The Reign of King Solomon

An overview of the life and reign of King Solomon.

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Solomon was both wildly successful and bitterly disappointing as king.

He began devoted to God, but slowly over time, we see him drifting away from the Lord until he completely departs from following God. If Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes near the end of his life - I think he did - then perhaps Solomon finally returned to the Lord at the end of his life.

While Solomon was more successful than his father David in some areas, he fell far short of his father’s example in the areas that mattered most.

Solomon Secures the Throne.

Some of David’s final words to Solomon included how the young king should deal with certain threats to the kingdom. Immediately following Solomon’s rise to power, he deals with these threats.

Solomon Executes Adonijah.

Solomon’s brother Adonijah tried to proclaim himself king (1 Kings 1:1-27), but when David found out, he had Solomon crowned as the next king of Israel and Adonijah quickly fell in line - for a time (1 Kings 1:50-53).

Later, Adonijah approached Bathsheba - Solomon’s mother - and asked her to ask Solomon if he could have Abishag, one of David’s concubines, as a wife. This request was equal to claiming the throne, and that’s exactly how Solomon viewed it (1 Kings 2:22). So, he ordered Adonijah’s execution (1 Kings 2:23-25).

Adonojiah must have calculated that Solomon’s youth and inexperience would lead him to overlook his brother’s treacherous political maneuvering. But Adonijah underestimated Solomon - who David called “a wise man” before he died (1 Kings 2:9).

Solomon Banishes Abiathar.

Abiathar was the priest and helped Adonijah in his attempt to claim the throne (1 Kings 1:7). Solomon decides to merely banish Abiathar and removes him from being the priest for his treason (1 Kings 2:26-27).

This decision by Solomon fulfilled Samuel’s prophecy about the family of Eli being removed from being the priest before God (1 Samuel 2:31-35).

Solomon Executes Joab.

At this point, Joab gets word of what’s going on, and he knows he’s next. Joab also helped Adonijah in his attempt to claim the throne (1 Kings 1:7). He flees to the temple and holds on to the horns of the altar - apparently thinking he was safe there (1 Kings 2:28).

When Solomon is told where he is, Solomon gives the order to go ahead and kill him where he was to “take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed.” Joab’s murder of Abner and Amasa came back to haunt him in the end (1 Kings 2:30-34).

David told Solomon before he died to make sure Joab did not go to his grave in peace (1 Kings 2:5-6). Justice was done - the blood of the innocent was avenged by the Lord.

Solomon Executes Shimei.

Shimei had cursed David when David fled from Jerusalem after Absalom’s rebellion (2 Samuel 16:5-14). When David returned to power, Shimei came back asking for mercy, which David extended to him (2 Samuel 19:18-23).

But on his deathbed, David reminded Solomon of Shimei’s guilt and urged him to deal with him in a wise manner (1 Kings 2:8-9). So Solomon tells Shimei to remain in Jerusalem - but if he crosses the Brook Kidron, he will be executed. Shimei agrees to this, until one day two of his slaves run away and he goes looking for them in Gath. Solomon finds out and confronts Shimei when he returns and orders his execution (1 Kings 2:36-46).

After this, “the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.”

Solomon’s Wisdom.

1 Kings 3 tells us how Solomon became such a wise king.

God Gives Solomon Wisdom.

Sometimes after making a treaty with Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter, Solomon went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices to the Lord, for at this time, the temple hadn’t yet been constructed (1 Kings 3:1-4).

While he slept at Gibeon, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: “Ask! What shall I give you?” (1 Kings 3:5).

The Lord was pleased with Solomon’s request:

And Solomon said: "You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" (1 Kings 3:6-9)

As a result, the Lord gave Solomon the wisdom he asked for, and the riches and honor he didn’t request (1 Kings 3:11-13). God also promised to give him a long life if he would follow God as his father David had done (1 Kings 3:14).

Solomon Demonstrates His Wisdom.

An example of Solomon's wisdom is shown in 1 Kings 3:16-28. He is called upon as the judge to decide which of two women an infant belongs to. In his wisdom, he decides upon a sentence that reveals the infant's true mother.

After this case, the people feared and respected Solomon - for they knew God’s wisdom was in him to administer justice.

Solomon’s Power and Prosperity.

1 Kings 4 describes the growth of Solomon’s government administrators and his wealth and power as king.

Solomon’s Government Officials.

In addition to his officials (priests, scribes, military officers), Solomon had twelve governors who ruled over all of Israel. Each region was responsible for providing for the king’s house one month out of the year.

As a nation’s resources grow, so does the government administration that handles the flow of those resources.

Solomon’s Prosperity.

The population increased “as the sand by the sea” and they had an abundance of life’s needs (1 Kings 4:20). Solomon’s kingdom stretched from “the River” all the way to the border of Egypt - other nations paid him tribute throughout his reign.

His power brought peace throughout and all around Israel and Judah (1 Kings 4:24-25). His military was large and technologically advanced - having 40,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horsemen (1 Kings 4:26).

Solomon’s Wisdom and Fame.

Solomon’s wisdom “excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt” (1 Kings 4:30). Solomon was wiser than other famous philosophers and wise men, and his fame spread to all the surrounding nations (1 Kings 4:31).

Powerful rulers from all over the earth heard of his wisdom and came to hear his wisdom for themselves (1 Kings 4:34).

This was a time of peace and tremendous prosperity.

Solomon Builds the Temple.

It was during this time of peace and prosperity that Solomon focused on building the temple.

Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple.

Solomon sent word to Hiram, king of Tyre, who had been a close friend of David’s (1 Kings 5:1-4) and made arrangements to acquire cedars from Lebanon and to pay Hiram for the use of his servant’s skill in woodworking - for no Israelite’s skill compared to the woodworking of the Sidonians (1 Kings 5:5-6).

Hiram joyfully agreed to supply Solomon with whatever he needed for the temple.

Solomon also raised a workforce in Israel to work on the temple and to supply what was needed.

• 30,000 were sent to Lebanon in shifts of three groups of 10,000 - 1 month in Lebanon and 2 months at home.

• 70,000 workers carried burdens.

• 80,000 quarried stones in the mountains.

• 3,300 supervisors.

The Description of the Temple.

480 years after the children of Israel were brought out of Egypt by God, in Solomon’s fourth year as king, work was begun on the temple (1 Kings 6:1).

We are told a bit about the dimensions of the temple.

• 60 cubits (90 feet) long, 20 (30 feet) cubits wide, and 30 (45 feet) cubits tall.

• A porch was 20 cubits (30 feet) wide across the front of the temple and extended out 10 cubits (15 feet).

• The temple had windows.

• Rooms were built 3 stories high around the outside of the temple walls, with entrances from the outside.

The temple was built out of stone and paneled with beams and boards of cedar (1 Kings 6:9, 15). Carvings of buds, open flowers, cherubim, and palm trees covered the paneling (1 Kings 6:18, 29).

The temple was divided into two parts: known as the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (1 Kings 6:16-17).

The temple was overlaid with gold (1 Kings 6:21-22).

Solomon Builds His Own House.

While Solomon was building the temple, he was also building his own house, although his own house took 13 years to build. It was an extravagant house paneled with cedar and built with costly stones (1 Kings 7:1-12).

The Temple Furnishings.

Solomon had two enormous bronze pillars made for the temple that were set at the front of the temple. These pillars were named “Jachin” (“He shall establish”) and “Boaz” (“In it is strength”) (1 Kings 7:15-22).

There was a wash basin called “the Sea” made out of bronze that was set on the backs of 12 bronze oxen. This basin held about 12,000 gallons (1 Kings 7:23-26). Solomon also had ten carts and ten lavers of bronze (which held about 240 gallons) carefully crafted out of bronze (1 Kings 7:27-39).

In addition to all this, there were also several furnishings built that went inside and outside the temple (1 Kings 7:48-51).

The Temple is Completed.

When the temple was finished, the Ark of God was brought into the temple. When the priests left the temple after taking the Ark of God inside, “the cloud filled the house of the Lord” (1 Kings 8:10-11).

Solomon gives a speech and then offers a prayer of dedication to God before blessing the entire assembly (1 Kings 8:14-66).

God’s Covenant with Solomon.

After Solomon’s building projects were completed, God appeared to Solomon a second time.

God told Solomon that He had heard the prayer offered at the temple and would put His name there forever if Solomon would continue to walk after God and serve Him faithfully. If he turned aside from following God, then the consequences would be severe (1 Kings 9:1-9).

• Israel would be cut off from the land.

• The temple would be thrown out of God’s sight.

• Israel would be mocked because of their rebellion.

Solomon’s Work and Wealth.

After 20 years, Solomon gave Hiram king of Tyre 20 cities in the land of Galilee. It seems like these 20 cities were given in response to Hiram’s generosity in providing as much lumber and gold as Solomon wanted. But Hiram was displeased with Solomon’s gift - calling the land “Cabul” or “Good for Nothing.” (1 Kings 9:10-14).

Solomon’s labor force built many other cities and strongholds (1 Kings 9:15-24). During this time, Solomon continued offering burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord while the temple was being constructed (1 Kings 9:25). Solomon also built a fleet of ships on the Red Sea that traveled to Ophir to acquire gold (1 Kings 9:26-28).

The Queen of Sheba heard of Solomon and came to test him with hard questions. He answered everything she asked, and she saw all his wealth. Everything she saw and heard caused her to exclaim:

“It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” (1 Kings 10:6-9)

She gave a tremendous amount of gold, spices, and precious stones to King Solomon. Never before or after was anything ever seen like what she gave to Solomon (1 Kings 10:10-13).

Solomon’s wealth is mind-boggling to consider (1 Kings 10:14-29):

• 666 talents of gold as income each year, besides what came from traders and foreign rulers (a talent was about 75 pounds - so 666 talents of gold are 49,950 pounds. Based on the present-day price of gold of about $2,730 per ounce, Solomon’s yearly income in gold was nearly $2.2 billion).

• Made 200 large shields of gold with 600 shekels of gold going into each shield, and also made 300 smaller shields of gold with 3 minas of gold going into each shield.

• Made a throne of ivory overlaid with gold. The steps leading up to his throne had a lion at each end of the steps - six steps with twelve lions total. Nothing like this existed anywhere else.

• All of Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold because silver was accounted as nothing during his reign (1 Kings 10:27).

• Merchant ships returned every three years bringing more gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.

Solomon’s wealth and wisdom “surpassed all the kings of the earth” (1 Kings 10:23). Everyone who came to hear his wisdom brought him valuable gifts (1 Kings 10:24-25).

Solomon built up the military with 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen (1 Kings 10:26). Remember, these were once military units the Philistines had and the Israelites didn’t. However, we find out that Solomon imported horses and chariots from Egpyt (1 Kings 10:28-29) - something God had said the kings of Israel were not to do (Deuteronomy 17:16).

Solomon Turns from the Lord.

Solomon's love of women and his many marriages to many women from idol-worshipping nations were ultimately the cause of his turning away from God. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines, “and his wives turned away his heart after other gods” (1 Kings 11:1-4). In this, Solomon failed to follow the Lord fully as his father David had done (1 Kings 11:6).

He even built high places of worship for the idol gods of his wives (1 Kings 11:7-8).

The Lord became angry with Solomon, and because of his sin, the Lord promised to tear the kingdom from Solomon and give it to his servant (Jeroboam in 1 Kings 11:26-40). But the Lord would wait until Solomon’s life was over - this delay would be for the sake of Solomon’s father David. Also, the entire kingdom would not torn from his hand (1 Kings 11:9-13).

After this, the long peace that Israel enjoyed was nearing its end. A man named Hadad the Edomite began causing trouble for Solomon as well as Hadadezer the king of Zobah who became king of Syria (1 Kings 11:14-25). The enemies of Israel are growing in strength and would soon become a problem again.

At a time when the peace and stability of the nation are threatened, Solomon dies after reigning for 40 years in Jerusalem. He’s buried in Jerusalem and his son Rehoboam rises to the throne (1 Kings 11:41-43).

Crowning Principles.

By humbly acknowledging their own shortcomings, leaders put themselves in the best position to be blessed by God.

When the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream near the beginning of his reign, Solomon humbly admitted his own shortcomings as king.

You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. (1 Kings 3:6-8)

His request for “an understanding heart” to judge and lead the nation was rooted in his humility (1 Kings 3:9). As a result, the Lord was pleased and blessed Solomon (1 Kings 3:10-14).

It is the humble God lifts up (James 4:10).

When pleasure and selfish ambition become the primary focus, leaders are well on their way to making horrible compromises.

At the beginning of Solomon’s reign, there’s a lot said about the Lord and Solomon’s focus on building the temple for the Lord. But as time goes on, we read less and less about the Lord and more and more about Solomon’s accomplishments and wealth.

This shift in focus sets the scene of 1 Kings 11 and Solomon’s departure from the Lord. Over time, Solomon’s focus shifted from God to himself and his wealth, accomplishments, and pleasures.

This set the stage for the monumental compromise Solomon makes that ends up changing the course of Israel’s history. From here on, Israel would struggle with idolatry - and it can be traced back to Solomon’s departure from the Lord.