Wisdom Wednesday : Wisdom of Solomon – Part 7
The Decline of Solomon’s Life and Finishing Poorly
Submitted by Debbie’s Dad
“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24) NASB 95
Bible teachers have often written about the need to “End Well” or “Finish Well” in life based on Paul’s message above to the elders at Ephesus as he headed back to Jerusalem. In addition, Paul emphasized completing life well in three other key passages:
- 2 Timothy 4:7 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
- Philippians 3:14 – “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
- Galatians 6:9 -“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.’
But Solomon, the man of God-given wisdom did not finish well.
We do not have a lot of details, but we can clearly understand that the last of his forty years of kingship were not good. Was it the last decade, or more? We do not know for sure. We know for sure that he strayed from the Lord.
The evidence of this in Scripture includes:
- The book of Ecclesiastes exhaustively recounts his existential-like thoughts about life’s utter meaninglessness. It was not about the meaningfulness of walking with the Lord and revealing His glory (Glorifying God).
- The writer of First Kings summarizes Solomon’s downfall in 1 Kings 11:1-8.
- Many Women – He loved many women (700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines!) from adjacent nations in violation of God’s commends (Exodus 23:31-32). “For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.’ (1 Kings 11:4).
- Idolatry- He went after idols of the foreign gods of his wives and even built altars to the false gods. (1 Kings 11:5-8) He became an idolater!
- Solomon turned Away from God – (1 Kings 11:9) His heart was “turned away” (Hebrew natah) from God. Recall that decades before in his dedication to temple, Solomon prayed that God would, “incline our hearts to Himself…” (1 Kings 8:58). This is the same Hebrew word (natah) translated “incline”. Natah is a primitive root meaning “to bend”. Solomon prayed that his heart would bend toward the Lord, but in old age, his heart was bent away from the Lord! And this angered God.
- His son, Rheoboam, was a foolish king (1Kings 12; 2 Chron 12:1-12) who, like his father, forsook the Lord. This boy followed the pattern set by his father’s later years, not his former years.
Nehemiah asked: “Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women” (Neh. 13:26).
Solomon did not finish well, and he did not end well. What a sad account of a man who was given great wisdom, wealth and power! He “had it all” and yet in spite of God-given wisdom, by foolish decisions he turned his heart away from God.
We must all consider our own lives, where we are in life, and seek to keep our hearts “bent toward” the Lord, and to walk in His ways.