Chapter 8: Solomon (Great Leaders of the Book)

IN THIS CHAPTER, you will discover: 

A humble man who asked for God's wisdom.

How heathen influence turned Solomon away from God.

AS A RESULT, you will be able to: 

See how God answers the prayers of the humble.

Avoid becoming unequally yoked with unbelievers.

Reading: Talk Thru Bible Personalities, pp. 95-107

Scripture References

2 Samuel 12:24 Born to David and Bathsheba.
1 Kings 1:11-53 Appointed king by David.
2:1-9 Given parting charge.
2:13-3:28 Asked for wisdom.
4:32 Wrote three thousand proverbs.
5:1-7:12 Built temple and palace.
8:1-11 Brought ark into temple.
8:22-53 Offered prayer for temple dedication.
9:1-9 Received promises of God.
9:10-28 Administrated his kingdom.
10:1-13 Visited by Queen of Sheba.
11:1-13 Tempted by other gods.
11:41-43 Died in Jerusalem.


Biographical Observations

Solomon's Silver Spoon
If anyone had ever been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, it was Solomon. His illustrious father was David, the second king of Israel, and his mother Bathsheba was David's favorite wife. From his earliest days Solomon was greatly influenced by both his mother and Nathan the prophet. Nathan was directed by God to name him Jedidiah ("beloved of the Lord"), which reflected his precious position before the Lord. Born in Jerusalem as David's tenth son, Solomon was not heir to the throne. But because he had been chosen by God to rule after David, his earliest expectations were bright with promise.
Little is said of Solomon's formative years, but he was suddenly thrust into prominence near the end of David's reign. Just before his death, David entreated Solomon to honor and glorify God. Furthermore, he was to be merciful and kind to his own people and to those in other nations. David had paved the way for his son's reign by defeating Israel's enemies and uniting the kingdom. Through his many conquests David had extended Israel's borders and brought in taxes and tribute from many conquered peoples. Thus Solomon inherited a wealthy and peaceful kingdom that was open to progress.
In his early years as king, Solomon walked uprightly before God and pleased Him. The first time the Lord appeared to the king in a dream he said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you" (1 Kings 3:5). Because Solomon realized his helplessness in ruling, he asked the Lord for wisdom. Pleased with his request, the Lord gave him additional gifts of riches and honor. Furthermore, the Lord promised him a long life "if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did" (1 Kings 3:14). The real glory of Solomon's reign was the honor he gave to the Lord. Because of the king's obedience in worship, Yahweh's name was revered by all the surrounding nations.
Builder of Beauty
David had longed to build a glorious temple to God. But the Lord had deferred the construction to Solomon because David had been a man of war. However, the Lord had given specific plans to David to be passed on to his son (1 Chron. 28:19). As he did this, David admonished Solomon: "Serve him (God) with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind?.?If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever" (1 Chron. 28:9).

Solomon began building the temple in the fourth year of his reign, and it took seven years to complete. The temple site chosen by David was at the highest point of the threshing floor, which he had purchased from Araunah for fifty shekels of silver. Many scholars believe this site is the same Mount Moriah where Abraham offered Isaac to the Lord and received confirmation of the covenant blessing.
The temple's grandeur was unparalleled because the architect was God. The exterior was of splendid stone hewn before being moved up to the mount. Its interior, lined with carved cedar and burnished gold, was divided into three parts -- the vestibule, the nave, and the inner sanctuary .The Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant, was adorned with two cherubim, each about fifteen feet high and covered with pure gold. (See 1 Kings 5-8 and 2 Chronicles 2-7 for a complete description of the building of the temple.)
When the temple was completed, Solomon summoned the elders and the people of Israel to a dedication ceremony. The priests carried the Ark from the tabernacle and placed it in the temple courtyard. After the offering of many sacrifices, the chief priests took the Ark into the Holy of Holies. When they emerged, the glory of the Lord filled the temple in a cloud. Solomon's subsequent prayer was one of the highest points in his life. He began, "0 Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below" and ended by charging his people, "But your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time" (1 Kings 8:23, 61 ). Solomon's prayer revealed deep spiritual insight and true devotion to the Lord.
One of Solomon's other building projects was his palace, which he built south of the temple. The palace provided quarters for Solomon, his Egyptian queen, and his harem. Also built were several elegant offices for official governmental purposes. This ostentatious effort took thirteen years to complete. In addition, Solomon built fortresses and three centers to house his chariots. To complete all of his building projects, the king required eighty thousand laborers to work as porters, stone masons, and builders. Thirty thousand more workers were sent to Phoenicia to cut down cedar and pine trees for lumber.
Solomon and Sheba
Solomon's three thousand proverbs reflect his keen insight and mental abilities. More than one thousand songs penned by the king reveal his literary and artistic gifts. Solomon's fame spread over the known world. One person who took an immense interest in Solomon was the Queen of Sheba. Intrigued after hearing of his virtue, prudence, vast wealth -- and his God -- she wanted to see for herself. Although the journey was fifteen hundred miles overland, the queen risked the trip. Leaving her kingdom in the Red Sea region, she was accompanied by her entourage and many camels laden with gold, gems, and spices. The caravan traveled across endless deserts and mountains before arriving at its destination.
Once she entered Jerusalem, the Queen of Sheba was received with pomp and ceremony. She was dazzled at Solomon's magnificent palace, the luxury of his daily table, and the daily sacrifice offered to his God. Since she was intelligent and inquisitive, she had come equipped with cunning riddles and very difficult questions to ask Solomon. No question or riddle, however, was beyond his understanding. The queen was so impressed that she praised Solomon's God, "Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel" (1 Kings 10:9). After exchanging gifts with Solomon, the Queen of Sheba departed for her own country.
Decline and Decay
In the beginning of his reign Solomon was uplifted by love and the high hopes of his people. His early ambition is highly commendable. Solomon, however, refused to pursue a life-style consistent with a monarch chosen by God. His change did not happen overnight; instead it was a steady decline from trusting in God to leaning upon his own understanding.
The law of Moses clearly forbade an Israelite from taking a foreign bride. But Solomon forsook the law and attempted to carry out God's purposes in his own way. Because of his many international contacts, he took his first queen from Egypt. Thus Solomon began a political ploy of making alliances with foreign nations and receiving princesses in return. Each of his seven hundred wives was of royal birth. Although the alliances and commercial relations with the heathen nations brought Solomon renown and riches, his many wives and concubines eroded his spiritual wealth.
Solomon made a fatal mistake in thinking himself strong enough to resist their heathen influence. He began to copy Oriental dictators who equated success with the size of their harems. As he acquired wives, Solomon allowed them to worship their own gods. To further please them, he built shrines on a slope of the Mount of Olives near the Holy City .The sensuality of their worship appealed to Solomon, and he was gradually caught up in idolatry. He followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of fertility and the consort of Baal. Solomon even built an altar to Molech, one of the most detestable of the foreign gods since its worship involved child sacrifice. But by this time Solomon was a full-fledged idolator to whom his own religion had become an external ceremony.
As his wealth grew, so did his greed. To support his tremendous building programs and his extensive harem of one thousand wives and concubines, he levied heavy taxes on his people. Solomon's original concern for his people disintegrated into fulfilling his own gratifications. This centralization of wealth plunged many of his subjects into abject poverty. In addition, Solomon developed a cruel streak, becoming an oppressive tyrant. However, he was merely demonstrating the fact that people begin to resemble whatever they worship.
Deciding a Destiny
A Chinese proverb proclaims: "Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny." After the dedication of the temple the Lord appeared once again to Solomon. This time He exhorted him to follow after his father David. Solomon had no excuse for his disobedience because he had been warned of the consequences. All of God's promised blessings to him were conditional on his obedience.
Because of his apostasy, Solomon now had to face the judgment of God. The kingdom would be divided after Solomon's death. Only two tribes would be preserved for David's grandson. God promised this remnant for David's sake and because of the temple in Jerusalem. Looking at Solomon's forty-year reign from a worldly perspective, one sees unparalleled prosperity and glory. His wealth, wisdom, and literary pursuits are still celebrated in the folk literature of the Jews, Arabs, and Ethiopians.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths: Solomon was blessed with a quickness of mind and a tender spirit. He had a strong desire to please God, and as a result was given great wisdom. He was articulate and a prolific writer. Through his study of nature, Solomon came to know God as the creator.
Weaknesses: In his later life Solomon was overcome with sensuality and pride. As his worship disintegrated into idolatry, Solomon despised his own people, becoming unconcerned with either their physical or spiritual welfare.

Key Scripture: "So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" (1 Kings 3:9).
The young king realized the tremendous responsibility of serving as vice-regent under God Almighty. He knew that he needed great wisdom in order to rule God's people. Solomon's declaration is the epitome of a humble servant's heart.
Key Thought: How ironic that the man reputed to be the wisest man who ever lived could make the most unwise decision of all by rejecting the Lord of heaven and embracing idolatry.
Philosophy of Life
Solomon's early philosophy can be discovered through reading the book of Proverbs. He early recognized God as the giver of wisdom and attempted to teach its value. He believed that the home should be a haven of love where each member respected the other. Human relationships should be based on compassion, humility, and generosity. Hard work and honesty, he claimed, were keys to successful living. In contrast, Solomon saw alcohol and sex as two great stumbling blocks to a happy life. His early philosophy could be summed up in the golden rule: "Do to others as you would have them do to you" (Luke 6:31).
Solomon's change in philosophy can be seen in the book of Ecclesiastes. His disillusionment in later life proved that life without God was empty and hopeless. Years later Jesus said: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth?.But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven....For where your treasure is there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:19-21).
Comparison
Although Samson and Solomon may seem unlikely candidates for comparison, a closer look reveals many similarities. Both would hold titles in any book of world records, for their reputations extend beyond biblical accounts. Samson was the strongest man who ever lived, and Solomon was the wisest. Both had godly fathers and a great legacy at birth. Samson was to be a Nazarite who rid his people of the Philistines. Solomon, as appointed heir to David's throne, was to build the temple and rule God's people in righteousness. Tragically, both men veered off course by the lure of pagan women. Samson, however, vindicated himself by killing more Philistines at his death than he had ever killed during his lifetime. But Solomon, as far as we know, never repented.
Solomon in the New Testament
Jesus used the splendor of Solomon as an example when he admonished his disciples not to worry (Matt. 6:29) .He also mentioned Solomon, along with the Queen of Sheba, when he referred to the king's renowned wisdom. Referring to himself, Jesus said, "Now one greater than Solomon is here" (Matt. 12:42). In Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin, he recalled the building of the temple in Jerusalem. David had asked to build a dwelling place for God, but "it was Solomon who built the house for him" (Acts 7:47).
The Grand Design
Solomon, born of parents whose relationship began in adultery, was a lavish and expensive thread chosen by the Master Weaver Himself. He reigned in a period of peace and prosperity such as the world had never known. But Solomon's thread, weakened by idolatry and decadence, became frayed and finally split into two parts, never to be restored again. In spite of his failures, he is graciously named as an ancestor of Jesus in Matthew's genealogy (1:7-8).
Key Concepts: 1. True or False. Solomon was the first son of David and Bathsheba. [96]2. Nathan the prophet named the child (Solomon, Jedidiah), which means "loved of the Lord." [96]3. (Adonijah, Absalom) attempted to steal the throne from Solomon. [96] 4. The building of the (palace, temple) was the greatest project of his life.
[97]
5. True or False. Solomon's many wives and concubines led him into apostasy. [97]
6. (Preoccupation, Presumption) was the weapon used by Satan to divert and distract Solomon from God. [101 ]
7. God?s work can become dangerous if it continually distracts you from seeking God?s daily __________________________. [102]
8. Solomon made a political alliance with Egypt by marrying the daughter of __________________. [103]
9, God had forbidden the Israelites to intermarry with pagans because they would become ensnared by their __________________. [103]
10, True or False God was pleased that Solomon had a great army of 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen. [104]
Further Study: "Solomon," NIDB, pp 952-54
Life Application: Many of the proverbs of Solomon deal with wisdom -- how to get it, its characteristics, and its value. To be an effective leader, you need divine wisdom in your decision making. Read one chapter of Proverbs each day over the next month. Note in your Bible or spiritual diary how its principles of wisdom have helped you in your work and home. What changes have occurred in your decision making?