Solomon's Downfall

It was always a little disturbing to me when I would study the life of Solomon. How could a man so blessed by God, begin to turn away from Him? After all, Solomon was privileged of all people, having spent seven years building the Temple for God; how could he turn away from Him?

It is interesting that when God spoke to Solomon He said, "Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon saying, ¹² “Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father." (1 Kings 6:11-12, NASB) See also (1 Kings 9:4-7). God seems to be alluding to the possibility that Solomon will not keep the Law of God and will begin to serve other gods. Just as in Solomon's life, He obviously knows what is going to take place in our lives before those events ever happen.

In 1 Kings 10-11, the writer wants to reveal the greatness and wealth of Solomon, or so it seems at first glance. He had over 1,400 chariots, 12,000 horsemen, his horses and chariots were imported from Egypt. In addition, Solomon had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines.

At first glance, it would seem that the writer of 1 Kings and of 2 Chronicles is highlighting the greatness of Solomon, but on closer inspection one can see that the intention is directly opposite. The items the writer is pointing out, the wealth, the horses and the women, are all mentioned in the Mosaic Law as areas to be wary of and Solomon is breaking each of those laws. (Deuteronomy 17:16-17).

Solomon was blessed by God, but little by little he began to turn from God. It did not happen overnight, it happened over time. As Solomon became richer he wanted more wealth. He also fell in love with many pagan women who enticed him towards their pagan gods.

Most importantly, Solomon built the Temple of the Lord, but as the writer mentions, it took seven years to build - about half the time Solomon spent to build his own house. Solomon not only built the Temple of the Lord, he also built a high place for Chemosh and for Molech and for the gods of all his wives.

Now it becomes even clearer to me that Solomon had every opportunity in the world to succeed and continue to be blessed by God, but he became so caught up in the riches and pleasures of this world that he turned from God.

God will bless us as we continue to follow Him, but when we choose to follow our own ways or the ways of another, He will allow us to walk into the mess that we seek. He warned Solomon many times to keep His commandments, but Solomon did not obey and was led astray.

When we flirt with sin it all seems fun in the beginning, but the end is what really counts. In the end, sin destroys our lives and the lives of the ones we love.

Solomon paid a great price for his disobedience to God. We will also have to pay a price for our sinful life if we continue to walk in it's path.