The Times of the Kings (Part 4)

Well, for the message today, I'd like to go and continuation on the Bible study series we've been going through on the Kings of Israel. I went back and looked. I thought, well, it's been a few weeks, maybe a month, but it was February, I guess, in my last installment before Passover in my trip to Africa. So let's dive into the Word of God, where we left off last time, because I'd like to explore through the life of King Solomon. I appreciated the sermonette touching on some of the wisdom of Solomon. And as we left off last time, we concluded in 1 Kings, chapter 1 and 2, the end of David's life. As you recall, one of David's sons had risen up and tried to assume the throne for himself. It was actually, I believe, the third-born son of David. But as you had David's sons who were dying, yet Absalom who died, and now you come down to who's the next logically, perhaps, in line, who wanted to assume the throne for himself, David had to step in because Solomon, the son of Bathsheba, was actually the one God had chosen who would sit on the throne. So that's where we left off at the end of David's life and at the recognition of Solomon as the next king of Israel. And before David died, he left some final instructions for Solomon as to words for him to take to heart. He was going to rule over this nation and indeed be a blessing to them. So I'd like to pick up at that point, essentially where we left off last time, in 1 Kings chapter 2 and beginning in verse 1.

1 Kings chapter 2 and verse 1. It says, Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth, be strong therefore, and prove yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, his judgments, and his testimonies, as is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do, wherever you turn. Verse 4, that the Lord may fulfill his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, If your sons take heed to their way, and to walk before me in truth with all their heart, with all their soul, he said, You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel. And so David's final concern with Solomon here would be that he would walk in obedience to God. He understood that the strength and the integrity and the security of the nation would depend on a king who was loyal to God, who loved God, who walked in the ways of his commands and his statutes and its judgments. And so today we're going to examine the life of one of the most remarkable people in the Bible, who is King Solomon. King Solomon. Again, David's desire was that he would serve the one who put him on the throne, who indeed was God. The title for the sermon today is The Times of the Kings, Part 4, The Wisdom and Warning of Solomon's Reign.

The wisdom and warning of Solomon's reign. Indeed, there's both elements tied up in his example.

You know, a few individuals in the Bible possessed the advantages that Solomon had.

He inherited Israel at really coming into the height of its power, the height of its peace.

As we went through David's kingship, he fought many wars, both internal and around. But literally that secured the peace and safety of Israel as God blessed David with victories and granted him victory over his enemies on all sides, as it said. So Solomon received that peaceful kingdom. He was the son of King David, a man whom God had made covenant with. And he was personally chosen by God and directed as the one who would build the temple, indeed the house of God in Jerusalem.

And God granted him immense wisdom, wealth, and international fame. We'll see that throughout the course of Solomon's life. Yet despite all of the blessings, Solomon's life in the end became a cautionary example for us all. Indeed, as we look at what it was that he lived through and how he lived his life, it's going to be clear for us that we have our part to play in drawing near to God and maintaining that relationship throughout the entirety of our days. The account of Solomon in 1 Kings, and it basically covers the footprint of chapter 1 through 11, is both inspiring and sobering. What begins with great promise, with great faith, with glory, eventually ends with compromise and spiritual decline. And that makes Solomon's example deeply relevant for us to consider today. So let's begin in 1 Kings chapter 3. Here Solomon is on the throne, his reign is underway, he's already dealt with a couple of individuals that he was warned about from his father, and now he's sitting down on his throne in peace, and God is about to open up to him an opportunity that really none sense have had. Not in this way. 1 Kings chapter 3 and verse 1, it says, now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married Pharaoh's daughter, then he brought her to the city of David until he had finished building his own house in the house of the Lord and the wall all around Jerusalem. Okay, so we see from the start here evidence of Solomon's expanding alliances, his expanding and increasing strength in the region. He marries Pharaoh's daughter, and you know, it's kind of a glimpse into what will become problematic for him later on in life, but it's interesting to consider this sort of upfront in his reign. What would it open up for him? You consider Egypt as one of the great powers of the region, and at the time you would have royalty that would intermarry when you had treaties or alliances between nations, because you know, if you're married to the daughter of Pharaoh, and then one day is if war comes, who's he going to fight against? Well, it's going to be his children and his grandchildren, and so these intermarriages seem to be something that would secure treaties and alliances in ways that that Incan paper maybe just didn't quite hold to. But it's interesting to note the turn of events that will later transpire in his life, and that this is a first glimpse into what would become a stare for Solomon later down the line. But at this point his kingdom is rapidly increasing in influence. King David had already secured strong relations with Phoenicia under Hyrum of Tyre, that's contained back in David's account. So as you consider these alliances with these powerful nations, it opened up trade, it opened up massive opportunities for the people in Israel.

As well, larger powers such as Assyria, they were the ones that came and took the 10 tribes out into captivity generations later. They're still relatively weak at this point by comparison.

So Solomon here, allying himself with these various powers, Israel's becoming a major force in the ancient world. Verse 2, it says, Meanwhile, the people, speaking of Israel, sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house for the name of the Lord until those days.

And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. It's interesting to consider the concept of worshiping at the high places, because when we read that, our mind probably automatically goes to pagan gods' false worship, false religion, because that did very often take place at the high places in Israel. So we might wonder, why would Solomon and the people be sacrificing? Why would they be burning incense in the high place? The answer seems to be related to what we read in verse 2.

It says, Because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days, you know, until Solomon built that house. And until that time, there was no centralized location for worship for the whole nation. You'll recall Shiloh, for about 300 years of the times that the judges had been a centralized place, and the tabernacle was there, the altar was there, the Ark of the Covenant was there. But you recall that during the time of Samuel, in 2 Samuel, or excuse me, 1 Samuel chapter 4, the Ark was captured in the battle with the Philistines.

And it's generally believed that the Philistines then came in and destroyed the tabernacle that was in Shiloh. So after that, what you had is various regions around where worship did take place, and it did have priestly oversight. There's examples of Samuel sacrificing and leading worship at various high places. When Saul came looking for his father's animals and encountered Samuel, indeed he was offering sacrifice at a particular high place. I'll give you 1 Samuel 7 verse 17 to connect with 1 Samuel 9 verse 11 through 14. So, you know, as long as there were priests of God sanctioning its proper conduct, certain high places during this interim time were being used for the worship of the true God. Although the risk was some were also being used for the worship of false gods. So when we read verse 3, and it says, Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. And verse 4 says, Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. It appears that Gibeon, there was a form of a tabernacle set up and an altar and priesthood functioning there, but it was actually a separate location as well from where the Ark of the Covenant was, because you recall David in 2 Samuel 6, 17 and 18, had brought the Ark to Jerusalem.

So I believe the point here of the word except is not saying that Solomon is doing something wrong, however, it's indicative of the fact that he had not yet built the house of God and reestablished centralized worship then at the house. That is something he would do. That is something that God would have him do. And the risk was pagan worship at the high places or syncretism at the high places. And for me, that helps to clarify a few things in my mind because as you go through the kings, there's times you'll read about a king that was called a good king. It says they did right in the sight of the Lord. In fact, 1 Kings 22, 43, talks about King Jehoshaphat, who did what was right in the sight of the Lord. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away, for the people offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. And sometimes it's kind of like, well, why is a good king allowing pagan worship on the high places? Well, actually, it would appear that there's times where they didn't necessarily 100% reign in the worship of God into the centralized location, that there were certain high places where that was still conducted. But again, the priests now were at the temple, the accoutrements of worship were at the temple, the altar was at the temple, and now those high places became risk. And some of them were, as well, pagan high places. So just a little clarifying point to recognize that not every reference to worship in the high place is necessarily pagan worship, but it did carry risk, especially as time went on. The house of the Lord was where the focus was to be. First Kings chapter 3 and verse 5, then, it says, "'At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, "'Ask, what shall I give you?'" I mean, what a deal. God appeared to you and said, "'Ask me anything, I'll give it to you, within reason, right, within my law, what would you say?'" Verse 6, "'Since 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 upon his throne as it is this day.'" Verse 7, "'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 how to come in.'" Solomon wasn't literally a little child. He was probably in his late teens, 17, 16, 17, 18 years old, when he became king. But he's saying, I'm inexperienced at this, how to judge, how to come in, how to go out. "'And your servant,' verse 8, "'is in the midst of your people, whom you've chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore, give 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?'" Of course, wisdom was the right answer to sermon, something that was pleasing to God. He could have said, give me wealth, give me power, give me all these other things. Verse 10, the speech, "'Pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said to him, because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have you asked riches for yourself, nor asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice. Behold, I have done according to your words. See, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has been none like you before, nor shall any like you arise after you.' Verse 13, I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.

So if you walk in my ways, and you keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days." So God gave Solomon what he asked for. He gave him even what he didn't ask for, blessing and abundance and the ability to rule. And certainly discernment and justice was a wonderful thing. Now sadly, it doesn't appear that Solomon lived much past the age of 56, 57, 58, because at the end of the account it says he reigned for 40 years before he died. As we'll see, Solomon's heart was not faithful to the very end, despite his great wisdom. And as a result, you know, God's true to his word too. He says, if you're faithful to me, I'll lengthen your days. It could have gone 70, 80, 90 years, but indeed God is faithful to his word as well. Solomon, as we'll see, sadly does not appear to have remained faithful. But this is the start of where he was at. Humility humbled before God, seeking with right intentions.

In verse 15 of 1 Kings chapter 3, it says, then Solomon awoke, and indeed it had been a dream, and he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Okay, now another place where worship took place, not the high place of Gibeon, and burnt offerings offered peace offerings and made a feast for all his servants. So again, God is with him. God will bless him. And the instruction is, be faithful and I'll be with you. Now, as we come to verse 16, we come to a very interesting test of Solomon's great wisdom and one that would cause his fame to spread throughout the region. 1 Kings 3 verse 16, now two women who were harlots came to the king, and they stood before him. And one woman said, my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house. And it happened that the third day after I had given birth that this woman also gave birth, and we were together, and the one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. It says, and this woman's son died in the night because she lay on him. You know, it would appear that she probably brought the baby in the bed to nurse and then fell asleep and rolled over on the child, and it smothered. Very tragic circumstance.

But verse 20 says, so she rose in the middle of the night, took my son from my side while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was dead. But when I examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had born. I know a mother's going to know this is not my child.

Verse 22, then the other woman said, no, but the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son. And the first woman said, no, it's not the case, but yours is the dead one. Mine is the living one. And they brought this matter before the king. You know, kind of, I don't know, when it comes to mind, kind of like a Judge Judy moment.

There's two different sides, they're going to argue their case, and, you know, a decision has to make, but this is high stakes, right? This is high stakes. And the king said, you know, tell me the story. They relate it once again. And the king said, bring me a sword. So they brought a sword before the king. You know, in our day and age today, we have DNA testing, we have blood type testing, Darla breeds horses, and when a baby is born, we send off a genetic sample then to the lab, and they confirm, yes, this is a genetic offspring of, you know, parentage verification. You know, this is Solomon's parentage verification. Bring me a sword, he says. And divide, verse 25, the living child into, give half to one and half to the other. Verse 26, and the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son. And she said, oh my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him. But the other said, let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him. You know, obviously the the mother of the the true mother would want her child to even be raised by this other that he would live. Of course, this was the answer Solomon was seeking. Verse 27, so the king answered and said, give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother. And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered, and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice. You know, quite an incredible story, really. Solomon's wisdom has become known.

You know, this isn't just human devising or reasoning. This is by God's inspiration, wisdom working through this man. And it says they feared him. They had proper respect and reverence and awe now for this king who was obviously yielding himself to God. Under Solomon's leadership, Israel entered into a period of peace, of stability, of prosperity, unlike any other time in their history, either before or after. 1 Kings chapter 4 and verse 20 gives us some insight.

1 Kings chapter 4 and verse 20 says Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea and multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing. You know, it's the good life for the nation at the moment. Verse 21, so Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river to be Euphrates, the land of the Philistines as far as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. He says now Solomon's provision for one day was 30 cores of fine flour, 60 cores of meal. The core is about five bushels, roughly. So if you do the math, it was 150 bushels of fine flour a day and 300 bushels of the coarse grain that was ground each day for his household, for his servants, for those that were guests at his table. Verse 23, 10 fatted oxen, 20 oxen from the pastures, 100 sheep besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl. For he had dominion over all the region in this side of the river from Tipsa to Gaza, naming over all the kings on this side of the river, and he had peace on every side all around him. Verse 25, and Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree from Dan as far as Beersheba all the days of Solomon. So under his reign the nation was unified at peace, the economy flourished, the king was respected in the nation and among the nations around them, and again the golden age of Israel. And as you notice the wording, again in verse 25, it says, each man under his vine and under his fig tree. When do we read verses that have wording such as that? It's during the Feast of Tabernacles, isn't it?

This golden age of Solomon's reign here was a type that foreshadows the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. When Israel is the shining light of the world and the law of God goes out from there, and peace and prosperity and blessing are in the land. Again, this is a foreshadow, it is a type of ultimately what will come through Jesus Christ and his reign. Verse 26 then says Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, 12,000 horsemen, and these governors each man in his month provided food for King Solomon for all who came to King Solomon's table. There was no lack in their supply.

They also brought barley straw to the proper place for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge. And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. Thus, verse 30, Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he is wiser than all the men, and at least whom I am assuming is wise men of that day and time. And his fame was in all the surrounding nations.

He spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. So we just have a tiny sliver recorded for us of what Solomon wrote in the proverbs and one song, right? The Song of Songs. Song of Solomon recorded for us, but again 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. He also spoke of trees from the cedars of Lebanon, even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall. He spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. Seems like he had an incredible understanding of the natural world, the animals. He could speak of their movements, their lifestyles. Is it David Attenborough? Which Attenborough just turned 100? The Nature Show narrator. He's got that deep, wonderful voice that for nearly his entire life he has been out in the wilderness and in nature and has narrated those shows, you know? Solomon's wisdom of nature and the animals exceeded that of 100-year-old David Attenborough. Verse 34, and the men of all nations, all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom came to hear the wisdom of Solomon. His incredible description of his wisdom, of his discernment, and his impact, literally at this time. And yet, even here, we should recognize an important warning hidden beneath the surface here of his success, and that is that blessings can strengthen our look to God and our relationship with him, or blessings can slowly weaken our spiritual vigilance. Really depends what your perspective is, you know? If indeed you've made good decisions, you've become wealthy, you've become successful, you can look around and say, look at this empire I've built up, and you can either start to look and trust in yourself or recognize most fully the God who gave it to you. I think we understand prosperity as a way of spiritually testing people, sometimes more severely than challenge. I mean, I go to Africa often, I see severe challenge often, and from those people, what are they saying? God will provide. He must provide because he is my source, my hope, my refuge. But when we're self-sufficient and feel like we can stand on our own two feet in that way, we slowly forget our need for God. And this is something that Solomon, in all his wisdom, should have been watching for with vigilance.

Now, one of Solomon's greatest accomplishments was the construction of the temple in Jerusalem. 1 Kings 5 and verse 1. It says, Now Hiram, king of Tyre, sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they anointed him king in place of his father. For Hiram had always loved David. Then Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, You know how my father David could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God, because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until the Lord put his foes under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor evil occurrence. And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to my father David, saying, Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for my name. And so as the story continues, Solomon gathered materials from far and wide, you know, inside and outside of Israel, and he put a massive labor force on working on the construction of the temple. Hiram of Tyre supplied cedar and cypress wood, while tens of thousands of laborers quarried stone and transported materials for the construction effort. It's incredible when you actually take the time and stop and ponder what all was done. I'll just point you to verse 15 of 1 Kings chapter 5. It says, Solomon had 70,000 who carry burdens and 80,000 who quarried stone in the mountains. You know, just an incredible, incredible undertaking.

And as we know, the temple, which was God's habitation among his people, became the most magnificent of structures there in Israel and indeed in the ancient world. 1 Kings chapter 6 and 7 describe the intricate detail of this undertaking, the measurements, the materials, how the temple was laid out. I'll leave that for you to study through in your time. But in 1 Kings chapter 8, we come to the most important moment that occurred, and it wasn't that the project was completed. It was that God's presence then occupied that place. 1 Kings chapter 8 and verse 6 says, Then the priest brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord into its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the most holy place, under the wings of the carabin.

For the carabin spread out two wings over the place of the ark, and the carabin overshadowed the ark and its poles. The poles extended so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside, and they are there to this day. At least the day of this writing. Verse 9, nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses had put there at Horeb when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel when they had come out of the land of Egypt. And it came to pass that when the priests came out of the holy place that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. Verse 12, when Solomon spoke, he said, the Lord said he would dwell in the dark cloud.

I have surely built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever. Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel while all the assembly of Israel was standing.

So this was a very profound moment in Israel's history, a house where God's presence had been built. His glory had come and filled that house. Solomon would later say, I know no house can contain you because the heavens of heavens can't contain you. But his presence was there as it dwells among us and in us by his spirit. And it was the place in Israel now where the central focus of their worship would be directed. The priesthood would do their work. And as Solomon later says in the prayer to God, as we cry out to you and we pray to this place and towards this place, you will hear from heaven and respond. So this was for Israel a very, very profound moment.

I'll let you carry through the chapter covering Solomon's prayer of dedication. I'll just say it was among the most profound prayers in the Bible. Very heartfelt, very in-depth. It was a prayer of humility, a prayer appealing to God that when they do stumble, when they do go astray and come to their senses and cry out to him, that he would hear from heaven and have mercy and restore them again.

So it was coming from a man with a heart, at this time of humility, of sincere desire to serve God and be pleasing to him. In chapter 9, we see that God appeared to Solomon once again and reminds him of his covenant promises and what God expected in return. Again, this isn't just a free ride. Solomon is God's servant on the throne, and it was during this time of blessing that God also issues a warning. 1 Kings 9 and verse 1. It says, It came to pass when Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire, which he wanted to do, that the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as he appeared to him in Gibeon. The Lord said to him, I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made to me, that you have made before me. I have consecrated this house which you have built to put my name there forever, and my eyes and my heart will be there perpetually.

He says, Now if you walk before me, as your father David walked in integrity of heart and in uprightness, that do according to all I have commanded you, and if you keep my statute and my judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever.

As I promised David your father, saying, You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel. Okay, we understand God made that covenant promise to David, that I will put your son and your descendants on the throne forever. But there's no guarantee, actually, which line of descendants it would come from, from David. So God's saying to Solomon, if you are faithful, and your sons are faithful, I'll continue this line down through you forever. Of course, we know there was now later on a challenge in his faithfulness, but the throne is continued down through the line of Solomon, even to this day, where you find the throne in Britain, and the royal family can trace their lineage back to David through Solomon. But what we understand is, when the true King of Kings comes, Jesus Christ, and assumes the throne on earth, understand Jesus by physical birth goes back to David through his son, Nathan.

So the throne is not going to continue eternally through Solomon, because Solomon was not ultimately faithful as he should then. But the covenant to David was not conditional.

It will continue forever through a line of David, ultimately fulfilled by Jesus Christ.

So Solomon will have, though, his part to play. Verse 6, but if you or your sons at all turn from following me, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and this house which I have consecrated. For my name I will cast out of my sight Israel. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all the peoples. And as for this house which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss and say, Why has the Lord done this to this land and to this house? Then they will answer, because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods and worshiped them and served them before the Lord who has brought them out. And therefore the Lord who brought them all this calamity upon them, because again they turn from their faithfulness to him.

So after all of Solomon's success, I suppose this was a good time for God just to give him a heads up, to give him a bit of a warning and a remembrance that I am with you, my blessing is upon you, and will be upon your children, but that's going to be conditional upon you, Solomon.

And it's a reminder as well that it's not about how you begin in this relationship with God, or even how you look at a snapshot along the way. Ultimately what matters is where we stand with God in the end. Now those other points matter as well, I'm not saying they don't, but the point is how we finish before God truly determines a lot. 1 Kings chapter 10 and 11 speak once again of Solomon's greatness, and also a hidden danger. Let's go to 1 Kings chapter 10 and verse 1.

1 Kings 10 and verse 1 again get a glimpse into just truly how magnificent this king and his reign was in Israel. 1 Kings chapter 10 and verse 1 says, Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great company of people, with camels which bore spices, very much gold and precious stones, in which he came to Solomon. She spoke with him about all that was in her heart. 2 And verse 3, So Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing too difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. 3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, the cup-bearers and his entryway, by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her. She literally was just, we say, breathless or weak in the knees in awe over what she saw of the magnificence, the wisdom, the wealth here of the king of Israel.

4 And verse 6, And she said to the king, 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 of it was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard.

It says, Happy are your men, and happy are those, 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. You know, this is a foreign leader, queen of Sheba, and she is in awe of this. And yet, you know, what a high word of praise that the glory would go to God. And isn't that ultimately the outcome that's supposed to be when people, you know, spend time with you and I, when they relate with us as the people of God? Is that not why we let our light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven? Here, the queen of Sheba brought glory and praise to God, resulting from what she had seen here in Solomon. She knew he was there. Verse 10, then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, spices and great quantity and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. Also, the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought great quantities of Almagud and precious stones from Ophir. And the king made steps out of the Almagud for the house of the Lord and for the king's house. Also harps and string instruments for singers. There was never again came such Almagud, nor has the like been seen to this day. Verse 13, now King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given her according to the royal generosity. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants. He says, and the weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was 666 talents of gold. Besides that, from the traveling merchants, from the income of traders, from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the country. Just incredible wealth. 666 talents of gold roughly equates to 25 tons of gold per year that came into Solomon in Israel. And indeed, I don't know how many years, exactly year after year this would have taken place, but probably a sizable portion of the known gold in the world at that time found its way into Israel and into the treasury of Israel. It gives you an idea of the scope of the blessing in the world renown that the nation had risen to under Solomon and God's blessing.

Dropping down to verse 21, it says, and King Solomon drank, King Solomon's drinking vessels, excuse me, were gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. You know, just silver, you know, really nothing so important. Verse 22, for the king had merchant ships at sea with the fleet of Hyrum. Once every three years the merchant ships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys. You know, they just went far and wide. So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. It's quite an amazing description of Israel's golden age.

Literally, again, surpassed the riches and the wisdom of all the kings of the earth. Greater than the riches of Egypt, greater than the riches of Tyre and what other places around the region might have been of dominance of the time. Solomon surpassed all of them.

King Solomon developed extensive international trade networks by land and sea that dramatically increased the kingdom's wealth and influence. Through Solomon's alliance with the Phoenicians, Israel's merchant fleets likely traveled throughout much of the known world at that time. Certainly East Africa, Arabia, India, and beyond. Some have even equated the three-year voyages of verse 22 with Ferdinand Magellan's sailing around the world more than two millennia later, a voyage that took three years. And while I say that is speculative, the concept is plausible because the fleets of Solomon and the Phoenicians could sail far and wide over the oceans.

And it's thought they perhaps even reached America's at that time. Again, that is speculative, but here is the greatest king of the greatest country on the face of the earth with trade coming and going across the nations and even around and across oceans. Under Solomon, again, that sea trade expanded. Overland caravan routes flourished and international commerce increased dramatically, making Israel a commercial hub, again connecting major, major areas of the world. As a result, Jerusalem became the center of wealth and commerce, unmatched in Israel's history. And again, I don't think we can play this down simply the scope of it, of the blessing that God poured out. And frankly, what he would have allowed to continue to be poured out had the generations following kept faithful to him. After all, his desire was to set up Israel as a model nation to the world. They, unfortunately, did not live up to that, but one day they will, following the return of Christ, as they're reestablished in the land again. Verse 24 says, now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. Each man brought his present, articles of silver, articles of gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year. And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots, 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. It says, the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the low land. Also Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Kebba, and the king's merchants bought them in Kebba at the current rate. So just, again, a credible abundance, incredible wealth.

But as we're beginning to see as well, the same international reach that brought Solomon immense prosperity also exposed Israel to increasing challenge, increasing danger. It brought foreign influence. It brought political entanglements and eventually religious compromise. And so Solomon's trade empire, as massive and successful as it was, was really a double-edged sword. At this point, it's important to recognize that God had already given instructions for those that would rule as kings of his people. Instructions, actually, that Solomon is clearly violating. If you'll hold your finger here and go back to Deuteronomy chapter 17. I'll just glimpse briefly at one set of instructions.

Deuteronomy chapter 17. This was for the conduct of Israel's kings. Beginning in verse 14, it says, When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it, and dwell in it, and say, I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me, you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses, one from among your brethren you shall set his king over you.

You may not set a foreigner over you who is not your brother. Verse 16 says, But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses. For the Lord has said, You shall not return that way again. Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. These instructions are very specific. But what was the influence Solomon was allowing into his life? Again, God granted wisdom and God granted blessing, but how did he leverage that ultimately?

Well, silver and gold and multitudes, didn't he? Horses and chariots and multiples from Egypt? He's read that from Egypt. And as 1 Kings 11 shows, wives and multiples as well. This is what makes Solomon's decline so sobering because God had clearly warned Israel's kings about this danger centuries earlier. It was to be their instruction that they would return to continually. From a human perspective, Solomon seemed almost untouchable, and he's on top of the world, the most powerful the wealthiest, the most wise king in the world.

But spiritually speaking, subtle problems were already developing and the seeds of compromise were already being planted. And you know what, brethren? That's how spiritual decline takes place. Rarely does it take place overnight. Rarely does someone who is faithful to God in one day turn and walk away from that faithfulness. What usually happens is compromise entering gradually, small concessions being made, enters through rationalizations. You know, maybe it would be good to marry the daughter of Pharaoh. This is an important alliance. Maybe it would be good to reach out in this way and that way.

This is for our safety. This is for our peace, our prosperity as a nation. Also, it can be through neglected obedience. Eventually, those compromises produce devastating spiritual results. And sadly, it is the place where we find then Solomon, the wisest of men, even in this place. Back to 1 Kings 11, verse 1.

1 Kings 11, verse 1, says, But Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the Sidonians, and Hittites. He says, From the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you.

Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods. Solomon clung to these in love. Despite his incredible wisdom, Solomon violated God's clear command regarding foreign wives and the worship of the gods of those foreign wives. Verse 3, and he had 700 wives, maybe a little out of balance by like 699. He had 700 wives and princesses, 300 concubines, and his wives turned away his heart. For it was so when Solomon was old that his wives turned his heart to other gods, and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.

For Solomon went after Asheroth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord and did not fully follow the Lord as did his father David. Then Solomon built a high place for Chumuth, the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the people of Ammon. He did likewise for all his foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

Such a tragic story, brother. Such a tragic story. The man who began humbly, the man who was granted wisdom by God, the man who built the house of God, built the temple, now built high places for the worship of false gods. The king who once stood before all of Israel and prayed that prayer of dedication, praying for faithfulness, eventually allowed pagan worship to flourish within the very nation God had entrusted to him. And what makes it even more sobering is it didn't happen because of a lack of wisdom. Well, if he was just smarter, well, we could say, you know, maybe so. But it wasn't because of a lack of wisdom.

He was the wisest man of the age. It didn't happen because he lacked blessings or knowledge or opportunity. He had all those things in abundance. It happened because little by little Solomon allowed his heart to drift. A decision here, a decision there. Maybe a missed prayer, day of prayer here, a missed day in God's word there. You know, we didn't read the whole account back in Deuteronomy, but it said that a king was supposed to write out the entire book of the law, write it by hand, keep it with him, read from it, so that he would not forget the Lord his God.

What happened to Solomon happened little by little. At first, these foreign relationships may have seemed harmless, maybe even politically advantageous or beneficial, again, for peace, for trade, for the benefit of the nation. But eventually, they influenced his thinking, his loyalties, and ultimately, his worship. In verse 9, 1 Kings 11, verse 9, so the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods, but he not keep what the Lord had commanded. Therefore, verse 11, the Lord said to Solomon, Because you have done this, and have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you, and give it to your servant. Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David. I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

However, I will not tear away the whole kingdom. I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of my servant David, for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen. Again, God is always true to his word.

Even if we're not faithful, God is faithful to what he has said he would do. Because Solomon allowed his heart to be turned away from God, he would withdraw God would, his covenant, his blessing, away from Solomon. And although Solomon delayed in turning back, we could say, I mean, this would have been a great point of repentance. Where's Psalm 51? Right here. David had a Psalm 51 moment. Where's Solomon's Psalm 51 moment? This would have been a great time to hit his knees. Perhaps he did. I don't see a recording of it. But the fact is, God, for the sake of David, wouldn't bring that consequence in Solomon's lifetime. The remainder of chapter 11 records the beginning of the unrest within the kingdom. God raises up adversaries against Solomon, showing that the peace and stability were already being undermined. Most significantly, God revealed through the prophet that the kingdom would eventually be divided. And Jeroboam, one of Solomon's servants, was told that he would rule over 10 tribes because of Solomon's unfaithfulness. If we go to the end of the chapter, 1 Kings 11 and verse 40, it says, Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shershak, king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, all that he did in his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the Acts of Solomon. In the period that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem, and over all Israel was 40 years, and Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father, and Reoboam his son reigned in his place. While 1 Kings closes Solomon's reign on the sobering story, the account of Solomon, maybe at least from our perspective looking back, doesn't necessarily end entirely there, because God also preserved for us some of Solomon's writings, particularly the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. What we read in those books alongside the accounts of his life give us valuable insight into what Solomon may have come to understand later in his years. Again, there's not a Psalm 51 moment here, so there really is a question mark at the end of his life. But Solomon Proverbs give a little insight. Proverbs reflects the wisdom God gave Solomon during the faithful and productive years of his reign. But then Ecclesiastes carries the tone of personal reflection. It's the thoughts of a man who had experienced wealth and achievement and accomplishment and had all the good things that life could offer, and yet he ultimately came to recognize the emptiness of life apart from a close relationship with God. After all the accomplishments, Solomon arrived at a very simple conclusion. Let's read it. Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse 13.

Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 13. I'll leave you to read the book of all that Solomon expresses, reflects upon, but in verse 13 he says, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter.

Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is man's all. This is man's whole duty.

This is what actually ought to be the emphasis of our life, despite everything else that may come along, despite the distractions, or maybe even despite the good life such as Solomon lived.

Again, the conclusion of the matter and the importance in all of it is to fear God and to keep his commandments. Verse 14. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. And so the Bible is careful in how it presents the end of Solomon's life. While first kings strongly condemns his compromise and idolatry, it never directly states that Solomon was eternally condemned. And while the Bible doesn't record dramatic repentance either, as it does with David, many believe Ecclesiastes reflects the thoughts of a man who eventually came to understand the painful lessons of life.

So I would just say this. Ultimately, Solomon's final judgment rests with God. God who alone knows the heart. God who alone knows what the final analysis was in the mind, in the heart of Solomon. Did he repent? In one sense, we don't have it recorded. But on the other hand, we see the reflections of a man who lived life and saw the simple conclusion, fear God and keep his commandments.

And that will be the blessing. Lessons from the life of Solomon. I have four briefs, so you'll have to write quickly. Lesson number one. Wisdom must be coupled with obedience.

Wisdom must be coupled with obedience. Solomon possessed extraordinary wisdom, and yet wisdom alone didn't keep him faithful. Lesson number two. Spiritual compromise often happens gradually. Solomon's downfall didn't begin in one day. You know, he didn't go from worshiping God at the temple to open idolatry in a high place with the false gods. That didn't happen all in one day. It began with small compromises. One wrong alliance, a wrong rationalized decision, one neglected command of God telling yourself, it's okay. It's okay. Over time, those compromises accumulated and changed the direction of his life. Lesson number three. Our blessings can become our biggest spiritual test. Our blessings can become our biggest spiritual test. You know, success, wealth, self-dependence. You know, if we're not careful, those, number one, can be. And oftentimes, our blessings from God, but how we receive them, what we do with them, and what our focus remains alongside of them, is truly a test of our spiritual character.

Wealth and honor can slowly create self-confidence and reduce our dependence on God. He told Israel, when you come into the land and receive the blessings, you're going to forget me.

And indeed, the risk is very real for those of us who live in this blessed place today. Let's never take our eyes off of God. Our greatest blessings can be our biggest spiritual test. In lesson number four, a strong beginning doesn't guarantee a strong finish. A strong beginning doesn't guarantee a strong finish. Solomon's story began very well, but the Bible shows the importance of enduring faithfully to the end. So in the words of King Solomon himself, let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. He says, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. Brethren, that is the wisdom and the warning of Solomon's reign.