1 Kings 11:4
For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

God had blessed Solomon and had given him an abundance of everything he could have wanted.  He had wealth and riches and land.  He had peace from battle.  He had vast wisdom.  But having those things did not mean that he was free to seek after those things that God had forbidden.  And at the end of that long life that God had blessed him with, Solomon allowed his heart to be drawn away to the false gods of his wives.  He forsook the God who had given him everything for some lifeless statues.

For all the mistakes that David made, he never turned aside to idolatry.  His heart was always solely for God alone.  That is the perfect heart—one that remains faithful to the Lord and does not turn aside to other gods.  And David was the standard for the kings who would come after him, but Solomon failed to follow his father’s example.  The first commandment God gave Israel was to have no other gods, and a breach of that commandment was devastating not only for Solomon, but the whole nation of Israel.

We can’t let anything pull our hearts away from the one true God.  No matter what happens, may it never be enough to cause us to turn aside from following the Lord.  We can’t allow anything to have enough influence in our lives to draw our hearts away to those abominations that so displease our God.  It starts with giving God first place and guarding our relationship with Him.  It starts by guarding our hearts and filling them with God’s Word and His truth so we might not sin against Him.  And we have to guard against temptation and our desires and pursuits that might draw us away from the Lord.

Solomon’s choices had long-lasting and far-reaching effects.  The kingdom and the nation were divided.  And instead of following David’s example and living with a perfect heart, many who came after followed Solomon’s example of disobedience instead and allowed themselves to be continually drawn away to those idols.  We may not be kings or rulers, but we can still follow David’s example and live with a perfect heart toward God.  May our hearts not be filled with idols.  May we not be drawn away by what this world has to offer.  But may our hearts be fixed on God, filled with love for Him and His Word, and fully dedicated to Him.