Solomon

His name means: “Peaceable”

His work: The son of King David and Bathsheba, Solomon was the third king of Israel.

His character: Known until this day as the wisest man who ever lived.

His sorrow: Although he was an extremely intelligent man, later in his life he became disobedient to God and sacrificed everything on the altar of sexual excess. His inability to lead his own children led to the kingdom’s division and ultimate fall.

His triumph: Solomon built the kingdom of Israel to its greatest level in material wealth and land.

Key Scriptures: 1 Kings 2-5

…A Look at the Man

…It’s one of the most incredible moments in all of Scripture. The Lord of Israel, the Creator of the universe, makes an offer to a mortal man-Solomon, the son of David and the newly anointed king of Israel. Like the archetypal genie in the bottle, God asks Solomon to make a wish. But Solomon’s historic opportunity becomes his greatest tragedy.

This may be the saddest story in the Bible.

It’s the account of a man who literally had everything. The only thing more difficult to comprehend than his great mind, his enormous wealth, and his enormous power were the prospects of what he could have done with these things. Solomon had the incredible capability to change his world.

But in spite of doing many good things during his lifetime, he actually squandered this potential. Of course he built a name for himself. Go ahead and ask anyone to finish this sentence: “That guy over there has the wisdom of _________.”

What happened to Solomon? The reason for his pathetic failure is actually quite clear. He broke this commandment: “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:4-5

Solomon should have known better. In fact, he did know better. As his father, David, was dying, Solomon heard these words. “Observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.”

But somehow Solomon believed he could be the exception to the rule, the one man who could break God’s law without suffering the consequences. But God was not going to ignore all the idols and altars he had set up to please his foreign wives, accustomed as they were to worshiping various idols. Because of his infidelity, the kingdom of Israel split apart after his death, with Judah and its capital, Jerusalem, in the south and Israel and its capital, Samaria, in the north.

It was too late for Solomon to discover that a man before God’s throne is judged by what is in his heart. “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2 KJV).

Instead of leaving a world-changing legacy, Solomon left us with a graphic lesson in eternal fruitlessness-with no excuses

Praise God: For his constancy. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Offer Thanks: That God's words are consistent with his character.

Confess: Any wavering in your devotion to God.

Ask God: To help you maintain a course that will daily bring you closer to him.

Instead of leaving a world-changing legacy, Solomon left us with a graphic lesson in eternal fruitlessness-with no excuses.

Reflect On: 1 Kings 8:56ÔÇô61; 11:9ÔÇô13

Solomon should have known better. In fact, he did know better. As his father, David, was dying, Solomon heard these words. “Observe what the LORD your God

requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.”

But somehow Solomon believed he could be the exception to the rule, the one man who could break God’s law without suffering the consequences. But God was not going to ignore all the idols and altars he had set up to please his foreign wives, accustomed as they were to worshiping various idols. Because of his infidelity, the kingdom of Israel split apart after his death, with Judah and its capital, Jerusalem, in the south and Israel and its capital, Samaria, in the north.

It was too late for Solomon to discover that a man before God’s throne is judged by what is in his heart. “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2

……“What should we learn from the life of Solomon?”……Solomon is the third and last king of the united kingdom of Israel, following King Saul and King David. He was the son of David and Bathsheba, the former wife of Uriah the Hittite whom David had killed to hide his adultery with Bathsheba while her husband was on the battle front. Solomon wrote the Song of Solomon, the book of Ecclesiastes, and much of the book of Proverbs. His authorship of Ecclesiastes is contested by some, but Solomon is the only "son of David" to be "king over Israel" (not just Judah) "in Jerusalem" (Ecclesiastes 1:1, 12), and many of the descriptions of the author fit Solomon perfectly. Solomon reigned for 40 years (1 Kings 11:42).……What are the highlights of Solomon's life? When he ascended to the throne, he sought after God and God gave him opportunity to ask for whatever he wanted. Solomon humbly acknowledged his inability to rule well and unselfishly asked God for the wisdom he would need to rule God's people justly. God gave him wisdom and wealth besides (1 Kings 3:410:27). In fact, his riches and wisdom surpassed all of the kings of the earth (1 Kings 10:23). God also gave him peace on all sides during most of his reign (1 Kings 4:20-25). The favorite illustration of that wisdom is his judging a dispute over the identity of the true mother of an infant child (1 Kings 3:16-28). Solomon was not only wise in his rule but had great general wisdom as well. His wisdom was renowned in his day, and the Queen of Sheba traveled 1,200 miles to verify the rumors of his wisdom and grandeur (1 Kings 10). Solomon wrote many proverbs and songs (1 Kings 4:32) and completed many building projects (1 Kings 7:1-12, 9:15-23). Solomon also built a fleet of ships and acquired tons of gold from Ophir with Hiram, king of Tyre, as a partner (1 Kings 9:26-2810:11, 22). Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, many of them foreigners who led him into public idolatry in his old age, greatly angering God (1 Kings 11:1-13).……There are many lessons we can learn from the life of Solomon. First, when we seek God with all of our heart, He will be found (1 Kings 3:3-7). Second, those who honor God will be honored by Him (1 Kings 3:11-131 Samuel 2:30). Third, God will equip us to accomplish the tasks He calls us to if we will rely on Him (1 Kings 3; Romans 12:3-82 Peter 1:3). Fourth, the spiritual life is a marathon, not a sprint. A good start is not always enough to finish well (1 Kings 3, 11). Fifth, we can sincerely ask God to incline our hearts toward Him (1 Kings 8:57-58), but we will wander off the path of righteousness if we choose to violate His revealed word. Contrary to God's written word concerning kings, Solomon multiplied to himself gold, horses, and wives (700 wives and 300 concubines) (Deuteronomy 17:14-17). He also married non-Jewish wives (Deuteronomy 7:3, 4Exodus 34:16). Sixth, those closest to us will affect our spiritual lives (Exodus 34:161 Kings 11:1-8; Daniel 1, 3; 1 Corinthians 15:33), and we must therefore be very careful of the company we keep. Seventh, life lived apart from God will be meaningless, regardless of education, fulfilled goals, the greatest of pleasures, and the greatest abundance of wealth (Ecclesiastes 1:2).