2 Chronicles 8:11 tells us about Solomon’s decision regarding his wife’s living quarters.
Now Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.”
A sound idea on the surface, but it brings up all kinds of issues. This woman clearly has no intention of converting to faith in the God of Israel, and Solomon acknowledges that she’s therefore not fit to be in his house. God’s solution? Don’t marry her. His solution? Marry her anyway, and build her another house! This is where his lifelong downward spiral begins (1 Kings 11:4). Isn’t this the wisest man of all? But look how foolish his reasoning becomes when his heart leads his actions over God’s heart.
If we are in Christ, then the ark of the Lord has come to our hearts, and that house is now holy. Surely there are people and things around us that we know do not please God. What do we do with those people and things? Have we built another house in our hearts for them to live? A division like that will cause our hearts and lives to spiral ever downward just as Solomon’s did. And all the wisdom in the world won’t be able to help us at that point. Only by the grace of God can we tear down any house we’ve begun building. The best thing to do is occupy ourselves with the house that the Lord is in within our hearts, and bringing into it what is holy. Then we won’t have to worry about any other house, because we won’t even have the resources to pour into it.
Leave a Reply