King Solomon, Exceeded all the kings of the earth

King Solomon, The 3rd King Over Israel

The books of Kings, As compared with Chronicles, Kings and Samuel give the history from the human point of view, while Chronicles gives the same history from the Divine standpoint.

Solomon means (peaceful) Early life and occasion to the throne.

Solomon was the son of David and Bath-sheba, and became the 3rd king of Israel.

1 Chronicles 22:9 Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.

Adonijah the fourth son of David tries to take the throne away from Solomon. (1 Kings 1)

David renews his oath to Bath-sheba.

Solomon by David's appointment, being anointed king by Zadok and Nathan, the people triumph.

1 Kings 1:5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.

1 Kings 2:1 Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,

2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;

3 And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:

4 That the Lord may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.

God appears unto Solomon and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.

1 Kings 3:5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

1 Kings 3:9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;

Discern = Understanding = Hearing. Solomon began by asking wisdom from God.
Rehoboam (his son) began by asking counsel from man

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.

13 And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.

14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.

15 And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

King Solomon was king over all Israel. (1 Kings 4)

1 Kings 4:20 Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry.

21 And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life.

God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding, he was wiser than all men

1 Kings 4:29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.

30 And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.

31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.

King Solomon built the house of God, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.

The word of God came to Solomon (1 Kings 5 and 6)

1 Kings 6:11 And the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying,

12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:

Here's the condition = IF thou wilt walk in My Statutes, judgments, commandments
2 Samuel 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
1 Chronicles 22:10 He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.

13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.

14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.

Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. (1 Kings 7)

Solomon made all the vessels, etc of gold in the house of God

1 Kings 7:48 And Solomon made all the vessels that pertained unto the house of the Lord: the altar of gold, and the table of gold, whereupon the shew bread was,

49 And the candlesticks of pure gold, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the oracle, with the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs of gold,

50 And the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, and the censers of pure gold; and the hinges of gold, both for the doors of the inner house, the most holy place, and for the doors of the house, to wit, of the temple.

51 So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the Lord. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the Lord.

Solomon brings up the Ark of The Covenant into the Lord House (1 kings 8)

1 Kings 8:1 Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.

1 Kings 8:12 Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he would dwell in thick darkness.

13 I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.

14 And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;)

15 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying,

16 Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.

17 And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel.

18 And the Lord said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.

19 Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.

20 And the Lord hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and have built an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel.

21 And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

22 And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:

23 And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:

24 Who hast kept with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him: thou spakest also with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.

25 Therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.

Solomon prayers to the people = 1 Kings 8:1-54 And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.

1 Kings 8:60 That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is none else.

Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord, and the king's house

1 Kings 9:1 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do,

Here's we're jumping ahead 13 years
Solomon being King about 23 years

Lord appears to Solomon the second time

1 Kings 9:2 The Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.

3 And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:

David never worshipped other gods
David was not perfect, but he loved the Lord
God's covenant in a vision with Solomon.

5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.

6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:

Here we have the BIG Word = IF
But if ye shall at all turn from following me

7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:

Proverb = mental action = joke
Israel shall be a proverb (JOKE) and a by word among all people
Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them

8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and to this house?

9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the Lord brought upon them all this evil.

If you go and worshipped others gods, God not going to be with you.

10 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the Lord, and the king's house.

King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. ( Kings 10)

Solomon loved many women, he mixed with other races and worshipped others gods (1 Kings 11)

1 Kings 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;

King Solomon loved many strange women = Foreign women
Note the three steps in Solomon's fall: wealth, weapons, and women.
You can add he worshipped other gods
Deut 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
Note the items in which Solomon failed.

2 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: Solomon clave unto these in love.

3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

Seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines

4 For 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.

Notice Solomon worshipped others gods
David his father = was faultless as to idolatry = David never worshipped other gods

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.

What's God showing us?
Don't take your eye off what's right.

7 Then 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.

Moab = burn their on children in the fire to their gods

8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

The Lord Was Angry With Solomon

1 Kings 11:9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice.

God warned Solomon twice to follow His ways = not man ways
God commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods

10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded.

God gave Solomon wisdom to help the people and all the blessing comes from God

11 Wherefore the Lord 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.

I will give it to thy servant Jeroboam

12 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.

13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.

Here we see the tribes divided = two tribes = Judah and Benjamin and 10 Tribes
Study the book: Abrahamic Covenant, (A study outline of the identity of God's people) By E. Raymond Capt
One tribe = Benjamin reckoned as part of Judah
Ezekiel 37:16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim

17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

Join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one

18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

Make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand

14 And the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom.

An adversary = a Satan
Edom = people from Esau = today the nation Russia

15 For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the host was gone up to bury the slain, after he had smitten every male in Edom;

After he had smitten every male in Edom = every men = fighting men

16 (For six months did Joab remain there with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom:)

17 That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a little child.

Hadad heard Solomon was dead, and knew the nation was weaken

This is why After Solomon death = The twelve tribe were split into two tribes

Judah knows who they are, It's the ten tribes that doesn't know who they are.

Abrahamic Covenant, (A study outline of the identity of God's people) By E. Raymond Capt - page 25

1 King 11:28 And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.

29 And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field:

Shilonite = a native of Shiloh, where the Tabernacle and Ark bad been placed
New garment = represents the house of Israel

30 And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:

New garment = rent it in twelve pieces = represent the house of Israel
The tribe will not joined together unto Christ returns Ezekiel 37 and Revelation 11

31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:

Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces = I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee.

32 (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:)

Jerusalem was on borders of Judah and Benjamin

33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

God told Solomon If you want My blessing, Do Things My Ways
If not, don't come crying to Me
Look at what people do today on the Holy Day of the year = they bring in eggs into The House of God
The Most Holy Day of the year = Passover

34 Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes:

35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.

36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.

37 And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.

Israel became two tribes = the 10 tribes and Judah and Benjamin
Judah and Benjamin
Samuel.8:7-22 David tribe of Judah to be King over all Israel.
2 Samuel.7:11-17 and Psalm 89:3-4. The Divided Kingdom

The Northern Kingdom "Israel", 933-721 B.C.

The Southern kingdom, "Judah" 933-606 B.C.

38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee.

39 And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever.

40 Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

41 And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?

Book of Acts = This book of Kings

42 And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

40 = probation, probation of trial, related to a period of evident probation
Solomon failed he worshipped other gods
Solomon was about 59 or 60 years old

43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

After Solomon death = The twelve tribe were split into two tribes

In regard to politics, however, the events of Solomon's reign may be regarded as an endorsement of his choice.

Under him alone was the kingdom of Israel a great world-power, fit almost to rank beside Assyria and Egypt.

Never again were the bounds of Israel so wide; never again were north and south united in one great nation. There is no doubt that the credit of this result is due to the wisdom of Solomon.

Solomon was by nature an unwarlike person, and his whole policy was in the direction of peace.

All his officers seem to have been mediocre persons who would not be likely to force his hand, as Joab had done that of David (2Samuel 3:39).

Solomon did, no doubt, strengthen the army, especially the cavalry arm (1Kings 4:26; 10:26), but he never made any use of this.

At any rate Solomon seems to have been rather a breeder of and dealer in horse-flesh than a soldier. He appears also to have had a fine collection of armor (1Kings 10:25), but much of it was made of gold (1Kings 10:16) and was intended for show, not for use.

It was fortunate for him that both the neighboring great powers were for the time in a decadent state, otherwise the history of the kingdom of Israel would have ended almost before it had begun.

On the other hand, it has been remarked that if Solomon had anything like the military genius of David and his enthusiasm for the religion of God, he might have extended the arms of Israel from the Nile to the Tigris.

But his whole idea was to secure himself in peace, to amass wealth and indulge his love of grandeur with more than oriental splendor.

• Exactly 2520 years from the exile of Benjamin, Iceland became an independent nation.

• The first tribe to be conquered by the Assyrians was Manasseh, in 745 B.C. Exactly 2520 years later America became a nation on July 4, 1776.

(Leviticus. 26: 28-46) God warned Israel that if they persisted in continually breaking His Laws, not only would curses come upon them.

He would punish them for seven times, (a time being 360 years, seven times would be 2520 years) and would banish them from the land of Palestine and scatter them among the heathens (like lost sheep)

• Study the book: Abrahamic Covenant, (A study outline of the identity of God's people) By E. Raymond Capt - page 25