The trouble was all in Solomon's heart! It is the heart which needs watching and keeping with all diligence. The heart must be wholly devoted in its aim and motive, to God and His service.
Solomon had a corner in his heart for the Lord and then other corners for the gods of all the other nations. The Savior's words are: "You cannot serve both God and mammon."
We need to be on our guard against Solomonian religion! There is plenty of it these days. It abhors the preaching of the stern truths of God's Word about sin and punishment, and about holiness. It sends well-near everybody to Heaven and regards Hell as a mere fable! It calls holy Christians "puritanic" or "strait-laced." It calls great sins "escapades," and finds no use for such psalms as the fifty-first.
It is not hard to see in this verse, however which of the two kinds of religion pleases God best, and which leads to the best end.
[J. R. Miller]
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.
Matthew 6:24 ... No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Proverbs 4:23 ... Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.❤
