Solomon

1
Solomon

• 1 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,
  Song of Songs

2
Solomon

• When David was about to die, he called his son
  Solomon and gave him his last instructions My
  time to die has come. Be confident and
  determined, and do what the LORD your God orders
  you to do. Obey all his laws and commands, as
  written in the Law of Moses, so that wherever you
  go you may prosper in everything you do. If you
  obey him, the LORD will keep the promise he made
  when he told me that my descendants would rule
  Israel as long as they were careful to obey his
  commands faithfully with all their heart and
  soul. (1 Kings 21-4 GN)
• What did God say in the books of Moses for king
  Solomon?

3
Solomon

• The king is not to have a large number of horses
  for his army, and he is not to send people to
  Egypt to buy horses, because the LORD has said
  that his people are never to return there.
  (Deuteronomy 176 GN)
• Solomon had forty thousand stalls for his
  chariot horses (1 Kings 426 GN)
• the export of chariots from Egypt. (1 Kings
  1029 GN)
• Solomons horses were imported from Egypt (2
  Chronicles 116 NIV)
• The king is not to have many wives, because this
  would make him turn away from the LORD and he is
  not to make himself rich with silver and gold.
  When he becomes king, he is to have a copy of the
  book of Gods laws and teachings made from the
  original copy kept by the levitical priests. He
  is to keep this book near him and read from it
  all his life, so that he will learn to honor the
  LORD and to obey faithfully everything that is
  commanded in it. This will keep him from thinking
  that he is better than other Israelites and from
  disobeying the LORD's commands in any way. Then
  he will reign for many years, and his descendants
  will rule Israel for many generations.
  (Deuteronomy 1717-20 GN)

4
A good start

• Solomon loved the LORD and followed the
  instructions of his father David...
• That night the LORD appeared to him in a dream
  and asked him, What would you like me to give
  you? Solomon answered, You always showed great
  love for my father David, your servant, and he
  was good, loyal, and honest in his relation with
  you. And you have continued to show him your
  great and constant love by giving him a son who
  today rules in his place. O LORD God, you have
  let me succeed my father as king, even though I
  am very young and dont know how to rule. Here I
  am among the people you have chosen to be your
  own, a people who are so many that they cannot be
  counted. So give me the wisdom I need to rule
  your people with justice and to know the
  difference between good and evil. Otherwise, how
  would I ever be able to rule this great people of
  yours? The Lord was pleased that Solomon had
  asked for this, and so he said to him, Because
  you have asked for the wisdom to rule justly,
  instead of long life for yourself or riches or
  the death of your enemies, I will do what you
  have asked. I will give you more wisdom and
  understanding than anyone has ever had before or
  will ever have again. I will also give you what
  you have not asked for all your life you will
  have wealth and honor, more than that of any
  other king. And if you obey me and keep my laws
  and commands, as your father David did, I will
  give you a long life. (1 Kings 33,5-14 GN)

5
Is this available to us?

• But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray
  to God, who will give it to you because God
  gives generously and graciously to all. (James
  15 GN)

6
The wisdom of Solomon

• Solomon judges 2 women one child
• The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous
  as the grains of sand on the seashore they ate
  and drank, and were happy. (1 Kings 420 GN)
• King Hiram of Tyre
• Praise the LORD today for giving David such a
  wise son to succeed him as king of that great
  nation! (1 Kings 57 GN)
• Building and dedication of the temple
• When a foreigner who lives in a distant land
  hears of your fame and of the great things you
  have done for your people and comes to worship
  you and to pray at this Temple, listen to his
  prayer. In heaven, where you live, hear him and
  do what he asks you to do, so that all the
  peoples of the world may know you and obey you,
  as your people Israel do.(1 Kings 841-43 GN)
• And so all the nations of the world will know
  that the LORD alone is God---there is no other.
  (1 Kings 860 GN)
• 7 years to build the temple (13 years to build
  his palace)

7
The wisdom of Solomon

• The queen of Sheba heard of Solomons fame, and
  she traveled to Jerusalem to test him with
  difficult questions...When she and Solomon met,
  she asked him all the questions that she could
  think of. He answered them all there was nothing
  too difficult for him to explain. The queen of
  Sheba heard Solomons wisdom and saw the palace
  he had built. She saw the food that was served at
  his table, the living quarters for his officials,
  the organization of his palace staff and the
  uniforms they wore, the servants who waited on
  him at feasts, and the sacrifices he offered in
  the Temple. It left her breathless and amazed.
  She said to King Solomon, What I heard in my own
  country about you and your wisdom is true! But I
  couldnt believe it until I had come and seen it
  all for myself. But I didnt hear even half of
  it your wisdom and wealth are much greater than
  what I was told. How fortunate are your wives!
  And how fortunate your servants, who are always
  in your presence and are privileged to hear your
  wise sayings! Praise the LORD your God! He has
  shown how pleased he is with you by making you
  king of Israel. Because his love for Israel is
  eternal, he has made you their king so that you
  can maintain law and justice. (1 Kings 101-9
  GN)

8
The wisdom of Solomon

• God gave Solomon unusual wisdom and insight, and
  knowledge too great to be measured. Solomon was
  wiser than the wise men of the East or the wise
  men of Egypt. He was the wisest of all menand
  his fame spread throughout all the neighboring
  countries. He composed three thousand proverbs
  and more than a thousand songs. He spoke of trees
  and plants, from the Lebanon cedars to the hyssop
  that grows on walls he talked about animals,
  birds, reptiles, and fish. Kings all over the
  world heard of his wisdom and sent people to
  listen to him. (1 Kings 429-34 GN)

9
God tries to win the world

• You are like salt for the whole human raceYou
  are like light for the whole world. A city built
  on a hill cannot be hid. No one lights a lamp and
  puts it under a bowl instead it is put on the
  lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in
  the house. In the same way your light must shine
  before people, so that they will see the good
  things you do and praise your Father in heaven.
  (Matthew 513-16 GN)

10
Wisdom

• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
  knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and
  discipline. (Proverbs 17 NIV)
• To have knowledge, you must first have reverence
  for the LORD. Stupid people have no respect for
  wisdom and refuse to learn. (Proverbs 17 GN)
• What is the ultimate wisdom and knowledge?

11
Wisdom

• Purpose of having
• My child, pay attention to what your father and
  mother tell you. Their teaching will improve your
  character as a handsome turban or a necklace
  improves your appearance. (Proverbs 18-9 GN)

12
Wisdom

• My child, learn what I teach you and never
  forget what I tell you to do. Listen to what is
  wise and try to understand it. Yes, beg for
  knowledge plead for insight. Look for it as hard
  as you would for silver or some hidden treasure.
  If you do, you will know what it means to fear
  the LORD and you will succeed in learning about
  God. It is the LORD who gives wisdom from him
  come knowledge and understandingIf you listen to
  me, you will know what is right, just, and fair.
  You will know what you should do. You will become
  wise, and your knowledge will give you pleasure.
  (Proverbs 21-6)
• Chapter 1 Fear of the Lord ? wisdom ? improve
  your character
• Chapter 2 Fear of the Lord ? learning about God
  ? you will know what is right

13
Wisdom

• To be wise you must first have reverence for the
  LORD. If you know the Holy One, you have
  understanding. (Proverbs 910 GN)
• Wisdom ? reverence
• Know God ? understanding
• These are the solemn words of Agur son of Jakeh
  God is not with me, God is not with me, and I am
  helpless. I am more like an animal than a human
  being I do not have the sense we humans should
  have. I have never learned any wisdom, and I know
  nothing at all about God. (Proverbs 301-3 GN)
• The ultimate wisdom is to know God to be foolish
  is to not know God
• But God has brought you into union with Christ
  Jesus, and God has made Christ to be our
  wisdom... As the scripture says, Who knows the
  mind of the Lord? Who is able to give him
  advice? We, however, have the mind of Christ.
  (1 Corinthians 130 216 GN)

14
Wisdom

• Keep them at your fingertips and write them in
  your mind. Let wisdom be your sister and make
  common sense your closest friend. (Proverbs
  73-4 CEV)
• What are we to have written on our mind?
• This is the covenant that I will make with them
  in the days to come, says the Lord I will put my
  laws in their hearts and write them on their
  minds. (Hebrews 1016 GN)
• What law?
• Love
• The law (of love) is a transcript of the
  character of God
• Ultimately, the character of God written on the
  heart

15
What is the result?

• Are there any of you who are wise and
  understanding? You are to prove it by your good
  life, by your good deeds performed with humility
  and wisdom. But if in your heart you are jealous,
  bitter, and selfish, dont sin against the truth
  by boasting of your wisdom. Such wisdom does not
  come down from heaven it belongs to the world,
  it is unspiritual and demonic. Where there is
  jealousy and selfishness, there is also disorder
  and every kind of evil. But the wisdom from above
  is pure first of all it is also peaceful,
  gentle, and friendly it is full of compassion
  and produces a harvest of good deeds it is free
  from prejudice and hypocrisy. And goodness is the
  harvest that is produced from the seeds the
  peacemakers plant in peace. (James 313-18 GN)

16
Wisdom

• When a fool is annoyed, he quickly lets it be
  known. Smart people will ignore an insult.
  (Proverbs 1216 GN)
• Why is a clever person wise? Because he knows
  what to do. Why is a stupid person foolish?
  Because he only thinks he knows. (Proverbs 148
  GN)
• People with a hot temper do foolish things
  wiser people remain calm. (Proverbs 1417 GN)
• If you want to be happy, be kind to the poor it
  is a sin to despise anyone. (Proverbs 1421
  GN)
• It is better to be patient than powerful. It is
  better to win control over yourself than over
  whole cities. (Proverbs 1632 GN)
• Do what is right and fair that pleases the LORD
  more than bringing him sacrifices. (Proverbs
  213 GN)
• If your enemies are hungry, feed them if they
  are thirsty, give them a drink. (Proverbs 2521
  GN)

17
Wisdom

• Let other people praise you even strangers
  never do it yourself. (Proverbs 272 GN)
• Anger is cruel and destructive, but it is
  nothing compared to jealousy. Better to correct
  someone openly than to let him think you dont
  care for him at all. (Proverbs 274-5)
• A nagging wife is like water going
  drip-drip-drip on a rainy day. How can you keep
  her quiet? Have you ever tried to stop the wind
  or ever tried to hold a handful of oil?
  (Proverbs 2715,16 GN)
• It is dangerous to be concerned with what others
  think of you, but if you trust the LORD, you are
  safe. (Proverbs 2925 GN)
• Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow
  death to be gloomy all the time. (Proverbs 1722
  GN)

18
Song of Songs

• The poetic description of two young people in
  love
• The literal interpretation has been rejected
  many times by both Jewish and Christian
  interpreters. The reason given for not
  considering the book a love song is the feeling
  that a sacred book should not be about the
  passion and joys of love between a man and a
  woman.
• Indeed, this book may contain the Bibles
  strongest argument for chastity before marriage.
  Ironically, because of its explicit language,
  ancient and modern Jewish sages forbade men to
  read the book before they were thirty (and
  presumably kept women from reading it at all).
  Nelson study Bible

19
Song of Songs

• Literal view
• There really was a relationship between Solomon
  and this Shunamite woman
• God gave us love, and the ability to fall in love
  and the freedom to create. Its a positive thing.
• Love, marriage, and sexuality are wonderful
  things given by God.
• Also parallels our relationship with God

20
Gods many attempts to reach us with his love

• Lover
• The relationship you can have with me is no less
  intense than that of a young couple in love (Song
  of Songs)
• Bridegroom on the wedding day
• I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the
  first heaven and earth had disappeared, and the
  sea was gone. Then I saw the holy city, New
  Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
  dressed like a bride ready for her husband. I
  heard a loud voice from the throne say, God
  lives with humans! God will make his home with
  them, and they will be his people. God himself
  will be with them and be their God. (Revelation
  211-3 GODS WORD)
• Loving husband
• If you leave me to become a prostitute, I will
  seek you out to fully restore you as my wife
  (Hosea)
• The good Shepherd
• Im like a shepherd to you my sheep (Psalm 23)
• If you are the only one out of 100 that leave, I
  will drop everything to find you (Jesus)
• My sheep know my voice, and I know them (Jesus)
• I am willing to lay down my life for my sheep
  (Jesus)

21
Gods many attempts to reach us with his love

• Caring vineyard owner
• Ill sing a ballad to the one I love, a love
  ballad about his vineyard The one I love had a
  vineyard, a fine, well-placed vineyard. He hoed
  the soil and pulled the weeds, and planted the
  very best vines. He built a lookout, built a
  winepress, a vineyard to be proud of. (Isaiah
  51,2 The Message)
• Friend
• I do not call you servants any longer, because
  servants do not know what their master is doing.
  Instead, I call you friends. (John 1515 GN)
• Nursing mother
• Could a mother forget a child who nurses at her
  breast? Could she fail to love an infant who came
  from her own body? Even if a mother could forget,
  I will never forget you. (Isaiah 4915 CEV)
• Mother hen
• Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and
  stone the messengers God has sent you! How many
  times I wanted to put my arms around all your
  people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under
  her wings, but you would not let me! (Matthew
  2337 GN)
• Tender Father
• He was still a long way from home when his
  father saw him his heart was filled with pity,
  and he ran, threw his arms around his son, and
  kissed him (Luke 1515 GN).

22
Gods many attempts to reach us with his love

• For I am certain that nothing can separate us
  from his love neither death nor life, neither
  angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers,
  neither the present nor the future, neither the
  world above nor the world below---there is
  nothing in all creation that will ever be able to
  separate us from the love of God which is ours
  through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 838,39
  GN)
• How great is the love the Father has lavished on
  us, that we should be called children of God! (1
  John 31 NIV)
• The many dimensions of Gods love

23
Solomon things fall apart

• Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides the
  daughter of the king of Egypt he married Hittite
  women and women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and
  Sidon. He married them even though the LORD had
  commanded the Israelites not to intermarry with
  these people, because they would cause the
  Israelites to give their loyalty to other gods.
  Solomon married seven hundred princesses and also
  had three hundred concubines. They made him turn
  away from God, and by the time he was old they
  had led him into the worship of foreign gods. He
  was not faithful to the LORD his God, as his
  father David had been. He worshiped Astarte, the
  goddess of Sidon, and Molech, the disgusting god
  of Ammon. He sinned against the LORD and was not
  true to him as his father David had been. On the
  mountain east of Jerusalem he built a place to
  worship Chemosh, the disgusting god of Moab, and
  a place to worship Molech, the disgusting god of
  Ammon. He also built places of worship where all
  his foreign wives could burn incense and offer
  sacrifices to their own gods. Even though the
  LORD, the God of Israel, had appeared to Solomon
  twice and had commanded him not to worship
  foreign gods, Solomon did not obey the LORD but
  turned away from him. (1 Kings 111-10 GN)

24
Solomon things fall apart

• It was foreign women that made King Solomon sin.
  Here was a man who was greater than any of the
  kings of other nations. God loved him and made
  him king over all of Israel, and yet he fell into
  this sin. (Nehemiah 1326 GN)
• Your father placed heavy burdens on us (2
  Chronicles 104 GN)

25
Solomon an old foolish king

• What should God do?
• Write it down Solomon
• These are the words of the Philosopher, Davids
  son, who was king in Jerusalem. It is useless,
  useless, said the Philosopher. Life is useless,
  all useless. (Ecclesiastes 11-2 GN)
• God has laid a miserable fate upon us. I have
  seen everything done in this world, and I tell
  you, it is all useless. It is like chasing the
  wind. (Ecclesiastes 114,15 GN)
• A poor youngster with some wisdom is better off
  than an old but foolish king who doesnt know
  which end is up. (Ecclesiastes 413 The
  Message)

26
Solomon an old and foolish king

• Money and things useless
• I accomplished great things. I built myself
  houses and planted vineyards. I planted gardens
  and orchards, with all kinds of fruit trees in
  them I dug ponds to irrigate them. I bought many
  slaves, and there were slaves born in my
  household. I owned more livestock than anyone
  else who had ever lived in Jerusalem. I also
  piled up silver and gold from the royal
  treasuries of the lands I ruled. Men and women
  sang to entertain me, and I had all the women a
  man could want. Yes, I was great, greater than
  anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and
  my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I
  got. I did not deny myself any pleasure. I was
  proud of everything I had worked for, and all
  this was my reward. Then I thought about all that
  I had done and how hard I had worked doing it,
  and I realized that it didn't mean a thing. It
  was like chasing the wind---of no use at all.
  After all, a king can only do what previous kings
  have done. (Ecclesiastes 24-12 GN)
• If you love money, you will never be satisfied
  if you long to be rich, you will never get all
  you want. It is useless. The richer you are, the
  more mouths you have to feed. All you gain is the
  knowledge that you are rich. (Ecclesiastes
  510,11 GN)

27
Solomon an old and foolish king

• Chasing after many women useless
• The truth is beyond us. Its far too deep. So I
  decided to learn everything I could and become
  wise enough to discover what life is all about.
  At the same time, I wanted to understand why it's
  stupid and senseless to be an evil fool. Here is
  what I discovered A bad woman is worse than
  death. She is a trap, reaching out with body and
  soul to catch you. But if you obey God, you can
  escape. If you dont obey, you are done for. With
  all my wisdom I have tried to find out how
  everything fits together, but so far I have not
  been able to. I do know there is one good man in
  a thousand, but never have I found a good woman.
  I did learn one thing We were completely honest
  when God created us, but now we have twisted
  minds. (Ecclesiastes 724-29 - CEV)

28
Solomon an old and foolish king

• Is everything useless?
• I decided that God is testing us, to show us
  that we are no better than animals. After all,
  the same fate awaits human beings and animals
  alike. One dies just like the other. They are the
  same kind of creature. A human being is no better
  off than an animal, because life has no meaning
  for either. They are both going to the same
  place---the dust. They both came from it they
  will both go back to it. How can anyone be sure
  that the human spirit goes upward while an
  animals spirit goes down into the ground? So I
  realized then that the best thing we can do is
  enjoy what we have worked for. There is nothing
  else we can do. There is no way for us to know
  what will happen after we die. (Ecclesiastes
  318-22 GN)
• Someone who is always thinking about happiness
  is a fool. A wise person thinks about death.
  (Ecclesiastes 74 GN)
• Here is what I have found out the best thing we
  can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have
  worked for during the short life that God has
  given us this is our fate. (Ecclesiastes 518
  GN)
• So I am convinced that we should enjoy
  ourselves, because the only pleasure we have in
  this life is eating and drinking and enjoying
  ourselves. We can at least do this as we labor
  during the life that God has given us in this
  world. (Ecclesiastes 815 GN)

29
Solomon an old and foolish king

• I thought long and hard about all this and saw
  that God controls the actions of wise and
  righteous people, even their love and their hate.
  No one knows anything about what lies ahead. It
  makes no difference. The same fate comes to the
  righteous and the wicked, to the good and the
  bad, to those who are religious and those who are
  not, to those who offer sacrifices and those who
  do not. A good person is no better off than a
  sinner one who takes an oath is no better off
  than one who does not. (Ecclesiastes 91-2 GN)
• God made everything, and you can no more
  understand what he does than you understand how
  new life begins in the womb of a pregnant woman.
  (Ecclesiastes 115 GN)
• No matter how long you live, remember that you
  will be dead much longer. There is nothing at all
  to look forward to. (Ecclesiastes 118 GN)

30
Solomon an old and foolish king

• The Philosopher tried to find comforting words,
  but the words he wrote were honest.
  (Ecclesiastes 1210 GN)
• After all this, there is only one thing to say
  Have reverence for God, and obey his commands,
  because this is all that we were created for. God
  is going to judge everything we do, whether good
  or bad, even things done in secret.
  (Ecclesiastes 1213-14)

31
Solomon

• At one time in his life, he lived the principles
  of Gods kingdom (unselfishness)
• And for a time, he was a bright light to the
  world

32
Solomon

• At another time, Solomon accepted the principles
  of Satans kingdom (selfishness, power, greed)
• And this led him to become a foolish king
• Dead flies can make a whole bottle of perfume
  stink, and a little stupidity can cancel out the
  greatest wisdom. (Ecclesiastes 101 GN)

33
Summary

• If we base our life on the principles of Gods
  kingdom and on the true wisdom, we become
  successful (as God determines success)
• If we base our life on the principles of Satans
  kingdom and on a false picture of God, we become
  foolish (as God would define foolish)
• Gods way leads to healing, restoration,
  happiness, peace, joy, and wisdom it works!
• Satans way leads to self-destruction, gloom, and
  foolishness it doesnt work!
• What is it the secures the universe against
  rebellion?