How Does Solomon Turn Away From God?

The Bible is a complete story about the redemption of the world through Jesus Christ, progressed through the intentional appointment of unlikely figures. While people such as Saul, David, and Solomon fall short in the eyes of the Lord consistently during the Old Testament, God's mercy and ultimate purpose extend far beyond their sin. Solomon's deterioration from a reputable, wise king to a man blinded by his harem, his adoption of foreign women as wives, and his vanity of idolatry demonstrates God's underlying work through the corrupt state of human nature. Solomon's sin, followed by God's benign mercy and express purpose for every appointed judge, king, and prophet, teaches many applicable concepts to today's believers.

The Lord's anger towards Solomon dealt with Solomon's apostasy. His marriage of many foreign women whom he did not convert, in turn, coerced him to worship their ancient gods. David's final charge to Solomon before his death in 1 Kings 2 is an admonition to keep the Law of Moses and to walk in step with the Lord, which he neglects as a focus. According to 1 Kings 11:6 (ESV), ". . . Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites." Ashtoreth was represented as Astarte, an intentional mistranslation of the original word using the vowels of bosheth or shame, the ancient Ugarit god of Venus, and Milcom as a god of the underworld (Provan, 2008, p. 617). In addition, "Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites" (1 Kings 11:7). The use of “high place” indicates a temple, a debasement of God's holy temple, which is specifically horrific when addressed with Molech, the proponent god of child sacrifice as associated in the Bible (Provan, p. 617). The polytheistic tradition of Canaanite religions made this common, with the child burnt in stark contrast to God's intercessory burnt animal sacrifices (Provan, p. 617-618). Solomon's wealth, wisdom, and power as the King of Israel turned against the very figure that bestowed him with such blessings.

As Solomon turns to these other gods, his devotion and sacrifices are greatly misplaced, and the Lord grows in anger. Throughout 1-2 Kings, the worship of other gods is a key focal point and runs alongside Israel's apostasy seen in earlier books, with individual kings assessed by what was right or evil in the eyes of the Lord. This is notably seen with David's sins in 2 Samuel 11, in which it is stated that David's action incurred evil and displeased the Lord, and can be extrapolated to Solomon's apostasy against God. David’s parting words to Solomon demonstrate language parallels to Deuteronomic writings, such as “keep the charge of the Lord your God” corresponding with Deuteronomy 11:1 (Provan, p. 585). Similar language appears repeatedly throughout Solomon’s reign and the succeeding Israelite rulers, indicating a systematic judgment of faithfulness relative to the Mosaic Law (Provan, p. 585). Judean kings are also said to be judged by this same standard, and it shares a parallel within the Judges period in which ". . . there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). Deuteronomy 7 and 17 respectively prohibit the king's intermarriage with foreign women and his possession of several wives, of which he had 700 along with 300 concubines (Grafius, 2016).

In further customary practice with the Mosaic Law, God intends for Solomon's sin, out of respect for David, to affect Solomon's son per generational sin originating in Exodus 20:5 (Grafius). In addition, the Law establishes commands in which one shall worship Yahweh alone with all of one's being, along with not forming an idol, especially one of Yahweh Himself, since God is a "jealous God" (Long, p. 81). Chapter 11 of 1 Kings develops a framework from which Solomon's sin leads to the division of the kingdom following his death, exemplified through the Deuteronomistic Theory of Retribution (Ishida, 1992, p. 105). As Solomon is told that the Lord intends to split the kingdom, giving it to someone else other than his son, the kingship of Judah remains in Solomon's family for securing Christ's ancestral lineage (Long, p. 133). The judgment is only partial, as Solomon deals with three troubling adversaries, the most dangerous of whom, Jeroboam, coming from his own army (Hubbard, 2015). The armies are not new, as Edomites and Arameans resisted the dominion of the Israelites historically, and Rezin, a Zobahn man with whom Solomon contends during the entirety of his reign, begins a rebellion near Damascus (Hubbard, 2015).

However, the shift from border peace to fractured international relationships displays a distinct shift in God's mercy (Provan, p. 619). Jeroboam, having a role in Solomon's labor force, openly rebels against him during the restructuring of Jerusalem's walls, spurring his introduction to the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh who tells him he will preside as king over part of the divided kingdom. Jeroboam's flight and refuge from Shishak suggest the mutiny's support from sources of veteran leadership within the Ephraimite tribes (Hubbard, 2015). As opposed to other kingly introductions in the Bible, Solomon's reign of forty years, similar to David's reign of a single generation, in Israel is concluded at the end of 1 Kings 11 since the dynasty of Solomon is detailed at the beginning of his kingship (Hubbard, 2015). Although Solomon's kingdom brought prosperity to Israel, the split of the kingdom in 931 B.C. resulted from the revolution which was directly caused by his disobedience to God (Hubbard).

Through Yahweh's divine grace and ultimate mercy, gifts for Solomon throughout his entire reign are consistently provided in spite of his depraved downward spiral. The thematic structure of 1 and 2 Kings administers God’s prevailing hope for His chosen royal line, prepared to forgive those who repent and righteously turn from wickedness (Provan, p. 585). Solomon's great wisdom is itself a display of God's mercy, an approval of Solomon's request for a discerning heart to govern citizens and morally distinguish between right and wrong. In addition to this gift of sagacity, God blessed Solomon with much wealth as he found favor with the Lord. Solomon's answer, when asked what he desires most by the Lord, pleased God. Solomon's preparation and construction of the Temple also bring God's contentment as God's cloud of glory, similar to that of the wilderness period, resides within the Holy of Holies, ensuing after the Ark of the Covenant's installation. God's favor is greatly evidenced through the reestablishment of the Davidic covenant for Solomon's acts of worship in dedicating the temple, praising God, and warning his citizens to always follow His commandments. The tone present within this warning indicates a shift from a covenant promise to a conditional relationship, in which Israel must intentionally adhere to focus on Yahweh's commitments and obligations to receive His mercy (Grafius, 2016). Solomon's abundant wealth, wisdom, and glory naturally follow from God's promise of prosperity, to which God warns Solomon that idolatry would lead to separation from His fulfillment (Long, p. 132). The idealization of Solomon's reign through God logically assumed the builder of the Temple and the subsequent period as blessed by God, completely contrasting with the misery of the people during the exile (Ishida, p. 106).

Yet, even as Solomon's apostasy took hold through the marriage of foreign women, God's mercy still extended over Solomon's family. The kingdom of the tribe of Judah remained in David's line for the sake of Jerusalem, and Solomon's son ruled after the partial judgment. The fact that full judgment was not delivered exemplifies God's purpose for the kingdom and His intention to preserve the Davidic line despite His wrath against Solomon. The divided monarchy detailed in the rest of 1 and 2 Kings results from the Lord's split of the kingdom into the tribes of Israel and Judah, ultimately preserving Solomon's line not just as an act of mercy but also to protect the lineage of David for the eventual coming of Jesus (Grafius, 2016). In conjunction with God's protection is the witnessed Kingdom of Israel, in which every king is evil, sin runs rampant in the land as everyone fails to follow the Lord, and no kings are in the line of David. In contrast, the line of David through God's mercy towards Solomon is preserved within the Southern Kingdom of Judah as some of the kings in David's lineage were righteous and obeyed the Lord's commands.

Solomon's story of favor in the Lord's eyes which slowly deteriorated into apostasy shares many applications with the current lives of believers. Often, the fortress developed around the believer's heart through the Scriptures is compromised by a single weakness in the flesh that evil and, more keenly, people themselves exploit. Christians are much smarter sinners than given credit and, in turn, less discerning when it comes to faith. Solomon possessed an established reputation through his harem of loving women, most of whom he accepted for political purposes and a mere display of power, especially those who were foreign (Ishida, p. 105). These foreign wives were Solomon's weakness, most of whom turned his heart away from God and influenced his idolatry in gods such as Molech, overriding his great wisdom. Each Christian encompasses weaknesses in the flesh that they must overpower to focus on Yahweh's love and purpose, but one debilitating, highly exploitable weakness above all others creates a fundamental stepping stone for sin and separation from God to cement within the human heart. It is in these moments that Christians are taught to be strong. While it would be incorrect to classify several modern attributes of society as blatant idolatry, as idolatry in the Old Testament clarifies the creation and worship of an alike godly idol, targeted influences certainly pull us away from the focus of God just as Solomon's foreign wives tugged at his heart.

Many aspects, whether work, hobbies, family, friends, or various individual pursuits, compete for our time and perpetuate a mindset in which one is too "busy" for God or, in Solomon's case, one becomes blinded by the world's vanity. Commonly, judgment in the Old Testament is established through an army creating struggle and difficulty for the Israelites amid their lack of faith. However, the New Testament and beyond see God allowing sin to run its course and for humans to face proper consequences for their sin and its effects upon other believers. Yahweh, as the ultimate gracious Giver of the Law, equally functions within a world of mercy yet a world of disciplined worship and righteous justice, executing moral punishment towards wrongdoers (Provan, p. 587). However, the compassionate character of God entrusts free will and worship to His creation, thus blurring the lines of neat correlation between sinfulness and predetermined prosecution. Many instances within the Bible display God’s delay of final judgment, but the accumulated depravity of human sin often inevitably results in Godly retribution. In addition, Solomon's entire reign includes his fall from God's grace and favor into depravity. According to Paul, ". . . all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and this sentiment is further evident within Solomon's story and the Christian life (Romans 3:23). While belief and faith bring people closer to Yahweh, sin distances the believer from His realized grace, just as Solomon's ultimate sin brought forth disastrous consequences. However, Jesus's death on the cross symbolizes God's grace for the faithful, similar to the extension of God's grace in preserving the Davidic line through the tribe of Judah. The division of the kingdom into Israel and Judah in part personifies Solomon's separation from God, but through Jesus's baptism and shed blood, Christians are made one in God (Galatians 3:28).

God's underlying work to establish His people remains evident throughout the entirety of the Bible. As the judges, prophets, and kings consistently sin and fall short of God's everlasting glory, He manages to mold sin and ultimately serve His divine purpose in the process. Solomon's deterioration present within 1 Kings teaches several lessons to the modern-day Christian believer and ties the end of his reign to the resultant split kingdoms. Solomon's sin, along with Saul's and David's, best displays God's inner workings and outward expression of mercy towards every appointed figure within the Old and New Testaments.

References:

Grafius, B. (2016). “Solomon, King of Israel,” John D. Barry et al. (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Hubbard, R. L., Jr. (2015). 1 Kings. NIVAC; Zondervan.

Ishida, T. (1992). “Solomon (Person),” ed. D.N. Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary: Si–Z (pp. 105–113).

Provan, I. W. (2008). "1 Kings" pp. 585-655 in ESV Study Bible. Wheaton. Crossway.

Thank you Garrett Fish for writing this article!