Ungodly commitments will erode your commitment to God Community Group Guide
INTRODUCTION
In a letter in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of 1 Kings, in 1 Kings 3, we are introduced to the third king of the
Jewish people, a man named Solomon. Solomon was anointed King of the Jewish nation in 971 B.C. when he was twenty years old.
King Solomon proceeded to lead the Jewish nation for a period of forty years. Solomon stepped back and reflected on all that the Lord
had done for him and looked forward toward the incredible responsibility that was now before him as king. As Solomon slept at
Gibeon, the Lord responded to his act of worship by appearing to him in a dream. And in that dream, we see the Lord ask Solomon a
single question: "Ask what you wish me to give you." Solomon recognized that he was in desperate need of the Lord and asked for the
Lord to provide him with the wisdom, discernment and understanding to hear and follow the Lord so that He could listen and lead the
Jewish people. The Lord responded to Solomon’s request by granting his request. The Lord gave Solomon the wisdom and leadership
skills that would result in him being remembered throughout history. Solomon would become known as the wisest human being who
ever lived. And, in an amazing expression of grace and generosity, the Lord gave Solomon what he could of asked for but did not ask
for. The Lord would bless Solomon materially and when it came to his reputation. All that Solomon had to do was to continue to live
out his life in a way that continued to place His confident trust in and follow the Lord. And that is what King Solomon did. King
Solomon placed his confident trust in the Lord and followed the Lord as he administered justice for the Jewish people as he led the
Jewish people to complete the Temple and as he led the Jewish people to seek and worship the Lord at the dedication of the temple.
And as King Solomon placed his confident trust in the Lord and followed the Lord, the Lord blessed King Solomon and the Jewish
people materially and relationally. The Lord used King Solomon and the Jewish people as the vehicle to reveal Himself to the world
and enhance His reputation in the world.
And if King Solomon’s story had ended there, King Solomon’s story would have been the perfect story. However, King
Solomon’s story did not end there. Instead, King Solomon’s story took a turn in that he loved many foreign women. And it was King
Solomon’s heart and desires that led him to violate God’s design for marriage in three specific ways. First, King Solomon disobeyed
God’s design for marriage by marrying more than one woman. Second, King Solomon disobeyed God’s design for marriage by
marrying women who worshipped other god’s than the one true God. And third, King Solomon disobeyed God’s command for kings
in marriage by marrying multiple wives from foreign nations. By marrying wives from foreign nations so as to develop alliances and
mutual protection, King Solomon was placing his trust in these nations who worshipped false god instead of placing his confident trust
in the Lord. As Solomon loved and clung to these foreign women, these wives began to turn his heart away after other gods, and his
heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. King Solomon added to the worship of
the Lord the worship of false gods. And it wasn’t that King Solomon worshipped these false gods in private. King Solomon built altars
and shrines just outside of the city of Jerusalem that were used for the public worship of these false gods. And it is in the life of King
Solomon that provides us a timeless truth in that ungodly commitments will erode your commitment to God. The reason that this
timeless truth is so important is because erosion does not happen overnight. Instead erosion destroys by small degrees over time and is
a slow and silent destroyer. As King Solomon loved many foreign women; as King Solomon entered into marriage commitments with
these foreign women who worshipped false gods, something began to slowly change within the heart of King Solomon. King
Solomon’s heart was influenced by his foreign wives to begin to turn his heart away from the Lord and to false gods. And the
influence of his foreign wives on the heart of King Solomon began to subtly, slowly and steadily erode King Solomon’s commitment
to God. And the subtle, slow, and steady effects of erosion eventually led King Solomon to the place where he was worshipping and
participating in the very activities that led the Lord to give the Jewish people the Promised Land in the first place.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Introduce yourself and finish this sentence: A time I was tempted to ignore my responsibilities was when…
2. Read 1 Kings 3:3-14. How did King Solomon respond to the Lords activity in his life and the responsibilities he was given as
king? How did the Lord respond to King Solomon's request? What does this tell us about King Solomon? The Lord?
3. Read 1 Kings 9:1-9. How did the Lord respond to King Solomon prayer during the dedication of the Temple? What did the
Lord promise King Solomon? What did King Solomon have to do in order to experience the Lord's promise?
4. Read 1 Kings 11:1-13. How did King Solomon's love and commitment to foreign women impact his commitment to the Lord?
What are some ways that we can act like King Solomon when it comes to the commitments we make?
5. How did the Lord respond to King Solomon's erosion in his commitment to the Lord? What do we learn about the power of
erosion from the life of King Solomon? How can erosion occur in our lives? What can we do to stop erosion in our lives?
MOVING FORWARD
So, where are you tempted to enter into ungodly commitments? Where are you facing the possibility of failing to finish well as a
follower of Jesus because of the ungodly commitments that you are making?
“For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his
God, as the heart of David his father had been..” 1 Kings 11:4 NASB