It is written that
“When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to other gods; he
was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had
been. Solomon worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte and the detestable
Ammonite god Milcom. Solomon did evil in the Lord’s sight; he did not
remain loyal to the Lord… The Lord was angry with Solomon because he had
shifted his allegiance away from the Lord, the God of Israel… So the Lord
said to Solomon, ‘Because you insist on doing these things and have not kept
the covenantal rules I gave you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you’.”
(1 Kings 11:4b-5a,9a,11a) This idolatry would reportedly lead to the
division of the kingdom of Israel into north and south, and the dual monarchies
that would persist until their respective subjugations and exiles.
When the Temple of
Jerusalem had been dedicated, Israel’s God promised to make it the place of His
presence, as it was recognized in the ancient near east that temples were the
resting places of the gods (the whole of the creation was the temple of the
Creator God, for that is where He was said to have rested). At the same
time, the covenant God issued a warning for Solomon, saying “if you or your
sons ever turn away from Me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I
instructed you to keep, and decide to serve and worship other gods, then I will
remove Israel from the land I have given them, I will abandon this Temple I
have consecrated with My presence, and Israel will be mocked and ridiculed
among the nations” (9:6-7). To this was added: “This Temple will become a
heap of ruins” (9:8a). Is not this same warning, given to Solomon, also
that which was given to both Adam and Israel?
These respective sons
of God were all given responsibilities, and all three, as the historical
narrative would indicate, fall short of those responsibilities through which
they were to reflect the glory of the Creator God, and through which their God
would gain worship and praise. Indeed, Adam’s temple (creation) would
fall into ruin, subjected to death and decay. Israel’s temple (it’s
promised land) would fall into ruin, subjected to foreign power and
exile. Solomon’s temple (the Temple) would fall into ruin, destroyed by
subjugating powers.
For all of the good
that was said to have been done during his reign, it was Solomon’s idolatry
that set the nation on course for the eventual destruction of Jerusalem and its
Temple at the hands of the Babylonians. For all of the good that Adam
presumably did, in service of his Creator, it was his self-idolatry that
brought destruction into the world. For all of the good that Israel had
done, as they carried out at least a portion of their God’s commands in taking
and subduing their promised land, it was their idolatry that routinely and
repeatedly and finally brought about destruction.
Before coming to that
however, Solomon is shown to have served his Lord well. As was said,
kingdoms paid tribute to Israel, as the Creator God blessed Israel for its
faithfulness. “People from all nations came to hear Solomon’s display of
wisdom; they came from all the kings of the earth who heard about his wisdom”
(4:34). The queen of Sheba was one of those that reportedly came to
Solomon, having heard of his reputation. It is said that when she heard
him and saw all of his wealth, that “she was amazed” (10:5b). She would go
on to say, “Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, He made you king so
you could make just and right decisions” (10:9b). This hearkens to the
words of Jesus. Is it not possible to hear echoes of these amazed words
from the queen when Jesus says, “For this is the way God loved the world: He
gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish
but have eternal life” (John 3:16)?
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