THE LIFE OF KING SOLOMON

Have you ever wondered how King Solomon could be such a wise man and yet finish so poorly? Most of us know the story. David passed the throne to his son through Bathsheba named Solomon. He really was not very old when he began his reign. And as most of us know, the Lord gave Solomon the gift of wisdom and knowledge. And further blessed him with riches, wealth and honor because of his humble request.

• 2 Chronicles 1:11-12  And God said to Solomon: "Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life--but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king-- wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like."

 

• 1 Kings 4:29-34 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men--than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

 
Solomon was renowned in his lifetime for his great wisdom and is still highly regarded as such to this day. But Solomon's disobedience in regard to marrying wrong and choosing their gods, hence forsaking the Lord, has also been recorded on the pages of history.

• 1 Kings 11:1-2 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites-- from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, "You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love.

 

• 1 Kings 11:3-4 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David. 

 

• 1 Kings 11:5-8 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.  Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

 
King Solomon had such great wisdom and yet had at least 700 forbidden marriages with daughters of foreign kings and numerous illicit concubines. One might say, well that is how it was back then. But God expressly forbid such marriages and relationships.
 
How could someone be the wisest man in the whole world, and forsake God in such a way? It is written in verse 4, “his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.” In Ecclesiastes chapter 2, Solomon wrote of what his heart went after.

• Ecclesiastes 2:4-9 I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.

 

• Ecclesiastes 2:11a Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.

 
Even with all of Solomon’s wisdom, wealth and achievements, it happened just as the Lord said in 1Kings 11:2, if you intermarry with them, surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.

• 1 Kings 11:9-10 So the LORD became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the LORD had commanded.

 
Solomon forsook the Lord to serve his fleshly nature and the gods of his wives. And toward the end, he said it was all vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:11). He could have led his people to serve God with a reverent fear of the Lord. Instead, even with all his wisdom, he led the people in evil ways.
 
And sin is expensive.

• 1 Kings 11:11-13 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."
  

 
In 1 Kings 11:7, it says that, “he built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon.” The worshipers of Molech would sacrifice their babies by burning them alive. We are to serve one God and one God alone. It is a dangerous thing to keep people in our inner circle who do not fear the Lord or worship other gods, for in time we may become like them.
 
Fame, international recognition, power, wealth and great possessions, professional success and the greatest wisdom and knowledge have no real value if the one who possesses them does not have a heart totally surrendered to the Lord. In chapter 2 of Ecclesiastes, Solomon confessed his discouragement after realizing he had had everything. There was nothing left for him to desire, because he had focused only on himself, everything was for him, and he was even bothered by the thought that his descendants would inherit the fruit of his efforts.
 
Jesus was the perfect model of selflessness, and lived a life in total obedience and love for the Father and for people. Jesus' life is the greatest example of success, because He fulfilled the Father’s plan for Him. And Solomon, even though he had great achievements, confirmed in his writings that everything a person does for selfish reasons does not bring lasting joy or real satisfaction. In Matthew 6 it says that if we seek the kingdom of God first and His righteousness, that all our needs will be taken care of. We must choose the Lord and remain in Him. Only then do we have true life now and a secure eternity with the Lord. There is nothing in this world worth forsaking the Lord for.