Results of Unequal Yoking

1 Kings 11:1-13
    1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— 2 from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8 And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
    9 So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the LORD had commanded. 11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 12 Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."

Here is the pattern to avoid from scripture, that of a follower child of God going after worshippers of other supposed gods.  Solomon let his heart wander from the love of the LORD God to the love of ungodly women in great abundance, more than the average womanizer of our modern times.  He collected a thousand of them from the nations God specifically commanded Israel not to marry (Exodus 34:16-17, Deuteronomy 7:3-4). E cause they would turn their hearts from Him to sin in empty and destructive worship.  Solomon chose to ignore the clear command which was for his welfare as much as God’s glory, and held tight to his emotional desires and attachments for as many as he desired.  He abused his position of power to satisfy his carnal desires.  As he aged, these heart alliances broke covenant with the LORD and caused him to do what pleased the ungodly women he yoked himself to.  As he worshipped their false deities, Solomon did evil to the LORD and stopped following as his father David had; he was no longer a man after His own heart, but a man following the debase nature of his fallen heart of sinful disobedience.  God twice confronted Solomon about this, yet the king continued to disobey and run after his own pleasures instead.  This led to the kingdom being torn from his descendants and scattered, leaving only Judah (1 Kings 12:20) to continue as a remnant of the covenant promise to his father.  We learn the object lesson here behind the command in 2 Corinthians 6:14 to not be joined with unbelievers in intimacy or marriage, for they will only corrupt with darkness and unrighteousness.  This is how as oxen we can be mismatched to be pulled away from the straight path set by God for us. We do well to take this command to heart and put Christ first above our wayward hearts and desires for the passing pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25).  We will never be fruitful in worship and following the Lord if we please ourselves instead of our Lord who bought us with such a high price.