Life of Solomon
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Solomon was born into royalty. He was King David’s son. He became king at a young age (1 Kings 1:33-40 Solomon made King at young age).
God granted wisdom, wealth, and honor to Solomon:
When Solomon’s reign began, God appeared to him in a dream. God asked him for whatever he wanted and he would give it to him. Solomon was young and humble. He answered by saying that he is just a little child and doesn’t know how to be king. So, he just asked God for wisdom and discernment. God was impressed with Solomon’s humbleness and not only granted his request of wisdom and discernment, but also gave him wealth and honor (1 Kings 3:5-14 God granted wisdom, wealth, and honor).
Solomon built temple of the Lord and royal palace:
In the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord. He built it with all the specifications from God. He put the Ark of the Covenant in the temple as instructed by God. It took seven years to complete it (1 Kings 6:36-38 Solomon built Temple of the Lord).
Solomon also built a royal palace for himself. It took him thirteen years to build his palace (1 Kings 7:1 Solomon built palace for himself).
God warns Solomon:
Building the temple and palace was Solomon’s focus and was all he had all he had desired. Once the temple of the Lord and royal palace was completed, God appeared to Solomon a second time (1 Kings 9:1-9 God appeared again and gave warning). God told Solomon that he had consecrated the temple and that his heart and eyes will be there always. He also warned Solomon to observe his laws and commandments. Failing to do so and turning to other gods would cause Israel to be cut off from the land and the temple would be rejected. Therefore, Solomon was well aware of God’s commandments and consequences of not obeying then.
Solomon marries foreign women:
The Lord had told the Israelites not to intermarry with foreign women, because these women would turn their hearts after their gods. However, Solomon still loved women from other nations and had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines (1 Kings 11:1-3 Solomon married foreign women).
Foreign women turned Solomon’s heart to their gods:
As God warned, Solomon’s foreign wives turned his heart after other gods (1 Kings 11: 4-12 Solomon worshiped other gods). He followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek, the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord became very angry and told Solomon he will most certainly tear the kingdom away from Israel. Nevertheless, for the sake of David his father, he would not do it during Solomon’s lifetime. He will tear it out of the hand of Solomon’s son.
Solomon’s death:
Solomon reigned in Jerusalem for forty years. Then he died (1 Kings 11: 42-43 Solomon died after reigning 40 years) and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David.
Conclusion to Life of Solomon:
When I first read about Solomon, I was perplexed how a person so full of wisdom could do something so stupid. But now I think of Solomon’s life a little differently. He was given so much at such an early age. Being that he had everything he could ever want, he really had nothing to strive for except building the temple and palace. Once that was done, even though he was a great king, he must have felt his life had no purpose. He also may have felt that he was denied a childhood and never got to just have fun like the other children. Striving to fill a void in his heart, he turned to foreign women and gods. Makes me feel grateful for my hardships and trials, for they make me turn to God and God goes through them with me, strengthening me.
PDF: The Life of Solomon
See: Life of Solomon Bible Study Worksheet
See: Part 2 #14. Can We Always Be Content?
Also See: Part 2 #10. When Are We Too Prideful?
See: Part 3 #10. A Prayer for Finances
See: Part 4 #4. The Life of King David
Also See: Free Bible Study Worksheets
Also See: Part 3 – List of Prayers
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