Where Compromise Takes You

Explore the Bible Series

December 26, 2010

Background Passage: I Kings 9:10-11:43 (II Chronicles 8:1-9:31)

Lesson Passage: I Kings 11:1-13

Introduction:

This lesson addresses the successes and failures of the last twenty years of the United Monarchy (Kings Saul, David, and Solomon—c. 1025-1005 B.C.) and the reign of King Solomon. Israel’s glory reached its apex during the rule of Solomon: international prestige, impressive building projects, military prowess, and unrivaled wealth. However, the last years of Solomon’s monarchy signaled moral and spiritual problems that would trouble Israel for many years.

In some ways, this seems one of the saddest stories in the Bible. Solomon rode the crest of Israel’s wealth and power, and he acquired a personal fortune and an expansive harem of the region’s most desirable women. Foreign dignitaries travelled to Israel to behold the splendor of Israel’s king. Many believe that the king’s wisdom is preserved in some of the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon; so, if these scholars are correct, this impressive monarch wrote much of the Old Testament—what an extraordinary resume! Sadly, during the last twenty years of his reign, Solomon’s spiritual life spiraled into a pattern of compromise and idolatry.

During my early years in the ministry, I had the opportunity to spend a considerable amount of time conversing with Pastor Ernest Reisinger. Among the many bits of wisdom I received from Ernie, I most remember his concerns about growing old. Though my senor by thirty-six years, I marveled at his ability to communicate with an inexperienced, immature, youthful pastor. On more than one occasion I heard Ernie pray that he would not live, in his senior years, in a manner that would undo the work of his youth. My mentor was right about the unique temptations of later life. Many years have passed, and, no doubt, I stand nearer the end of my journey than the beginning. Ernie’s prayers and Solomon’s example provide ample warning for those of us who no longer relish the promise of youth. I note several dynamics at play as I grow older.

Inertia: Older saints often do not possess the energy that once characterized their service to Christ. The natural processes of aging, coupled with some health problems, may contribute to spiritual lethargy. How easy to leave the Lord’s work to those who are young and energetic.
Disillusionment: The accumulated disappointments of life may rob older saints a sense of hope and usefulness in God’s kingdom. Seniors have lived long enough to have seen the dark side of church life. Human failings, among God’s people, may break the spirit of older Christians, and they may become disheartened. Furthermore, I wonder if other Christians, as they age, see the world differently than in younger years. In my youthful enthusiasm, I saw the world in very “black and white” terms, but, as I grow older, the “gray areas” seem more prominent. This trend, as I observe it, may cause the older saint to doubt the certainties that characterized younger years.
Pride: High-achieving persons may waste their senior years with unseemly smugness. Solomon may have fallen into this trap. His impressive achievements may have contributed to a failure in watchfulness over the condition of his soul. Moreover, his great wealth seems to have promoted a sense of pride, and, perhaps, he did not rest in the Lord as his portion and inheritance. Affluence carries a dangerous price tag.
“Youthful” passions: Clearly, Solomon’s sexual desires remained high—he surrounded himself with a teeming harem of beautiful women. Many men succumb to the passions of youth, when they reach their senior years.

Lesson Outline:

I. A Summary of Solomon’s Building Projects (9:10-28)

A. Strained relations with Hiram (9:10-14): Hiram, king of Tyre, enjoyed warm relations with David and Solomon, and he struck a covenant with Solomon to provide cedar and cypress wood to build the Temple (also, Hiram sent a storehouse of gold according to 9:14). In exchange, the King of Israel agreed to provide wheat and olive oil to the people of Tyre (See I Kings 5:9-11); however, after the completion of the House of God, Solomon failed to fulfill his part of the bargain. Rather than provide the wheat, Solomon proposed that Hiram receive several Galilean cities. The Galilean cities did not impress Hiram, cities he called Cabul (“worthless”). Perhaps financial reversals persuaded Solomon to change the stipulations of the covenant; or, as some have suggested, the king had a deceitful, duplicitous dimension to his character.

B. Indulgence in slave labor (9:15-21): Solomon’s ambitious building program led him to enslave citizens of vassal nations: Amorites, Hittites, Perezzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. In addition, he drafted his Jewish subjects to serve as soldiers, and government officials, a practice that eventually enraged the citizens of the Northern Kingdom.

C. The results of Solomon’s labors (9:23-28): Slavery and administrative organization allowed the king to complete an impressive array of building projects: a palace for Pharaoh’s daughter (one of Solomon’s many wives) and a naval fleet. Despite some disturbing character flaws, Solomon continued to worship Jehovah (See 9:25).

II. The Apex of Solomon’s Power (10:1-29)

A. The visit of the Queen of Sheba (10:1-13): Scholars believe this woman governed the dominant nation of the Arabian Peninsula. She marveled at the reputation of Solomon, and, driven by her curiosity, the queen travelled to Jerusalem to test the king’s wisdom. The two monarchs sparred for a time, but Solomon exceeded all of the queen’s expectations by satisfactorily answering all of her riddles. In particular, the woman seemed impressed with Solomon’s God who had given such wisdom and wealth to the Israelite king. The two rulers exchanged extravagant gifts, and the Queen of Sheba returned to Arabia. We should note, fables abound concerning a romantic relationship between Sheba and Solomon; indeed, some accounts speculate about an illegitimate child, born to Sheba and fathered by Solomon. The biblical text gives no hint of credibility to these stories.

B. Solomon’s great wealth and military prowess (10:14-29): This catalog of Solomon’s splendor is breathtaking; however, this opulence certainly contributed to the king’s spiritual decline.

III. The Spiritual Demise of King Solomon (11:1-43)

A. Solomon’s compromise with idolatrous wives (1:1-9): Like his father before him, Solomon had a weakness for women, and, in this case, he gave his heart to foreign wives: Egyptian, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite. He married 700 women and took 300 concubines! Most of these marriages, of course, were political arrangements, but clearly the king had deep emotional bonds with some of these women. In time, the wives turned the heart of Solomon, and he compromised his faith. We should not imagine that the king completely abandoned Jehovah; rather, he simply expanded his worship to include other gods. Not content with half-hearted idolatry, he erected elaborate temple structures for the worship of these false deities. Paul House outlines several principles that Solomon violated.

1. He violated, obviously, the First and Second Commandments (See Exodus 20:1-6).

2. He disobeyed God’s commandment concerning marriage with non-covenant people (See Exodus 34:15-16; Deuteronomy 7:3-4).

3. He broke his covenant with God (See I Kings 3:1-14; 6:11-13; 9:1-9).

B. God’s displeasure with Solomon’s idolatry (11:10-40): Solomon’s compromise angered the Lord, and, in his displeasure, he determined to rip the kingdom from Solomon’s descendants. In particular, Jehovah pledged to raise up enemies to trouble Solomon’s reign: Hadad the Edomite, Rezone the Syrian, and Jeroboam the Ephraimite. Each of these marauders held long-standing grievances against David and Solomon, and God unleashed their wrath to chasten Solomon. The rebellion of Jeroboam proved particularly devastating to God’s people, and led to a permanent division of the Hebrews. The text gives no indication of Solomon’s repentance or remorse for his moral failures.