One of the saddest stories in the Bible is the fall of Solomon. He did so well at first, yet he ended up so shamefully -as two sweeping chapters describe (1Kg 10 and 11).

The story of Solomon begins very well. He began to reign with humility and dedication. In Gibeon, God appeared to him in a dream, and invited Solomon to ask for anything he wanted. Solomon pleased God with his reply: "Give me wisdom to rule your people well." God gave him great wisdom, as well as many blessings he had not asked: "riches and honour, so there will not be any among the kings like you all your days, if you walk in my ways, keeping my commandments and laws" (1Kg 3:3-15). God later appeared to Solomon a second time.

Toward the end of his reign however, Solomon’s lovely relationship with God had become sadly reversed: "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." We find God saying to Solomon, "I will tear the kingdom away from you" (1Kg 11:9-11). In consequence, the kingdom became divided into two kingdoms, Solomon’s house retaining the small one.

Summary of Sixth Period

KINGDOM DIVIDED
While Benjamin clung to Judah, the other ten tribes were rebellious. When Solomon died, they rejected Solomon’s son Rehoboam as king, and made Solomon’s servant Jeroboam their king instead. They rejected Jerusalem the holy city, and made their capital Samaria to the north. So there was a division into two kingdoms. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin became known collectively as Judah, while the ten surrounding tribes retained the name Israel. Each kingdom had its own succession of kings, many of whom were evil, Israel’s being the worst.

In this lesson, we look at the factors behind Solomon’s sin and fall from glory. We notice his excess, his disobedience, his neglect, and his several faults. This might seem a very negative approach, however I think you'll find it instead a most instructive and helpful lesson.

The Main Point

Behind this story is the fact that, no matter how strong our faith might be, we can, like Solomon, let it slip by not paying sufficient attention to God’s word daily. A wholehearted devotion to God is necessary, and we cannot divide our loyalties between God and other things.

Solomon’s Excess

(1) Gold and silver

Solomon accumulated enormous quantities of gold, and his kingdom had so much silver that it was counted as common as stones (1Kg 10:14-21,27).

(2) Thousands of horses

Solomon’s stock and trade in horses from Egypt was huge (1Kg 10:26,28-29).

(3) A thousand wives

Solomon had 700 wives. These were daughters of foreign kings. He also had 300 concubines (1Kg 11:1-3).

Solomon’s Disobedience

To link the curious facts above with Solomon’s downfall, we must go back in history before any king reigned in Israel (except the LORD). In fact we must go back even before the Israelites had entered their promised land, right back to the wilderness where God gave the law to Moses. In that law, God anticipated the future desire of the nation to have a king. This law was to apply to every king, including Solomon. You will find it in Deuteronomy 17:14-20.

• "The king shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses..."
• "Neither shall he multiply wives for himself lest his heart turn away..."
• "Nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself..."
• "When the king sits on the throne... he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll... And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life... carefully observing all the words of this law... that he may not turn aside from the commandment"

Solomon’s Neglect

It’s not hard to see what went wrong. A clause in this law required the king to write his own copy of it, keep it near at hand, and read it every day. Somehow Solomon neglected this requirement, and he began to do exactly what the law said he should not. In these last days we too "must pay closer attention to what we have heard lest we drift away" (Heb 2:1-3).

Solomon’s Mistakes

Among the things which made God angry about Solomon, are those listed below from 1st Kings chapter 11.

• 1. Misplaced love (v.1, see Mtt 10:37).
  Love is good only when its objects are good.
• 2. Evil companions (v.2, see 1Co 15:33).
  Close ties should not be made with those who follow evil.
• 3. Seeking status and prestige (v.3, see Mtt 19:30).
  What we acquire in excess of need, is but for folly and pride.
• 4. Compromise (v.4, see Mtt 12:30).
  If only halfway devoted to God, we are at enmity with him.
• 5. Idolatry (v.5, see Col 3:5).
  Where idolatry is the practice, covetousness is the principle.
• 6. Rebellion (v.6, see Php 3:16-17).
  The example of good parents and mentors is not to be scorned.
• 7. Entanglement in sin (v.7, see 2Pe 2:20-22).
  A sin wilfully repeated becomes a snare without escape.
• 8. Serving many masters (v.8, see Mtt 6:24).
  The one who serves God can serve no other master.
• 9. Ingratitude (v.9, see 1Th 5:18).
  Once blessed, give thanks; twice blessed, give your all.

All these are various forms of one fault, namely disobedience. There were many ways in which "Solomon did not observe what the Lord had commanded." (v.10).

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