1 Kings 1

Study Guide 35: 1 Kings 1-11; 2 Chronicles 1-9 SOLOMON THE KING Overview For 33 years David aggressively guided God’ s united people to greatness, forging a powerful empire. As David grew older, his sons disputed over the succession. But God had revealed to David that He had chosen Solomon to succeed him (see 1 Chronicles 22:9-10). David had shared this revelation with Bathsheba, Solomon’ s mother (1 Kings 1:13, 1 Kings 1:17). He had even announced it to the nation (1 Chronicles 22:5; 1 Chronicles 29:1). Still, Solomon was not the oldest of David’ s living sons. There were older brothers who understandably disputed his right to the throne. Finally, one of David’ s older surviving sons, Adonijah, took steps to gain the succession. Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba insisted that David act. David did. He made Solomon coregent. When Adonijah heard, his supporters deserted him and the young man rushed to the altar of sacrifice to claim sanctuary. His life was spared, and Solomon was secure on the throne. Solomon’ s reign was a time of unparalleled wealth and greatness for Israel. No one dared attack the secure kingdom. It was also a golden literary age. We associate the Psalms with David. Solomon and his time are linked with the Proverbs. According to well-established tradition, Solomon also wrote Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs. These books give additional insight into Solomon, noted for his wisdom, but nevertheless a tragic figure who in his old age strayed from complete commitment to the Lord.

Commentary The Era of Solomon The years of Solomon’ s long reign seem to be years of growing glory for Israel. The traditional powers of the ancient world — the Egyptians and the Hittites — and the empires yet to appear — Assyria and Babylon — were not aggressive during either David’ s or Solomon’ s rule. David had expanded Israel’ s sphere of influence by war. Solomon was a diplomat, who held what his father had gained. During Solomon’ s reign, Israel’ s wealth and power were unmatched. Strength for peace. One of Solomon’ s strategies for maintaining peace was to constantly strengthen Israel’ s military capacity. Like strategists in our day, Solomon wanted to deal with world problems through diplomacy, but he wanted to negotiate from a position of strength rather than weakness. He fortified key cities on the perimeter of Israel’ s territory and set up outer command posts to give early warning of possible enemy military buildups. In addition, Solomon developed a strong and mobile strike force, assembling some 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and building stables for 4,000 horses. Solomon’ s chariot cities have been excavated and indicate the extent of the large standing army the king maintained. This military readiness placed a heavy strain on the kingdom’ s financial resources. But throughout the years of Solomon’ s reign, Israel was at peace. Diplomacy. David had won the respect of the great powers surrounding Israel. Solomon now moved to make alliances with them. His many marriages to foreign women were part of this diplomatic strategy; in that day such marriages were a normal way to seal an international alliance. Solomon’ s marriage to Pharaoh’ s daughter (1 Kings 3:1) shows the place Israel had won in the ancient world, as Egypt was a major world power. Solomon also developed close ties with Hiram I, the Phoenician king of Tyre (ca. 978-944 b.c.). Again, marriage sealed the alliance. But trade between the two powers, with Tyre contributing her “ cedars of Lebanon” and Israel providing wheat plus other foodstuffs, also bound them together. In addition, Solomon and Hiram jointly sponsored trade ventures that took ships representing Israel as far as India. This system of alliance and trade treaties was the key to Solomon’ s successful foreign relations program. Economic conditions. Solomon was as aggressive economically as his father had been militarily. He invested in land and sea trade. He developed Israel’ s natural resources, setting up smelteries which excavation has shown brilliantly used prevailing winds to intensify the heat of the furnaces in which metals were refined. Solomon maintained a large court as well as a large army and built many public buildings. He also built the temple of the Lord, which his father had dreamed of and planned for. And that temple cost billions! While Solomon’ s sources of income were constantly being developed, his expenses still outgrew them. We are told that at one time he borrowed heavily from Hiram. Solomon drew income from four major sources. Taxation. The country was divided into 12 districts (not along the old tribal lines), and the chief officer over each was primarily a tax collector. The bureaucratic demands grew so heavy that at Solomon’ s death the people cried out desperately for tax relief (1 Kings 12:3-4). Trade. Solomon’ s ships and caravans traveled to Africa, Arabia, and India, trading copper from his mines for many goods. He also became a middleman in selling military hardware, buying and selling chariots and horses for peoples to the north and south of Israel. Labor conscriptions. Solomon drafted laborers for his public works projects. At first the laborers were drawn from the foreign populations over which Israel ruled. Later, when more men were needed, he pressed Israelites into service as well. As such conscripts were expected to work for the government without pay, this was deeply resented. Foreign tribute. Income was also received from foreign countries. Some of this was annual tribute from subject states, while some was in the form of gifts from states desiring to remain on good terms with powerful Israel. During Solomon’ s days Jerusalem became increasingly affluent. The wealth of the world flowed to Solomon’ s court and was reflected in the glory of the capital city. But bureaucracy grew as well. The nation’ s wealth was no longer based on the land and what it produced. Increasingly the government controlled the wealth of the land, and taxes drained wealth from the people and funneled expenditure through the central government. The glory was a superficial thing; prosperity was not for the people as much as it was at the expense of the people. The temple. Solomon’ s most massive project was the building of the temple at Jerusalem. It was located on the site where Abraham had been commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:2). The gold used in its construction was worth over 2-1/2 billion dollars — if gold were valued at only the old $35 per ounce. And 10 times as much silver as gold had been gathered by David before construction began. The temple was similar to the tabernacle in structure, but was approximately twice as large. Built of stone, and paneled over with cedar, with the whole inlaid with gold, the temple was a strikingly beautiful building. It was fronted by two great pillars, each of which was topped with a flaming light at night to symbolize the mountaintop presence of Israel’ s God.

Solomon the Man Scripture and archeology combine to provide an impressive portrait of Solomon’ s kingdom and his accomplishments. Three sources give us insight into Solomon the man during the early years of his brilliant reign. Solomon’ s prayer (1 Kings 3:3-14). Early in Solomon’ s rule he was noted for his love for the Lord and his commitment to the Law. He “ followed all of his father David’ s instructions” (1 Kings 3:3, TLB). On one occasion after a great sacrifice had been made to the Lord, God spoke to Solomon in a dream and told him to make a request. Solomon’ s response was not only an affirmation of trust in God, but it was also an expression of sensitivity to the significance of his call as king. “ Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. . . . Give Your servant a discerning heart to govern Your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?” (1 Kings 3:7-9) This unselfish request was pleasing to God, and was granted. God said, “ I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you nor will there ever be” (1 Kings 3:12). In addition, God promised glory and honor for which Solomon had not asked: “ Both riches and honor — so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings” (1 Kings 3:13). The foundation for Solomon’ s later successes was laid here in his early meeting with God and in the love for God and for his people which led Solomon to seek wisdom to govern as God’ s regent. LINK TO LIFE: CHILDREN The story of Solomon’ s prayer for wisdom is followed immediately in 1 Kings by that of two women who both claimed an infant. When Solomon suggested the living infant be divided, the true mother wept and was willing to give up her son, while the other readily agreed. Solomon’ s prayer for wisdom had been answered, and that answer made him able to help the deserving. To help boys and girls learn how to pray as Solomon did, bring 3 x 5 cards to class. Ask the boys and girls things they pray for, and list these on one side. For instance, a child might pray for a good grade on a test. This is the result they want. But if they were to follow Solomon’ s example, rather than praying for a good grade they might better pray, “ Lord, help me study hard.” If they do study hard, they will earn the good grade. Look at the other prayers the boys and girls have reported. How can they get the results they want by praying for a godly quality or admirable trait? How wonderful that good results do come when we pray to become better Christians and better people. Solomon’ s temple dedication (1 Kings 8:1-9:9; 2 Chron. 5-7). Solomon called a great feast for all Israel when the temple was completed and ready for dedication. After a brief sermon to the people (2 Chronicles 6:1-11), Solomon faced away from the multitude and knelt down to address God. Calling on God as a covenant-keeping Person, Solomon rehearsed some of the promises God had given His people, speaking both of God’ s commitment to discipline Israel when she sinned and to forgive and restore when Israel returned to the Lord. Calling on the Lord, Solomon asked that God’ s special presence might be focused in the now-completed temple. “ When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord” (2 Chronicles 7:1-3). In this setting too we see Solomon in an excellent light, guiding his people in personal and national dedication to God. The Lord had made Solomon wise, and that wisdom was used to lead the nation closer to God. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT At the dedication of the temple Solomon gave a brief sermon (1 Kings 8:15-21), made a long prayer (1 Kings 8:23-53), and concluded with a benediction (1 Kings 8:56-61). Begin with direct individual Bible study. Ask each person to look for verses that might help to answer the following questions, and to place an appropriate symbol beside such verses. What is Solomon’ s image of God? (Use a halo as a symbol.) What is Solomon’ s view of people? (Use a stick figure as a symbol.) What is important in man’ s relationship with God in prayer? (Use an R as a symbol.) When each member of your group has read and marked the passage, divide into teams of five or six. Each team is to work out its own answer to the questions, based on what Solomon expressed in his prayer. Hear team reports. Then discuss: “ What do we learn here that can enrich our prayer lives?” Literary achievements. A third source of insight into the first two decades of Solomon’ s rule is found in one of his great literary projects: the Book of Proverbs. Solomon wrote or collected over 3,000 of these practical sayings which sum up the Hebrew people’ s insights into life. Solomon’ s literary talents extended beyond this particular form: Ecclesiastes is a treatise in philosophy which sounds a note echoed by many moderns, and the Song of Songs is a love poem showing distinctive structure and depth. But it is the Proverbs themselves which give us our best insights into Solomon’ s character and his personal commitment during the first 20 or so years of his reign. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT Have teams of four look at a chapter of Proverbs. Each team is to develop from evidence in its chapter a portrait of the character of the writer. Particularly, each is to list words suggested by their chapter that characterize the writer. (That is, the author is committed, generous, humble, etc.) Each is to be ready to demonstrate these conclusions from the text. Good chapters to use for this study are Proverbs 3:1-35, Proverbs 10:1-32, Proverbs 15:1-33, Proverbs 16:1-33, and Proverbs 22:1-29. LINK TO LIFE: CHILDREN The temple reminds us to worship the Lord in ways that are pleasing to Him. How else can we please the Lord? Let boys and girls look up proverbs from Solomon’ s time, and then draw a picture or make up and tell a story to illustrate one that they choose. They may choose from the following: Proverbs 3:9, Proverbs 3:27; Proverbs 11:13; Proverbs 14:31; Proverbs 15:1; Proverbs 16:32; Proverbs 17:9; Proverbs 19:17; Proverbs 20:22. Be ready to explain any proverb younger children may not readily understand.

Solomon: An Evaluation: 1 Kings 11:1-43It’ s appropriate that the Chronicles account of Solomon’ s life leaves out the events recorded in 1 Kings 11:1-43. Scripture affirms that God accepts us on the basis of faith, not works. Saving trust leads to the forgiveness of our sins. “ Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17) echoes Jeremiah 31:34. Now, in Chronicles, we see this principle in practice. History records that “ as Solomon grew old his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God” (1 Kings 11:4). But the divine commentary on Solomon found in 1 Chronicles concludes with the account of his glory. The years of failure and decline are overlooked. In this, the Chronicles are something like Hebrews 11:1-40, in which God catalogs the accomplishments of men and women of faith. Reading their history in the Old Testament we are often confronted by their weaknesses and failures — failures we dare not try to explain away. It’ s wrong to idealize biblical characters or to excuse their faults, or marshal our “ scholarship” to show that the things they did were not so bad after all. But it is just as wrong to fail to recognize the fact that in forgiveness, God faces our sin, deals with it, and sends it to oblivion! Solomon, like other Old Testament men of faith, trusted the God willing to send His Son to Calvary to deal decisively and eternally with human sin. In the blood of Christ, the unique answer to the fact of sin — yours and mine as well as Solomon’ s — has been given. God Himself paid sin’ s penalty in full. Now God exercises the freedom Christ has won for Him as well as for us. He accepts trust as the righteousness which we do not have. As for sin, God forgives. Solomon, then, on the one hand stands before us an example of the forgiven man. On the other hand, he stands as an example of a man who chose a road on which he remained in constant need of forgiveness! David is an example of the forgiven man as well. David sinned, was called to account, and was restored to fellowship. The wrong directions David took were turned again and again to the way of righteousness. Because David confessed and recognized his sin, his life with God was essentially one of continuing fellowship. Solomon, on the other hand, took a direction from which there is no record of a return. Because Solomon’ s relationship with God was founded on initial trust, as his early prayers clearly show, the forgiveness later won on Calvary was his. But because Solomon failed to confess, he wandered from the Lord and lived the last decades of his life out of fellowship. What we learn from Solomon’ s life is that sin’ s impact on the individual and on others around him is utterly tragic. The basic relationship with God may not be broken by later acts of sin. Forgiveness may wash the empty years out of memory. But the contemporary loss in terms of human suffering is tragically great. The fantastic potential of a life completely given to God is lost. The person we could have been by denying our own passions in order to follow the Lord dissolves into a sigh. LINK TO LIFE: YOUTH / ADULT In a minilecture point up the meaning of 1 Chronicles’ failure to comment on Solomon’ s failure. But also point up the tragedy of what might have been, which always exists where believers stray from fellowship with the Lord.

Solomon’ s Strength A simple New Testament warning helps us to understand Solomon — and ourselves. “ If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’ t fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). We can never retreat from dependence on God. Those very strengths of character or personality that are ours are at the same time our points of vulnerability. Solomon’ s great strength was his wisdom. But Solomon’ s wisdom was also his weakness. Solomon’ s diplomatic policies give clear examples. It certainly seemed wise to make alliances with surrounding nations and to seal those alliances in the normal way, with marriages. It also seemed wise to set up the mobile strike force of chariots, which was a keystone in Solomon’ s military defense. Yet both these “ wise” courses of action are warned against in Deuteronomy. Telling Israel that they might set a king over them when they came into the land, Moses warned against choosing a foreigner. Then he added, he “ must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself, or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them. . . . He must not take many wives or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold” (Deuteronomy 17:16-17). David had followed these injunctions. While he had several wives and concubines, there was nothing of the multiplication of Solomon (700 wives and 300 concubines). David also established a policy of incapacitating the chariot horses of the armies he had defeated, so they could never be used for war. David had carefully refrained from building up a chariot-based military. Solomon reasoned that each of these new policies of his was prudent. He apparently failed to see the dangers inherent in each course — danger first that foreign wives might entice his heart from following God, and then that becoming a military superpower might lead him to trust his strength rather than rely on his God. Solomon trusted his wisdom. Why not? His wisdom was renowned. God’ s warnings were apparently unrealistic. Human wisdom dictated a different course from the one commanded by God. 1 Kings 11:1-43 tells us that God knows human strengths and weaknesses far better than any wise man. In Solomon’ s old age the women he loved did turn his heart away from the Lord toward their idols. Solomon brought into the Holy City itself the worship of the very gods and goddesses which the Lord had commanded be purged from Palestine! Because of this, God announced judgment on Solomon. “ The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice (1 Kings 11:9). Though He had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’ s command. So the Lord said to Solomon, “ Since this is your attitude and you have not kept My covenant and My decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David My servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen” (1 Kings 11:11-13). Solomon’ s failure to trust God rather than his own wisdom was destined to have a tragic impact on the people he led as well as on himself. No human trait, no matter how finely tuned, can function well apart from a relationship with God where that trait is fully submitted and committed. Solomon’ s wisdom, apart from God’ s special touch, led him in paths which “ seem right to a man” but which led inexorably to death. It is the same for us. However great our strengths, when we rely on them rather than on God, we’ re sure to fall. We can track the impact of Solomon’ s defection in the events immediately following his death. The nation was split; and enemies made by Solomon’ s harsh policies, like Hadad the Edomite, attacked the Divided Kingdom from without. The wealth gathered by Solomon to Jerusalem created oppressed and oppressor classes within. The nation was wealthy, but many people lived in poverty. It is never easy to discern from such facts what a person’ s defection from God does within him. Outward things can be measured, but the inner spirit can only be known if it is personally revealed. This is why the Book of Ecclesiastes is so valuable. David, the emotional man, shared his feelings with us in the Psalms. Solomon, the intellectual man, now shared his inmost thoughts. In fellowship with God, Solomon had written, with a Spirit-directed wisdom, such things as: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6When Solomon was out of fellowship during the later years of his life, he wrote again. But his thinking was different then. During those years Solomon chose to reason out the meaning of life from data available within the physical universe. And this reasoning, reported for us in Ecclesiastes, shows an out-of-fellowship Solomon despairingly conclude: Meaningless! Meaningless! . . . Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 1:2As a man, Solomon started well, with a deep commitment to God. But Solomon’ s strength — his wisdom — also proved to be his weakness. He began to rely on his intelligence rather than on God’ s. As a result, his own spiritual life became deadened and his wives were able to turn him from the Lord. During his last years, this man who had expressed in Proverbs so many insights about life, attempted to find life’ s deepest meaning while ruling God out of his considerations! Solomon had every opportunity to test the ways in which men today search for meaning. He probed the possibilities of the intellectual life. He abandoned himself to pleasure and luxury. He gathered great wealth, and built great buildings. He experienced an exciting and varied sexual life. He had power and status within and outside his kingdom. Yet all these things, when tasted, seemed flat and meaningless. None could give meaning or fulfillment to his life. Even Solomon’ s final sayings in Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 do not represent a return to God. Instead they represent the best thinking of the natural man. Perhaps there is a God. If so, what more can man do than keep His commands? Possibly Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 of Ecclesiastes represents a wistful look back on Solomon’ s own life and the days when he did fear God and keep His commandments; before the evil days came, the years drew on, and Solomon looked at all his glory and accomplishments and realized, “ I find no pleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1). And so Solomon died. And left us a warning. Beginning our life well is only half of it. Only a deep and close and continuing personal relationship with God can offer fulfillment. Only through continuing commitment can God’ s good purposes in our lives be achieved.

Teaching Guide Prepare How has your life shown a growing commitment to God, rather than a Solomon-like decline?

Explore Give a minilecture on the greatness of the Solomonic era and on the achievements of this great king. During the lecture do not mention his personal life or qualities.

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1. Divide into two groups, which may be further subdivided into teams. One half should be assigned to study proverbs that reveal the heart of Solomon during the early years when he was in fellowship with the Lord (see “ link-to-life” above). The other half should be assigned passages in Ecclesiastes, and asked to also develop a character sketch of the writer. In Ecclesiastes they might read: Ecclesiastes 2:1-16; Ecclesiastes 6:1-12; Ecclesiastes 9:1-12. When each team has developed its impressions of the writer, come together and compare. What words did each choose to describe Solomon? How are the differences to be explained?
2. Then read or review the material in 1 Kings 11:1-43 that describes Solomon’ s later years.

Apply Both Ecclesiastes and Proverbs are in effect expressions of a philosophy of life. Each reveals principles on which Solomon, at different stages of his life, felt people should live. Ask your group members to write down five statements which sum up important principles on which each one tries to live: principles which express something of their own personal philosophy of life as Christians. Then either have members share with your whole group. or divide into teams of five for sharing of the principles, and discussion of how the principles are applied in each person’ s life. If you wish, you might collect what each person has written, and put them together as an affirmation of your group’ s Christian philosophy of life.