If you've been a Christian for some time, you will have inevitably heard of Solomon. He is a man with many different titles, and a man with multiple books of the Bible attributed to him. He is the son of king David. The wise king. The last great king of Israel. Jedidiah (which means loved by the Lord, 2 Sam. 12:25).He is known for his great wisdom, as well as for his great riches and many wives. Solomon is a man with a unique, complex, and dreadfully important to understand story. So let's dive in.
References to Solomon
This one's a doozy. According to the NASB translation, the Hebrew word for Solomon is found 287 times in 260 different verses in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the Greek word for Solomon is found 12 times in 10 different verses. If you're doing the math on that, that's 299 direct references to Solomon throughout the Bible. If his name was spread out through every book, he'd still have 4.5 references in each book of the Bible. As we'll see, his name is concentrated in a few key Old Testament books. 1 Kings is the main book for king Solomon. Solomon is referenced in a staggering 138 verses in that book. Amazingly, Solomon's name is only found in the first 14 of the 22 chapters of 1 Kings. If his name was evenly spread through 1 Kings, it would still appear in about 6.3 verses per chapter. In those 14 chapters, Solomon's name is found in about 9.9 verses on average. Most interestingly, Solomon's name is found 21 times in the first chapter of 1 Kings. These references makes sense, as the first 11 chapters of 1 Kings tell the story of Solomon's life, from birth to death. There are only 6 verses involving Solomon's name in 1 Kings after his death in chapter 11.
Solomon's name does not appear again until 2 Kings 21, in a story about king Manasseh. Manasseh's father Hezekiah was a faithful king, but Manasseh himself became one of the most wicked kings in the history of Judah. He built altars to foreign gods, he bowed to the stars, he even sacrificed his own son. Manasseh also carved an Asherah pole and placed it in the temple of the Lord to worship it. Solomon's name is referenced in regard to the temple. The author of 2 Kings brings up both David and Solomon, referencing the building of the temple, and thus reminding the Israelites of the temple's purpose, elevating Manasseh's sin. 2 Kings 21:9 says that Manasseh led them so far astray that they did more evil than the nations the Lord destroyed to bring Israel into that land.
In stark contrast, 2 Kings 23 mentions Solomon by name in reference to the idols Solomon himself worshiped. King Josiah, who became king when he was just 8 years old, was the most faithful to the Lord that there ever was among the kings of Judah and Israel, according to the Scriptures. 2 Kings 23:25 states that there was no king who turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul, and strength like Josiah did. In his great love for the Lord, Josiah destroyed the places where the people of Judah were worshipping false gods, removed idols from the temple, demolished altars, and more. A large part of Josiah's reign was the continued revealing of the great sin Israel had committed against God. It began with the finding of the Law, and continued with the destruction of idol after idol. Josiah found and destroyed idols that Solomon had made to another god after he had been led astray by the many wives he had married (which God had warned against doing for this very reason in Deut. 17:17).
The other two times Solomon is mentioned in 2 Kings, he is mentioned as the builder of the temple of the Lord, which is being destroyed and plundered by Babylon. The people of Judah so quickly turned away from the Lord after the death of Josiah. They turned to Egypt for protection, then rebelled and turned to Babylon, then rebelled and turned back to Egypt. Their flippant running to kings who could not save them ended in their conquest and capture by the Babylonians. The Babylonians took many of the Israelites who could be of use to them back to their land, as well as all of the bronze, silver and gold which Solomon had stored up during his reign. They imprisoned their king and executed their priests. They left Jerusalem, the city God had chosen, desolate and barren.
Most of the mentions of Solomon in 1 and 2 Chronicles are Solomon's story, so we'll skip past that for now and go to the end of 2 Chronicles, which is looking back to the time of Solomon. These mentions of Solomon in 2 Chronicles are extremely similar to the mentions of him in 2 Kings. In 2 Chronicles 30, the first mention of Solomon since he was associated with his son Rehoboam in chapter 13 comes when Hezekiah cleanses Jerusalem of its idols and celebrates the Passover feast. Solomon is mentioned in this chapter because the Passover had not been observed by all the people of Judah since the days of Solomon. The great joy that the people felt reminded them of Solomon's reign, when there was peace and prosperity.
Once again, 2 Chronicles mentions the sin of Manasseh in regard to him placing in idol in the temple Solomon built for the Lord. And once again, the author of 2 Chronicles reiterates that Manasseh's sin led to the Judahites becoming more evil than those God had removed from the land He had promised to Israel (2 Chron. 33).
And lastly, 2 Chronicles 35 again mentions Josiah's reign in relation to Solomon. However, this time the author does not speak of Solomon's apostasy, but of what God had commanded Solomon and David. He instructs the Levites to carry out their priestly duties as they used to carry them out.
Solomon is next mentioned in the book of Ezra. In Ezra, the people of Judah are returning to Jerusalem by order of Cyrus king of Persia. In doing so, Ezra lists the number of people by each house that returned to Jerusalem. Solomon is mentioned by name in relation to the descendants of his servants, of whom 392 returned to Jerusalem.
Nehemiah mentions the sons of Solomon's servants in the same way, giving the same number, 392, as the number that returned to Jerusalem. Later in Nehemiah, in chapter 11, the sons of Solomon's servants are also mentioned, stating that they had their own property which they lived on upon their return. Solomon is also mentioned apart from the sons of his servants in Nehemiah 12. Nehemiah mentions the people of God doing as God commanded the do to David and to Solomon. The priests, gatekeepers, and musicians were all performing their duties and worshipping God. Nehemiah ends with reforms being made to the kingdom in an attempt to assure that the people of Jerusalem never again fall away from God's commands. Solomon is mentioned again, as men were marrying women from foreign nations. Nehemiah warns them with the story of Solomon, reminding them that Solomon was led astray because of the very thing that they were doing.
Solomon is next mentioned in Proverbs as the author. In fact, he is credited three separate times as the author of the Proverbs. First, in Proverbs 1:1, next in Proverbs 10:1, and lastly in Proverbs 25:1.
He is also mentioned, unsurprisingly, in the Song of Solomon. He is credited with authorship, and then mentioned again six other times, typically in relation to his splendor.
His last mention in the Old Testament comes in Jeremiah 52:20. Jeremiah 52 is the final chapter of Jeremiah, and he is actually not credited as the author of this chapter. Instead, Jeremiah 52 is a description of how the prophecies of Jeremiah came to pass. Jeremiah was a prophet who had predicted the fall of the city of Jerusalem, so the words in Jeremiah 52 echo the words of the end of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. Solomon is mentioned in relation to the things he had made for the Lord, and the temple he had built, being destroyed and plundered.
Six verses into the New Testament, Solomon appears in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Solomon appears in four separate verses in the book of Matthew. Two involve genealogy, but the other two come directly from Jesus. The first non-genealogy reference comes in Matthew 6:29. The end of Matthew 6 is where Jesus tells his disciples to not be anxious about anything, because the Lord provides for all of our needs. Solomon is mentioned in terms of his great splendor. Jesus compares the splendor and wealth of Solomon to a lily, and favors the lily, despite the fact that "they neither toil nor spin." The last reference to Solomon in Matthew comes in chapter 12, in one of the most interesting passages in the Bible.
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:38-42, ESV)
Jesus here is referencing two stories. First, the story of Jonah, in two ways. First, that Jonah was in the belly of a big fish, which Jesus compares to his death and resurrection after three days. Secondly, he contrasts the Israelites' lack of repentance with the repentance that came when Jonah went to Nineveh. This is likely said to bring shame to the Jews who heard this, since even Nineveh, a city of foreigners and people often associated with wickedness, repented when they were given the word of the Lord (Jonah 3:5). Now, Jesus, someone much greater, is in their presence, but they will not repent.
The second story Jesus is referencing is Solomon's, and I think he is making a similar point. When the queen of Sheba heard in 1 Kings 10 of Solomon's great wisdom, she had to go see it for herself. When she came, she saw that his wisdom and the prosperity of his country was even greater than she had heard. After seeing, she praised God. Once again, even a foreigner who saw a much lesser sign of the power of God, worshipped when she saw the truth of God in the wisdom of Solomon. Now Jesus, God incarnate, is in front of the Jews, and they will not repent. Because of this, Jesus says "The queen of the South will rise up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it," because Jesus is a far greater demonstration of the power and wisdom of God than Solomon, and yet they still ask for a sign.
The book of Luke references Solomon in the exact same ways as the last two references to Solomon in Matthew (Luke 11:31, 12:27).
The next three references to Solomon are also references to the same place: Solomon's Portico. Solomon's Portico (also called Solomon's Colonnade or Porch) was a feature of Herod's temple in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus and the apostles. In John 10:23, the only reference to the portico in the gospels, Jesus is walking through the colonnade and is questioned by people who were following him about whether he was the Messiah. It is also mentioned in Acts 3:11 and Acts 5:12 as a place where the apostles would meet together as well as a place where they would perform miracles and preach to the people.
The final reference to Solomon in the New Testament comes in Acts 7:47. In Acts 7, Stephen is speaking to the Sanhedrin during his trial. He is recalling the history of Israel, how God has worked through them, and how they went astray over and over again. In this history, Stephen mentions Solomon as the man who built the temple of the Lord. He also reminds the Sanhedrin that the temple is not meant to contain God, for nothing can contain him.
And there we have it. All the references to Solomon that are not directly from his story. What a ride. Let's get into the story of the man itself.
Solomon's Story (1 Kings 1-11, 1 Chron. 28-2 Chron. 9)
Solomon's story is told twice in the Bible: once in Kings and once in Chronicles. While Kings or Chronicles might emphasize one thing over another, the main elements of the story of Solomon remains the same.
Solomon was born to David and his wife Bathsheba. If you remember, Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah, one of David's soldiers. David slept with Bathsheba, set Uriah up to be killed in battle, and then took her to be his wife. Nathan the prophet rebuked David, and he repented, but the Lord took the life of his and Bathsheba's son, like Nathan said would happen. David fasted and prayed for his son's life to be spared, but when it wasn't, he went and worshiped. Right after that, 2 Samuel says that David went into Bathsheba again and they had another son. This son was Solomon. This time, it says that the Lord loved this child. So much so that God told Nathan to instruct David to call Solomon "Jedidiah," which means "loved by the Lord." Oddly, this name is never mentioned apart from the initial reference in 2 Samuel 12:25.
In the years before Solomon became king of Israel and Judah in the place of his father, there was considerable royal family turmoil. Two of David's sons before Solomon tried to usurp the throne. The first was Absalom. Absalom was banished by King David after killing his half-brother Amnon out of revenge after Amnon raped Absalom's sister. Joab, the commander of David's army, requests for Absalom to be restored and brought back from banishment, and David partially grants the request by letting him come back, but not letting him into his presence.
Absalom gets fed up with this situation, and tells Joab (after setting Joab's field ablaze) to ask David to see him. David grants the request, and when Absalom enters his presence, David kisses him.
After the restoration comes the conspiracy. Absalom is credited in 2 Samuel as a man who was well renowned for his looks, especially his long, flowing hair (2 Sam. 14:25-26). He uses his charm and a deceptive tactic of waiting early in the morning to send people away who were waiting for the king's judgements, telling them there is no one to see them, and then implying that if he were king this type of thing wouldn't happen. The trick worked, and Absalom stole the people of Israel's hearts (2 Sam. 15:6). Absalom went to Hebron and set himself up as king of Israel, and his following grew and grew, to the point where David fled from Jerusalem.
All of this comes to its climax in a battle between Absalom's Israelite forces and the troops of David. David's troops routed the Israelite army, and as Absalom was riding his mule in the battle, his beautiful hair got stuck in the branch of a tree, and he got stuck hanging from it. Joab was told of this, and killed Absalom with three javelins, despite David's instructions to spare his son's life.
The next attempt to usurp David's throne comes at the end of his life. David had promised the throne to Solomon, because God had told him that Solomon would be the one to build his Temple. However, Adonijah, another of David's sons, decided to set himself up as the new king while David was in his old age without him knowing it. He talked with several of David's officials, who put their support behind him. He intentionally avoided speaking with Nathan the prophet, David's special guard, Solomon, and a few others, so that he would not get pushback.
When it was time to be crowned king, Adonijah invited all of his brothers, as well as several officials from Judah, but again did not invite Nathan or Solomon and his mother. David also did not have knowledge that Adonijah was being given the throne. So Bathsheba and Nathan went to David and reminded him of the promise he made to Bathsheba, that Solomon would sit on the throne after him, and told David that Adonijah was being crowned king. David, with all of the king's authority, declared Solomon the king, and it was done. Adonijah cowered and pleaded for his life, and for the moment it was granted to him.
Just before David died, he gave several instructions to Solomon, essentially telling him how to rule well and to finish some unsettled business for him. Here are the four things David instructed Solomon:
1. Obey the Lord in everything, and follow what He commands (1 Kings 2:2-5)
2. Do not let Joab, the commander of the army, die peacefully, for he killed multiple commanders of the army during peacetime (1 Kings 2:5-6).
3. Be kind to the family of Barzillai, who stood with David during the rebellion of Absalom (1 Kings 2:7)
4. When David was alive, he had promised Shimei the son of Gera that he would not put him to death by the sword (2 Sam. 19:23), despite him calling down curses on David (2 Sam. 16:5-14). David tells Solomon that now is the time to execute him (1 Kings 2:8-9).
After this charge, David dies. Interestingly, Solomon's first execution is not Joab or Shimei, but Adonijah, the brother of Solomon who tried to take the throne before him. While Solomon initially had mercy on Adonijah, something changed. Adonijah, shortly after Solomon took the throne, asked for something interesting. Adonijah asked Solomon to give him Abishag, the woman assigned to keep David warm so he could sleep, to be his wife. While this may not seem like much, this seems to be an attempt by Adonijah to stage some form of attempt at the throne. If he had a wife closely associated with David, it might seem that he should be king over Solomon, especially since Adonijah is his older brother. Solomon has Adonijah killed for his request.
Next Solomon dealt with Abiathar the priest. Abiathar had been a part of Adonijah's rebellion, siding with Adonijah and Joab. Solomon chose to spare his life, but removed him from the priesthood and sent him to his fields in Anathoth. The author of Kings says that this removal fulfilled a prophecy spoken by Eli, that God would remove people of his lineage from the priesthood and replace them with someone who is faithful. In this instance, the faithful replacement is a priest named Zadok.
Next, Solomon moved into the requests of his father David. He went after Joab. Joab, having heard that Solomon was punishing those involved in conspiring with Adonijah, fled to the altar. This was the same place Adonijah fled to escape execution. This time, however, Joab is not spared. The law states that a person can flee to the altar for sanctuary to avoid vengeance after accidentally killing someone. Solomon, knowing this, recognizes that Joab is not an accidental murderer. Joab murdered two of David's commanders, and so Solomon knows he is justified in executing Joab, even though he is seeking refuge.
Next, Solomon got to Shimei, the man who called down curses on David. David told Solomon to deal with Shimei "according to your wisdom." Solomon, according to his wisdom, decided not to execute Shimei immediately. Perhaps this was a way to show mercy, and to express a kind of forgiveness of old wounds, maybe even hoping that Shimei himself might recognize the line of David as those chosen by God. Solomon says Shimei can live in Jerusalem, but the day he steps across the Kidron Valley, which is just outside of Jerusalem, he would be executed. Shimei obeyed the king for 3 years, but then his slaves ran away to another city, and Shimei followed them. Following this, and considering all that Shimei had done previously, Solomon executed him.
Now comes the story most of us know, at least to some extent. Solomon, who had not yet built the temple for the Lord, was making sacrifices to God at one of many high places (where people brought sacrifices to God before the building of the temple. Also seemingly a place where other gods were also sacrificed to) when God came to him and told Solomon to ask Him for something.
Solomon, overwhelmed by the multitude of people with whom he was charged to lead, asked God for understanding, so that he could discern what was the right thing to do for his kingdom. God was very pleased with this answer, and responded:
And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. (1 Kings 3:11-14, ESV)
God blessed Solomon beyond what he had asked for. The very next passage describes Solomon's great wisdom by giving an example of a ruling he made. Two prostitutes came before the king, both claiming a child as their own. The first explained to Solomon that the other prostitute had accidentally suffocated her child at night, and in envy switched the children before she woke up, so that it seemed she had killed the child. The other prostitute denied the claim and said that the living child was hers. Solomon said simply "Bring me a sword." He explained that he would cut the child in half so they both could have it. The woman who was the mother, in fear for her child's life, told Solomon to let the other mother have the child. Solomon, discerning the mother's yearning for her baby, rightly ascertained who the child's mother was.
The result? "All Israel heard the judgement that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice" (1 Kings 3:28).
After this, Solomon appointed officials, and found that there was great peace in all of Israel. Therefore, in seeing this, Solomon knew it was time to build the temple for the Lord.
I think it is important to note something here. By Solomon's own wisdom he established his throne. His own wisdom brought him to executing all of his father's adversaries, and to bringing the sword on his foes. In the Lord's wisdom, he discerned what was right, used a sword with wisdom and relented from execution, and found peace in Israel. Solomon's life is a testament to the peace that is found in abiding in the wisdom of God, and the strife that comes apart from Him.
Next, Solomon built the temple. With God's wisdom, he laid out the dimensions and layout that was desired. He spent seven years building God's temple. But something interesting begins to happen with Solomon. Something that seems to indicate his future. Solomon starts working on his own house. In contrast to the seven years it took to build the temple, Solomon's house took 13 years. The interior parts of the temple were not completed until after Solomon's house was finished in its entirety.
Once the temple was completed, Solomon moved the ark of the covenant into the Most Holy Place. Following this, a thick cloud filled the temple, a cloud described as "the glory of the Lord" (1 Kings 8:11). The cloud was so thick that the priests in the temple couldn't even do their jobs.
Solomon then gives a very important prayer, indicating the Lord's wisdom is still very much with him. Solomon recognizes that the house he has built for God can in no way contain Him. However, he sees the temple as important for a couple of reasons. First, it is the fulfillment of a promise He made to David, and points to God's perfect faithfulness. Second, it cements Israel as God's nation, and the Lord as Israel's only God. While Israel had constantly been turning from Him, the Lord was faithful in choosing them, and the temple would serve as a constant reminder of the covenant between God and the people of Israel and Judah.
Here are the essential elements of Solomon's prayer for God's temple:
1. Solomon asks that God continue to fulfill his promises, specifically the promise that David's line would always be on the throne in Israel.
2. Solomon points to God's infinite being, that God not only cannot be contained in a temple, but that he cannot be contained on earth or in heaven, or indeed, anywhere.
3. Solomon prays that God would always listen to the pleas of His people, especially the pleas made at the temple. He asks that when God hears His people repenting, that He would forgive them
4. Solomon asks that God would stand as judge to oaths made before Him at the temple.
5. Solomon asks that when Israel is defeated in battle because they have sinned against God, and repent and turn back, that He would again forgive them.
6. Solomon asks that when there is plague or famine or drought because of the people's sin, that God would be quick to forgive when Israel turns back.
7. Solomon asks that when a foreigner comes and prays at the temple of the Lord (and they will come), that God would hear and grant the foreigner's prayers, so that all people would come to know the glory of God.
8. When Israel goes into battle, and is faithful in prayer, Solomon asks that He would hear His people and deliver them.
9. Lastly, Solomon asked God that when Israel as a whole sins against God, "for there is no one who does not sin," and when they are exiled in a foreign land, that God would hear their prayers of repentance and bring them back to Israel in worship to the praise of His glory.
Next, Solomon turns to the people who have gathered to witness the dedication of the temple. He begins his address to them by once again blessing God and His faithfulness. He gives a hope that God would turn their hearts to serve Him. He reminds the people that God's care for them is so that the whole world might know His glory and goodness. He charges them, therefore, to obey God and follow his decrees.
Following this was the dedication, involving a ton of sacrifice and worship of God for 14 days.
Then, God appeared to Solomon for a second time. God tells Solomon that he has accepted Solomon's prayer for the temple, and blessed it. He reminds Solomon of the great blessings that come with serving Him, and the consequences that come from abandoning Him.
The author of Kings goes on to summarize the other things Solomon did during his reign, like give towns to the king of Tyre because of his help in giving resources for the temple. He built ships, and conscripted slaves from foreign nations. He was given great amounts of gold as well. Solomon also brought Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had married earlier, to live with him in his temple.
The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon's great wisdom and wealth, came north to see Solomon's splendor for herself. In coming to Jerusalem and seeing Solomon's kingdom for herself, she realized the truth of what she was told, and that Solomon's greatness was more than she had thought. Rightly, she attributed these things to God, and worshiped Him.
But Solomon's splendor, and his love of it, became his downfall.
The author of Kings does something interesting in the next passage. His words seem to be a direct callback to words written in the book of Deuteronomy about the future king.
When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold. And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel. (Deut. 17:14-20, ESV)
See here Moses' requirements for the king of Israel. First, he must be from Israel. Solomon is from Israel, so he did well enough on that one. Now let's check out the other requirements:
Moses: "He must not acquire many horses"
Solomon: accumulated 1400 chariots and 12,000 horses (1 Kings 10:26).
Moses: "he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away"
Solomon: had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines, who eventually turned his heart away from God (1 Kings 11:3-4).
Moses: "nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold."
Solomon: received 666 talents of silver a year, and made silver as common as stones in Israel.
And so, in all his splendor given by God, Solomon, whom the Lord had personally appeared to twice, turned from God, and so began his demise.
In 1 Kings 11:11, God speaks to Solomon again, stating “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen."
The rest of Solomon's story describes just that. God begins to fulfill His words to Solomon by raising up adversaries to oppose him. Hadad the Edomite was the first, a victim of one of David's wars, who fled to Egypt when he was a boy. Another of his adversaries was named Rezon, a marauder who cause trouble for Solomon for the rest of his kingship.
But perhaps Solomon's greatest adversary was Jeroboam, one of Solomon's own officials. Jeroboam was an Ephraimite (a member of the tribe of Ephraim), the son of a widow. When Solomon saw his effectiveness at his job, he promoted Jeroboam to be in charge of labor for the entire tribe of Joseph (which included both tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh).
As Jeroboam was heading out of Jerusalem one day, the prophet Ahijah approached him, and prophesied that God would give him 10 of the tribes of Israel, but that God would leave for Solomon one tribe. Word of this apparently got to Solomon, because he tried to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to Egypt.
Solomon's attempt to kill Jeroboam is the last recorded action of Solomon's reign in the book of 1 Kings. Like his father David, Solomon reigned 40 years, then passed the crown to his son Rehoboam, against whom Jeroboam led a successful rebellion, as was foretold to Solomon by God.
The Works of Solomon
Three books of the Bible and a psalm are attributed to Solomon at least in part. These three books are Proverbs, Song of Songs (also called Song of Solomon), and Ecclesiastes. The psalm is Psalm 72.
Let's briefly dive into the speculation of Solomon's authorship of these pieces of Scripture, starting with Psalm 72.
As we'll see with other things, the main reason Solomon's authorship comes into question is that Solomon is synonymous with wisdom. Because of this, it seems possible that many pieces of literature were written in Solomon's name pseudonymously, essentially alerting the reader that what they were about to read was wisdom. I don't think that's happening in Psalm 72.
The beginning of Psalm 72 states that this psalm is "of Solomon." Now, this statement, "of _____," is all throughout the Psalms. Typically, the name after the "of" is David. In all of those cases, we assume it to mean that David wrote the psalm. So right there it would seem likely that Solomon is the author. However, given the content of this Psalm (that the king would be given God's justice and righteousness), and the fact that at the end the psalmist states, "The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended," some believe that someone else, (likely David), wrote this song "of," or about Solomon as a sort of prayer to God about his rule. This question is interesting, but it does not change the value and meaning of the psalm, nor the messianic wording in parts.
Some have also questioned the authorship of Proverbs. This is easier to refute. First, those who claim Solomon didn't write them typically want to claim that the Proverbs were written at a much later date. There is little to no evidence of this, but even the collector of Proverbs states that some of Solomon's proverbs were later copied and written down during the reign of Hezekiah (about 200-300 years after Solomon). This does not indicate that Solomon did not write the Proverbs, but that rather he did not place them into their final order. The issue with the later authorship of Solomon comes from two facts. First, there is clear evidence that ancient wisdom literature existed as a genre before the time of Solomon. In fact, it is some of the earliest literature written. Solomon, the greatest Israelite king, and reigning in a time of peace, likely would've had access to these writings. Also, given that Solomon lived during a time of great peace, and seeing how in other cultures a literary and artistic movement occurred in step with this, it makes sense that many great works would have been written in the time of Solomon. It also is worth noting that 1 Kings 4:32 states that Solomon wrote over 3,000 proverbs and over 1,000 songs.
Speaking of songs, let's talk about Song of Solomon. There is some reasonable questioning as to whether Solomon wrote this song. The first verse: "The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's," seems to indicate Solomonic authorship, but it is possible that the song was not written by Solomon, but in his honor. Regardless of Solomon's authorship, given the themes and locations stated in the poem, it seems likely that it was written during his reign. If this is true, it is more likely that Solomon wrote it, and at the very least definite that he oversaw its writing.
Lastly, let's talk about Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is traditionally considered to be authored by Solomon, although a specific author is never mentioned in the text. This is given to some clues given in context. The first verse of Ecclesiastes tells us that "the teacher" is also "son of David, king in Jerusalem." Now the term "son" in scripture does not always indicate that he is a direct son, but more that he is from David's ancestral line. Jesus is also described as the "Son of David," despite coming hundreds of years after his death. Therefore, this line could describe Solomon, or any of David's ancestors who sat on the throne. The content of the book is difficult, however, to place for an author outside of Solomon. For it would be hard for another author to state that he "acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me," without it being Solomon. The realism of the book seems in line with an old, wearied Solomon, who has looked back on his life and seen the vanity he pursued. Solomon's authorship is not necessary, but seems very plausible considering the content of the book.
Regardless, if we are to believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, we can at least be confident in Solomon's wisdom, and that regardless of his authorship of some of these books, they are good, and that Solomon did indeed write many works, a large number of which we do not have.
Where does Christ come into this?
Solomon, apart from perhaps Moses, David, and Jesus, is one of the most written about people in the Bible. A great deal about his life is recorded, including his great successes and his deep, deep failures. So often there is a severe dichotomy of thought in regard to Biblical characters. Either they are great heroes of the faith whose lives we should try to model, or they are examples of what not to replicate. But I don't think either of these statements hold up to the reality of Scripture.
In truth, Solomon was a great, wise, strong king, the son of David, who lived a life of great material and spiritual success, and a life of deep spiritual tragedy. We can look at Solomon and see his wisdom, his wealth and his heart for God. His building of the temple and his displays of God's wisdom in his ruling. We can also look at his excesses of gold and silver, horses, and wives, which were warned about long in advance. We can look at a man to whom God personally appeared twice, who still turned away. A man who built a house twice the size of his own before he finished the interior of his God's temple. A man who built a temple, and saw the Lord's glory fill it, then worshiped other gods. But how often do we recognize all of this as true at once? All of this describes Solomon. God called this man Jedidiah (loved by the Lord).
God loves you, too. It is so easy to look at Solomon and say, Why did he turn away? Why didn't he follow God after all that was done for him? But how often do we ask that question of ourselves? After all, God came to us, too. God didn't just promise us wisdom and riches and ancestors on the throne. God promised us life in eternity with Him, not due to anything we've done, but because of what Christ has done on our behalf. But couldn't we ask the same questions we were asking of Solomon? Couldn't we say why didn't I obey God and what he's told me to do, after all he's done for me? Why am I falling into sin? Why am I not looking to him? Why am I following the ways of the world? It is so easy to critique characters of the Bible without looking inward. Let's look inward, and see the broken character that was Solomon, and examine ourselves.
If we are Christians, then God has already blessed us far more than He blessed Solomon. God gave Solomon wisdom and riches and greatness, and promised him a son to always sit on his throne, if only he would follow Him. God promised us eternal life just because of our faith in His Son, which He granted as a gift (Eph. 2:8).
God sent Jesus to die for us. So let's look at Solomon and see all of him. The wisdom, the humility in desiring wisdom to rule his people, and God's blessing of that, but let's also see his brokenness, his failures, his idolatry, and his worldliness, and let's praise God for choosing Solomon to be His king, and choosing us to be His bride.
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