INTRODUCTION
I would like to briefly consider one of the most remarkable and compelling lives recorded in the Bible and suggest some sobering and useful lessons that we can learn from it. No doubt you have heard the saying ‘the older we get, the wiser we get,’ which means that time and experience naturally bring deeper understanding and better judgement. Unfortunately, despite being renowned as the wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon’s life contradicts the suggestion that people grow wiser with age. Instead, his wisdom lapsed and his judgement severely deteriorated as he grew older.
Solomon was the son of King David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:24) and he succeeded David as king of Israel c. 970 BCE. During his forty year reign (1 Kgs 11:42) Israel enjoyed peace, prosperity, international influence, and trade with its neighbours. Solomon, as I have mentioned, was one of the cleverest men who ever lived and was also the wealthiest man of his day. He was a follower of the Lord and built a magnificent temple dedicated to the worship of Israel’s God. Solomon’s Temple, as it was known, lasted until destroyed by Babylonian forces in 586 BCE.
Solomon was someone who reached the pinnacle of success but, tragically, in later life this man was tired, bored, disillusioned and had made spiritual shipwreck. Solomon’s story is not just ancient history, it is bang up-to-date. It shows us what happens when God-given gifts are neglected or abused and it challenges us to examine the state of our own hearts.
The story of Solomon’s life occupies several chapters in the Bible. The fullest account is in 1 Kings chapters 1-11, there is also a parallel view in 2 Chronicles chapters 1-9. Other biblical writings such as Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Songs, Psalms 72 and 127 are all traditionally associated with Solomon.
Let us consider aspects of Solomon’s life under six simple headings:
Solomon’s Wish
Solomon’s Wisdom
Solomon’s Wealth
Solomon’s Warning
Solomon’s Women
Solomon’s Waywardness
SOLOMON’S WISH
READING: 1 Kings 3:5-13
What if someone offered you a blank cheque with no restrictions whatsoever? You can have anything you want. What would you ask for? Well, in this passage Solomon has an offer like that. Soon after his accession to the throne of Israel the Lord appears to him in a dream and gives him the option to ask for whatever he wants.
Solomon is conscious of the responsibilities of monarchy and is somewhat overwhelmed by the privilege of becoming king. Feeling ill-prepared and inexperienced he asks God to give him ‘an understanding heart, to know what is good and what is bad.’ Notice Solomon’s humility (v.7). He does not pretend to know everything. He is aware that he is young and is now ruler of a large and difficult nation. He admits that he knows very little and thus asks for ‘an understanding heart’ to be able to judge ‘this thy so great a people.’ Solomon recognises that his subjects are God’s people, not his people. He has authority over them but that has been delegated to him by the Lord.
Solomon’s prayer is not self-centred. He does not say: ‘Give me power so that I can lord it over the people.’ He does not say: ‘Make me rich so that I will live a life of luxury.’ He does not say: ‘Give me victory over the surrounding nations.’ He asks for ‘an understanding heart’ so that he can govern his kingdom well.
We all need wisdom. Parents need wisdom to bring up their children. Teachers need wisdom to guide their pupils. Students need wisdom to complete their studies successfully. Employers need wisdom to manage their workers. Politicians and other public leaders need wisdom to govern with compassion and truth.
I find Solomon’s prayer interesting because it is different. Although sincere, our prayers can be narrow. We ask the Lord to improve our situation, to remove our difficulties and give us what we want. But Solomon has a wider view. He asks that he might become the kind of person who can effectively serve the Lord in the circumstances in which he finds himself. He asks for ‘an understanding heart.’
Solomon’s wish ‘pleased the Lord’ (v.10) who answered way beyond what Solomon could have imagined. He not only gave him the wisdom and knowledge he had requested but added riches and fame as a bonus (vv.12-13). What do you really want from God in your life? If God offered you one gift today, what would you ask for?
SOLOMON’S WISDOM
READING: 1 Kings 4:29-34
We have noticed how Solomon started well. Although young and inexperienced he wished for wisdom and discernment in order to govern God’s people well. Solomon’s prayer greatly impressed the Lord who then gave him remarkable wisdom.
1 Kings 4:29 describes the vastness of his wisdom and understanding as being ‘even as the sand that is on the sea shore.’ People travelled from afar to hear him (v.34). The Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-13) came to test him with hard questions and was so overwhelmed by what she saw and heard that she uttered the famous words: ‘behold, the half was not told me.’
God gave Solomon a great mind. He became a scientist, philosopher, poet and songwriter.
And he spoke three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spoke also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. 1 Kings 4:32-33
Solomon not only had intelligence and knowledge but he had practical wisdom. This is evidenced by his understanding of the heart of a mother in the famous story of the two prostitutes and the one child (1 Kings 3:16-28). Both women claimed to be the mother and each claimed custody of the child. DNA testing was not available in those days so Solomon called for a sword in order to divide the child in two so that each woman could have half. One woman agreed that this was fair whereas the other said: ‘give her the living child, and in no wise slay it.’ Solomon identified her as the true mother because he understood that love protects, whereas jealousy destroys.
Solomon may have been a genius but brains do not guarantee holiness. Solomon was wise but great wisdom does not guarantee righteousness. Solomon was a polymath but knowledge does not guarantee right decisions. True wisdom is not just knowing things but rather involves living in a right relationship with God.
SOLOMON’S WEALTH
READING: 1 Kings 3:13; 10:14-29
Solomon’s wisdom was accompanied by enormous personal wealth. According to 1 Kings 10 there was at that time such an abundance of silver and gold in Jerusalem that silver was as common as stones (v.27). Other kings came to visit Solomon bringing valuable gifts (v.24) and he even had a fleet of ships transporting luxury goods like gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks (v.22).
An article about the richest people in history recently appeared on my MSN feed which, taking into account that Solomon received around 25 tonnes of gold each year of his reign, reckoned that he would have been worth up to £757 billion in today’s money. Solomon possessed unimaginable riches and great influence but wealth, while not evil in itself, can become a problem. It can persuade us that we are self-sufficient and this seems to have happened with Solomon.
He manufactured chariots and imported horses from Egypt to pull them (vv.28-29). The two-wheeled, horse-drawn chariot revolutionised warfare during the Iron Age (c.1200 – 586 BCE). Its emergence was mainly due to the domestication of horses and the invention of the lightweight, spoked wheel. The war chariot afforded speed, precise manoeuvrability, and the ability to swiftly surround the enemy or launch surprise attacks. The Egyptians were early adopters of this new technology, which cost a fortune to implement and maintain as part of a standing army. Solomon, of course, had riches galore and also a massive supply of iron – probably more than the total of all his other metals, as donations for the Temple service would suggest:
Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly, And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. 1 Chronicles 29:6-7
Solomon’s purchase of horses from Egypt and his stockpile of precious metals were in direct contravention of the Law relating to the Israelite monarchy set out in the book of Deuteronomy:
. . . one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. Deuteronomy 17:15-17
What Solomon did was forbidden by the Lord. Solomon became self-sufficient. He stopped trusting God and began trusting his chariots and his treasure. He forgot that everything he had came from the Lord.
Money in itself is not evil but ‘the love of money is the root of all evil’ (1 Timothy 6:10). Wealth, however, brings heavy responsibilities and serious temptations. Solomon’s splendour became so magnificent that he began serve that rather than the people God had entrusted to his care.
For us as Christians the question ought not to be ‘How much can I acquire and possess?’ but ”What possesses me?’ It ought not to be ‘How can I get more?’ but rather ‘How can I use what I have for God and for the good of others?’ Our homes, money, education, time and abilities have been given to us by God. How well do we use them?
Blessings are a test. We often think the test is whether we can endure hardship whereas the real test is whether our faith can survive prosperity. God, if he so chooses, can pour out riches, power, position, fame and finance on some but his much greater provision is to give us a daily measure of trust and faith in him for the necessities of life. Solomon possessed great wealth but it did not satisfy him. In later life he wrote:
I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 ESV
SOLOMON’S WARNING
READING: 1 Kings 9:1-9
Solomon’s wealth and success did not mean that he was exempt from failure. After he had built his royal palace and the Temple, the Lord appeared to him a second time. God had heard Solomon’s prayer (1 Kings 8:22-53) at the dedication of the temple and promised that his name would dwell there. He reminded Solomon:
And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel forever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. 1 Kings 9:4-5
But along with that promise the Lord also gave Solomon a serious warning. He continued:
But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people: And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house? And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil. 1 Kings 9:6-9
Notice how personal the Lord’s words are: ‘If you turn aside from following me.’ Solomon is not warned against making a political mistake or managing the kingdom badly. The warning is against something much more important than those things – spiritual infidelity. The Lord’s warning is not vague, it is perfectly clear. Solomon is not to abandon his covenant relationship with the Lord. In effect, the Lord is saying to Solomon: ‘Do not forget who I am, and do not forget what I have done for you and your nation.’
God had chosen Israel to be his people and had brought them out of bondage in Egypt; now Solomon has received his kingdom and wisdom from God. For him to worship other gods would not merely be tolerance of different religious opinions. It would be a betrayal of the Lord.
Solomon received this warning because his heart was capable of wandering, as are ours. The beginning of spiritual infidelity is often small. We neglect prayer, we can’t be bothered going to church meetings, we ignore our conscience, excuse sinful habits, and treat biblical commands as suggestions rather than instructions. We may never kneel before a statue of Baal but other things, such as money, success, reputation, pleasure, power or man’s approval, can usurp God’s place in our life. Few of us will suddenly announce: ‘I am now abandoning God.’ Rather, we begin with just one small compromise. Then another, and so on. Unfortunately, repeated choices form a habit.
Eventually, although we may still appear faithful on the outside, our heart begins to serve another master. The warning to Solomon is also a warning to each of us: do not allow gifts from God to replace God himself. Solomon was told that if he and Israel turned away from the Lord even the Temple would become a ruin and people would ask why such a disaster had occurred. The answer would be: ‘Because they forsook the Lord their God.’
How did Solomon respond to the warning? He just continued as usual even though the message was clear. He paid it no heed.
SOLOMON’S WOMEN
READING: 1 Kings 11:1-13
Solomon’s personal relationships are indicative of compromise in his life. We read in 1 Kings 3:3 that at the beginning of his reign Solomon loved the Lord. Now in 1 Kings 11:1 we learn that King Solomon loved many foreign women. According to vv.3-4 he maintained a large harem: And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God,
Solomon loved ‘foreign women.’ I am not suggesting that there is anything wrong with women or with marriage. Solomon, however, knew that the Lord had forbidden intermarriage with surrounding nations, not on ethnic or racial grounds, but because of the potential for idolatry. In Deuteronomy 7:3-4 the Lord had instructed: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods. . . Solomon was well aware of this command which was aimed at preserving religious purity and yet he persisted in his actions. He knew the scriptural prohibition but here is the problem – he thought he could handle it – he thought he could marry anyone and yet keep his faith intact. So he took wives from the nations with which God had particularly forbidden intermarriage (1 Kings 11:2). Often commentators make the point that these marriages secured political alliances. That was true but the Bible identifies the real reason: ‘Solomon clung to these in love’ (1 Kings 11:2).
Can Christians develop a deep attachment to the unsaved? They certainly can. Can a Christian fall in love with and marry an unbeliever? Of course that can happen. But the price isn’t worth it. The Apostle Paul addresses this problem in the New Testament: Do not be yoked together with those who do not believe. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 CSB.
SOLOMON’S WAYWARDNESS
READING: 1 Kings 11:1-13
Solomon’s waywardness is closely associated with his women. I wish to briefly draw your attention to 1 Kings 11:4: For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God. . . How strange that he was ensnared by youthful lusts in his old age! Let those of us who are older beware! Sadly, Solomon experienced significant spiritual decline and serious deterioration in discernment during his later years. The following actions are evidence of his waywardness:
a) POLITICAL ALLIANCES
Throughout his reign, Solomon used strategic marriages to obtain peace for Israel and secure trade routes. As a result, he accumulated 700 wives and 300 concubines, many of whom were foreign princesses from nations with which God had explicitly warned Israel not to intermarry. Each marriage, whether because of personal desire or out of political expediency, was one more compromise. Every wife was ‘just one more’. However, as time passed, things spiralled out of control. Little by little, the man who had asked for ‘an understanding heart’ lost his discernment in the matter of relationships.
b) SPIRITUAL COMPROMISE
It is tragic that Solomon’s faith became compromised when he reached old age; when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart after other gods. Instead of maintaining the spiritual devotion to the Lord that defined his early reign – such as building the First Temple in Jerusalem – he began building pagan shrines for deities like Ashtoreth, Milcom, and Chemosh in order to please his many wives (1 Kings 11:8). He grew cool and indifferent to the one true faith and to the one true God. He lost his love for the Lord and he built temples for the worship of pagan gods. Where? In the hill that is before Jerusalem (11:7), practically in sight of the very Temple he had built for the glory of The Lord. One who had been such a devoted follower of the Lord then promoted idolatry in his kingdom. This was more than personal sin, it was pastoral sin. He led his people astray and into idolatry. No wonder the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice (1 Kings 11:9). Those pagan temples constructed by Solomon operated there for about three hundred years until destroyed by King Josiah of Judah as part of his religious reforms c.622 BCE:
The king [Josiah] also defiled the high places that were across from Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Destruction, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Ashtoreth, the abhorrent idol of the Sidonians; for Chemosh, the abhorrent idol of Moab; and for Milcom, the detestable idol of the Ammonites. 2 Kings 23:13 CSB
For Solomon, whose wisdom was rooted in his devotion to the Lord (YHWH), to promote idolatrous worship represented a massive decline in his relationship with the Lord.
c) HARSH DOMESTIC POLICIES
As Solomon aged, his grand building projects, luxurious lifestyle and large household became a huge financial burden. How could he afford these commitments? He imposed heavy taxation and conscription on his own people and forced labour on non-Israelite citizens, growing ever more despotic and out of touch with his subjects (1 Kings 5:13-18; 9:15-23). This showed not only failure of discernment but also a lack of foresight for his succession. Solomon’s repressive policies resulted in discontent and unrest in the kingdom and contributed to its breakup after his death. He was succeeded by his son Rehoboam who rejected an appeal by the northern tribes to lighten the ‘heavy yoke’ that Solomon had imposed upon them and instead threatened to make their burden even heavier. This triggered the division of the kingdom; the northern tribes decided to break with the house of David and follow Jeroboam (1 Kings 12).
SUMMATION
Our brief overview of Solomon’s life began with his wish – a prayer for ‘an understanding heart;’ wisdom and knowledge to govern responsibly. He received wisdom. He received international admiration and he ruled in peace. He constructed a magnificent temple for the worship of the Lord. However, intelligence, success and even religious achievement count for nothing when one’s heart does not remain faithful to the Lord. Solomon’s success gradually led to spiritual decline. His wealth, luxury, marriages and political alliances weakened his fidelity to the Lord. In later years his wives turned him towards foreign deities so that he no longer followed the Lord faithfully.
Solomon’s journey from wisdom to waywardness is a reminder of our own tendency to drift. Solomon, unfortunately, forsook the sacred for the sensual and abandoned the way of faith for the way of the flesh. Many of us begin our Christian lives with enthusiasm; keen, humble, and hungry for God and his word. Then slowly things begin to change. A little academic success, a good job, more money, a comfortable home, family responsibilities; gradually other things occupy our thoughts and time – we become more self-sufficient and independent of God. Unless we stop, take stock, humble ourselves, repent and get back on the right track, we will make spiritual shipwreck.
The following practical lessons from Solomon’s experience are at the same time cautionary and encouraging. We ought to:
- Ask the Lord for wisdom and ability to serve others well.
- Be obedient to the Lord. Solomon possessed great wisdom but that alone did not guarantee holiness or faithfulness. Being intelligent, talented or having spiritual gift is not enough. Wisdom must shape our choices and direct us to live in obedience to the will of God.
- Realise that money and success are gifts, not gods. In themselves they may be blessings but they can encourage self-reliance and excess.
- Recognise that small compromises weaken our faith. Solomon’s faith was gradually undermined by relationships and practices that led him astray. We should be careful about what habits, influences, friendships, and ambitions influence our lives.
- Take God’s warnings seriously.
- Bear in mind that a good finish is more important than a promising start.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS
Ryken, P. G., (2011). King Solomon: the Temptations of Money, Sex, and Power. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway.
ELECTRONIC RESOURCES
Cattley, A. (2026). Thought Elon Musk was rich? How much the wealthiest people in history would be worth today | lovemoney.com. [online] Available at: https://www.lovemoney.com/news/51988/20-richest-people-of-all-time [Accessed 3 Oct. 2026].
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