He inherited a glorious empire and was given unimaginably great gifts from God. This great builder of the Temple, poet, statesman, philosopher, romantic, wise man with a genius for writing, who appeared to stand for all that was good, came to represent all that was tragic. 

His life was undisciplined.  He often did not seem to apply his “wisdom” to his own life.  Undeniably He had much ability, but note his actions.  It would be wise if we paid special attention to his life and what he did wrong, for often times we see people with ability go the wrong way and end up in disaster. 

Solomon violated the Commandments of God.  God had commanded that a King should not multiply wives for himself, but he did just that.

Leaders were warned not to amass silver and gold, but he did just that.

Deuteronomy 17: 16-17 had forbidden the King to multiply war horses, for that would lead to a desire to return to the land of captivity.  This was exactly what he did. 

He was a man of strange contradictions, for wisdom is something that should teach self-control and give skill in living.  Instead Solomon was a man of excesses. 

It is interesting to note that this man is considered to be a giant of the Jewish people and Israel looks back on his reign as a golden age, despite the reality of the situation. 

He was actually not the eldest of David's two living sons, for Adonijah, the eldest was the presumptive heir, according to the law of the firstborn. He was supported by the powerful military leader Joab, and Abiathar, one of David's two High Priests.  Though the legal heir, he tried to capture the throne with a coup d’etat, just as his older brother Absalom had done. 

Nathan the prophet, and another senior military figure Zadok, sided with Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, and persuaded David to honor a previous promise and designate Solomon as heir. ( 1:17-21, 24).  They were successful and Adonijah’s bid for the kingship collapsed and he barely escaped with his life. 

Solomon was made king and to secure his throne, he executed those who opposed him, as well as some that David's had requested he execute. 

So in this lesson we look at a man with strange contradictions.  He was given the throne as a gift and inherited a secure, peaceful situation from his father, who had defeated all of Israel's enemies.  He was thus left free to extend the boundaries of the nation peacefully.  

David referred to him as being wise and so we know that even before he became King, he had inherited a rich spiritual heritage from his father. David had passed on his great and deep insights into the nature of God and so Solomon knew perfectly well about God, the law of God and what Kings were to do and “not” to do, (Chapter 2:1-4). 

His powerful prayer in chapter eight showed that this man understood God’s Covenant with Israel, the teachings of Deuteronomy and his place in the Covenant. 

So what can we say!  His life raises so many red flags for us.  Let us now begin to look at what was good about it, and what was not so good.

THE TEXT

Verse 1-3.   To be fair to Solomon we should start first with the third verse which tells us that Solomon loved the Lord.  So it should be clear that Solomon really and truly loved God. 

To understand this, we only have to look closely at the Book of Proverbs.  This book is full of instructions about the nature and character of God; many of Solomon's Proverbs point us to God. It is stated that he carefully and diligently ‘walked’ in the statues of David his father.  He realized that God was the source of all that he and the nation had and Solomon was certainly open-handed and lavish in offering sacrifices to God.  

Note though that even when Solomon was praised for this, there was a “but”.  Notice carefully that when there is a “but” in Scripture we know that serious problems are ahead.  So it is in secular life.  

We are told that there was a problem in that he sacrificed burnt incense in ‘high places’.  These places were associated with Canaanite worship, for they liked to worship on hills. 

It was certainly unlawful to worship in these places after the temple was built.  Even though these ‘high places’ were consecrated to the worship of the God of Israel and some of these were different from the high places of the Canaanites that were consecrated to Baal, sacrificing at the high places was opposed to the law. 

Leviticus 17:3-9 insisted that the blood of beasts must be offered at the door of the tabernacle, at the place where the Lord himself had established his name.                          

This suggested that wherever the Ark and Tabernacle was, sacrifices should be offered there.  If these were on a plane or on a high place, sacrifices could be offered there before the building of the temple. 

Some commentators believe that in this case the Scriptures seemed to allow the offering of sacrifice on the high places, even though the Ark and the Tabernacle was not at those locations.  Many also believe that it is this practice to which Steven alludes, when he said that God winked at their ignorance (Acts 17:30). There is no proof that God accepted this practice. 

Solomon knew better, for we are told that it was his habit to worship at the great high place at Gibeon, where the Tabernacle had been previously located, instead of worshiping in Jerusalem, where the Ark of the covenant was now located, having been brought there by his father David.  The Ark was right there at his house and frankly Solomon should have and could have worshipped there until he had completed the temple. 

It seems that Solomon loved doing things out in public and in the full glare of publicity and so he went to Gibeon, the great high place and in full view of the many fascinated people, offered a thousand sacrifices on the altar at that location.   

The worship of God thus became separated from the presence of the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant.  God had commanded Israel that the Ark of the Covenant should be the center of their worship life, but instead they transferred their allegiance to the “high places”. 

We know from Scripture that Abraham worshipped on mountains.  See Genesis 12: and 22:2 but this was definitely not the same as worshiping in the “high places” like the Canaanites.  David seems to have worshiped where the Ark was and not in “high places”, but Solomon did otherwise. 

This practice of worshiping in high places continued even after the building of the temple, and even the righteous Kings could not eradicate the practice. 

Clearly then the heart of Solomon was a divided heart. 

In Verse 1 we are told that Solomon formed an alliance with Pharaoh, king of Egypt.  This was definitely a practice that God had forbidden.  Israel was never to make alliances with the nations around them, seeking their protection and assistance to fight Israel's battles.  Israel was to depend on God alone and certainly should not have been looking to Egypt a ‘broken reed’, for help. 

Solomon went further and married Pharaoh’s daughter.  There is no evidence that this woman was a proselyte.  In fact, Solomon was reproved for this marrying of pagan woman in Nehemiah 13:26.  Verses 25-27 shows Nehemiah’s frustration at his disobedient people.  In this Scripture it was declared to be a “sin”, and in verse 27 it was declared to be “a great evil”, and a “transgression against God”. 

Some seem to believe however that this daughter of Pharaoh must have been a proselyte, for Solomon is not stated to have tolerated any idolatry in his early reign.  Of course this is only based on the assumption. 

This was not even his first marriage, for he had already married Naamah the Ammonitess before he became King, and had a son by her. (See Kings 14:21).  

Note that Solomon did all this even though he “loved” the Lord.  Such is man.  Disobedience to the word of God laid the seeds for the eventual destruction of the nation.  First the seeds of destruction divided the nation. 

Solomon was like most of us.  We love the Lord but our hearts are divided.  We cling to practices and patterns of life that we know are wrong.  This divided heart shows in our behavior.  We constantly make excuses for our behavior, but our behavior is classified by Scripture as “sin”. 

Solomon’s heart was ‘divided’ and he loved the Lord and also loved his pagan wives and loved his own wisdom; thinking that he knew better than God and could play the political game safely and improve life in Israel. He was wrong and we are wrong if we think we can deviate from the narrow path and succeed. 

Some things make political sense, but they definitely do not make spiritual sense.  We set a pattern that is not scriptural and we seem to make things work, but it is the beginning of our spiritual downfall. Solomon's inclinations shown here marked the beginning of his spiritual downfall.

Verse 4.  Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice at the great “high place” even though the Ark of the Covenant was at Jerusalem, brought there at great risk and with some fear by David his father.  It was as if David's longing for the Ark of the Covenant to be near to his house was ignored. 

Whatever Solomon did was on a grand scale.  His public sacrifices showed his great wealth; as well as showing that he was prepared to use this wealth to publicly glorify God. 

This sacrifice would be regarded as a ceremonial beginning of Solomon's reign, for the entire leadership of Israel went with him,

(2 Chronicles 1:2-3).

Verse 5.    After Solomon offered that generous sacrifice, God visited him, appearing to Solomon in a dream.  Despite Solomon's obvious weaknesses, God met Solomon exactly where he was. Such is God's care and condescension to his people. 

God then asked Solomon to name the gift that he wanted from Him. 

This was a very important and penetrating question, for God would bring out into the open Solomon's deepest desire. 

Many of us wish that God would ask us that kind of question.  I wonder what we would ask God for if he ever asked. Maybe the same things we are asking for now! 

Actually God has already asked us the same question.  In Matthew 7:7, John 15:7, 1 John 5:14 and in other Scriptures we are told exactly what God said to Solomon. 

Maybe we do not want to admit that God has already asked us to tell him what we want from him, because we do not want to answer God and define our goal in life, the way that Scriptures said we should. 

We do not want to tell God that we want to be righteous, or Christlike, or to dedicate our lives to sharing the gospel with people, or to show the character of God, and the attributes of Jesus.  We know that that is what God wants.  

Since our hearts are divided we do not really want to hear that question from God. We are content with constantly repeating that we do not know what God wants us to be or to do.

Verse 6.    At this stage of his life, Solomon looked at himself and the opportunity that he had been given, even though he was not the firstborn.  He reflected on the fact that his father always sought the truth of God and the righteousness of God and was always ready to make his heart right with God. No matter that he sinned, he was always ready to repent.  He never made excuses.  Never said “but”.  He failed sometimes, but he wanted to be true, righteous, and upright in his walk.  He would always take correction and submit his life to God.  That was the life of his father David.   

He remembered that God had shown great mercy and kindness to his father.  He had given him the desire of his heart and so he had been given a son to sit on the throne.  God had not forsaken David as he had done with Saul.  David's deepest wish had been granted by a most gracious, kind and merciful God.

Verse 7-9.    Solomon therefore looked at his greatness need. Most scholars thing that he was about twenty years old at the time. The Septuagint says that Solomon was at age twelve.  Josephus, the Jewish historian says he was fourteen. 

Whatever his age was, it appears that he was quite young and obviously inexperienced.  He knew that he was now the ruler of the people of God. He knew that he was inexperienced and so in humility and in wisdom he described himself as a “little child”.  He was certainly aware that to rule this great kingdom that David had built, required much experience and wisdom, for the Philistines and the Canaanites were always ready to pounce and escape from the iron grip of Israel.  As well, he knew the history of Israel and the trouble that Israel had always given to its leaders. 

So recognizing that he was not able to guide the people of God righteously, and to keep walking uprightly, he asked for an understanding heart, so that he could hear the voice of God and differentiate between good and evil.

Solomon wanted more than a lot of knowledge, for he knew the awesome difficulties of leadership.  He wanted discernment and strength to apply what he knew.  He wanted enlightenment.( See Ephesians 1:18). 

Remember that wisdom is not just understanding knowledge or the truth.  Wisdom is really the capacity to know truth and to translate truth into practical living. It is to understand what is right and what is wrong in the normal and abnormal situations of life.  Wisdom is therefore skilful living.  Solomon knew that he needed that to properly discharge the great trust placed in him. 

Note that Solomon called himself a ‘servant of God’.  He knew what his work was and he knew that only God could supply the necessary ability to do his work.  So he pleaded for understanding to be able to judge the people of God. 

Solomon here was emphasizing the Covenant, stressing the covenant love that God had displayed toward David.  He was requesting that God display this Covenant love toward him. 

He was not asking for wisdom to do everything imaginable, or to understand everything on the face of the earth.  He was interested only in serving God and the people of God.  His request was very focused.  It showed where his heart was and that his mind was turned toward God.  Maybe he had become aware that his initial efforts at politics were not really solving the problems of the nation, so he requested literally “a hearing heart”. 

Maybe we should stop at this stage and look at ourselves, seeing where God has placed us and discerning what God wants from us.  Maybe we should ask God to give us the ability to serve the people of God and to save sinners. 

If we look at ourselves as servants of God, without focusing on the ability to make money, achieve status, or to achieve the same goals that the people of the world achieve, God might justify react positively toward us, as he did toward Solomon. 

We seem to forget that we have been placed in this world and in the sundry circumstances in which we find ourselves, to serve God and to serve the creatures that God has made. When we forget that we will become selfish and or egos will dominate. That is really all that is happening in the Christian world, and God condemns our behavior.  Nobody wants to serve.  They want to be served. They don't want to wash the feet of others.  They want their feet to be washed.

Verse 10.    Solomon was different. He knew that the people of God were a great people. They were so great that nobody could guide or lead them, if God had not given that leader special ability to carry out his duty.  

The people of God were very important to God and so a leader had to be spiritually strong and have a great spirit of discernment.  He had to be able to hear the voice of God.  Without those gifts from God he would be nothing, a failure. 

Leaders of the people of God therefore have a tremendous responsibility.  This responsibility is not to be taken lightly. Every characteristic or qualification for leadership mentioned in the Bible specifically point out the absolute necessity for personal righteousness, a love for truth and an unswerving commitment to the Commandments of God.  Without those things everything is hollow. (1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1). 

God was pleased with Solomon's request, for his heart showed that he was ready to follow the Covenant. It probably would have been nice for Solomon to have asked God for the ability to keep on ‘panting’ after God, just like David his father.  This request was quite good and pleasing to God.  God found no fault with it.

Verse 11-13.    Solomon prevailed with God and God gave him wisdom, so that he could lead the people of God.  He had great judgment and tremendous discernment and insight.  The administration of the justice of God is a characteristic of leadership that God prizes.  Solomon wanted that and God gave it to him. 

Actually, Solomon did do his job fairly well, despite his falling away later on in life.  What he did not seem to have asked for was strengthening in his spiritual life and that is where he fell down miserably. 

God was able to do exceeding abundantly over what we or Solomon asked or thought.  And  so since Solomon did not ask for riches, the life of his enemies, material prosperity, honor, status like the people of the world, the things that would benefit him personally, God granted him his request, as well as the things that all other Kings craved. 

God gave Solomon the earthly blessings that he had not asked for and these were given in great abundance.  It is not that Solomon would not have wanted these other things, but he knew that they were not the essential thing that he needed.

Verse 14.  God knew that the “spiritual” aspect of the request was not complete.  So he put in an “if”, condition.  Solomon would have to walk with the heart of his father David at all times, so that he would have a long life and enjoy the gifts and the blessings that God had given him.

CONCLUSION

It is nice to have gifts to do the work of God  but if the heart is not right, the gifts matter little.  If there is not the love of God in the heart, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12 through 14, it matters nothing. 

To obtain spiritual blessings one must recognize one's position and ask God to provide the strength and the ability to do God's will, wherever a person is placed. It is important that we recognize this and seek it in prayer.  God will give whatever he wishes to give.  His judgments are always right. 

Unfaithfulness will make a person lose knowledge of the Creator.  If a person follows the abominations of the world they will lose out seriously. The people of God have been given much and they will receive much more if they remain faithful to what God has graciously given to them. 

Solomon’s end was tragic. He wasted much of his gifts. We will too, if we do not continually pant after God, as the hart pants after the water brooks. 

If a person pants after God, they will not pant after the strange attractions of the world, as Solomon did. 

It would be nice and attractive to be recognized by the world and by the people of God as great, but all that means little, if the heart is not set on God.