God Rent the Kingdom from Solomon - (I Kings 11:31)

by Micky Galloway

Very early in the reign of Solomon, God appeared to him at Gibeon (I Kings 3:4). He told Solomon to ask for anything he wanted. Solomon replied, “And now, O Jehovah my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give thy servant therefore an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this thy great people” (I Kings 3:7-9). God was well pleased and blessed Solomon not only with great wisdom, but also with riches and honor above any other of his day. These blessings were promised unconditionally, but Solomon was promised a long life “if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments” (I Kings 3:14).

Solomon’s Accomplishments

In the fourth year of his reign, in the second month, Solomon began building the temple (I Kings 6:1). It took the Israelites seven years to build this fabulous structure (I Kings 6:38). Work then began on a new palace for the king. Thirteen years later it was completed (I Kings 7:1). The building projects of Solomon, including fortresses and store cities, involved thousands of laborers and craftsman, working with the finest materials including silver and gold. At the conclusion of the building of the temple Solomon prayed to God, “behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded! Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Jehovah my God … When thy people Israel are smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; if they turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication unto thee in this house: then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers” (I Kings 8:27-34).

At the dedication of the temple Solomon offered 22,000 oxen, 120,000 sheep in sacrifice and numerous other offerings and held a great feast for the people. The people were delighted with the temple and with their king (I Kings 8:62-66). Times were prosperous. Silver was as common in Jerusalem as stones. People came from afar to see the wealth of the kingdom of Solomon and to hear his wisdom. The queen of Sheba reported, “Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me; thy wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard” (I Kings 10:7).

Solomon’s Decline and Ruin

God appeared to Solomon a second time and promised to bless him and his family, “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 … But if ye shall turn away from following me, ye or your children, and not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; 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 peoples” (I Kings 9:4-7).

Finally, God appeared to Solomon one last time and said, “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. 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. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to thy son, for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen” (I Kings 11:11-13). Why would God rend the kingdom with all its glory and splendor from King Solomon? Perhaps there are many contributing factors.

Multiplication of wives … Solomon did not respect the sanctity of marriage. God’s ideal in Genesis 2:24 is reflected throughout Old Testament history (Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 22:22; Malachi 2:14-16). Divorce, multiple wives and concubines were departures from God’s ideal in marriage. Jesus said, “from the beginning it hath not been so” (Matthew 19:8b). Moses had prophesied that when they came into the land God had promised that they would ask for a king. Moses insisted that the foundation of this monarchy was that their kings also must subject their life and reign to God’s covenant. Moses said, “…neither shall he multiply wives to himself that his heart turn not away” (Deuteronomy 17:17). Solomon did this to his undoing. “And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 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 Jehovah his God, as was the heart of David his father” (I Kings 11:1-4).

Idolatry … It is inescapable that the strange women and the alliances he courted conditioned him to accept idolatry (cf Deuteronomy 7:1-4; 17:17). He lost his horror of what is false. His sense of the preeminence of the truth revealed to him by Jehovah was lost. Under Solomon’s reign Israel’s past experiences with idolatry were forgotten. Under Samuel’s administration a fast was held and purification rites were performed to mark the public renunciation of idolatry (I Samuel 7:3-6). Each of Solomon’s many foreign wives brought with her the gods of her own nation. Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth (I Kings 11:5), the female counterpart of Baal, the supreme goddess of the Sidonians (I Kings 11:5,33). He also built a high place in the mount before Jerusalem for the worship of Chemosh, the abomination of Moab (I Kings 11:7). Solomon also erected altars on the mount of Olives, hence called the Hill of Offence (II Kings 23:13) to Milcom, the principal god of the Ammonites (Jeremiah 49:1,3). Milcom is usually regarded as the same as Molech or Moloch, although the latter was worshiped in a different place and manner by the offering of children in the flames of the valley of Hinnom. All these were later put down by King Josiah (II Kings 23:13).

Alliances … One of the first acts of the foreign policy of king Solomon must have been to the Israelites a very startling one. He made affinity with Pharaoh, King of Egypt and married Pharaoh’s daughter (I Kings 11:1). Since the time of the Exodus there had been no relationship between the two countries. Deuteronomy 17:16-17 had forbidden the kings of Israel to “multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; forasmuch as Jehovah hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold” (cf Leviticus 18:3). Solomon, to ensure commerce, had disobeyed (I Kings 10:28). He also made an alliance with Hiram, the Phoenician king, to secure brass, purple, workmen and timber from Lebanon for the building of the temple. In return for these, the Phoenicians were to receive corn and oil from Solomon (II Chronicles 2:11-16). Now for the first time in history, the Israelites had embarked upon a career as a commercial people. Their feeling of independence from God and selfish pride now becomes a factor in their apostasy (cf Deuteronomy 17:20).

God Raised Up Adversaries

God raised up Hadad the Edomite, Rezon the Syrian and finally Jeroboam as adversaries to King Solomon. His reasons were plain, “They have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon; and they have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and (to keep) my statutes and mine ordinances, as did David his father” (I Kings 11:33; cf 11:11-13). Had not Solomon taught others that, whatever devices are in men’s hearts, the counsel of the Lord shall stand? Does he think that he can defeat that counsel? Indeed, the kingdom was taken from Solomon. Jeroboam was given ten tribes. The tribes of Benjamin and Judah (considered as one) would be preserved “for David my servant's sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and statutes … that David my servant may have a lamp alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there” (I Kings 11:34,36).

Applications

Perhaps Solomon thought as a king so richly blessed, he was above the law. Be assured, God’s law is universal in application. Solomon disregarded warnings. He failed to respect God’s law generally, but especially God’s law governing marriage. He compromised with error, and was lifted up in his own heart. No matter how blessed we think we are, this is a recipe for disaster.