“So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.” 2 Chronicles 9:22-23
The Bible tells us that King Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived. Solomon, realizing his inexperience, asked God for wisdom to rule God’s kingdom. God was pleased with his request and granted it. Using the gift of wisdom God had given him, Solomon built the temple in Israel. Over the next two decades Solomon built many great buildings and his fame spread throughout the world. The Queen of Sheba even came to Jerusalem to see if reports of him were true. After questioning him with hard questions and seeing the wisdom and order that was designed into everything in the kingdom (read 2 Chronicles 9:3-4), she was so overwhelmed with Solomon’s wisdom that Scripture says there “was no more spirit left in her.” We are told that God’s great gift of wisdom was so apparent to others that the kings of the earth came to him seeking his advice and counsel.
As we read of Solomon we are overwhelmed with the gift God gave him. Yet as we read his story, we sense troubling fractures in his foundation. We read how Solomon continued to collect gold well
after the temple was built. ” The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, besides what the traveling merchants and traders brought.” This is not necessarily wrong but God gives us a hint that Solomon is doing this for himself. Did you see it? 666 talents of gold. In several passages we read that Solomon began to multiple horses in Israel, especially the military. “Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.” This was in direct violation of Deuteronomy 17:16. “He must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses.” Finally Solomon married many foreign wives. “Now Solomon brought the daughter of Pharaoh up from the City of David to the house he had built for her, for he said, “My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy.” He knew this was in violation of God’s word. “But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites – from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” The wisest man in the world was doing some very unwise things.
What can we learn? We sometimes forget God appeared to Solomon a second time. God told Solomon He would bless him if he obeyed but if if he turned away from God there would be consequences for him and Israel. God gave this warning in love – to keep Solomon on a straight path so the nation could experience God’s blessings.
What was the result? The wisest man in the world did not obey God. It was not a quick departure but a slow erosion into sin. Solomon took fire into his bosom and thought he could get away with it. He soon learned that he was not immune. There is an important lesson for us as we live for God. It is not important to be the wisest man in the world. It is important to be the most obedient. Wisdom is given by God but our obedience to His wisdom keeps us on His path where we experience God’s blessing.