Solomon, the wisest man of all time, still stumbled and allowed
things in his life that led him astray. He worshiped at the high places,
which were used to sacrifice and burn incense in the pagan manner. For a
time, even the bronze serpent was worshiped - faith was misplaced, in something that had no power of its own. (2 Kings 18:4)
1 Kings 3:3
Solomon loved the Lord, walking [at first] in the statutes and
practices of David his father, only he sacrificed and burned incense in
the high places.
1 Kings 11:7
Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abominable idol of
Moab, on the hill opposite Jerusalem, and for Molech the abominable idol
of the Ammonites.
He also broke laws laid down in Moses' time by amassing horses from Egypt, riches, and foreign wives to himself.
2 Chronicles 1:14-16
Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had 1,400 chariots and
12,000 horsemen, which he placed in the cities [suited for the use] of
chariots and with the king at Jerusalem. And the king made silver and
gold in Jerusalem as common as stones, and he made cedar as plentiful as
the sycamores of the lowland. Solomon’s horses were brought out of
Egypt; the king’s merchants received them in droves, each drove at a
price.
1 Kings 11:1-4
But King Solomon [defiantly] loved many foreign women—the daughter
of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and
Hittites. They were of the very nations of whom the Lord said to the
Israelites, You shall not mingle with them, neither shall they mingle
with you, for surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.
Yet Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, princesses, and
300 concubines, and his wives turned away his heart from God. For when
Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and
his heart was not perfect (complete and whole) with the Lord his God, as
was the heart of David his father.
Deuteronomy 17:16-17 clearly states that no one ought to ever do
such things, for they led to misplaced trust (in the chariots, which
were the trump card in any battle, and also his riches which provided
financial security and ease), and lowered defenses and standards [compromise], in trying to please others and fleshly desires (his foreign wives).
Unchecked sin, even small indulgent things, will wreak havoc in
your life in every way. It comes back to bite you, no matter how small
it is. Also see Judges 2:2-3.
Numbers 33:55
But if you will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from
before you, then those you let remain of them shall be as pricks in your
eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they shall vex you in the land in
which you dwell.
Joshua 23:13
Know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to
drive these nations from before you; but they shall be a snare and trap
to you, and a scourge in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you
perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.
Indulged sin - it pricks, vexes, scourges, traps. Sin will not be benign.
A dull and calloused conscience is the result of unchecked sin.
Ephesians 4:18-19
Their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is
beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life
of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the ignorance (the
want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is
deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart [to the
insensitiveness of their moral nature]. In their spiritual apathy they
have become callous and past feeling and reckless and have abandoned
themselves [a prey] to unbridled sensuality, eager and greedy to indulge
in every form of impurity [that their depraved desires may suggest and
demand].
Unchecked sin and a calloused conscience is a deadly, grave danger. It only takes one sin to lead to much greater sin. It sets you off track, it manipulates your path and your moral compass.
Matthew 6:23
But if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be full of
darkness. If then the very light in you [your conscience] is darkened,
how dense is that darkness!
Titus 1:15
To the pure [in heart and conscience] all things are pure, but to
the defiled and corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very
minds and consciences are defiled and polluted.
It is also wide open door for Satan to use. And he will use it.
1 Peter 5:8
Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and
cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around
like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon
and devour.
Be sober. Be vigilant, cautious. Be humble, sensitive. Seek the
Lord, and do whatever it takes to remain in right standing with him and
to keep your conscience pure and at peace.
Psalm 19:12-13
Who can discern his lapses and errors? Clear me from hidden [and
unconscious] faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me! Then shall I be blameless, and I
shall be innocent and clear of great transgression.
Acts 24:16
Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my
body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly
desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken,
blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men.
