Many kings, queens, and emperors have passed through the ages. There have been mighty ones, weak ones, great ones, good ones, cruel ones, etc. Each had his/her peculiarities or achievements, by which they were, or are, remembered in history.

But none of them would, nor can, measure up their name with Solomon, the king of ancient Israel. Neither could they, in the slightest degree, ever surpass Solomon’s status as a person or regent. For the Scripture record tells us that God, who appeared to Solomon in a dream, said: “lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.” 1 Kings 3:12. And what God says cannot be changed.

As we know the story, Solomon did very well for many years. “[He] loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father.” 1 Kings 3:3. He built the glorious temple, the jewel and pride of the nation, a splendid palace with the magnificent throne room, the wall around Jerusalem, a navy, and he established and fortified cities. All was done on a monumental scale.

“And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.” 1 Kings 4:29–30, 34. This record stands indeed unchallenged till today.

The very person of Solomon, his superior wisdom, knowledge and judgment, his immense wealth and entire lifestyle were out of the ordinary. Everything was in the superlative. There was a literal migration of rulers from all over the world to see and hear this illustrious Hebrew monarch in person. Also, this is remarkable, for of whom else has it been recorded to be sought after with such keen interest!

Here was nothing in the line of normal standard of how royalty used to live at that time. Because all the earth desired to visit Solomon, everyone came also with plenty of gifts, which, accordingly contributed to his enormous wealth, besides his own enterprises of bringing gold from Ophir and other treasures.

At the Palace

One visitor outdid the other with precious, costly, beautiful and extraordinary presents to find favour and also to set up treaty agreements. Only the very best of everything—exquisite jewelry, intricate embroidery, magnificent artifacts, choice vessels of gold and silver, precious silk, brocade, finest linen, rare, exotic birds and animals, select spices, etc., etc., were presented before this imposing monarch.

There was a steady coming and going of foreign dignitaries to the royal palace, and Solomon exceeded everyone’s expectations with his brilliant style of entertaining the guests. Some challenged him (according to Josephus) with difficult riddles, including the Queen of Sheba, which Solomon solved in a flash that left his hearers speechless. There was no question he could not answer.

Solomon studied nature and fascinated every ear with amazing explanations of his knowledge about creation and discoveries about all matters and subjects of science and life, which kept the audience spellbound.

The royal banquets were an experience and feast in a class of its own. Besides mouth-watering, exquisite cuisine, gorgeously clad servants, there was music of the finest sort to enchant the ear. There was also sublime poetry, dazzling beautiful dancers, performances of superb athletes, etc. These were days, not only to satisfy the palate, but also the mind, the senses and the eyes. No one who was privileged to experience all those wondrous events would forget the lavish generosity and hospitality of King Solomon.

He certainly lived up to his fame. No wonder every nation desired to be affiliated with him.

The Rising of Shadows

With the droves of presents came also beautiful virgins to be given as gifts. Solomon married them and, with time, there were hundreds of them.  Here, one must say, he did not act wisely at all, and dark shadows began to fall upon his celebrated prominence.

These ladies brought with them their heathen religions, every nation having their own gods and style of worship.

For many years Solomon was faithful to the God of his fathers, and the Spirit of God was with him, as the Bible says. What a fantastic story of the life of this king, until. . . .

Until one continues to read on to Chapter 11 of 1 Kings, beginning with “But”. I am always saddened when coming across: “But king Solomon loved many strange women. . . . Solomon clave unto these in love.” 1 Kings 11:1–2

Suddenly, all the lustre of Solomon’s glory, grandeur and greatness fall like scales to the earth. The tragic, sobering truth of Solomon’s following years hit the reader with a hammer! Surely even the wisest man on earth is not immune to apostasy from the truth and the favour of God. This is a most solemn warning to anyone with great talent, intellect and zeal for the Lord.

Satan’s Jealousy

God loved Solomon and appeared to him twice. It was the king’s earnest desire to follow the LORD.

But, this is another “but” however addressed to Satan, who hates everyone with hellish passion who is loving and serving the holy God and Creator of the universe.

Satan was consumed with jealousy towards Solomon, and determined to bring this admired great man, and regent, from favour to disgrace. He watched closely as Solomon began to marry, at first, the Egyptian Princess, and later the many foreign women given him by the hundreds. His eyes really widened, being quite astonished, observing those things. Satan knew well that this was a direct transgression of the commandments and laws given to Moses for Israel (1 Kings 11:2; Deuteronomy 17:17).

Now Satan saw his chance to enter a solid wedge between Solomon’s faithfulness to God and the strong hold of his wives. In time the gulf widened, the king’s devotion to the God of Israel lessened more and more, as his indulgence to every gratification of the carnal mind and passion increased.

“I made me. . . I got me. . . I gathered me. . . And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them.” Ecclesiastes 2:3–10

Now Satan clapped his hands together and dancing with hellish delight shouted: “Ha, ha, hahhh, I got him, I got him!”

We are not told by the Scriptures if Solomon was trying to convert his wives and concubines to the only true God. But we know that they were certainly successful in slowly biasing him to their deities and ways of worship. These wives were Satan’s subjects and he used them as his elected tools to ensnare the king with their artful enticements, not only to yield to excess sensuality, but also to make him an idol worshipper.

One could do no greater offense to God and this was Satan’s goal. He, in his jealousy, and his hatred to God, finally succeeded to snatch Solomon out of the Creator’s hand.

In triumphant frenzy, the fallen cherub manipulated Solomon as his choice marionette. Becoming wax in the hands of the strange wives to do Satan’s bidding, the king made of himself an open shame, not only to God, but also to his nation. He offered sacrifices to the most abominable heathen gods and even set up high places to worship there.

“And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice. . . and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not.”  1 Kings 11:9–10

“And the LORD stirred up an adversary. . . . Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king’s seed in Edom.” 1 Kings 11:14

“And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah. . . . [he] reigned in Damascus.  And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside the mischief that Hadad did.” 1 Kings 11:23–25

“And Jeroboam the son of Nebat. . . even he lifted up his hand against the king.” (verse 26). Him Solomon wanted

to kill, because of the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite (v. 29–39). He prophesied that, because of his apostasy, after his death God would rent the kingdom out of his posterity and make Jeroboam king over Israel. Solomon fell so deep that he would not even shrink from considering the murder of someone God had chosen to become His servant.

God had exalted Solomon to highest honour, wealth, prosperity and excellent wisdom (1 Chronicles 29:25). Therefore, his apostasy was the more heinous, despicable, abhorrent and offensive. He betrayed the God of Israel to whom he had built a most glorious house of worship.

What did he think when he saw its splendor before him, that holy edifice where he worshipped with gladness and offered with thanksgiving sacrifices by the thousands—when offering to heathen deities nearby?

Strange, that not even his great wisdom and keen perception could make him see what he was doing. There was something terribly wrong going on in him. This is indeed the mystery of iniquity; the mystery of sin. The king’s fall was complete. It seemed there was no hope for him.

There was a Precious Promise Given to David:

“I will be his father, and He shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men. . . But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul.” 2 Samuel 7:14–15

The Spirit of Prophecy tells us that Solomon was “saved by the hair of his teeth.” For David’s sake, God would not let go of Solomon.

You can read about his conversion, “Out of the Abyss,” in Part II, in the next  issue.

Edda Tedford, Canada