Have we stumbled into Solomon’s snare?

The turning away of American hearts

When God separated out Israel as a people for Himself, he desired them to be truly separate, set apart.

God warned about intermingling with other nations and cultures, not as a matter of racism, but because He did not want Israel following the despicable practices of those whom they were driving out and others who dwelt in the neighboring lands:

When the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, and when the LORD your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you.

Deut. 7:1-4

God did not want His people turned away. He warned that destruction would come upon them should this happen. God made allowance for those from other cultures to become part of Israel, if they would accept the Israelite culture and follow the Israelite laws, but God made no allowance for Israel to adopt their foreign behaviors. God also warned the Israelites sternly about those who would lead them. He exhorted them to never have a foreigner as their leader, and what would happen if the king’s heart was turned away:

When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, “I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,” you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman. Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the LORD has said to you, “You shall never again return that way.” He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.

Deut. 17:14-18

While these precepts were penned in millennia past, their modern application is pertinent. I am not in any way intending to imply America is or should be a theocracy. I am bringing these up because there are general principles here that can help understand modern American politics and policy.

America is a country that was founded on immigration; of this there is no doubt. America also was founded, as I recently wrote, on principles of morality and virtue that originate in the Judeo-Christian tradition:

Trading liberty for license

The founders envisioned that those migrating to America, while bringing elements of their own culture, would become part of the new culture being developed, that America would establish a unique culture of its own into which immigrants would integrate. In order to attain this goal, the founders held a view of immigration similar to that which God laid out for Israel, and some fostered rather strict requirements for those wishing to come to this new land. Alexander Hamilton wrote regarding the naturalization of foreigners:

The safety of a republic depends essentially on the energy of a common National sentiment; on a uniformity of principles and habits; on the exemption of the citizens from foreign bias, and prejudice; and on that love of country which will almost invariably be found to be closely connected with birth, education and family.

Alexander Hamilton, The Examination Number VIII, 12 January 1802

Hamilton wasn’t alone in this belief. George Washington wrote to John Adams of his own position on the matter:

My opinion with respect to emigration is, that except of useful mechanic’s—and some particular descriptions of men—or professions—there is no need of extra encouragement: while the policy, or advantage of its taking place in a body (I mean the settling of them in a body) may be much questioned; for by so doing they retain the language, habits & principles (good or bad) which they bring with them; whereas, by an intermixture with our people, they, or their descendants, get assimilated to our customs, manners and laws: in a word, soon become one people.

George Washington to John Adams, 15 November 1794

The idea was that immigrants arriving in America would eventually “become one people,” along with those already here. Clearly such assimilation would require adoption of America’s system of morals, which would necessitate embracing the aforementioned system of Judeo-Christian values. James Madison believed immigration should be restricted to those who would add to the prosperity of America, if such person truly wished to “incorporate himself into our society”:

I should be exceeding sorry, sir, that our rule of naturalization excluded a single person of good fame, that really meant to incorporate himself into our society; on the other hand, I do not wish that any man should acquire the privilege, but who, in fact, is a real addition to the wealth or strength of the United States.

James Madison, Naturalization, 3 February 1790

So what does all of this have to do with Solomon? Solomon was a wise man, the wisest among men, but he was led away by his selfish desires. Solomon violated God’s precepts and took many wives for himself from other nations. As a result, his heart was turned aside from God, and he led Israel astray.

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love. He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.

1 Kings 11:1-4

God was very displeased with Solomon and told Solomon that, for David’s sake, he would be allowed to remain king, but the kingdom after Solomon passed would be divided in two, and only the smaller of the kingdoms would remain in his son’s hands. Imagine, embracing foreigners without any requirement of acculturation leads to division. How can this be?

What is happening in America now, and has been for quite some time, is the result of exactly such a practice. At one time, immigrants were expected to amalgamate into American culture that the country would have a somewhat homogenous view of principles and law. Instead, “diversity” is now lauded as our strength, yet it is this diversity without incorporation that is dividing the country. This trend away from syncretism toward heterogeneity has led to political fracturing that grows greater with each passing day. Yet why would those in government foment such division? After all, it is government and educational institutions from which we get the concepts and mandates of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. It is from the idea of diversity that we are told any attempts to mimic another’s ethnologies are cultural appropriation. There is a reason for inciting such discord - power. Politicians use cultural conflict to gain and maintain political power. Driving dissonance among Americans makes them malleable for manipulation. The founding fathers foresaw this. Hamilton wrote of it thusly: 

The impolicy of admitting foreigners to an immediate and unreserved participation in the right of suffrage, or in the sovereignty of a Republic, is as much a received axiom as any thing in the science of politics, and is verified by the experience of all ages. Among other instances, it is known, that hardly any thing contributed more to the downfall of Rome, than her precipitate communication of the privileges of citizenship to the inhabitants of Italy at large. And how terribly was Syracuse scourged by perpetual seditions, when, after the overthrow of the tyrants, a great number of foreigners were suddenly admitted to the rights of citizenship? Not only does ancient but modern, and even domestic history furnish evidence of what may be expected from the dispositions of foreigners, when they get too early footing in a country. Who wields the sceptre of France, and has erected a Despotism on the ruins of a Republic? A foreigner. Who rules the councils of our own ill-fated, unhappy country? And who stimulates persecution on the heads of its citizens, for daring to maintan an opinion, and for exercising the rights of suffrage? A foreigner! Where is the virtuous pride that once distinguished Americans? Where the indignant spirit which in defence of principle, hazarded a revolution to attain that independence now insidiously attacked?

Alexander Hamilton, The Examination Number VII

Let me be clear: this isn’t just about immigration or immigrants. Native-born Americans have fallen into this trap as well. If you have ever wondered why politicians incited the issue of hyphenated Americans, you now know - it is a political strategy for cultivating a voter base by creating such disharmony that all (except the elites) are made to suffer. We no longer have that “uniformity of principles and habits” of which Hamilton wrote. We are pitted against each other by those elected to govern, all for the sake of keeping their position. The end is a country of people, most of whom are ignorant of the founding principles, voting for government and policies that violate the founding documents. Conflicting personal interests and desires lead to political balkanization and corruption that draw the country to its knees. Many in this land hold allegiances more dear to them than America. Some because of religion, others because of culture; yet all this diversity tears at the fabric of this once great refuge. Flags are flown above the American flag, signifying greater worth, and a great number disrespect and outright despise the star spangled banner.

We are a country divided. As with Israel under Solomon, the hearts of the citizens are turned away from those virtues upon which the country was built, and without which it cannot stand. Divide and conquer is a well-known winning battle strategy, and the war is raging from within. The pit into which Solomon fell has now ensnared America.