The Fall of Solomon

“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. Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his

heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.”

-Deuteronomy 17:16-17

God specifically told Isreal, even before they had a king, that the king was not to gather

great amounts of silver or gold, that he was not to take a bunch of wives (Let’s be real: That

never goes well), and that he wasn’t to have a bunch of horses. Guess what Solomon did?

Solomon starts out as a very wise king. People come from all over the world to see his

riches and wisdom that God had given him. Isreal was exactly how it should’ve been. It’s

very possible Isreal never was and never will be in a position so good again.

Then, Solomon starts doing what HE HIMSELF said not to do. He starts taking wives (bad

enough) from other countries (terrible idea). He gathers great amounts of gold and silver

and has a high amount of horses.

Since he’d taken wives from these other countries, they now have an influence over him.

Before you know it, Solomon is setting up temples, offering sacrifices, and worshiping

these gods make of wood and stone.

Because God is just and must punish sin, this can’t go undealt with. God sends enemies to

attack Isreal, breaking the peaceful time they had been enjoying. Then, God tells Solomon

that Isreal will be taken from him, but because of his covenant with David, he will give him

one tribe. He also tells him that he will not do this in his lifetime, but his sons.

What a difference it would’ve made if Solomon had took his own advice! Solomon, wisest

man to ever live, writer of Proverbs, Song of Solomon (Song of Songs), and Ecclesiastes—

Who was the one that caused the downfall of Isreal? Him. All because he didn’t take his

own advice.

What can we learn from this? Well, a basic lesson is simple: Obey God. But what else? We

need to be careful about what and who we let into our lives, as they will influence it. If

Solomon hadn’t taken all those wives, he may not have started worshiping idols. His

gathering of gold, silver, and horses also showed a diminishing faith in God, which

becomes obvious when he completely disobeys him. As you gain more freedoms, you will

also have more chances to disobey. Watch what you let into your life, and keep a strong

and healthy relationship with God.