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King Solomon started his life with several advantages that most of us don’t have, such as growing up in the royal palace with his dad, the renowned King David, and receiving solid guidance through the scriptures from David as Solomon grew up (Proverbs 1-7). Solomon had outstanding achievements, such as building a temple for God in Jerusalem, and God also appeared to Solomon on two separate occasions (1 Kings 3:4-5, 2 Chronicles 7:12-20).

God gave Solomon riches, fame and greater wisdom than any man had ever possessed. Yet for all these advantages, Solomon ended up worshipping idols with a heart that was cold to the one, true God. What clues does God’s Word give as to how this might have happened?    

Early Success, Fame and Wealth May Have Been Distractions…

Early in Solomon’s reign, he successfully managed the enormous project of building the temple for God that David had envisioned, which some have included as one of the wonders of the ancient world. Understandably, Solomon earned fame for this outstanding achievement of successfully managing enormous amounts of labor and materials, including the cutting of materials with such precision that finished blocks could be fitted together on the construction site without the use of a hammer, chisel, or iron tool (1 Kings 6:7). The project took 7 years to complete.

After the success of building the temple, Solomon then built a house for himself, a project that took 13 years to complete (1 Kings 7:1). He then built several other buildings, each one built of costly materials (1 Kings 7:2-11).  

… And Then There Was a Mid-Life Crisis

The book of Ecclesiastes, authored by Solomon, reveals that at some point Solomon suffered from disillusionment, and had trouble finding pursuits that were satisfying (Ecclesiastes 1-2). Men have been known to respond to a mid-life crisis by adjusting their focus in life to pursue wealth, material goods as status symbols, and new romantic pursuits, as they search for satisfaction and meaning in life.

At one point in his search for meaning and fulfillment, Solomon confesses that, “’Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure” (Ecclesiastes 2:10 NKJV). His search for meaning through pleasures probably increased his appetites to dangerous proportions. Throughout his life, Solomon acquired wealth, material goods such as horses, 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3).  

Violating God’s Word to Satisfy Appetites

During Solomon’s reign, he acquired many wives and concubines, as well as a variety of material treasures that included horses. As his collections grew, he trampled on the commandments of God’s Word and the warnings that were intended to guard kings against harmful excesses. For example, Deuteronomy 17:16 says that the king “shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again’” (NKJV).

Although we don’t know the exact number of horses that Solomon accumulated, scripture does tell us that Solomon had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen (2 Chronicles 1:14), which indicates that Solomon had a vast number of horses. Scripture goes on to say that those horses were imported from Egypt and elsewhere (2 Chronicles 1:16).

Likewise, Deuteronomy 17:17 said of kings, “nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself” (NKJV). Contrary to this command, each year Solomon acquired 666 talents of gold (approximately 25 tons of gold) into his kingdom (1 Kings 10:14), and “the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones” (1 Kings 10:27 NKJV).

Many Foreign Wives Led King Solomon’s Heart Astray – 1 Kings 11

Apparently, the king forgot a lesson that he had been taught earlier in life. Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (NKJV). In addition, Deuteronomy 17:17 instructs kings, “Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away” (NKJV). However, King Solomon “loved many foreign women” (1 Kings 11:1), and many of those were from pagan nations that worshipped idols.

Sure enough, scripture then tells us, “For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David” (1 Kings 11:4 NKJV). The next few verses (1 Kings 11:5-8) describe in detail how Solomon got involved in the worship of idols. Solomon’s unfaithfulness angered God (1 Kings 11:9), and God raised up several enemies against King Solomon (1 Kings 11:14-26, 40).

Conclusion

Solomon’s life shows that no matter what advantages a person may start with, or how much worldly success they may have in life, indulging our appetites can dull our spiritual senses so that we overlook the warnings of God’s Word that were put in scripture to correct the path of our life. Jesus said that “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches” can choke the word of God in someone’s life (Matthew 13:22 NKJV).

May we learn where others have failed, and not just remember to read God’s Word regularly, but to build our lives around the study of and obedience to God’s Word. Indeed, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 NKJV).