Solomon's course brought its sure penalty. His separation from God through communication with idolaters was his ruin. As he cast off his allegiance to God, he lost the mastery of himself. His moral efficiency was gone. His fine sensibilities became blunted, his conscience seared. He who in his early reign had displayed so much wisdom and sympathy in restoring a helpless babe to its unfortunate mother (see I Kings 3:16-28), fell so low as to consent to the erection of an idol to whom living children were offered as sacrifices. He who in his youth was endowed with discretion and understanding, and who in his strong manhood had been inspired to write, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 14:12), in later years departed so far 58 from purity as to countenance licentious, revolting rites connected with the worship of Chemosh and Ashtoreth. He who at the dedication of the temple had said to his people, "Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God" (I Kings 8:61), became himself an offender, in heart and life denying his own words. He mistook license for liberty. He tried--but at what cost!--to unite light with darkness, good with evil, purity with impurity, Christ with Belial.

Salomo kunne ikke undgå sin straf. Han skilte sig fra Gud ved sit samkvem med afgudsdyrkere, og dette blev hans fald. Da han afbrød sin forbindelse med Gud, mistede han kontrollen over sig selv. Han havde mistet sin høje moral. Hans følsomme sind blev afstumpet og hans samvittighed forhærdet. Den mand, som i begyndelsen af sin regeringstid havde lagt så megen visdom og sympati for dagen, da han skulle skaffe en ulykkelig moder sit hjælpeløse barn tilbage (se 1Kong. 3,16-28), faldt så dybt, at han gav sit samtykke til, at der blev lavet en afgud, som man ofrede levende børn til. Det menneske, der blev forlenet med klogskab og forstand i sin ungdom, og som i sin manddoms styrke blev inspireret til at skrive: "Mangen vej synes manden ret, og så er dens ende dog dødens veje" (Ordsp. 14, 12), vandrede senere i livet så langt bort fra renhedens sti, at han overværede de tøjlesløse og oprivende ritualer, som udførtes i forbindelse med dyrkelsen af Kemosj og Astarte. Han, der ved templets indvielse sagde til sit folk: "Måtte eders hjerte være helt med Herren vor Gud" (1Kong. 8,61), blev selv en lovovertræder, som i hjerte og liv fornægtede de ord, han selv havde udtalt. Han forvekslede frihed med løssluppenhed. Han søgte at forene lys og mørke, godt og ondt, renhed og urenhed, Kristus og Belial men for hvilken kolossal pris!