King Solomon. |
The books of 1 and 2 Kings, like the books of Samuel, were originally written as a single document. The translators of the Greek Septuagint divided both Kings and Samuel into two books each, this resulted in the four books containing a complete history of the kings of Israel. |
The author or group of authors of the books of 1 and 2 Kings cannot be identified with certainty, Ezra or one of prophets of that period as possible writers of the final record. The books appear to have been written sometime after the release of Jehoiachin in Babylon (561 B.C.) as it contains the event in the text. This means that the book of Kings must be dated either during the time that the Jews were in exile in Babylonian, or soon after, during the period that the nation’s restoration back in their land. Note that most of the information recorded covers the period before the nation was taken to exile in Babylon. The author seems to have used earlier documents to create the book of Kings, using Israel’s earlier history to show the theological and prophetic points of the very long period of time covered. The reign of Solomon is very much affected by the reign of David and the relationship between God and David, this includes a covenant made between God and David and which involves and is part of the plan of God for the future earth and Mankind. The life of Solomon is a study into the effect of pride. David was not an arrogant man, full of pride of what he had done, he knew that this was the hand of God at work. Solomon was born and raised in the palace of the king, royalty, wealth and power were very present in his life, unfortunately, a breeding ground for pride. One of the instruction for each king of Israel was to make a personal copy of Deuteronomy, The Davidic covenant.God had made a number of promises to king David. In this last Psalm of David we find a prophecy is included, a prophecy of the Messiah’s kingdom and conquests. The key thought of the passage is in verses 3 to 5, David speaks of the "everlasting covenant with me" made by God, The Davidic covenant consists of five promises:- 2 Samuel 7:11-16.
Please note that the promise did not say that the rule by the line of David would not be interrupted, as happened when Judah was taken by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Solomon also had a personal special status, God sent a message through the prophet Nathan at the birth of Solomon that he was "loved by God." |
Solomon has become one of the famous kings in history, he became very wealthy and had a very wise response to the worlds problems. Solomon was also credited with writing three Biblical books, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs, about life, love and their meaning in life. Many of the thoughts and expressions from these books are still in common use today. The record of his life starts in 1 Kings chapter 1, we see the rise and reign of a man who was placed in the position by God as part of His plan for the future of Mankind. David’s declining age.King David is now old and declining in health, it is thought that he was about seventy years old, having reigned for seven years at Hebron over Judah only, then a further thirty-three years over both Judah and Israel. It does appear that David may have become senile, so was now no longer physically able to act as the king and rule the nation. He was possibly feeling the effects of his life of hardships and was possibly still being punished by God for his sins. Abishag chosen to care for David.We are told that the leadership decided to "Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin-" It is thought that David was possibly suffering from arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries so restricting the flow of blood to the organs, it can be very serious if it affects the blood supply to the heart, the victim has a heart attack.) So the purpose of bringing Abishag was so that by lying with him he might be kept warm. However, there also could be an alternative reason, the kings of this time needed to demonstrate their ability to maintain their virility as part of their proof of power to remain in a position of king, therefore the appearance of the young virgin could also be for sexual purposes, for David to demonstrate his potency. However, the record states that David did not have any sexual contact with her, this could therefore be considered a sign that it was time for David to stand aside from the position of king. Whatever the purpose of the introduction of Abishag into the bed of David, it is clear that both Adonijah and Solomon, sons of David, now thought that David must now give up the position as the king. So both son’s now make plans and develop actions to be the legal successor of David, though God has already told David who was to be the next king of Israel. Adonijah plans to reach for the throne.Adonijah was the fourth son of David (2 Samuel 3:4). After the death of his elder brothers, Amnon and Absalom, he became heir-apparent to the throne. He was Absalom’s younger brother and appeared to be handsome, as Absalom had been. David’s failures as a parent are given to us for our instruction, if we as parents, could only learn that correction of a child is a kindness and that discipline will hopefully spare children and parents many problems later in their life. The words, "his father had not displeased him at any time," possibly indicates that Adonijah was spoilt by his father, just like Absalom. David has a large and complex family, he has many dozens of children. Polygamy, having more than eight wives from various nations, was practiced by David and this would have cause jealousy and fighting between the different wives and their children. His oldest surviving child is Adonijah, brother of Absalom, who had tried to be king a few years before, but against the will of God, Adonijah probably thought David was too ill and out of touch to interfere with his purpose. He starts by putting on a show of power. He gets support from "Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him," it is strange that Joab and Abiathar were prepared to do this. However, "Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah." David makes Solomon king.God does not appear to be involved in any way with the following incidents and actions, but note that it was initiated by His prophet Nathan who would have been open to His leading and would have known of the promise by God, on who would be the next king. God is always in complete control of all situations but He may not act in a way which we might expect. "Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, ‘assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign?, ...O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.’" David knew what was the will of God and as a result David gives orders that Solomon should at once be proclaimed king and take his place on the throne. The people expressed great joy and satisfaction in Solomon becoming king. Solomon and Abiathar the priest.Abiathar the priest supported Adonijah’s attempt to be king, this action was contrary to the will of God and it is surprising that as Abiathar was a priest he did not realize the will of God, he does not support Solomon for king. Judgement now shows us that Solomon was very merciful and preferred to see justice, instead of being killed, Abiathar is stripped of his office, position and power and sent home. This act is a fulfilment of the word of God concerning the family of Eli, Solomon and Joab.Joab, who supported Adonijah, now runs for his protection, he runs to the tabernacle and claims refuge at the altar in the tabernacle. Solomon hears of this and sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada to bring Joab to Solomon, Joab refused, "he said, Nay; but I will die here." Solomon, on hearing this sends Benaiah to carry out the wish of Joab for the murder, "innocent blood, which Joab shed, - Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah." |
Solomon, King of Israel.Jehovah Appears to Solomon1 Kings 3:1-28.The reign of Solomon began well, we find that "Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father" we are also told that he "sacrificed and burnt incense in high places," The "high places" were where the nations around Israel went to worship their idol gods, because it made the people feel closer to their gods. The people of Israel were also copying this method of worshipping God because they did not have any temple or place to worship, we have to question how much idol worship was also added to the worship of the True God?. Solomon was also using these places for worship, this may have been a weakness of the reign of Solomon but it is interesting to note that God was willing to meet Solomon in the high place of Gibeon, verse 5, though in later generations these places would become an abomination to God. The Lord seems to be willing to deal with His people in the situation as it was at the time. Solomon had a great desire to build the house of the Lord, as David his father. At the beginning of the chapter we are told that Solomon had gone to Gibeon to offer sacrifices for himself and his people. Gibeon was the present site of the tabernacle tent, the ark had been taken to Jerusalem by David, after its return following its capture by the Philistines. This festival lasted for seven days, It appears to be part of a religious ceremony in place of the coronation. As the festival was coming to the end, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, the Lord said to him, "Ask what I shall give thee." What a choice laid before the young king at the beginning of his reign. Solomon remembered the blessings given to his father he replied, "Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. ....... Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?" Solomon’s request was very pleasing to God. Solomon had realized his responsibilities and so his prayer was for intelligence, understanding and be aware of problems and solutions. Because he had not selfishly asked for riches or power, God granted him wealth and power, in addition to the wisdom. This spread his fame around the known world at the time, Note: That Solomon was promised great wisdom and wealth with no conditions, but the promise for long life had conditions, he was to continue in the ways of his father David. Unfortunately he was to fail soon after the beginning of his reign. Wisdom, what is it?Some thoughts from Proverbs, written by Solomon. |
The early years of his reign.We find that Solomon married the daughter of Pharaoh, probably a diplomatic gesture to gain Pharaoh as an ally, To improve relationships with the nations surrounding the Nation of Israel, Solomon was to arrange many marriages with the daughters of the heathen nations kings. He was to have many wives and many concubines during his reign. As a result of these marriages Solomon also became involved in many commercial agreements with the other nations, this was to produce considerable wealth for him and the Nation of Israel . His greatest achievement was to construct the Temple in Jerusalem, it took seven years to build and was very glorious and richly decorated, |
The kingdom of Israel is Prosperous."King Solomon was king over all Israel." His kingdom now reached from the River Euphrates to the border of Egypt, just as God had promised Abraham, that his seed would control and possess this area of land. This was a great time for Israel, they lived in safety and became very wealthy, "and Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and fig tree."Solomon became well known for his wisdom. It is thought that he was the author of 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs, though, not all of these are available to us today, not being preserved. Solomon also produced other material and these are included in the canon of Scripture, some of the Psalms, the books "the Song of Solomon" and the "Book of Proverbs." |
The two harlots and the response of Solomon.Solomon’s wisdom is now about to be tested, the two harlots claim to be the mother of the child. As prostitutes some may consider them unreliable witnesses, verse 16, in addition there are no other witnesses, verse 18. Without the modern facilities of testing Solomon has to appeal to the symphonies of the real mother by recommending that the child be cut in half, and the baby be divided between the two women. The woman whose claim was false would not care about the life of the child and fell into the trap, she agreed with the action while the real mother was prepared to save the child by surrendering it to the other woman. Solomon now knew who was the true mother and gave her the custody of the baby. |
The Building of the Temple.1 Kings 5:1-7, 51; 2 Chronicles 2:5-12. Solomon has a great aim to build the temple for God, as promised. We see his diplomatic skills and the God given wisdom at work. This construction was a major project and it was going to be very expensive, it would require many builders and human effort. It appears to be a sort of tax on time, the people were required to work for 4 months of each year, presumably designed to avoid the sowing and harvest times, The building work starts with Hiram king of Tyre making contact, Hiram had been an admirer and friend of king David. Solomon explains to him that he has been told to build a temple to the True God by the Lord, he needs material and experts to cut trees, Hiram is very pleased to be of help. For a Phoenician, idol worshipping, king of Tyre, his responses was unexpected, "Because the LORD hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them. Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding, that might build an house for the LORD, and an house for his kingdom. " 2 Chronicles 2:11,12. Solomon enters into an agreement with the Phoenicians not only to supply the wood but also craftsmen in wood-carvers and stone-masons, these were provided in exchange for large quantities of food, The source of labour for the construction was a type of taxation, this was common during this period and had been used by David, Work on the construction now starts, large and various types of stone being placed for the foundations and stone squarers or Gebalites, men from Gebal, an area thirteen miles north of Beirut, made the material fit together. It is interesting to note that God used the abilities of non-Jews as well as Jews in the building and construction of His Temple. Construction of the Temple.The temple was never designed to be used by a large number of people, it was only to provide a home for the ark and act as a sign of the presence of God. Verse 1 presents a serious date problem for Old Testament chronology (order of events). "it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel." Solomon came to the throne about 963 B.C., the temple build starts 4 years later, about 959 B.C., the text states 480 years after the Exodus, this causes a disagreement amongst some Bible students as to when the Jews were in Egypt. The Temple measurements.The cubit is normally 6 hand widths, or 18 inches, but there was a larger cubit of 7 hand widths in use, or 21 inches, this means that the Temple inside measurements were approximately 90 feet long, 30 feet wide and about 45 feet high. In addition, there was a porch which added an additional thirty feet to the length, it was not a very large building. The wall of the building had windows of narrow lights and what appears to be a structure against the walls, side rooms or cells, these were reserved for the priests. they appeared to be three levels high, each room wider than the one below, it suggests some kind of buttress on the outer wall, winding stairs give access. To the front of the building there appears to be some sort of porch, no other details given. The concerns of God.We see in these few verses that God has greater concern for the way Solomon lived than the construction of the temple. As these verses are not found in Chronicles some students feel they may have been added later. The interior of the Temple.The description is difficult to understand, often repeating, there is some disagreements of the meaning by Bible students. The walls appeared to be covered in wood "And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold," verse 22. Note: That it also record, "and the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without." The Cherubim’s. These are not those associated with the Ark but appear to be on the rear wall facing the curtain into the Holy of Holies, these were about 15 ft high, about half the height of the inside of the building and their wings stretched from wall to wall and touched at the centre. "And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it." The Temple area and fittings.While the Temple is being built Solomon is also building his own house and a complex of houses close to the Temple for his personal use. It took 13 years to complete, compared with the temple which took seven years. The temple is much smaller but has much costly gold in the construction while the palace was made of cedar wood. The house of the forest of Lebanon; the royal palace, was built to the south of the Temple, it was much bigger, 150 ft. long 75 ft. wide 45 ft. high, there was also an area refereed to as the House for Pharaoh’s daughter. The whole area appears to have been surrounded by a wall of stones and wood. Solomon brings in expert craftsmen from Tyre, the Israelites obviously were not able to work in copper or bronze, (a copper and tin mixture). We now get a description of the construction and use of copper / bronze by this craftsman. (Brass, a mixture of copper and zinc, had not been invented at this time. The bronze pillars, The bronze sea, 1 Kings 7:23-26, The ten stands. 1 Kings 7:27-37. The ten laver’s. The pots, and the shovels, and the basins. Golden vessels. The contents and construction of the temple are very detail, we must remember that once the temple is dedicated for the use of worship large parts of it will only be open to the priests, and one section, the Holy of Holies where the Ark will be kept, is only accessed by the High Priest. The Temple is dedicated1 Kings 8:1-66. It is the Feast of Tabernacles, there was now no need for the pot of manna or Aaron’s staff, The main thoughts in the prayer of Solomon was that God would hear all the prayers directed towards His temple and forgive those who have sinned, Solomon must have had a good knowledge of Deuteronomy, Solomon speaks to the people.1 Kings 8:12-21; The House of Prayer.1 Kings 8:22-53; The prayer opens with praise and thanks to the Lord, His protection, and promises, verse 23, "LORD God of Israel, there is no God like thee". Solomon then speaks of the covenant with David, his heir, the building of the temple and the royal line fulfilled in Jesus Christ, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" Solomon realized the creator of the universe is living in a house made by man, Finally Solomon asks that God will be open to the prayers of the people, that their sins will be forgiven and the people will not turn away from God and be punished.
A House for prayer.1 Kings 8:54-61; 2 Chronicles 7:1-12. Responsibility comes with the House.1 Kings 9:1-9; The Lord confirms the covenant He made with David, but it was the personal life of Solomon and his descendent's which would receive the blessings promised. Because David confessed all his sins and the murder of Uriah, God does not mention them, they are forgiven. The Word of God had been given to the Jewish nation, they were expected to obey it or suffer the consequences. Unfortunately, the reign of Solomon was not according to the Word of God and the people turned away from Him, turned to Idol worship. After the death of Solomon the nation split and had to be severely punished by God. Instead of being a blessing to the world they ended up with a ruined city and temple and the world laughed at them. |
The later years of his reign.1 Kings 7:1-12; The Palace is built.1 Kings 7:1-12. The palace was at least twice as large as the Temple and appears to have two or three stories. 150ft long, 75 feet wide and 45 ft. in height. The record shows that there was Solomon’s own residence, a residence for his Egyptian wife, a throne room and a spacial hall for people to wait in. The structure appears to have a walled courtyard which had a smaller porch as the main entry, In the throne room we find a splendid throne, "of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold."; as described in, Solomon’s debt.1 Kings 9:10-14; Unfortunately Hiram was not satisfied with the cities, verse 13, he called them "good for nothing, - "Cabul." It appears that some how Solomon must have paid off the loan as the cities are returned, Without the help of Hiram the temple and the palace would not have been constructed, Solomon showed great pride over his palace, over spent, took out a loan, and then gave a poor payment for the loan, not a good way to respond to such friendship and generosity by Hiram. God speaks to Solomon again.God promised him honour and riches initially at Gibeon, 1 Kings 3:13, He has kept that promise, now He tells Solomon that He has heard prayers of Solomon and will honour His promise and dwell in the temple that has been built as long as Solomon and the people "will walk before me," "if you fail to do this I will cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people." Solomon the diplomat.1 Kings 9:15-24; "Solomon went to Hamathzobah" We do not hear of Solomon as a soldier but this was a city north of Damascus, on the border of Israel. This city was on an important trading route so would be a good place to collect taxes and be a good guard against other nations. Solomon Worships the Lord.1 Kings 9:25; The Queen of Sheba visits.Sheba was a wealthy nation located in southwest of Arabia, the gifts she brought show how rich this nation was. "She had heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions." She had obviously heard reports of Solomon but did not believe them. The queen of Sheba observed the temple worship, but there is no record of he turning to the true God, compare the words of Jesus when he refereed to her visit in, Solomon, his later life.1 Kings 10:14-29.; Later in the reign Solomon was greatly influenced by his many wives who introduced the worship of false gods, idols worship became common in Jerusalem. |
A Great warning.Solomon was known as a very wise man, but this did not make him able to self-control his life. He may have been able to teach and give advice to others but apparently did not practice his own teaching. His problem was that the things of the world were more attractive than worshipping and obeying God. |
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