Sunday, October 10, 2021

King Solomon’s wisdom, wealth, downfall and legacy by Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

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).[1] 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.[2]                                                                                                                       

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.[3] 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.[4]

 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.       

 

 

Bibliography,

            Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd Chicago: The University of Chicago press, 2000.

Brown, Robert, Philip W. Comfort and J.D. Douglas, ed. The New Greek English Interlinear New Testament. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.1990.

Friberg, Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament.1st ed. Victoria BC: Trafford Publishing, 2005.

            

               King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

 New American Standard Bible, The Open Bible.. La Habra, CA: Thomas nelson publishers, 1978.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute.1986. 

 

 

 

 

 

 



[1] New American Standard Bible, The Open Bible.. (La Habra, CA: Thomas nelson publishers, 1978), 583.

 

[2]  New American Standard Bible, The Open Bible.. (La Habra, CA: Thomas nelson publishers, 1978), 583.

[3] Charles C. Ryrie, The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).(Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute.1986), 891. 

                [4] New American Standard Bible, The Open Bible.. (La Habra, CA: Thomas nelson publishers, 1978),619.

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