Solomon was a fool?!

Solomon Was a Fool

Quick, who was the wisest man ever?  Many would answer “Solomon”, and with some good reason.  But, in another way, Solomon was a fool.  How so?  Old SS’ers surely remember the story of the two mothers, one of whom had lost her child and secretly swapped the dead infant for the other.  Solomon was confronted with the task of determining who was lying.  (This was in the pre-DNA-testing days.)  What to do?!  “Split the child in two halves and give them each a part,” was his unbelievably wise response.  The liar sneered, “sure, I will take half”  But the true mother cried for mercy and sobbed, “give the whole child to the other woman…”  You see, God had given Solomon a wise heart as he humbly requested – 1Kgs.3:12 “Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.”  Solomon was the wisest in the earth – 1 Kings 4:29-30 “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.  And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.”  Indeed, Solomon’s reign was a great time for God’s people -- 1 Kings 4:25  “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.”  The Temple of God was built under his direction.  Great sacrificial worship was offered up.  2 Chronicles 9:22 “And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.”

But, as the Apostle Paul chided the Galatian believers, “…you started out so well, but…”

Nehemiah 13:26 “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.”  1 Kings 11 -- "But king Solomon loved many strange women … Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods ... and his wives turned away his heart. 4For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. 7Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. 9And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded."

The source of the troubles of Solomon could too easily be blamed on women.  The real issue is faith.  These women were not believers in the one true God.  And, moreso, Solomon the Wise foolishly chose to experiment with substitutes for the fear of God.  We read in Ecclesiastes how Solomon began to experiment with pleasure, wealth, whatever he desired.  Some of his pursuits were seemingly harmless, even noble, like work and education; but they became substitutes also.  But, in the end he finally concluded, recognized and acknowledged that fearing God and obeying Him is what it is all about.

Jesus says we should learn from the life of Solomon.  Matthew 12:42 -- “The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.”  And, Jesus (the one greater than Solomon) has summed up life with two commandments – “love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and love others as yourself”.  But, what do we love?!  For what do we hunger and thirst?  What causes us to pant like a deer?  Is it anything beside God?  Anything else is a substitute confusing our appetite like a drug or poison.  It dulls our desire for what really fulfills and nourishes.  And, then we can become an addict that has lost control and is slowly poisoning himself.  Or, we can go to the last chapter, and learn from the wisest man in the East -- Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

Thoughts for further study:

“fool for Christ”

Marks of a fool?! (“fool” comments in Proverbs ) vs. “bear in my body the marks of Christ”

fool, fake, failure, faithful-fighter