The LORD and the "gods" of the Nations, 2

As we continue our look at King Solomon as a prime example of a bitter root, we look at the destructive force that a pagan spouse will prove. Under the influence of his pagan wives, Solomon became a pagan himself: He built temples for supernatural creatures, such as Moloch and Chemosh and worshipped them himself (1 Kings 11:1-8).

While we must not be superstitious about contact with material objects associated with pagan "gods" (1 Corinthians 8:4-7), we must never knowingly become involved with such objects as an act of worship because if we do, we may "catch" something (1 Corinthians 10:16-22).

There is a profound parallel between knowingly eating food sacrificed to an idol and partaking of the LORD's supper.

Both acts involve communion (based on forms of the Greek word, κοινωνία, koinōnia, a word that means "participation, sharing, communion, fellowship").

We connect with the Lord Jesus Christ when we partake of the bread and wine in Holy Communion: Scripture teaches us THAT he is present, not HOW he is present.

But this is also true when people knowingly participate in pagan worship because, "The sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants (κοινωνός, koinōnos) with demons" (1 Corinthians 10:20).

The life of Solomon demonstrates that he did repent near the end of his life and wrote a book about his having become an old fool (Ecclesiastes 1:1; Ecclesiastes 4:13) to warn us about life lived "under the sun," without the divine perspective.