04.1.6.2. Kings Preceding Division Of Kingdom - Solomon
Chapter 6ii - Solomon
Solomon succeeded David on the throne. Solomon’s love for the Lord was reciprocal (1 John 4:10); Divine love begets love. “Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father...” (1 Kings 3:3). How futile for man to think he can talk himself into loving God. The origin of Divine love is not found in a sense of duty but in love itself. Hence, when the sun of Divine love melts the icy-hard heart, the stream of affection begins to flow to God who is love. If all the rocks of ice could be broken with the hammer of either law or duty, not a drop of affection would flow toward God. The “thousand burnt offerings” that Solomon offered upon “that altar” (1 Kings 3:4) reveal that he knew something of God’s holiness, the horribleness of his own sin, and the greatness of the atonement. Hence, he knew that man must look above his path in order to walk in it.
Solomon’s career may be divided into four stages:
(1) His purpose as a young man was to seek the Lord, who appeared to him twice (1 Kings 3:5; 1 Kings 9:2; 1 Kings 11:9).
(2) In his prosperity, he attained the highest glory of any man (1 Kings 10:1-13). (3) He had the privilege of building the temple, and he made a contribution to the Scriptures.
(4) In his perversion, Solomon’s heart was turned from the Lord, and his reign ended in disaster.
Solomon’s greatness was confirmed by Christ’s saying of Himself, “a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42). In addition to the kingdom being established under his reign, Solomon possessed great wisdom and built the temple. He wrote Ecclesiastes, The Song of Solomon, and some of Proverbs.
Scripture states the following about Solomon: And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. —1 Kings 4:29
Wisdom is not the same as talent, ability, sense, or prudence. All of these combined cannot give one wisdom, which is more than a high order of genius. Wisdom is the exercise of reason into which the heart enters plus a structure of the understanding, which is the product of one’s spiritual nature. The writings of Solomon have some enlightening passages on wisdom that are incomparable with modern day intellectualism, which emphasizes the abstract conceived apart from the concrete. Solomon knew by experience that intellectualism alone could never give happiness. (See Ecclesiastes 1:1-18.) Proverbs, unlike Ecclesiastes, sets forth the sufficiency of Divine wisdom. Ecclesiastes proves the world’s wisdom can never give a person the true concept of God; furthermore, the wisdom of God can never be reduced to something that conforms to the wisdom of the world. (See 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.) Therefore, four things are absolutely essential to a saving knowledge of God through Jesus Christ:
(1) Divine illumination in the understanding (Ephesians 1:18),
(2) God-given faith in the heart (Ephesians 2:8; Jude 1:20),
(3) Godly fear in the conscience (Jeremiah 32:40; Php 2:12), and
(4) heavenly love in the affections (Romans 5:5). Without enlightenment we cannot see spiritual things; without God-given faith we cannot believe His promises; without fear we cannot reverence God; without love we cannot embrace Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life. The wisdom of Solomon surpassed the wisdom of the sons of the east and Egypt (1 Kings 4:30 NASB). His wisdom was not restricted to one or two sciences, like great minds today which specialize in one of many aspects of one particular science. His God-given wisdom included such natural sciences as literature, music, forestry, zoology, ornithology, and biology (1 Kings 4:32-33). In addition to these natural sciences, Solomon’s God-given wisdom included such Biblical sciences as theology, anthropology, Christology, soteriology, and eschatology. No one is to suppose that all the proverbs contained in the book that begins with “THE proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel” (Proverbs 1:1) constitute the exclusive work of the King himself. There should be no doubt that his “three thousand proverbs” (1 Kings 4:32) are included; but internal evidence shows that some are by Agur (Proverbs 30:1) and others are the words of “...king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him” (Proverbs 31:1). These last two references do not contradict Proverbs 1:1. Solomon was the collector and editor, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, of the proverbs of others as well as being the author of his own. The book of Proverbs is to be regarded as a practical guide of life because it contains counsels from above for conduct below. These pointed precepts for practical living are considered one of the most ancient forms of instruction. Their ability to whet the spiritual appetite for knowledge can be best expressed by the proverb, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). The word “fitly” in Hebrew signifies “wheels,” and it has been rendered, “a word spoken on his wheels,” meaning a word spoken in proper circumstances. (See Ezekiel 1:1-28). This does not mean that grace and courtesy are to be substituted for truth and honesty. Letting our “Yea, yea; Nay, nay” (Matthew 5:37) degenerate to an artificial politeness is not what the proverb teaches. The truth portrayed in this text is that things of rare worth and beauty are words fitly spoken.
King Solomon knew from experience the meaning of the proverb, “THE king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1 NASB). Kings are not only ruled but also overruled by God who “is higher than the highest” (Ecclesiastes 5:8). God does not always change the quality of the heart of a king, but He does direct his course of life for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose. Solomon was one who had experienced a change in the quality of his heart as well as the control of the course of his life. No one can read the writings of Solomon and deny that he had more than a theoretical knowledge of God. By grace, Solomon rose above human reason because he could not ascribe the things mentioned in his life to human agency apart from God’s intervention. A consideration of the three books by Solomon will reveal the sufficiency of Divine wisdom in Proverbs, the insufficiency of human wisdom in Ecclesiastes, and the object and purity of Divine love in The Song of Solomon, which stands in contrast to the “vanity of vanities” in Ecclesiastes. Christians are attracted to Christ not merely for what He has done but because of who He is in His perfection. Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God, is represented as the personification of Wisdom in Proverbs 8:1-36, and representation climaxes with the question concerning His name: Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son’s name? Surely you know! —Proverbs 30:4 (NASB) The true mark of wisdom is one’s knowledge of his own ignorance. Although Agur was an informed philosopher, he felt that he could not by searching come to the knowledge of the sovereign God of the universe. Therefore, he was letting his friends know that true wisdom is a revelation from God. The Wisdom of Proverbs is the Old Testament representation of the incarnate Word of the New Testament (Proverbs 30:1-33).
Solomon is called the Preacher seven times in the book of Ecclesiastes (Ecclesiastes 1:1-2, Ecclesiastes 1:12; Ecclesiastes 7:27; Ecclesiastes 12:8-10). “Preacher” is a proper name by which Solomon is distinguished because of his lectures of wisdom given in the congregation of the people. His message in Ecclesiastes (the name means “convoker, to call together or summon”) describes “man under the sun” (used 28 times), not “in the Son of God.” The reasons for dissatisfaction in “men under the sun” is that God “has also set eternity in their heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NASB), and they are depraved. “Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices” (Ecclesiastes 7:29 NASB). Having viewed these basic principles in this book where the covenant title “Jehovah” is not used, let us observe the answer to man’s problem in The Song of Solomon. We learn from Ecclesiastes that science, wisdom of the world, pleasure, materialism, religion, wealth, and morality cannot satisfy us “under the sun”; our hearts are too large for our objects because the world—eternity—has been set in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We learn from The Song of Solomon that the Object of our faith and love is infinite; therefore, the Son of Man, in whom the Godhead dwells bodily, is too large for the heart in which eternity resides. This is the reason that Jesus Christ alone satisfies. The Song of Solomon is greater than all the other songs he wrote (1 Kings 4:32). The theme of The Song of Solomon is a consciousness of Christ’s love which makes the heart desire to please Him. When Christ’s love is valued more than all earthly joys, its personal intimacy will be experienced. There is no sensual love in “THE song of songs, which is Solomon’s” (Song of Solomon 1:1). The natural man can neither understand nor give a true interpretation of this book. It stands in contrast with the “vanity of vanities” because it is the “holy of holies” of Solomon’s songs. This book is a revelation of the chaste and virtuous love which no grandeur can dazzle and no compliment can seduce. The Song presents three levels of love:
(1) The young believer thinks chiefly of Jesus Christ as his and of Christ’s being in some way for his pleasure: “My beloved is mine, and I am his...” (Song of Solomon 2:16).
(2) Christ’s ownership takes first place in the believer who has grown to some extent in grace and knowledge of Christ: “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine...” (Song of Solomon 6:3).
(3) The word “mine” is dropped in the assurance that belonging to Christ includes all: “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me” (Song of Solomon 7:10). Thus the mature believer understands that Christ’s ownership swallows up every other thought. Every Christian can know by these three Scriptures the level of love on which he stands before God.
Solomon purposed to build a house for the name of the Lord his God because the Lord had spoken to David:
...Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My name. —1 Kings 5:5 (NASB)
God was pleased to accept the sincere purpose of David’s heart. He accepted David’s will for the deed, as He accepted Abraham’s willingness to offer up Isaac. David’s motive was right or God would not have said, “...you did well that it was in your heart” (1 Kings 8:18 NASB). Observe that the temple was not built for the Lord but for the name of the Lord. Pagan temples are intended by their builders for the actual residence of their gods, but Solomon knew better: But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee, how much less this house which I have built. —1 Kings 8:27 (NASB) A place where God manifests Himself to man is the basic idea of a temple. This is demonstrated by the Shekinah, the Person of Jesus Christ, and the holy character of Christians. (See 1 Kings 6:1-38; 1 Kings 7:1-51; 1 Kings 8:1-66; John 1:14; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.)
Solomon’s statement in 1 Kings 8:27 indicates that he recognized the omnipresence of God. The spiritual dimension is outside of human reason. There is existence beyond the physical as we know it. Since God is spiritual in nature, He is everywhere present and cannot be restricted by material nature. A material body may be dissolved, but the Godhead is incapable of dissolution. God’s spiritual nature cannot be divided; therefore, He is entire in every place:
Am I a God who is near, declares the LORD, And not a God far off? Can a man hide himself in hiding places, So I do not see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? declares the LORD. —Jeremiah 23:23-24 (NASB) The absolute perfection of the Godhead cannot be restricted because limitation is imperfection. For example, the Being of the absolutely perfect God must with regard to time be eternal, with regard to space be omnipresent, with regard to power be omnipotent, and with regard to wisdom be omniscient. If the Godhead is not always existent, the Godhead never was existent; if the Divine Being is not everywhere at the same time, He has no being anywhere; if the Divine being could not manifest His power everywhere at once, He does not exist. Power without existence cannot be a reality. The Divine Being who wisely governs all actions must be eternally present with omnipresence and omnipotence because if the Divine Being can be absent at any time, He may be absent at all times. The period between the exodus and the beginning of the building of the temple has been a stumbling block to many. The problem is the 480 years mentioned in 1 Kings 6:1 and the 573 years recorded in the five periods in Israel’s national history (Judges 3:8-31; Judges 4:1-24; Judges 5:1-31; Judges 6:1-40; Judges 7:1-25; Judges 8:1-35; Judges 9:1-57; Judges 10:1-18; Judges 11:1-40; Judges 12:1-15; Judges 13:1). The five periods mentioned in Judges are punishments by God for the evil Israel had done:
(1) God sold the sons of Israel into the hands of Chushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia for eight years (Judges 3:8).
(2) Israel served Eglon, the king of Moab, for 18 years (Judges 3:12-14).
(3) They served Jabin, king of Canaan, for 20 years (Judges 4:2-3).
(4) They served Midian for seven years (Judges 6:1).
(5) They served the Philistines for 40 years (Judges 13:1). The solution to the problem is the uncounted 93 years that Israel lived out of God’s will. The sins of those years were remembered until they were confessed, but these were wasted years and not counted in God’s spiritual chronology (1 Kings 6:1). Those who wonder about Israel’s being sold into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites of Judges 10:7; Judges 10:9 must consider that this affected only the tribes “beyond Jordan” and did not suspend Israel’s national position. In the study of the temple, many want to stop with the assembly of Christ as the spiritual temple (Ephesians 2:22; 1 Peter 2:4-5). However, we must look at the temples in their historical sequence.
(1) The first was the tabernacle erected by Moses. This was the traveling tent of meeting of God in the wilderness.
(2) The temple built by Solomon followed the same floor plan of the tabernacle, but it was more magnificent. It was the center of worship for centuries, in spite of the apostate form of worship introduced by Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:1-33). When the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, the service in Israel was discontinued for 70 years.
(3) Following Israel’s return from captivity, the temple was rebuilt by Zerubbabel. This was the temple that Jesus Christ as a boy entered (Luke 2:46), and from which He later drove out the money changers and as a Prophet taught (John 2:14-17). The curtain in this same temple was rent (Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 9:8-9; Hebrews 10:19-20). This temple was destroyed by Titus in 70 A.D.
(4) The temple of the body of Christ was the earthly tent in which the fullness of the Godhead is dwelling in Him bodily (John 1:14; John 2:19; Colossians 2:9).
(5) The assembly that Christ continues building is the spiritual temple (Ephesians 2:22).
(6) The temple shall be rebuilt (Ezekiel 40:1-49; Ezekiel 41:1-26; Ezekiel 42:1-20; Ezekiel 43:1-27; Ezekiel 44:1-31; Ezekiel 45:1-25; Ezekiel 46:1-24; Ezekiel 47:1-23; Ezekiel 48:1-35).
(7) The heavenly Jerusalem is represented as a temple (Revelation 21:1-27; Revelation 22:1-21). The last two references to the temple are associated with Israel in the future (Ezekiel 40:1-49; Ezekiel 41:1-26; Ezekiel 42:1-20; Ezekiel 43:1-27; Ezekiel 44:1-31; Ezekiel 45:1-25; Ezekiel 46:1-24; Ezekiel 47:1-23; Ezekiel 48:1-35) and the future eternal kingdom (Revelation 21:1-27; Revelation 22:1-21). The kingdom will be material. Those who spiritualize the last two references to the temple and literalize the others are not consistent.
Scripture teaches the following: The heavens are the heavens of the LORD; But the earth He has given to the sons of men. —Psalms 115:16 (NASB)
Blessed are the gentle [meek or humble], for they shall inherit the earth. —Matthew 5:5 (NASB)
But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. —2 Peter 3:13 (NASB)
And thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth. —Revelation 5:10 (NASB)
AND I saw a new heaven and a new earth.... —Revelation 21:1 (NASB)
Scripture nowhere states that our final abode with God will be “up in heaven.” Where is heaven? The common reply to that question is that heaven is up. But where is up? What is above our heads at noon is beneath our feet at midnight. Was Christ looking in the same direction during the day when He took the five loaves and two fish and looked “up” toward heaven as He was on the night of His betrayal when He lifted “up” His eyes to heaven (Luke 9:16; John 17:1)?
If heaven were in a fixed locality, we would have to know behind what group of stars or on what planet it is located in order to know when to look toward heaven. It would have to be in a certain position before we could look up toward heaven. We must understand that the heaven of Holy Scripture is always up to Christians. Therefore, we do not regard heaven as a topographical term. Thomas was not told where heaven was located, but he was told the way to heaven:
Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way? Jesus said to him [Thomas], I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. —John 14:5-6 (NASB)
Paul was transported to that blessed sphere, but he was not allowed to give information pertaining to its locality (2 Corinthians 12:1-4). The location of the third heaven has never been revealed. The term “heavens” suggests that the true direction of the elect is always upward. Moral and spiritual excellence are expressed in terms of altitude. We naturally use such expressions as “lofty purpose,” “high resolve,” or “elevated views.” Conversely, we naturally use such expressions as “base passions,” “degraded character,” and “stooping to do it.” Since the Greek noun ouranos is defined by Greek lexicons as the heights above, the upper regions, the vaulted expanse of the skies, the region above, the seat of an order of things eternal and consummatively perfect, where God dwells, etc., we can say the true life is a perpetual soaring. While we do not attempt to be wise above that which is written, we should attempt with great earnestness to be wise in that which has been written. Like God’s glory, heaven cannot be interpreted, but it can be experienced. However, one must realize that spiritual or heavenly blessings cannot be enjoyed in a worldly atmosphere.
Although heaven is not a fixed location, we are not left without descriptive terms denoting what heaven really means. The Father is there (Matthew 6:9). Christ came from there (John 3:13). Christ ascended back there (John 6:62; Acts 1:9-11). The Holy Spirit came from there (John 16:1-33; Acts 2:1-47). Our citizenship is there (Php 3:20). Our treasure is there (Matthew 6:19-20). Our inheritance is there (1 Peter 1:4). Our reward is there (Matthew 5:12). We are expectantly waiting for Christ to come from there (1 Thessalonians 1:10; Titus 2:13). But the heaven as it is now is not the final dwelling place of the saints. The heaven of the future is always spoken of as “the new heaven and the new earth.” Therefore, they shall form one sphere of life, worship, and service. Since this is a Biblical fact, how can people teach that heaven is to be viewed as merely a spiritual state without a particular place? There is nothing in Scripture to justify our singing, “When I can read my title clear to mansions in the skies.” Christ has gone to prepare a place for His own (John 14:2), and we are not left in doubt as to what part of the universe that place will be where His own shall reside. (See Psalms 37:9; Psalms 37:11; Psalms 37:22; Psalms 37:29; Isaiah 65:1-25; Isaiah 66:1-24; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-27; Revelation 22:1-21.) As to the saints’ future in the eternal kingdom, we know that we shall never be infinite, but we shall always be in the presence of the infinite God and Savior. As new persons with new names singing a new song, we shall reside eternally in a new heaven and a new earth, which form a new sphere for our eternal habitation. (See Ephesians 2:15; Revelation 5:9; Revelation 21:1.) Please note that Scripture goes from the plural heavens, which shall be purified, to the singular new heaven subsequent to the purification (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1). Hence, the heaven and earth becoming one sphere of habitation represents God and man being brought together in the highest relationship between the Redeemer and the redeemed. At the dedication of the temple, all the men of Israel assembled themselves to King Solomon (1 Kings 8:1-66). The King, rather than the priest who took the secondary place, dedicated the temple. Although Solomon was not subject to the priest, he was subject to God. Both king and priest were to yield to the prophet, because the prophet revealed the will of the supreme Ruler to both. One of the great studies of the times of the kings is the role of the prophet. In addition to the kingship and priesthood, a prophetical office ran parallel with the kingship from the first to the last king. The Queen of Sheba, hearing about the fame (report or tidings) of Solomon’s wisdom, desired to have some heartfelt questions answered (1 Kings 10:1-13). Having seen in Christ’s pedigree God’s election and the quickening of those elected in such cases as Rahab and Ruth, we now see the same sovereign God working in the heart of the Queen of Sheba when she heard of Solomon’s fame. She had such an impelling desire to speak with him about all that was in her heart that she traveled a thousand miles to test him with difficult questions. Since no person can ask another’s questions, she could not be content with the report by another. What is distance when a person has questions concerning the wisdom of God? Therefore, the Queen was moved by the strongest and loftiest of motives to undertake her journey. This had to be true when one royal person (the Queen of Sheba) was desiring to stand before another royal person (the King of Israel whom God loved) and speak with him about all that was in her heart. As recorded in 1 Kings 10:1-29, the things to be considered concerning the Queen are what she saw, said, and did. The Queen saw
(1) Solomon’s wisdom (1 Kings 10:4-5),
(2) the house that he had built (1 Kings 10:4),
(3) his servants (1 Kings 10:5), and
(4) his ascent (1 Kings 10:5).
Her reaction was demonstrated in her words:
(1) “It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts [words] and of thy wisdom” (1 Kings 10:6).
(2) “...Behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard” (1 Kings 10:7).
(3) “Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom” (1 Kings 10:8).
The Queen gave the following things:
(1) She gave the praise of her lips—“Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel...” (1 Kings 10:9).
(2) She gave the gifts of her substance—“And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon” (1 Kings 10:10).
What lesson do we learn from the Queen of Sheba? All who are born of God desire to come to Jesus Christ who is greater than Solomon in all of the following ways:
(1) In birth, Solomon came by natural generation. Jesus Christ came by supernatural generation. He was not only the source of David, but He was also David’s Lord (Revelation 22:16).
(2) In character, Solomon worshipped God; but he fell into sin. Jesus Christ, the impeccable Savior, is worshipped because He knew no sin, and He did no sin.
(3) In substance, Solomon was a type of Christ; but a type is only a shadow. Christ is the substance of all the shadows.
(4) In his claims, Solomon was a wise man. Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God. The first lesson the Christian learns is that Christ is the Wisdom of God, a Wisdom hidden until God reveals Him to the elect. The apprehension of God’s Wisdom makes one not only independent of man’s wisdom but also infinitely superior to it. However, this makes a believer humble, not proud. Thus, the Christian is both bold and humble; and this is something the wisdom of the world can neither explain nor understand.
(5) In works, those of Solomon were the marvel of the world; but they cannot compare with the works of Jesus Christ.
(6) In wealth, Solomon possessed things of great material value, but what was that in comparison to Christ who is the Heir of all things?
(7) In his kingdom, Solomon had a kingdom that included one nation, was circumscribed to one country, was divided at his death, and went into decay. Jesus Christ shall be King of kings and Lord of lords. The kingdom’s geographical bounds shall cover heaven and earth; it will never be divided; and it shall be eternal. (Study 1 Kings 10:1-29 and 2 Chronicles 9:1-31.) In reciprocation for her words, actions, and deeds, King Solomon gave “the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty” (1 Kings 10:13). A person’s true character is indicated by his desires. Two of Solomon’s proverbs must be considered at this point of study:
(1) “The desire of the righteous is only good...” (Proverbs 11:23). The righteous man is not one who is righteous in his own eyes (Proverbs 30:12; Luke 18:9-12), but he has been made righteous by God (2 Corinthians 5:21; Php 3:6-9). The desire of the person made righteous by God is good, because it comes from the heart motivated by grace. A person’s action can be counterfeited, but not his desire motivated by grace. Hence, the desire motivated by grace may be compared to one praying in the will of God.
(2) As praying in the will of God assures an answer (1 John 5:14), “the desire of the righteous shall be granted” (Proverbs 10:24). Paul’s true character was demonstrated by his expressing no desire to have his circumstances changed (Php 4:11-13). When one makes circumstances an excuse for his lack of devotedness to Christ, he is motivated by the flesh rather than the Spirit of grace. The righteous person motivated by the Spirit of grace knows self must die. The Epistle to the Philippians starts at the level of Galatians 2:20. The “I’s” and “me’s” of Philippians are different from those of Romans 7:15-25. In Philippians, it was no longer what happened to Paul but the desire that in whatever happened to him, Christ would be magnified. (See Acts 20:24; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12.) May the Spirit teach us the meaning of our God fulfilling our every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Php 4:19). This is that “royal bounty” which comes from Him who said, “A greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42). The glory of the Solomonic period was short-lived. The King was the cause of his own failure. While God conferred many blessings and privileges on Solomon, He never conferred the privilege to sin. Solomon’s sins may be classified in three categories:
(1) Unholy alliances were a contributing factor to his downfall. He loved many strange women (1 Kings 11:1). He married not only Pharaoh’s daughter but also many other strange women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites. These “foreign women” turned him aside (Nehemiah 13:26 NASB).
(2) Solomon disobeyed the law of God by multiplying horses, taking many wives, amassing to himself silver and gold, serving other gods, and making offerings on high places (Deuteronomy 12:3; Deuteronomy 17:16-17).
(3) Solomon gave his heart to worldliness. All of that which is under the sun cannot satisfy (Ecclesiastes); therefore, we should hold all that we have loosely in order that it may not turn away our hearts.
Solomon’s adversaries were both foreign and domestic. His foreign enemies were Hadad, the Edomite (1 Kings 11:14-22), and Rezon, who reigned over Syria (1 Kings 11:23-25). His domestic enemy was Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Solomon’s servant. Jeroboam, like most persons who are taken in and helped, became unthankful and disloyal. However, Solomon’s own disobedient life ensured trouble within and without the home. The record states that God stirred up Hadad and Rezon. Their restlessness was sent from God. This does not mean that God infused malice in them. The malice was theirs by depravity, but God often uses those with whom His people have had to deal harshly as His executors of discipline to punish His people for their defection.
In his old age, Solomon added to his other transgressions by an insane passion for building palaces for himself and his heathen queens and temples for their gods. (1 Kings 11:1-8). Hence, the people were burdened with taxes (1 Kings 12:1-5).
God became angry with Solomon because of his sin (1 Kings 11:9). Opportunities cannot be neglected with impunity. Neglected duties aggravate God’s anger against His people which is not only His aversion to sin but also His punishment for sin. He raised up Jeroboam from within Solomon’s house to punish him. God did not judge Solomon without previous warning (1 Kings 11:11). Chastisement is the fruit of God’s displeased love. A parent chastens his child through displeased love. Jeroboam would not wait for God to give him the kingdom, but he sought to get it. Man’s nature is so depraved that he will use Divine promises and the daily gifts of God for the accomplishment and pleasure of his own desires and thus degrade the gifts and promises of God. The sin of today becomes the suffering of tomorrow and tomorrow, because tomorrow never comes. Governmental forgiveness may continue throughout one’s life. The truth that the sword never passed from David’s house should be a warning to every child of God. The way of the transgressor is hard.