  For those who are struggling with what to do about a relationship they are in right now, please give them wisdom to know how You want them to handle the situation and give them courage and faith to do it Your way.   No matter what, may they choose to follow You above all else.  May they trust that Your way regarding relationships is so much better, more peaceful, and more blessed than the world’s way.  Help them to seek Your kingdom first, for when they do You will add to them everything they need.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!