The Dangers of Obsessive Affection

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Verses: 1 Kings 11:2-4 "The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, 'You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts toward their gods.' Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway... And in his old age, these wives turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being faithful to the Lord his God, as his father David had been."

Solomon's obsessive affection towards his wives is a stark warning to us about the dangers of allowing anything to take precedence over our relationship with God. The Hebrew word for "cleaved" or "loved" in this passage denotes a strong, obsessive bond, one that supersedes all other relationships, including our relationship with God.

As God's people, we are called to have a singular devotion to Him, a devotion that is not divided by our affections for other things. Yet, so often we find ourselves drawn to things that captivate our hearts and minds, things that promise us fleeting pleasures and temporary satisfaction. We may think that we can balance our love for God with our love for these other things, but the truth is, we cannot serve two masters.

When we allow ourselves to become obsessively attached to anything other than God, we begin to turn our hearts away from Him. We start to see the world through a different lens, a lens that is shaped by our desires and affections rather than by God's Word. We may still go through the motions of serving God, but our hearts are no longer fully devoted to Him.

This is exactly what happened to Solomon. Despite his wisdom and wealth, he allowed his love for his wives to turn his heart away from God. He began to worship other gods and engage in idolatrous practices, and as a result, his kingdom was torn apart.

The consequences of obsessive affection are severe, and yet, we so often underestimate the power of our desires and affections. We think that we can control them, that we can balance our love for God with our love for other things. But the truth is, our hearts are deceitful and prone to wander.

The only solution is to cut the link once and for all, to turn our backs on those things that captivate our hearts and minds, and to fix our eyes on God alone. This is not a passive process, but an active one, one that requires us to intentionally seek God and to intentionally turn away from those things that distract us from Him.

As we reflect on our own lives, let us ask ourselves: What are the things that captivate our hearts and minds? Are there any obsessive bonds in our lives that are turning our hearts away from God? Let us commit to cutting those links once and for all, and to fixing our eyes on God alone.

Prayer: 

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to recognize the dangers of obsessive affection and to turn our hearts back to You. Give us the strength to cut the links that bind us to the things of this world, and to fix our eyes on You alone. May we be singularly devoted to You, and may our hearts be fully surrendered to Your will. Amen.

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