The life of Solomon is recorded in I Kings 1 – 11, and what an extraordinary life he lived. During his reign the nation of Israel enjoyed unparalleled peace and prosperity. Gold and silver flowed into his treasuries like water. He lived a life of comfort, pleasure, and ease. And yet, something went terribly wrong in Solomon’s life.
A strong start.
Solomon was a young man when he became king. Despite his youth, he had the humility and good sense to ask God for wisdom to rule his people.
“Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around.
And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted!
Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom.
So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—
I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have!
And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!
And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.”
~I Kings 3:7-14
Early in his reign, Solomon began construction on the Temple of the Lord. You can read about the Temple’s construction in I Kings 6, but to summarize, it was a magnificent building, made from the finest materials, and it took seven years to complete.
The Ark of the Covenant was brought to the temple, and Solomon praised God for His goodness and faithfulness. I Kings 8:22-53 records Solomon’s prayer dedicating the temple to the Lord. It’s worth reading the whole thing, but here are some of the highlights:
“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven above or on the earth below.”
~I Kings 8:23
“But will God really live on earth? Why even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!”
~I Kings 8:27
“Forgive your people who have sinned against you. Forgive all the offenses they have committed against you.”
~I Kings 8:50
This prayer shows Solomon at his best. He acknowledges God’s supreme authority, and he prays with humility. God is pleased, and He appears to Solomon a second time. This time God gives Solomon both a promise and a warning (I Kings 9:3-9). Unfortunately, Solomon fails to heed the warning.
Led astray.
Now we come to the sad part of Solomon’s story. Solomon had a weakness, and the powers of Hell knew just how to exploit it!
Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites.
The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway.
He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.
In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been.
Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites.
In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely, as his father, David, had done.
On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites.
Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.
The Lord was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command.
~I Kings 11:1-10
Solomon was a great man, by the worlds standards, and he accomplished many things. But in the end, he was a failure. Near the end of his life he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes where he concluded that despite all that he had accomplished, all that he had experienced, his life was ultimately meaningless. Power, pleasure, fame, wealth… it had all left him empty. A sad tale indeed.
Two takeaways.
As I was reading about Solomon’s life, two lessons jumped out at me:
First, no matter who you are, you are not immune to temptation. Whether you’re a pauper or a president, sin can pull you away from God, and rob you of the only thing that brings lasting joy.
Second, it’s better to have a rough start and finish strong, than to have a good start and falter at the end. It’s too late for Solomon to change course. As far as we know, he went to his grave with the same despair he expressed in Ecclesiastes.
So my encouragement for you is this:
1) Guard your heart. Don’t let the temporary pleasure of sin lead you down a dead end road.
2) Finish strong. No matter where you are right now, it’s not too late to turn things around. One day it will be. Make today the day you dedicate your life to God. Do that, and you will find the meaning and purpose that eluded the wisest man whoever lived.
