“And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thy heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of them that hate thee, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou may judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee; neither shall there any after thee have the like”.

I cannot help but think how Solomon started to follow other gods and leave the very principles that God saw in his heart at this very young age in his life.  In the verses, God promised Solomon, not only what he asked for (wisdom and knowledge) but also riches, wealth, and honor, such as no king before or after him.  As we studied Solomon’s life in I Kings, we can see how God carried out his promises to Solomon.  Even to this very day our culture refers, we refer to the Wisdom of Solomon.  The book of Proverbs is a great example of his wisdom.  Even in the business world, great business leaders read one chapter of this book a day to gain greater insights on how they can manage their endeavors.

However, as I study Solomon’s life I realized that there only a few references about his failures.  I King 11: 11-13 “Wherefore Jehovah said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days, I will not do it, for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to thy son, for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.”  These verses tell the true tale of his failure. The King before his father David (Saul) faced this same failure.  God did not permit Saul to pass his Kingdom on to his son Jonathan because of his rebellious heart.  As you study I Kings 11 and see how God raised up Jeroboam to become King over Israel after Solomon’s death.  Yet Solomon could not find repentance in his heart but instead chose the same course of action that Saul did when God took his kingdom from him and gave to David.

However, God’s did keep His promises to Solomon. God gave Solomon everything he had asked for, however in the end he lost his relationship with God.  So as we look at Solomon’s life remember his parting words in Ecclesiastes 12: 12, 13 ” This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil”.  In the end, we see that Solomon missed the biggest blessing of all and that was not being a part of the true lineage of Christ.  As we read in Luke 3:31 he was from the “son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon”.  Here in Luke chapter 3 we see Christ lineage through Mary’s side.  As you study this, you will see that Nathan, Solomon’s brother had this honor.