Solomon, the Wisest Man
Central Thought: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Hymn: “Christian, Seek Not Yet Repose”
Text: John 19:1-18, 20:7-9; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5
Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. His father was Kind David; he was the third king of Israel. God gave him an unsurpassable wisdom. His name, Solomon, means God’s peace, He was really loved by god from childhood, 2 Samuel 12:24-25. When God gave him opportunity to make a request of anything he needed at the beginning of his reign as king, he requested for Wisdom and a discerning heart. God was pleased with him and granted his request alongside great riches and power. He rose to fame with his first judgment in a dispute between two women who claimed to be mothers of one child, and the building of the first temple in Jerusalem.
Solomon was renowned for his God given wisdom, writings and wealth. He maintained most peaceful relationships with his neighbors in his forty years reign as king of Israel. He was credited with writing Ecclesiastics, Proverbs, and the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon). His undoing was his lust for women and the pride of life. He married so many foreign women from pagan nations of whom the Lord had instructed the children of Israel not to marry their women nor give their daughters in marriage to their men. These strange women turned Solomon’s heart from following the Lord. In this study, we shall consider the rise and fall of this wisest man that ever lived.
Lesson Objectives:
- To understand what Solomon did that attracted response.
- To note the challenges posed to us by Solomon’s life.
- To understand how Solomon utilized his God-given wisdom.
- To identify what led to Solomon’s fall and guard against it.
1A. What did Solomon do that attracted God’s attention and what was God’s response? 1 Kings 3:3-5
When the kingdom of Israel was firmly established in the hand of Solomon as promised by god, he whole heartedly loved God and continued in the footsteps of his father David. In appreciation to God for establishing him as king over Israel, he went to Gibeon to offer sacrifice to God. He offered a thousand burnt offerings unto God; for which God was pleased and in response, God appeared to him and give him opportunity to ask for whatever he wanted God to do for him.
1B. Analyze Solomon’s request and God’s reply to it, noting the condition attached.
Being a young man, Solomon considered himself un-equipped to rule as King over Israel, a people he considered as great and too numerous to number. So He asked God for a discerning heart to be able to distinguish between right and wrong. God considered Solomon’s request, unselfish but a demonstration of integrity of heart and God promised to give him what he asked for and much more, including wealth, honor and long life, if only he would continue to walk in the ways of the Lord and obey all His statutes and commands as his father David did. God fulfilled His promise and Solomon became the wisest, wealthiest and most honorable king in Israel’s history. He was glad and offered burnt offering and peace offerings and made a feast for all his servants in thanksgiving unto God, 1 Kings 3:9-15
1C. What challenge does the life of Solomon pose to us as leaders and God’s people?
Solomon demonstrated a character worthy of a man saddled with leadership of God’s people. He walked with a heart of integrity, he feared god and obeyed all His commands. He acknowledged that God had truly honored him with the kingship of Israel and he, in all respect was committed to honoring God. He showed an attitude of humility by acknowledging his inexperience and deficiency in knowledge, and depending wholly on God.
As people of God we should emulate Solomon in this regard. We should acknowledge that we are not in any way better than the other person before God. Whatever we are is only by God’s grace and favor. If it pleases God to uplift us to a position of leadership or honor, we should be able to acknowledge that it is by God’s mercy and not by the merit or qualification we possess. Such opportunity therefore should be used to glorify God and not for ‘show’. It is a privilege and not a right; so it should humble us to work with God in total obedience and thanksgiving. Solomon’s request appeared to have fallen in line with God’s purpose and plan for him, and this pleased God who then gave him more than his expectation. We should seek to fulfill God’s purpose for whatever position He places us.
2A. How was the wisdom of Solomon described? 1 Kings 4:29-31
God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding which was described as great, and immeasurable as the sand by the sea shore. It was greater than the wisdom of all the men from the East and the wisdom of Egypt; even greater than the wisdom of the sons of Mahol who were regarded as people of great wisdom. No other man had the same measure of wisdom as Solomon, and his fame extended to all the nations around Israel.
God remains the source of wisdom. Christ is the wisdom of God, 1 Corinthians 1:24. Wisdom is Godly – from God or of God. The song writer described God as “immortal, invisible, the only wise God”.
2B. What did he use his God-given wisdom to do? 1 Kings 4:32-34.
Solomon spoke thousands of proverbs by his wisdom, he composed many songs, he taught about different plants from the great cedar of Lebanon to the least creeping plants. By his wisdom, he was able to study different animals, reptiles, birds and aquatic life. He taught kings and men from other nations who came to listen to his wisdom. He was able to administer justice in a very difficult case brought before him by two women who claimed ownership of one baby, 1 Kings 3:16-28. He built a very magnificent Temple in Jerusalem, and a palace that was lavishly decorated with works of art and built a famous kingdom that attracted the attention of kings from other nations around, including the Queen of Sheba who visited Israel to see him and hear his words of wisdom.
3A. Identify and comment on the wealth, wisdom and influence God gave to Solomon. 1 Kings 10:14-29
When Solomon asked for wisdom from God, God promised to add both riches and honor to it. He was so rich in gold, silver, ivory, fleets of sailing ships, chariots and horses. His palace was lavishly decorated with art works of gold, silver and other costly furniture of valuable cedar wood including costly palace utensils. He received annual tribute of great quantity of gold, silver, clothing, weapons, spices, horses and mules from kings and the surrounding nations. He was adjudged wiser than any other king on earth in his time. People and kings from every nation came to consult and hear the wisdom God gave to him. Solomon’s influence extended to Cilicia, the nation of the Hittites and Arabia. As Christians, we must note that great material blessings are not necessarily an evidence of righteous living.
3B. What can we learn from God’s attribute in fulfilling his promises to Solomon?
God was faithful in fulfilling His promise to Solomon. God is not human, so no element of human characteristics in Him. As the scripture says: “God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man that He should repent: Hath He said and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” Numbers 23:19. “And He who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will He change His mind, for He is not human that should change his mind”, 1 Samuel 15:29 NLT. The word of God stands for ever. The word of God does not fail, it must come to pass, Isaiah 55:11. Our “evaluation” of God should be based on His word, Romans 4:21. If we believe that He is able to fulfill his promises, we should be confident enough to hand over all our life’s challenges to Him and depend wholly on Him.
4A. Comment on what led to the fall of the wise king. 1 King 3:1; Deuteronomy 7:1-4; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Solomon disregarded God’s clear instruction and warning to Israel against inter marriage with foreign nations and went ahead to marry so many women from pagan nations beginning with the daughter of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. As earlier warned by God, these women came to Solomon’s palace with the gods of their lands, which they lured Solomon to worship and turned his heart from following the Lord. He built a pagan shrine for Chemosh the god of Moab and another for Molech, the god of the Amorites which things the Lord hated. He tolerated a wide spread of the worship of idols in Israel.
God knows our strength and weakness and His commands are for our good. When people ignore God’s commands, negative consequences are inevitable.
4B. How did God react to Solomon’s later life style?
God was angry with Solomon and in reaction, He said to Solomon, “since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and five it to one of your servants, but for the sake of your father David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from you son. And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, my chosen city”, 1 Kings 11:9-13NLT. God raised Hadad a member of Edom’s royal army and Rezon the king of Damascus who became Israel’s bitter adversary for the rest of Solomon’s reign.
4C. What warning can we take home from the life of Solomon?
There are a few lessons we can draw from the life of Solomon:
-It is not enough to know God’s word or even believe it; we must follow it and apply it to our daily activities and decision, James 1:22-25.
-We must take God’s commands seriously, Matthew 22:37; Deuteronomy 6:5-7.
-We should not trust in our own strength or ability to live for God. The Scripture says, “The arms of flesh will fail you.”
-It is not enough to lay good foundation with God, it is very important that we remain faithful to end, Ecclesiastics 7:8a; Mark 13:13.
-There is no level of success at which a fall is not possible, 1 Corinthians 10:12
-We must not take God for granted, 1 Samuel 15:22-23
Daily Living Application:
Solomon did not turn away from God all at once or in a brief moment. His spiritual coldness started with a minor departure from God’s laws, 1 Kings 3:1; James 4:4. Over the years that little sin grew until it resulted in Solomon’s downfall.
A little sin can be the first step in turning away from God. It is not the sins we don’t know about, but the sins we excuse, that cause us the greatest trouble. We must never let any sin go unchallenged. We must confess all sins to God and ask Him for strength to resist temptation.
Memory Verse:
1 Corinthians 10:12 – “Wherefore let Him that thinketh He standeth take heed lest He fall.”