March 26 -- "Solomon's Syncretism"

 Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 11

"Solomon's Syncretism"

Despite his many great qualities and his deep wisdom and insight, Solomon had a weakness – a character flaw – which led to his decline and downfall later in life. He was inclined to dabble with idolatry. He never openly or fully walked away from Yahweh. Never fully rejected his Jewish worship roots. Yet, due to the influences of the many women in his life, he was drawn away into the worship of their “strange gods.”

While Solomon continued to worship at Yahweh’s Temple in Jerusalem, he also undertook the construction of many pagan temples in and around the city. Then he would join in with his wives in the idolatrous and pagan practices of those temples. Thus Solomon, with all of his wisdom, all of his blessings, and all of his Jewish roots, disobeyed the commandment of the Lord and his heart gradually turned away from the Lord.  

Rather than blatantly turn away from Yahweh, Solomon attempted to create his “own flavor” of Judaism by blending together the worship of Yahweh and the worship of idols. Thus, Solomon became the author of SYNCRETISM – the merging together of two (or more) distinct and irreconcilable principles into an un-blendable composite. Syncretism is the attempt to harmonize differing or opposing ideas or principles. It is the fusion of different belief systems. The inevitable result of attempting to do so is that the composite no longer accurately represents the original belief system which must be discarded.

The lesson for all of us is this: You cannot merge God’s truth with any opposing ideas or belief systems and expect to stay true to God. The Bible clearly teaches us that we are not to worship idols nor adhere to their belief systems. To attempt to do so would be a betrayal of truth and inconsistent with the worship of God.

Syncretism is not the total abandonment of a faith.  It is way more insidious and dangerous.  It is taking aspects of a different faith and merging it into another.  

Christianity is the faith about following Jesus.  Syncretism is overwriting the beliefs of other faiths or cultures onto this practice.  The intent may not be to create something new.  It may be simply to adapt to the culture.  But it is impossible to mix anything with Jesus without creating something new and unholy. Adding anything to the life and teachings of Jesus and Biblical truth simply creates heresy. A heresy which may go by the label of “Christian,” but in reality, does not conform to the original article. 

Jesus plus anything is not the real Jesus. We cannot create a new without abandoning the old.  God does not take idolatry – nor syncretism – lightly.