7.5 Solomon: What Went Wrong?

7-5-1 Solomon's Apostacy

Throughout the record in Kings, there are copious hints that right from his early years all Solomon's spirituality was shot through with an incredible duality;  his motives were partly spiritual, partly carnal - without him being the slightest bit aware of this.   The degree of self-deception in that man is hard to plumb, yet he was a fervent believer in the God of Israel, zealous to lay his life down in service before Him.   Solomon's lack of self-knowledge really should be a glaring warning to each of us.

Duality

Let's wade through all the evidence so as to appreciate how the very soul of Solomon was characterized by this partial spirituality, which appeared (to him and to Israel) as such wonderful commitment to the Lord. 

• " Only" the people sacrificed in high places...and Solomon loved the Lord...only  he sacrificed...in high places" (1 Kings 3:2,3), highlights the contradiction between Solomon's love for God and his willingness to sacrifice in the " high places" which God detested - for the Law clearly spelt out that sacrifice could only be offered in the tabernacle, at the place where Yahweh's Name was placed (Dt. 12:5-8; 14:23-25).

• Solomon later turned to alcohol for a while (Ecc. 1)- yet his girlfriend says that Solomon took her to house of wine (Song 2:4 RVmg.) whilst still young. The seeds of failure were there early on- he preached against wine in Proverbs, and yet still drunk himself.

• " Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and making merry" (1 Kings 4:20).   This combines allusions to two different passages.   Clearly there is reference to the fact that the Abrahamic promises had a primary fulfillment at this time.  But the final phrase refers back to Israel's idolatry with the golden calf.  It is as if the dualism within Solomon at this time - in being the primary fulfillment of the seed, and yet also being apostate - was fulfilled in Israel.   We see elsewhere several indications that Solomon and Israel were closely connected (cp. Christ and the church).

• Solomon's enthusiasm for Egyptian horses is clearly chronicled (1 Kings 4:26-28), although this was studied disobedience to Dt. 17:16.

• His marriage out of the faith right at the start of his reign is commented upon elsewhere. This was the beginning of Solomon's apostacy.

• The hollowness of Solomon's early worship is made all too apparent by 2 Chron. 1:3-6;  he worshipped in a tabernacle without the ark (i.e. the presence of God). The children of the Arab tribes “that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute” (1 Kings 9:21) suggests that Solomon made the same mistake as Israel in earlier days- he was a satisficer, he himself married into those tribes, and he wasn’t obedient to the clear covenant of the land which was binding upon him.

The apostate religious system called " Babylon" in Revelation is evidently presented in the language of Solomon - at the time his kingdom was apparently flourishing, due to his righteousness: 

                    1 Kings                                        Revelation

                    10:14                                           13:17,18

                    10:23                                           18:11,12,15

                    11:1,2                                          17:1,2

                    10:22                                           18:17,19

                    10:23                                           18:3,17

                    10:21,22                                       18:12

                    10:11                                           18:12

                    10:22                                           18:12

                    10:10,25                                       18:13

                    10:23                                           18:3,9

                    10:28                                           18:12

                     9:22                                           18:13

                    11:1,5 (Solomon influenced              2:20 cp. 1 Kings 16:31

                     by Zidonian idolatry)

                    2 Chron. 9:15 (666)                       13:18

The description of Solomon's trading with Egypt is described with an unusual phrase- he brought forth chariots and horses out of Egypt by his hand (1 Kings 10:29). But the Hebrew phrase 'to bring forth by the hand' is used so very often to described how God's might hand brought forth His people from Egypt- destroying the horses and chariots of Egypt in the process (Ex. 7:4,5; 13:3,14,16; 14:8; 32:11 and so often). This is such a major theme in Biblical history that the inspired choice of words is surely intentional and allusive in 1 Kings 10:29- for Solomon did the very opposite to what God did for His people. Solomon's hand brought forth and glorified the chariots and horses of Egypt, bringing them all the way from Egypt to Canaan. Solomon is thus being subtly set up as an anti-God figure- although apparently, all was well, the promises of blessing were being fulfilled etc.

God's House Versus Solomon's House

The record of Solomon's building of his own house is clearly framed to reveal the sad fact that his zeal for God's house was only an outcome of his own natural zeal and hard work;  but that tremendous energy was given far more scope in achieving his own ends.  So often apparently active brethren are only so because the Truth is only compounding their own naturally active characters.   For example, those who naturally like travelling can seem zealous Gospel preachers.   The style of the record makes this clear of Solomon:

   " So was he seven years in building (God's house)...

    but  Solomon was building his own house thirteen years" (1 Kings 6:38;  7:1).

His own house (cp. our family and mortgage) assumed almost double the importance of God's house. In this we see Solomon's apostacy.  The architectural detail given concerning Solomon's house and " the house of the forest of Lebanon" seems to be given in such a format as to compare with that concerning God's house. 

The porch of Solomon's house matches that of the temple (Ez. 8:7,16), which in Ezekiel's time was a place of apostacy.   Solomon's own house was undeniably larger than God's, although built with the same layout (e.g. 1 Kings 6:2 cp. 7:2;  6:36 cp. 7:12;  5:1-5 cp. 7:13).   The " another court within the porch" in his house seems to have been a replica of the Most Holy within God's house (1 Kings 7:8), yet it was here that Solomon's wives worshipped their idols.   Likewise the record of the foundation stones (7:10) is similar to that of the temple foundations.   The two pillars with their pomegranates and lily-work seem to have matched the open flowers of the temple, and they have ominous connections with Absalom's pillar of self-glorification (2 Sam. 18:18).   Worst of all, Solomon's throne seems to have been built with allusion to Yahweh's enthronement upon the praises of Israel in the Most Holy.   The temple steps are mentioned in the context of the steps to Solomon's throne (2 Chron. 9:4,18). 

The way the record of Solomon's house follows straight on from that of God's house (1 Kings 6,7) seems to highlight the similarity between them.   The house of Yahweh and Solomon's house are often spoke of together (e.g. 2 Chron. 7:11;  8:1;  9:11) to make us reflect on this.   Indeed, the record of Solomon's house in 1 Kings 7:1-12 is a parenthesis out of historical sequence;  5:2-6:38 and 7:13-9:9 are about the temple;  7:1-12 is a clear parenthesis to demonstrate Solomon's weakness.  

Solomon was an enthusiast, a hard worker. Throughout Old and New Testaments (not to mention the Christian experience) works and apostacy are associated.   Yet enthusiastic response to the love of God must be inevitable in the life of the true believer.   In this lies the challenge of balance and correct motivation;  to respond with emotion and warmth to the Gospel, yet without doing so only in ways which compound our own personality in ways which allow us to express our own personality and ambition to our own self-glorification.   Our response must be to pick up the cross, to serve as we would not, to capture the spirit of service which is in Christ.