Unfaithful Leaders: The Failure of Solomon - The Christian Online Magazine

Knowingly violating God’s best plan for a situation always brings bad consequences. And the closer someone is to God the more negative and far-reaching the consequences. The life and rule of Solomon is a good example of this principle. Early in his kingship over Israel he has an encounter with God that changed his life. "That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, ‘What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!’ Solomon replied, ‘You were wonderfully kind to my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued this great kindness to him today by giving him a son to succeed him. O Lord my God, now you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a child who doesn’t know his way around. And here I am among your own chosen people, a nation so great they are too numerous to count! Give me an understanding mind so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great nation of yours?’ The Lord was pleased with Solomon’s reply and was glad that he asked for wisdom. So God replied, ‘Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people and have not asked fro a long life or riches for yourself or the death of your enemies---I will give you what you asked for (1 Kings 3:5-12)!’" God promised to give Solomon all the wisdom he needed to govern. A thorough reading of 1 Kings 3-1 Kings 10 will show that God kept His promise to bless Solomon. He blessed Solomon with wisdom, honor, and riches.

One of the projects Solomon undertook was to build a central place of worship—a temple. Until this time there were many local sites for offering sacrifices and burnt incense. David wanted to build a temple, it was his idea, but was unable because the many wars he was involved in took-up too much of his time and attention. Blessed by peace Solomon built the temple according to God’s specifications.

After the temple and all the temple contents were finished and Solomon offered prayers and sacrifices of dedication, God appeared to Solomon a second time. "I have heard your prayer and your request. I have set apart this temple you have built so that my name will be honored there forever. I will always watch over it and care for it. As for you, if you will follow me with integrity and godliness, as David your father did, always obeying my commands and keeping my laws and regulations, then I will establish the throne of your dynasty over Israel forever. For I made this promise to your father, David; ‘You will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’ But if you or your descendants abandon me and disobey my commands and laws, and if you go and worship other gods, then I will uproot the people of Israel from this land I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have set apart to honor my name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. And though this temple is impressive now, it will become an appalling sight for all who pass by. They will scoff and ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to his land and to his Temple?’ And the answer will be, ‘Because his people forgot the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they worshipped other gods instead. That is why the Lord has brought all these disasters upon them (1 Kings 9:3-9).’" Unfortunately, despite God’s explicit warnings and commands against marrying foreign, idolatrous wives Solomon married hundreds of them. And as God predicted, these women lead him and Israel away from the exclusive worship of God the Creator and Redeemer.

As a consequence of one powerful man’s disobedience and idolatry, the kingdom of Israel was split in two. Immediately after Solomon’s death the kingdom he worked so hard to build began to crumble. The corrupting process proceeded faster in the Northern section of the divided kingdom than it did in the Southern section. The Northern section, now called Israel, fulfilling God’s warning given to Solomon in 1 Kings 9, was sent into exile by the Assyrians in 722 B. C. The Southern section, now called Judah, was sent into exile by the Babylonians in 586 B. C.

These exiles were times of discipline for a rebellious people. They were not evidence that God had given-up on Israel. God always remembers His promises to Abraham and David. Temporary disobedience does not thwart God’s overall plans to fulfill His promises. History teaches us that these exiles accomplished an important objective—Israel never again returned to the idolatry that provoked the exiles.

The exiles were temporary. Starting in 538 B. C., God began returning people back to Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. There were actually three periods of return. The first was under Zerubbabel in 538 B. C. The second was under Ezra in 458 B. C. The third was under Nehemiah in 445 B. C. It took a long time to undue what Solomon allowed to happen. God knew what would happen but Solomon did not listen to Him. Instead he listened to his pagan wives who steered him and the nation toward false gods and immoral living.

Solomon, despite his great wisdom, is an example of someone who knew God’s best plan for his life but failed to do it. Solomon’s unfaithfulness brought great suffering to his people. Solomon is often looked upon as a great man and is remembered for his great wisdom. But his end was not good. Solomon inherited peace, but eventually squandered it on immoral living.