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42
Royalty and Ruin
It is as true now as when Moses spoke to Israel about obedience
to God’s commandments: “This is your wisdom and your under-
standing in the sight of the peoples.”
Deuteronomy 4:6
. Here is the
only safeguard for individual integrity, the purity of the home, or the
stability of the nation. “The statutes of the Lord are right,” and “he
who does these things shall never be moved.”
Psalm 19:8
;
15:5
.
Only Obedience Keeps From Apostasy
Those who heed the warnings of Solomon’s apostasy will shun
the first approach of those sins that overcame him. Only obedience
to Heaven’s requirements will keep anyone from apostasy. As long
as life lasts, we will need to guard the affections and passions firmly.
Not for a moment can we be secure except as we rely on God, the
life hidden with Christ. Watchfulness and prayer are the safeguards
of purity.
All who enter the City of God will enter through the narrow
gate, for “there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles.”
Revelation 21:27
. But none who have fallen need to give up in
despair. Aged men and women, once honored of God, may have
defiled their souls, sacrificing virtue on the altar of lust, but if they
repent, forsake sin, and turn to God, there is hope for them. “Let the
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let
him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our
God, for He will abundantly pardon.”
Isaiah 55:7
. God hates sin, but
He loves the sinner.
The Effects of Solomon’s Apostasy
Solomon’s repentance was sincere, but he could not undo the
harm that his example had brought. During his apostasy some people
in the kingdom maintained their purity and loyalty, but the repentant
king could not easily stop the forces of evil that idol worship and
worldly practices had set in operation. He had greatly weakened his
influence. Many hesitated to place full confidence in his leadership.
[31]
The king could never hope to destroy entirely the terrible influence
of his wrong deeds. Made bold by his apostasy, many continued
to do evil. And in the downward course of many of the rulers who