Solomon – Ultimately a Wise Fool  

There has never been a King better set up for success than Solomon. David left Solomon with the nation at peace in the world, one of the most powerful nations in the world, great wealth, all the building supplies and money to build the temple, and an incredible reputation among world leaders. All Solomon had to do was manage success. The hardest thing someone will ever do is manage success – it takes the power of Holy Spirit! 

Solomon started strong. In 1 Kings 3:4-15, Solomon asked for wisdom and the Lord granted his request. God was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom instead of wealth. Therefore, God gave him both, and Solomon began his rule with great wealth, incredible wisdom, and THE BLESSING of God. However, with THE BLESSING came a test. Could Solomon handle the success?

In the end, Solomon failed the test. God tore the Kingdom away from Solomon. His lack of godly leadership ended up dividing the Kingdom into North Israel and South Judah. Solomon compromised his integrity and it led to his downfall. Think about THE BLESSING, gifts, and talents God has given you to set you up to succeed in life. In what ways has God tested you with obedience to see how THE BLESSING compares to Him? Are you passing each test?

The Fall of King Solomon 

He compromised his allegiance- 1 Kings 3:1-3; (The Message)

^1-3 Solomon arranged a marriage contract with Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He married Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to the City of David until he had completed building his royal palace and God’s Temple and the wall around Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the people were worshiping at local shrines because at that time no temple had yet been built to the Name of God. Solomon loved God and continued to live in the God-honoring ways of David his father, except that he also worshiped at the local shrines, offering sacrifices and burning incense.

These three small compromises revealed the nature of Solomon’s reign and ended up taking his heart away from God. 

1. Solomon made an alliance with the King of Egypt. The Egyptian Pharaoh represented the bondage of slavery to the Jews. Solomon made an alliance with the very country that enslaved his people. Throughout the Old Testament God asked Israel to put their full trust in God, not in the power of foreign governments (Deuteronomy 7:2). God specifically commanded Israel to avoid alliances with other countries. He asked Israel to rely on God to protect the nation. God provided incredible military strength to David and would have done the same for Solomon. Solomon did the politically correct thing instead of trusting God. He aligned himself with old Egyptian bondage. 
2. Solomon married the daughter of the Egyptian King. God forbade the Israelites from marrying foreign women because they would lead the hearts of the men away from God (Deuteronomy 7:3). Solomon married a foreign woman (from Egypt which represented bondage) early in his reign as King. This small compromise would ultimately lead to his downfall. Historically, the seductive power of evil women has led to the downfall of many men!
3. Solomon sacrificed to the Lord on old pagan worship sites. The Israelites were commanded in the law to tear down the altars and high places of other gods (Deuteronomy 7:5; 12:3). They were to build their own altars at sanctioned holy sites by the Lord (Deuteronomy 12:13-14). Solomon ignored the law and sacrificed to God on the altars of Canaanite gods. In 1 Samuel 8, the people asked for a King so they could be like the other nations. Solomon laid the foundation for the ultimate fall of Israel through his small compromises that made Israel like the nations around them. One of the chief examples is the syncretism associated with the worship of God and idols (Today, one name for this ungodly practice is coexist – blending worldly views / false beliefs into the worship of God). This “adultery” against God started with Solomon in his unwillingness to knock down the pagan high places and sacrifice to God where God commanded. The worship of God on old pagan sites opened the door to worshipping those pagan gods. 

His compromise led to rebellion- 1 Kings 11:1-8. What started as one alliance with one country and one Egyptian wife turned to complete rebellion against the will of God. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. They turned his heart after other gods. He built altars to foreign gods and worshipped them. His small compromises over time led to huge gaps in character. He turned his heart from God. Solomon became a wise fool. What advice would you have given Solomon that might have helped him? 

The Lord allowed the Kingdom of Solomon to be Taken Away- 1 Kings 11:9-13. God waited until Solomon’s death and took the Kingdom away from his son because of the faithfulness of David and for the sake of Jerusalem. Sometimes God will withhold certain consequences for the sake of his sovereign will. In scripture, we see generational blessings and curses passed down from generation to generation. Part of our legacy is to pass blessings from God to the next generation. 

Most scholars believe the book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon in his old age as a way of passing down to us the lessons he learned from life. He was obviously filled with regret for his life decisions when he wrote the book. A recurring phrase in the book of Ecclesiastes with regard to his worldly pursuits is, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” He concluded his whole life experience in Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” What do you think Solomon learned from his life mistakes?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I believe that the love of God is shed abroad in my heart by Holy Spirit who dwells within me. Therefore, I am not haughty, arrogant, conceited, or inflated with pride because I walk in humility, patience, and kindness that God’s own loving nature reproduces in me. Each day, I choose to walk in Your love, and that keeps me free from fear, which includes carnal craving for self-exaltation, self-protection, self-promotion, and any attitude that exalts fleshly preference above Your character and priorities. I believe when others leave my presence, they sense that God’s love has encouraged and lifted them higher than they were before. I pray that Your love shines so brightly through me that people’s hearts are touched and stirred to seek Jesus more deeply and to be like Him.

In Jesus’ name, amen