Monday
Monday
King Solomon
God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight…. He was wiser than any other man.
1 Kings 4:29, 31
Soon after Solomon succeeded David on the throne, Yahweh appeared to him in a dream and told him to ask for whatever he wanted. Acknowledging his inexperience, Solomon asked for neither wealth nor fame, neither long life nor victory over his enemies, but for wisdom to govern his people with justice. In consequence, Solomon became something of an administrative genius. He divided the country into twelve regions under twelve royal commissioners. He built a standing army and founded Israel’s merchant navy. Its ships, kept in the Gulf of Aqabah, went on adventurous voyages for trade.
Having built palaces for himself and his queen, together with other public edifices, Solomon went on to construct the great temple that his father had wanted to build. Solomon also became a patron of the arts and the composer of many songs and proverbs. His reputation for wisdom, splendor, and justice spread far and wide, and under his rule his people enjoyed peace and prosperity. No wonder Jesus spoke of “Solomon in all his glory” (Matt. 6:29 KJV). Israel had reached the zenith of its magnificence.
All was not well under the surface, however. Solomon did not love the Lord his God with all his heart. Nor did he love his neighbor as himself. On the one hand, he kept a harem of princesses, who “turned his heart after other gods” (1 Kings 11:4). On the other, he was able to maintain his grandiose lifestyle only by oppressive measures such as high taxation and forced labor.
We have now reviewed the three kings of the united monarchy—Saul, David, and Solomon. Each reigned for approximately forty years. Each, in differing degrees, was a mixture of good and evil. And each was a monument to the grace of God.
For further reading: 1 Kings 11:4–6