Chapter 8 showcased the works that Solomon had accomplished. He took twenty year to build the house of the Lord and his own house. On top of that, he continued with his construction outside Jerusalem and rebuilt cities in Lebanon and in all the land of his dominion. In order to expand his economic prowess, Solomon ventured into sea expeditions where he went to Ezion-geber and Eloth with the help of King Hiram. Ezion-geber and Eloth were likely to be ports at the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba that provided a strategic commercial access southward into the Red Sea and beyond.

Solomon was faithful in his worship of Yahweh. The building of the temple was in order for worship to take place and Solomon kept the duties of the daily burnt offerings and the various offerings according to the different festive and feasts. He established the divisions of the priests for their service and the Levites for their offices of praise and ministry before the priest as the duty of each day required as the instructions of his forefathers. The priests and Levites in turn was faithful and kept to the instructions of the King. （v15-16）

While all seemed good and well, we see subtle cracks surfacing in Solomon’s kingship. Solomon began to compromise in his faith. God warned Solomon against alliances with Egypt, but he ignored the Lord and purchased horses from them (Deut.17:16). He started purchasing and storing up chariots and horses from Egypt in various store cities. Psalms 20:7 tells us that we must trust in the name of the Lord more than falling into the temptations of trust in our own military might.

Furthermore, the alliance with Egypt also happened through marriage with Pharaoh’s daughter. Solomon clearly understood that it was not pleasing to have an intermarriage and therefore he said that his wife shall not live in the house of David, where it was set apart for the Lord. We know that the results had devastating effects. 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. (1 Kings 11:4) As a result, the compromise led Israel to its downfall until it eventually split apart.

Dear brothers and sisters, to compromise is usually not an act of accident, it is a deliberate choice that seeks to live life base on our desires and too often we believe it is okay to compromise our faith for something that is seemingly inconsequential. Other times, we think we have done enough good, that compromising on just one or two items seems negligible. Don’t settle for something less than what you believe! Do not compromise your faith for the sake of others to receive. The Word of God tells us that we are in a time people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4) This is a time where we need to hold on to God’s eternal truth.

Even a wise man like Solomon can fall into the trap of ignoring God’s command and ultimately leading the entire nation astray, we too can fall to the prey of compromising our faith. So stay on God’s path and avoid the compromises that lead to sins.

Prayer : Lord, help us to learn and stand on your Word so that we will not be swayed to the left or the right. Help us to be sensitive and bold to stand to the temptations of our passions. In Jesus name we pray, amen.