His Heart Was Not Perfect

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."

When we think back on the life of David, the first thing that comes to mind is generally not perfection of heart. He was an adulterer, had Uriah killed and caused much destruction by numbering the people against God's will.

Contrast that with Solomon who has no recorded blot in his life until "when he was old". Also, Solomon was the one who built the temple, while David spent his life engaged in war.

However, as God told Samuel,

1 Samuel 16:7

"But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."

When Solomon sinned, we have no record of any remorse. Apparently, Solomon seared his conscience until it stopped "bothering" him.

When David sinned, we know from the Psalms how completely it destroyed him on the inside, knowing that he has broken fellowship with His Heavenly Father. We see his desperate longing for renewal, to be made clean and pure again. We see his utter rejection of the sin and how much he despised it.

God saw Solomon's heart. God saw David's heart. God sees your heart.

David was not perfect but his heart's direction was completely towards God and His law. Sin in David's life was a mistake not a way of life. It was a stumble, a falter, not his daily walk.

What does God see when he looks at my heart?