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Later God granted Solomon the privilege of building the Temple. At the dedication of the Temple, Solomon had these words to say to the people.
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“Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.” (NASB) 1 Kings 8:61 |
Solomon's kingdom grew along with his fame. 1 Kings 10 and Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 describe the great wealth of Solomon. 1 Kings 11:3 tells us that he had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. Now many men would like to have been that man. God also tells us that Solomon was the wisest man of his time.
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Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore. And Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. (NASB) 1 Kings 4:29-30
Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. (NASB) Ecclesiastes 2:9 |
The Tragedy. What more could a man want? The answer is a relationship with God! His father had warned him to walk with God. God had even visited him! He saw the blessing or miracle of God on his life. Yet, he sinned greatly. He went after other gods.
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Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them, neither shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. For it came about when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. (NASB) 1 Kings 11:1-4 |
Today many Christians would admire this man and probably place him in church leadership. They would point out that he built the temple for God. Many would say he was a man of God. All that one needed was to look at how God had blessed him with wealth and fame. Now that was the blessing of God on his life, but it does not prove a man's heart is right before God. Many would say to just forgive him for his "womanizing" and false doctrine and let him continue to minister. But God was not pleased with him and planned to end his ministry! God sets a high standard for leaders. God did the same thing to Moses after Moses disobeyed by striking the rock twice (Numbers 20). God ended his ministry and did not let him enter the Promised Land. We must be careful and avoid a wrong concept of "Christ's love."
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Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded. So the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. (NASB) 1 Kings 11:9-11 |
Lessons For Us. The book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon. It was written near the end of his life and describes his search for meaning in life. It reveals the fact that Solomon for awhile was not walking with God. How could this be? How could such a tremendously wise man, a man who wrote scripture (Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes), a man who built the temple of God go wrong? We could guess that, "He did not listen to his father's instruction." We could say, "It was his wealth and fame!" The right answer is "his wives turned his heart away." That is what scripture says (1 Kings 11:4). Here is a key spiritual truth for us. Those whom we spend time with can change our heart's attitude toward God. They can cause our heart to drift away from Him, and then God may discipline us. Our spouse will affect our relationship with God! Solomon drifted away from God like a boat drifts away from a harbor of safety out into the rough sea. Was he an Old Testament saint or was he lost? But it appears from Eccl. 12:13-15 that Solomon realized his boat was out at sea and finally returned his boat to the harbor before he died. That is when he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. Here is his conclusion.
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The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. (NASB) Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 |
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