Good day, everyone! Today, let us examine 1 Kings chapter 11. The theme is: The Lord’s Anger Against Solomon.

Solomon, in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter, loved many foreign women. How many did he take? Seven hundred wives, all princesses, and three hundred concubines. It is a pathetic sight. Solomon considered himself exceptionally wise. In rank, he was king—higher than any consort. Yet he failed to hold the line; he succumbed instantly to temptation. He took all these women with supreme self-confidence, and was promptly seduced into worshipping their foreign gods. The Lord’s anger burned against Solomon.

This demands hard reflection: the very moment you are brimming with self-confidence is when you lose control. Your own intentions count for nothing. One must recognize that the spiritual realm operates on uncompromising rules.

Solomon himself authored Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. How did he fall into this pit?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

How did Solomon fall into the trap? Do not imagine that because I stand here expounding the Scriptures with clarity and coherence, I am somehow extraordinary. If I begin to think of myself as great, you will see God’s wrath fall upon me. This has nothing to do with me; I am merely a vessel.

Solomon Loved Many Foreign Women

He had seven hundred wives, who were princesses, and three hundred concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. (1 Kings 11:3)

I asked myself: what was he trying to achieve? I still fail to understand why Solomon accumulated such numbers. I surmise these women were all princesses because of Solomon’s imperial stature. One day an envoy from Moab offers a royal daughter; the next, an Ammonite envoy offers theirs. They arrived with lavish dowries. After securing benefits from Pharaoh, Solomon opened the floodgates—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, and the rest. A Moabite princess brings along handmaids, perhaps even more attractive than the princess herself. Solomon indulged in loving many foreign women.

Infatuation is nothing more than a feeling. Brothers and sisters, let us be clear: raw feelings are dangerously deceptive. Solomon developed pleasant sensations toward these foreign women—pleasing to the eye, graceful, attractive in every respect. And so he doted on them.

From the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love. (1 Kings 11:2)

These women would say: "Solomon, come worship my god! You worship mine, and I will worship yours—a fair exchange. Our god is merely an idol, nothing of consequence." Solomon heard this and thought: "Isn't it just a carved piece of wood?" One compromise led to another, provoking the wrath of God. Solomon indulged these women. You must be exceedingly vigilant.

Some say, "Marrying the wrong woman is a tragedy." Is it? Recently, a man was sentenced to life imprisonment. Was it his own fault, or was it because he married the wrong wife? Others remark: "So-and-so rose to power, so-and-so fell from grace, all because of the wife he took." It is an intriguing observation. But understand this: marital union is fundamentally a spiritual transaction. The mutual influence within marriage goes far beyond personal affection; it enters the spiritual domain. Marriage is a spiritual reality.

Why is it a spiritual reality? Once infatuation took hold, the evil spirits residing in these women transferred onto Solomon. He had no idea how he became possessed. Once possessed, bizarre things inevitably occur. Examine yourselves carefully; we often cannot tell whether our actions are truly our own.

Let me give an example. A person feels depressed, but does not know whether it is his own emotion or a spirit of depression weighing upon him. A headache can stem from a spirit of headache; depression comes from a spirit of depression. Today, many cannot distinguish between themselves and evil spirits. Gradually, you discover a pattern: you lose self-control. You intend to do one thing, yet an inner impulse drives you toward another.

Pay close attention: the spiritual realm operates with ruthless efficiency. When Solomon doted on foreign women, these women worshipped their idols. These foreign deities share a common feature: almost all are tied to sexual immorality. The Ammonites and Moabites were themselves the product of incestuous immorality. Evil spirits are formidable precisely because they are invisible.

Consider Lot. He took his two daughters into a cave in the mountains. The older daughter plotted to preserve their lineage through their father. Was it her own calculation, or an evil spirit driving her mind? It is difficult to separate. But one fact is crystal clear: anyone carrying evil spirits will face misery down the road.

This reality utterly flattened Solomon’s wisdom. Flattened by whom? By the evil spirits carried by these foreign women. Ponder this carefully. You may listen to this as a story, but you ought to investigate and understand it deeply. The offspring of Lot and his daughters became the Moabites and Ammonites. Did they see the evil spirits? No. But does being unseen mean they do not exist?

God said to Cain:

If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it. (Genesis 4:7)

Cain opened the door and saw no Satan standing there. Did he see it? No. Does being unseen mean it does not exist? The evil spirit seized control of Cain, and he spent his entire life under its tormenting grip.

Evil spirits are invisible. If you could see the spiritual realm with mortal eyes, you would be operating on an entirely different plane. How many evil spirits did Solomon amass? How they seduced him surpasses our imagination. The thought entered, the deed followed—he erected temples for foreign gods and worshipped them, perhaps without even realizing what he had become. Where was the Lord God? Forgotten! How could Solomon forget? Did he not author Proverbs himself? Where was the fear of the Lord? Gone! Brothers and sisters, realize this: many of the things we do may not truly originate from us.

What is the logic here? It is straightforward. The notions in our minds and the indulgences we pursue open the door to evil spirits. Once they arrive, you lose control, you lose your grip, and even your memory fails. In his old age, his wives seduced his heart. Why in old age? Because these spirits had been steadily releasing their venom within him over time.

Solomon Was Tempted

He had seven hundred wives, who were princesses, and three hundred concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods. (1 Kings 11:3-8)

This is why I urge you to be vigilant against inviting evil spirits into your life. How are they invited? The spiritual realm is teeming with them. How do they enter? The primary conduit is sexual intercourse; it transmits evil spirits with exceptional ease. Observe those who habitually patronize prostitutes—they carry an immense burden of evil spirits.

A friend once confided in me about his erratic behaviour. After drinking, he lost all sense of who he was. I explained the reality to him, wanting him to find deliverance: "You must understand the spiritual realm and how demons operate. How do they enter? Precisely through these avenues." He replied, "In that case, I must be full of demons."

Consider how many spirits a person can carry. A person carries baggage from thirty generations of ancestors—parents, grandparents, great-grandparents. When two people marry, that doubles to sixty lineages. He calculated this and exclaimed, "I must be bearing curses from eighteen thousand people!" How can anyone prosper under such a load?

Therefore, exercise strict discipline. Solomon’s fall is no mystery. When you marry so many foreign women, do you grasp the reality of the spiritual world? You do not. And does your ignorance excuse you? Ignorance is no defense.

I have friends who fly drones. Singapore designated a specific zone for drone flying, and I joined them. They told me, "Regulations here are very strict." I joked, "If the police show up, I will just say I didn't know." They laughed: "Pleading ignorance gets you nowhere." I often use that line. But they were right: regulations are uncompromising; they will fine you regardless of whether you knew the law or not.

Did Solomon not know? A man of his intellect? He likely knew. But knowing or not knowing makes no difference to spiritual laws. Do not assume Solomon was merely tempted on a human level. It was spiritual manipulation. It reached a point where one could hardly tell: was Solomon acting on his own, or were evil spirits pulling the strings?

I have observed this acutely of late: people losing control. For instance, when I warn brothers and sisters that those who judge will be judged, someone replies: "Pastor, I cannot help it. The impulse is overpowering; whenever this happens, I pass judgment." What is that? That is a demon of judgment. Others fall chronically into distress and depression. A sister is already divorced; her ex-husband's actions no longer concern her, yet she remains in agony. She wishes to stop, but cannot. Who is behind this? Demonic forces.

Solomon’s seduction began when he opened the door. Open the front door, and the demons enter from behind. Once they are inside, you are no longer in command. You have invited the wolf into the house.

Think of our physical body as a vehicle. Inside, multiple drivers are fighting for the wheel. In Solomon’s case, there were at least a thousand drivers. Each wife brought a demon—that makes a thousand, plus himself, one thousand and one.

In psychology, they speak of "multiple personality disorder"—shifting from one persona to another. Modern psychology studies this, but cannot adequately explain it. The cold reality is that multiple demons reside within.

A demon shoves Solomon aside: "Get out of the way, I am driving." His body becomes a public vehicle. One demon demands the wheel; an Ammonite spirit demands control. Suddenly, he is off worshipping Milcom, then Ashtoreth. Complete chaos. Solomon was exceedingly wise, yet once he cracked the door open an inch, it eventually swung wide open. Demons queued up to barge in. Do not find this strange. Examine yourselves closely: how many are occupying your house?

God's grace is abundant. Today, through Jesus Christ, we can cast these things out and reclaim who we truly are. Yet even after reclaiming yourself, you cannot stand alone. You must allow the Spirit of God to dwell within, surrendering your entire being—body, soul, and spirit—to God, letting Him reign as King. If an evil spirit comes knocking and sees Jesus fully occupying the house, it is terrified and flees. But if it opens the door and finds Jesus occupying only a third of the space, with two-thirds left vacant, it will move right back in.

This is why we must conquer all the territory within us and drive out every demonic presence. Deliverance is a lifelong campaign. Reclaim the entire Promised Land, surrender every quarter to Jesus Christ, and you will have true freedom. Any ground not surrendered to Christ remains under bondage.

Does this analysis let Solomon off the hook? I do not know. But I certainly intend to take the burden off your shoulders. Lay the blame where it belongs—on the demons. Even if you committed the fault, it does not matter; cast the demons out today.

Lately, I have been pondering how many of our brothers and sisters are being harassed by these demons. A great many. Some cannot control their impatience. I myself have this flaw—a sharp temper. Why? Because I think I am smart, and I find it hard to endure foolishness. How terrible is that? What right do I have to act this way?

I am explaining the fundamental mechanism behind Solomon's temptation, and indeed, our own temptation. If an evil spirit or inner sin is at work, subdue it. Submit yourselves to Jesus Christ. This is precisely what the Israelites had to do when entering the Promised Land: drive out every single entity and inhabitant within it. No half-measures.

God’s Anger Against Solomon

This brings up a critical point. Was it not an evil spirit that tempted him? If the demon seduced him into doing this, shouldn't the blame be placed entirely on the demon? If a demon dwells within you and operates through you, why was God angry with Solomon?

Let us face the hard facts. If we yield to demonic promptings, we are collaborators. If we obey God and work with Him, that is co-working with God. In either case, you bear responsibility. Do not make excuses about "losing control"—you opened the door yourself. Therefore, God was angry with Solomon. Do not assume that divine wrath is bad. If you think God’s wrath is unwarranted, you have misunderstood fundamentally. God is a God who saves through discipline.

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. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. 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. 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. 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." (1 Kings 11:9-13)

God spoke to Solomon once again. Put yourself in Solomon's shoes—how would you feel? It must have been a bitter pill to swallow. God's anger burned against him because his heart had turned away from the Lord, who had appeared to him twice. Whether Solomon felt comfortable or not is beside the point. Pain is normal; life carries its hardships when you stray. Solomon drifted, and do we not often drift as well? When we turn away, God’s wrath follows. That is unyielding logic. Why did God not deal with Cain or Lamech in the same manner? He simply left them to their own devices, abandoning them to demonic influence. But with His own people, God disciplines decisively. When God is angry with us, we feel the weight of it. Did Solomon repent? Yes, he did.

That was when Solomon began his repentance. Out of that repentance, he penned the Book of Ecclesiastes. The core conclusion of Ecclesiastes is simple: fear God. He wrote it in his old age, after feeling the full force of God’s anger. God was furious because Solomon turned away from the Lord God of Israel, who had revealed Himself twice. So, my brothers and sisters, take this warning seriously: do not stray! God shows us clearly which path to avoid and which to take, yet human nature is prone to folly.

When do men provoke God’s wrath? Not when they are suffering. During the thirteen years David was hunted like an animal, he stayed the course. But Solomon had it too easy. He took seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines—hundreds upon thousands. Imagine the sheer scale of the palace required for that!

When Solomon was riding high, complacency set in. That is a sobering lesson for us. When a Christian prospers, beware. Pride creeps in, and you forget the Lord God. You begin to act as if you own the world. People become puffed up; they walk with an air of invincibility, rising to high national office. But none of that shields you from the wrath of God. We must watch ourselves carefully—especially when wealth increases, when life is smooth sailing, when moving among the political and social elites. You may feel invincible, but that arrogance will not last. Pride goes before a crash.

Understand this clearly: God’s wrath is formidable. If God is angry with you, repent without delay. Why? Because you have strayed from the path He set for you.

God Raised Up Adversaries Against Solomon

Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. (1 Kings 11:14)

And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah. (1 Kings 11:23)

Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah. (1 Kings 11:26)

How does God manifest His anger? He sends adversaries to disturb your peace. Make no mistake: when demonic attacks come, it is because God’s displeasure has been provoked. It is not that evil spirits are greater than God; they are merely instruments in His hands. When adversity strikes, it hurts. What should you do then? Rein in your ego. Put away your arrogance. Stop thinking you are extraordinarily wise, brilliant, or a world-renowned pastor. Even if you are the richest man on earth, humble yourself.

Consider this: when do enemies attack God's people? Solomon enjoyed peace on all fronts; the kingdom flourished. Yet toward the end of his forty-year reign, enemies emerged from every quarter. It was an agonizing struggle for him. He had to fend off enemies while writing Ecclesiastes. Solomon understood perfectly well: you reap what you sow.

If you are suffering today, it is highly likely that God has raised adversaries against you. Having adversaries is actually useful; it keeps you awake at night and reminds you of your true limitations. In your frustration, you realize you are not as mighty as you thought. When enemies attack, it is linked to provoking God’s anger. Illness, workplace troubles, and personal crises are often the works of adversaries.

The only viable course of action is to repent and turn back to God. God raised up Hadad the Edomite, a surviving royal child when Joab wiped out Edom's males. He fled to Egypt and returned after David's death. Could Hadad have given his daughter to Solomon in marriage? Quite likely—another foreign woman. As long as Solomon pleased God, these rebels were kept at bay. Once he provoked God, rebellions erupted everywhere like whack-a-mole. You must know where you stand: either you please God, or you face His wrath. When facing His wrath, the only option is genuine repentance, just as David genuinely repented when he sinned.

God Raised Up Jeroboam

Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah. Here is the account of how he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the terraces and had filled in the gap in the wall of the city of David his father. Now Jeroboam was a man of standing, and when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the tribes of Joseph. About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes. But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molek the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in obedience to me, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my decrees and laws as David, Solomon’s father, did. But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees. I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten tribes.'" (1 Kings 11:26-35)

God sent the prophet Ahijah to speak to Jeroboam. But Jeroboam lacked character. The moment he heard ten tribes would be given to him, his arrogance went through the roof. He thought he was untouchable, prompting Solomon to seek his life. History proved that Jeroboam had poor moral fiber; he refused to heed God's warnings. Did he obey God's commands? Not at all. Give a man a little power and wealth, and he loses all perspective, easily swayed by the dark powers of this world.

Why did God raise Jeroboam? Jeroboam’s personal merit was irrelevant; what mattered was God’s decree to strip ten tribes from Solomon. In life, the identity of your challenger is secondary. When God’s wrath is ignited, your twelve tribes shrink to two.

God’s Grace to Solomon for David’s Sake

The first grace was that this catastrophe would not take place during Solomon’s lifetime. Despite his errors, God allowed him to finish his life and write Ecclesiastes in peace. The division of the kingdom fell upon his son, Rehoboam.

The second grace was that God, honoring His covenant with David, showed mercy to David’s lineage. Solomon’s descendants remained on David’s throne, vindicating God's promise. God delights in rewarding those who follow David’s example. What profound faithfulness God exhibits! Though only two tribes remained—Judah and Benjamin—the royal line was preserved. The other ten tribes eventually became the Samaritans. Today, the core remnants of Israel trace back primarily to Judah and Benjamin.

God is abundant in grace and mercy. Have confidence in Him. God does not only bring judgment; He delivers. Even after Solomon fell into idolatry, God extended such mercy to him.

The Acts of Solomon and His Wisdom

A record of Solomon’s life was written in his era. Whether preserved in the canon or not, we know the Book of Kings drew upon the Book of the Acts of Solomon. Solomon took a detour, jeopardized his final years, yet salvaged his legacy by writing Ecclesiastes. God demonstrated through Solomon that human wisdom is insufficient. Man must not rely on his own cleverness; we must trust the Lord in all things and fear Him. That is the bottom line. The conclusion of Ecclesiastes is simple: Fear God.

Even if you profess to fear God, if you leave a door open to demonic influence, your words become meaningless. But our Lord Jesus offers boundless grace. Do not despair; look to God. In Solomon’s day, Christ had not yet arrived. But today, Christ has borne our griefs and carried our curses. By His stripes we are healed; by His blood we are redeemed; through His chastisement we have peace. Consider the depth of His mercy—whom else should we trust?

From this day forward, walk this path of faith. I may be inadequate now, but God will mold me. I may face oppression now, but God will deliver me. I may lack resources now, but God will provide. I may be sick now, but by His stripes I am healed. I may not fully master God's Word yet, but by faith I will learn and trample the enemy underfoot. Through Christ who loves us, we are more than conquerors!

Jesus Christ has died and risen for us. We have no excuses left. Solomon might have looked for excuses, but we have none. Believe God unconditionally. If you make a mistake, rectify it immediately. Big mistakes, big corrections; small mistakes, small corrections. If you find it hard to break free, drive out the demons hindering you. The resurrection power of Jesus Christ will manifest in us, enabling us to reflect God's glory.

May God bless you all!

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