First
Kings
David's great work for the
kingdom of God paved the way for the peaceful rule of Solomon, his son. David's
reign was one of war, defeating the enemies of Israel, establishing the nation,
extending its boundaries, and giving it centralized leadership.
Solomon's reign was one of
peace, prosperity and prominence. All that came to an end when he turned from a
life of obedience to God and those days were never to return. The kingdom is
again divided as it was for seven years following the reign of Saul. It was
never to be united again. This tragic event immediately follows the death of
Solomon and forms the second section of that book. It is in this stage of the
nation's history that the great prophets appear.
All the achievements of
Solomon must be viewed in light of what David made possible. Just as the work
of Samuel paved the way for the kingdom that was built up by David, so David
laid the foundation for the outstanding accomplishments of his son. In the
beginning of his reign God asked him to choose the thing he most desired.
Length of life, riches and honor were all ignored, and he asked for wisdom from
God that would enable him to perform the great task the Lord had given him.
Yet it was a remarkable
thing for a young man of eighteen or twenty years old to do. He began his reign
with a devotion to God and a deep sense of need toward the responsibilities and
opportunities that lay before him.
"Give, therefore, thy
servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between
good and bad. For who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the
speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing." (I King
3:9,10) God answered his prayer: "And God gave Solomon wisdom and
exceeding much understanding, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is
on the seashore. And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children
of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt." (I Kings 4:29,30)
The wealth of the nation
increased enormously so that silver became as stones in Jerusalem. Solomon was
a builder as well as an organizer. He built great buildings and public works.
It is not strange that this remarkable man attracted wide attention. His
spreading fame brought to his court the kings and queens of other nations to
see the splendors he had created and to learn from him. The outstanding
instance of this is the visit of the Queen of Sheba. Our Lord Jesus made
mention of this hundreds of years later. The Queen of Sheba was overcome by the
splendor of all that she saw, so that there was no more spirit in her. But what
impressed her most was the wisdom of Solomon.
However, the man who prayed
so sincerely and who built the temple, and at its dedication offered one of the
most remarkable prayers of the Bible, was soon to forget God, dishonor Him, and
be led away by his sinful impulses. In the sight of the great temple on Mount
Moriah, he built shrines for the worship of idols. In the midst of such wealth
and the vices it can provide: ease, luxury and sensuality; the natural
depravity of the heart came to the surface in the life of this great man. When
that happened, he ceased to be wise and ruled by the greatest of folly.
"Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin by these things? Yet among many
nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made
him king over all Israel; nevertheless, even him did strange women cause to
sin." (Nehemiah 13:26)
Time and again Moses had
warned against mingling with pagan nations and marrying pagan wives. There was
no greater offender in this than Solomon. He began by marrying the daughter of
Pharaoh. David sinned and suffered for it, but when Solomon turned away God
brought a heavy judgment. His life ended in the clouds of the gathering storm
of the breaking up of his kingdom.
The building of the temple
was the great work of Solomon's life. The spot was the threshing floor of
Araunah, and the place where Abraham, centuries before, had offered Isaac.
Years later the Son of God offered Himself as a lamb, without blemish and
without spot. In the words of John the Baptist, "... Behold the lamb of
God, who taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)
© Copyright
2002, LeRoy Eims