Solomon
United Kingdom · c. 970 – 931 BC · 40 years · 1 Kings 1 – 11; 2 Chronicles 1 – 9; Ecclesiastes; Proverbs
His Story
David’s son, whose very name speaks peace. Given a hearing heart by God at Gibeon — “Ask what I shall give thee” — he became wiser than all men, built the Temple in seven years and dedicated it in one of Scripture’s greatest prayers, and brought Israel to its golden age of glory, trade, and peace. His proverbs, his Song, and his Ecclesiastes stand in our Bible.
His Sin — How He Displeased the LORD
The wisest man alive broke, one by one, the three laws of the king in Deuteronomy 17: he multiplied gold, horses from Egypt, and wives — seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, whose gods turned his heart away in his old age. He built high places for Chemosh and Molech within sight of the Temple he had dedicated. The book of Ecclesiastes is his own verdict on the emptiness of it all: “vanity of vanities.”
The Good He Did
He asked for wisdom to serve God’s people rather than riches for himself, and God honored the request. His prayer at the Temple’s dedication (1 Kings 8) is a model of intercession — for Israel, for the stranger, for the sinner who turns back. And his writings, given by inspiration, teach God’s people still: the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
The LORD’s verdict
“And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.”1 Kings 11:6 (KJV)
How His Reign Ended
Solomon died after forty years and was buried in the city of David; his son Rehoboam inherited a kingdom already sentenced to divide — “the LORD was angry with Solomon” and tore ten tribes away in the next reign, as Ahijah had foretold.
Lessons for Believers Today
- Wisdom on paper is not wisdom in the heart: Solomon wrote “keep thy heart with all diligence” and failed to keep his own. Doctrine must be obeyed, not only admired.
- Small compromises in old age are prepared by appetites indulged in youth. Finish well.