Weekly
message: King Solomon’s wisdom, wealth, downfall and legacy
By
Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts &
Gospel music
Date:
October 10,2021
Introduction
When King Solomon was young, he followed and served the Lord
wholeheartedly and obeyed his father King David’s instruction to build a temple
for the Lord as sanctuary. He obeyed the Lord, and walked as his father King
David’s way, wholly devoted to the Lord and walk in His statutes and to keep
His commandments. The Lord granted his prayers, desires of his heart to gain
wisdom, understanding and discernment to govern the people. King Solomon became
greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And all the
earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put
in his heart.
However, in his old age Solomon became oppressive (1Kin.12:10), but his
later decline should not blind us to his early brilliance. Critics object to
Solomon’s character because of his seven hundred wives and three hundred
concubines. Solomon concluded numerous treaties. In many cases such treaties
were sealed by Solomon’s marrying the petty king’s daughter as was the ancient
custom and as was the case in the alliance with Egypt (1Kings9:16, 17).
King Solomon’s marriages were no doubt largely political arrangements.
His mistake lay in allowing his politically important wives to bring their
heathen worship into the city of God. (1 Kin.11:7-8). His wives led him astray
and turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to
the Lord his God as the heart of David his father had been. It resulted in God’s angry, and raised up an
adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. But
for the sake of King David, the Lord didn’t tear the kingdom away from him
during his lifetime. But the Lord tears it out of the hand of Solomon’s son
Rehoboam.
King Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all
Israel forth years. Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city
of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king. Solomon’s legacies passed down to this
generation are book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of songs.
King Solomon
had built temple as his father David’s instruction
King Solomon was a man of faith, and served
the Lord wholeheartedly when he was young. When Solomon had finished building
the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the Solomon desired to do.
He dedicated the Temple to the Lord, and stood before the altar of the Lord in
front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven and
said,
“O
Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth. You keep your covenant of love with your servants who
continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to
your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your
hand your have fulfilled it as it is today. Now Lord, God of Israel, keep for
your servant David my father the promises you made to him when you said, ‘ You shall never fail to have a man to sit
before me on the throne of Israel, it only your sons are careful in all
they do to walk before me as you have done. ‘And now, O God of Israel let your
word that you promised your servant David my father come true….” (1Kings8:23-26)
When Solomon had finished all the prayers and
supplications to the Lord, he rose from before the altar of the Lord, where he
had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. He stood and blessed
the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying, “
Blessed be the Lord, who has
given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one
word has failed of all His good promise, which He
promised through Moses His servant. May the Lord our God be with us, as He was
with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us, that He may incline our
hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His
statutes and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. And may these
words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near to
the Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant
and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires, so that all the
peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no one else. Let
your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His
statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.
The Lord’s responses,
and commands to Solomon
The Lord appeared to Solomon second time, as He had appeared to him at
Gibeon. And Lord said to him,
“I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have
consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there
forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. As for you, if you
walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I
command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne
over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘you shall
never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’ But if you or your
sons turn away from me and do not observe the
commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship
them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will
reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an
object of ridicule among all people. And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be
appalled and will scoff and say, ‘why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this
temple?’ people will answer, ‘Because they have
forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have
embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them that is why the Lord brought all this
disaster on them.’ “ .
(Ikings9:3-9)
The dedication of the Temple lasted seven days
and the Feast of Tabernacle another seven day. (2 Chron7:9-10). The Lord
clearly stated that if they are unfaithful and go stray after other gods, the
temple will be destroyed but the Davidic dynasty will not be set aside.(Psalm.89:30-37).
King Solomon’s
wealth and wisdom
When the queen of Sheba heard about
the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the Lord, she came to test
him with hard questions. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too
hard for the king to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom
of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of
his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the
burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed. She
said to the king, “ the report I heard in
my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true…praise be to the
Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel.
Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king, to
maintain justice and righteousness.” (1 Kings10:6,9) And she gave the king 120 talents of gold,
large quantities of spices, and precious stones.
The weight of the gold that Solomon received
yearly was 666 talents, not including the revenues from merchants and traders
and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land… King Solomon was
greater in riches and wisdom that all the other kings of the earth. The whole
world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
Year after year, everyone who came brought gift articles of silver and gold,
robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules. Solomon accumulated chariots
and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which
he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. The king made
silver as common in Jerusalem as stones and cedar as plentiful as sycamore fig
trees in the foot hills. Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue
– the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. They imported a chariot from
Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and I horse for a hundred and fifty.
They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.
(1Kings10:14-29).
The downfall
of King Solomon in his old age
King Solomon
married King of Egypt Pharaoh’s daughter. Pharaoh King of Egypt had attacked
and captures Gezer. He had set it on fire. He killed its Canaanite inhabitants
and then gave it as a wedding gift to this daughter, Solomon’s wife. And
Solomon rebuilt Gezer. He built up Lower Beth Horon, Baalath, and Tadmor in the
desert, within his land. (1Kings9:16-17).
Solomon concluded numerous treaties. In many cases such treaties were
sealed by Solomon’s marrying the petty king’s daughter as was the ancient
custom and as was the case in the alliance with Egypt.
King
Solomon loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter-Moabites,
Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. They were from nations about
which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your
hearts after their gods.”
Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred
wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him
astray.
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned
his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his
God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the
goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. So
Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord, he did not follow the Lord
completely, as David his father had done.
On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon
built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the
detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who
burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. (1Kings11:1-8)
Solomon’s marriages were doubtless largely
political arrangements. His error lay in allowing his politically important
wives to bring their heathen worship into the city of God. (1 Kin.11:7-8). Solomon
was obliged to allow his foreign wives to worship their own gods, a contagion
which ultimately affected the king himself. His wives led him astray and turned
his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his
God as the heart of David his father had been.
It resulted in God’s angry, and raised up an adversary, Hadad, the
Edomite from the royal line of Edom and Rezon to against Solomon.
The Lord’s
warning to King Solomon
The Lord became angry with Solomon because his
heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him
twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not
keep the Lord’s command. So the Lord brings the judgment upon Solomon and said,
“1). Since this is your
attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded
you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of
your subordinates.
2). Nevertheless, for the sake
of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. 3). I
will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom
from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for
the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.” (1Kings11:9-13)
The Lord
raised up adversary Hadad and Rezon to against Solomon
The Lord raised up against Solomon an
adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. Earlier when David
was fighting with Edom, Joab the commander of the army, who had gone up to bury
the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom. Joab and all the Israelites
stayed there for six months, until they had destroyed all the men in Edom. But
Hadad, still only a boy, fled to Egypt with some Edomite officials who had
served his father. They set up Midian and went to Paran. Then taking men from
Paran with them, they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh King of Egypt, who gave Hadad a
house and land and provided him with food. Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad
that he gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage. While
he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David rested with his fathers and that Joab
the commander of the army was also dead. Then Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me
go, that I may return to my own country.”
God raised up against Solomon
anther adversary, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer
king of Zobah. He gathered men around him and became the leader of a band of
rebels when David destroyed the forces of Zobah, the rebels went to Damascus,
where they settled and took control. Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as
Solomon lived. Adding to the trouble caused by Hadad, So Rezon ruled in Aram
and was hostile toward Israel. (1King11:23-27)
Ahijah prophesied Jeroboam to lead ten
tribes, but Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam
The prophet of Shiloh met Jeroboam on the way
while Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem. Two of them were alone out in the
country. Ahijh took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into
twelve pieces. Then Ahijh said to Jeroboam,
“Take
ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “See,
I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes.
But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have
chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. I will do this
because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the
Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molech the god of the
Ammonites, and have not walked in my ways nor done what is right in my eyes,
nor kept my statutes and laws as David, Solomon’s father, did. But I will not take the whole kingdom out
of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake
of David my servant, whom I chose and who observed my commands and statutes. I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten
tribes. I will give one tribe to his son so that
David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where
I chose to put my Name…I will humble David’s descendants because of
this, but no forever.” (1King11:31-39).
According to Ahijh’s prophecy, God wants to humble David’s descendants and
will use Jeroboam to rule ten tribes and keeps one tribe to King Solomon for
David’s line. Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, so Jeroboam fled to Egypt to
Shishak the king and stayed there until Solomon’s death.
The death of
Solomon
Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel
forty years. Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of
David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king. (1Kings11:42). After
Solomon’s death, God divided kingdom, all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam
had returned from Egypt, they sent and called him to the assembly and made kin
king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of
David. (1Kings12:20).
King
Solomon’s legacy
King Solomon’s legacy contributed to this
generation as follows,
First, Proverbs contrast between good and
evil, wisdom and folly, instruction, understanding, justice, equity, knowledge,
discretion, learning, and counsel. Wisdom occurs twenty-three times in this
portion and twenty times in the rest of the book. What amounts to a text for
the book is the well –know statement of 1:7 “the fear of the Lord is the
beginning of knowledge.” A similar statement appears in the alphabetical Psalm
111:10, and in similar form as the climax of chapter 28 of Job.
Second,
Ecclesiastes stated in the three propositions: 1) when you look at life with
its seemingly aimless cycles and inexplicable paradoxes, you might conclude
that all is futile, since it is impossible to discern any purpose in the
ordering of events. 2) Nevertheless, life is to be enjoyed to the fullest,
realizing that it is the gift of God. 3) The wise man will live his life in
obedience to God, recognizing that God will eventually judge all men. Solomon’s
wisdom and personal experience shows that earthly goals and blessings, when pursued
as ends in themselves, lead to dissatisfaction and emptiness. The highest good
in life lies in reverencing and obeying God. Thus Solomon was a man of faith. He
was skeptical only of human wisdom and endeavor.
Third, Song of Songs, a lyric poem in
dialogue form, the book describes Solomon’s love for a Shulammite girl. The
king comes in disguise to her family’s vineyard, wins her heart, and ultimately
makes her his bride. As to its literary
genre, the Song of Solomon is obviously a poem of love. In allegorical view,
the interpretation common among the Jews from ancient times, and form them it
has passed over into the Christian Church. The Jews regarded the Song as
expressing the love relationship between God and His chosen people. The
Christian church saw in it reflected love between Christ and the church.
Essentially this view has been advocated by Hengstenberg and Keil.
Implication
/ Application
1.
Do not worship nor serve other gods. The Lord
indicated that He will cut off Israel from the land and reject the temple when
they are unfaithful, turn away and go off to serve other gods and worship them.
For God’s
commands, and instructions clearly stated, “ if you or your sons turn away from me
and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to
serve other gods and worship them, then
I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this
temple I have consecrated for my Name.
2.
Do not forsake the Lord your God. The reason Israel becomes a byword and an
object of ridicule among all people, all
who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’
people will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought
their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them that is why the
Lord brought all this disaster on them.’ “ . (1 kings9:3-9)
3.
Never misused marriage to achieve political
satisfaction. Solomon’s marriages 700 wives and 300
concubines were no doubt largely political arrangements. His mistake lay in
allowing his politically important wives to bring their heathen gods worship
into the city of God. (1 Kin.11:7-8).
4. Christians’
marriage must be one man and one woman, and not be intermarry with heathen
gods’ worshippers. The Lord
commanded Israelites must not to intermarry with Egypt, Moabites, Ammonites,
Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. However, Solomon loved foreign women, he did
it, was not satisfied lust, but for the arrangements of political concerns. He
was a peacemaker and man of faith, his wisdom was above all men on the earth in
his lifetime; yet, these foreign wives led him astray from his God.
5. Patents’ sins result God’s punishment and judgment to next generation. In King Solomon’s old age, his heart turned to other
gods, because his 700 wives led him astray. God kept His covenant of love to
King Solomon in his lifetime, until next generation his son Rehoboam carried
the judgment for him. It’s a great lesson, parents’ sins may result God’s
punishment and judgment upon the children and children’s children.
6.
Do not let politician turn your heart
from the Lord, nor decrease wholehearted devotion to the Lord.
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