Questions about Solomon's relationship with God

[MyrtleTrees]

Questions about Solomon's relationship with God
I'm going to try a different angle now, in starting some spiritual subjects. We all have our different ways of viewing the scriptures. And sincerely so, if our walks with God are sincere!
Subject this time: How remarkable it is that Solomon at first lived his life for God - but later in life - he turned away from God. How would you explain this absurdity - of his first having served God - but later turned away from God?
The period in which he served God favorably:
2 Sam 12:24
24 And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
KJV
1 Kings 9:3
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.
KJV
The period in which he had turned away from God:
1 Kings 11:4-5

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.

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
KJV
1 Kings 11:9-10

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,

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.
KJV

 

[pottersclay]

Solomon is the perfect picture of a man who has everything. Health, wealth, wisdom, knowledge.
But without God being first and foremost all these other things can consume you.
Solomon makes it very clear in the end that it is all vanity. Man himself is very vain.
Jesus said what does it profit a man to have all these thing but lose his own soul.
He also said seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all shall be added on to you.
But what is missing here is this.....never stop seeking God.
In my opinion man has made a comfortable place in his heart that he calls success. Health, wealth, knowledge are what he deems as success. He begins to worship these things only to be enslaved by them. Not realizing that he is poor, naked, and dead spiritually.

 

[Rosemaryx]

I not longed finished reading about Solomon , and I to struggled with this...

I was talking to God about it , wondering how on earth could he worship other "gods " after knowing the One true God?

I was trying to picture myself going after say Buddha , even the thought cringed me out , I guess it made me realise that we have to be careful who we hang around with , I mean Christians will worship together , but can we be swayed , it is a horrible thought , yet Solomon was swayed...
...xox...

 

[Corban]

Questions about Solomon's relationship with God
I'm going to try a different angle now, in starting some spiritual subjects. We all have our different ways of viewing the scriptures. And sincerely so, if our walks with God are sincere!
Subject this time: How remarkable it is that Solomon at first lived his life for God - but later in life - he turned away from God. How would you explain this absurdity - of his first having served God - but later turned away from God?
The period in which he served God favorably:
2 Sam 12:24
24 And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
KJV
1 Kings 9:3
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.
KJV
The period in which he had turned away from God:
1 Kings 11:4-5

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.

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
KJV
1 Kings 11:9-10

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,

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.
KJV

You are absolutely correct. Solomon is a perfect picture of the Old Man, or better said, a product of the what the best of men can do when blessing upon blessing is heaped upon them. Solomon must go down in Biblical history as a contender for the number one failure. Born to a sovereign king, raised in the royal courts, loved by God, chosen by God, invested with wealth beyond imagination by this same God, invested with wisdom that surpassed double that of the Gentiles, given no wars to fight, given the plans and material for the Temple - God's dwelling on earth amid Israel, and being such a man that could entertain 700 wives and 300 concubines, he blew it all.

And this solemn lesson should plunge deeply into our psyche. We wouldn't do any better if we did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit. We are all potential Solomons. The depth of our salvation is NOT the salvation from the Lake of Fire. It is that we can be saved from ourselves.

 

[MessageOfTheCross]

We wouldn't do any better if we did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The Cross of Christ is as necessary for sanctification as it is for salvation (1 Cor. 1:18).

 

[tourist]

I not longed finished reading about Solomon , and I to struggled with this...

I was talking to God about it , wondering how on earth could he worship other "gods " after knowing the One true God?

I was trying to picture myself going after say Buddha , even the thought cringed me out , I guess it made me realise that we have to be careful who we hang around with , I mean Christians will worship together , but can we be swayed , it is a horrible thought , yet Solomon was swayed...
...xox...

For being the wisest man who ever lived he acted like a fool.

 

[Corban]

The Cross of Christ is as necessary for sanctification as it is for salvation (1 Cor. 1:18).

You've got me there. 1st Corinthians 1:18 talks of the "power OF GOD". I can't see the word "sanctification". But if you do find it, remember that we have two sanctifications - one POSITIONAL and one DISPOSITIONAL. Make sure you show which one. In Exodus 19:23; "And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it", a mountain is sanctified because God is on it. But its content is still mountain. But in 1st Thessalonians 5:23; "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ", the whole person is changed to be worthy of meeting the Lord.

 

[MyrtleTrees]

You are absolutely correct. Solomon is a perfect picture of the Old Man, or better said, a product of the what the best of men can do when blessing upon blessing is heaped upon them. Solomon must go down in Biblical history as a contender for the number one failure. Born to a sovereign king, raised in the royal courts, loved by God, chosen by God, invested with wealth beyond imagination by this same God, invested with wisdom that surpassed double that of the Gentiles, given no wars to fight, given the plans and material for the Temple - God's dwelling on earth amid Israel, and being such a man that could entertain 700 wives and 300 concubines, he blew it all.

And this solemn lesson should plunge deeply into our psyche. We wouldn't do any better if we did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit. We are all potential Solomons. The depth of our salvation is NOT the salvation from the Lake of Fire. It is that we can be saved from ourselves.

Yes, I would say Solomon could be said to have been a good picture of "the old man." Though he was open to the Lord at first, and accepted of God at first - he could have pressed on to making a full acceptance of the lordship of Christ in his life - but he did not choose to do that. And so eventually, he made that conscious decision to turn away from God - shown by the fact that he worshiped both God and the false idols his wives worshiped - and God's Word says that doesn't work!

Many new converts are like him in ways - they have some sincerity in seeking to please God. But haven't been tried immediately by trials and temptations - as is described in the accounts of the first 2 types in the Sower parable. And eventually fall away from Christ. While others of ones who begin in weakness - later come to have a stronger and firmer relationship with Christ - to the point that they are fully surrendered to Him. That is the point, I believe - in which a Christian is no longer in danger of falling away.

I know many sincere Christians explain this subject differently than other Christians. But this is how I see it, in light of the scriptures I've seen on it. I've also been under this teaching in my childhood. People are often much affected by what teachings they've been under during their childhoods and later on too, as adults. Though I don't agree with all Bible teachings I've been under - I agree with what I was taught on this subject, as I see it as being affirmed by the scriptures.

 

[MyrtleTrees]

Solomon is the perfect picture of a man who has everything. Health, wealth, wisdom, knowledge.
But without God being first and foremost all these other things can consume you.
Solomon makes it very clear in the end that it is all vanity. Man himself is very vain.
Jesus said what does it profit a man to have all these thing but lose his own soul.
He also said seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all shall be added on to you.
But what is missing here is this.....never stop seeking God.
In my opinion man has made a comfortable place in his heart that he calls success. Health, wealth, knowledge are what he deems as success. He begins to worship these things only to be enslaved by them. Not realizing that he is poor, naked, and dead spiritually.

Yes, that makes all the difference in the world! Whether one puts God first in his life, or the things of this life! Many people get converted to Christ, I believe, but not all take care to keep growing in the Lord, and as a result - end up falling away - as can be seen in the Sower parable the first 2 types described. But some of them press on in spite of temptations and hardships, until they eventually are solidly surrendered to Christ with their lives. These ones, I believe, at that point, are no longer in danger of falling away. Because they unbendingly put Christ first in their lives.

 

[Corban]

Yes, I would say Solomon could be said to have been a good picture of "the old man." Though he was open to the Lord at first, and accepted of God at first - he could have pressed on to making a full acceptance of the lordship of Christ in his life - but he did not choose to do that. And so eventually, he made that conscious decision to turn away from God - shown by the fact that he worshiped both God and the false idols his wives worshiped - and God's Word says that doesn't work!

Many new converts are like him in ways - they have some sincerity in seeking to please God. But haven't been tried immediately by trials and temptations - as is described in the accounts of the first 2 types in the Sower parable. And eventually fall away from Christ. While others of ones who begin in weakness - later come to have a stronger and firmer relationship with Christ - to the point that they are fully surrendered to Him. That is the point, I believe - in which a Christian is no longer in danger of falling away.

I know many sincere Christians explain this subject differently than other Christians. But this is how I see it, in light of the scriptures I've seen on it. I've also been under this teaching in my childhood. People are often much affected by what teachings they've been under during their childhoods and later on too, as adults. Though I don't agree with all Bible teachings I've been under - I agree with what I was taught on this subject, as I see it as being affirmed by the scriptures.

In Genesis 1:11-12 God set forth an immutable Law. That is, that everything that has its seed within itself would produce "its own KIND". What many Christians hate to admit is that if we came from Adam, we are rotten tree. And a rotten tree cannot - just cannot - bring forth good fruit (Matt.7:16-18). So man, no matter his pedigree, no matter the chances he has in life, no matter his resources, will ALWAYS bring forth bad fruit. Solomon is the prime example.

Now the Christian is another animal. He is that bad tree, but then the Holy Spirit does a work on the human spirit ONLY (Jn.3:6). Immediately a war begins. The flesh has had sovereignty all his life and now the Holy Spirit in the human spirit makes demands. Of this conflict the flesh will be winner IF the resources of the Holy Spirit are not tapped. Galatians 5:17 says; "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if the LIFE of Christ is tapped into, the victory will be the Spirit's (Rom.8:1-2). So, our Lord's instruction to us is "be led by the Spirit, and be violent with the claims of body and soul. "Deny yourself and take up your cross daily". Thus, the Christian has a resource where God's will can be achieved.

But Solomon, blest as he was, was just a rotten tree with no recourse to "the LAW of LIFE in Christ Jesus". That Spirit had not yet been given (Jn.7:39). Solomon, just like Paul in Romans 7, could be as zealous as he liked, but there was a Law dwelling in him that made him fail every time (Rom.7:15, 18, 23). David had the same problem, but he applied half the solution. He was OBEDIENT to the setting aside of his will. But Solomon, unschooled in the rigors of the wilderness and its caves like David, was but wet clay. Instead of the lessons of the lion and the bear, Solomon only knew wealth and fame. And what do these do for a man? They "deceive" him (Matt.13:22). And so Solomon's closing comment of his tragic life was;

13 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

But what does that help when Romans 7 concludes every man UNABLE to keep the Law? How different is Paul's summation in Colossians 1:27:

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ IN you, the hope of glory"

 

[Robo36]

Solomon is a huge biblical curiosity for me. Failure for me to understand so much of the scriptures is frustrating to say the least. I often find in scripture seeming contradictions and Solomon isn’t the least of them.

Solomon was the offspring of David a Israeli King much loved by God who committed adultery with the wife of a man who King David sent to the front lines of battle to be killed so he could have his wife. David repented to God and his offspring of his adultery Solomon, also loved by God was blessed by God by speaking to Solomon twice and giving him great wisdom and the greatest of riches. Solomon in his great wisdom took 700 wives. I fail to see the wisdom in that. Solomon also took 300 sex slave concubine. Again I fail to see either the righteousness of a godly man or any wisdom in that action. Yes Solomon built a magnificent temple for God and was renowned for his great wisdom, yet knowing God personally and being the recipient of God’s great earthly blessings, riches, respect, peace time, loved by his people and swarmed by more women than any 1000 other men need in his great wisdom made graven images for his foreign wives and worshiped them with those wives, the absolute inverse of wisdom in my opinion.

Maybe I’m missing something? But these kinds of biblical stories are a test to my faith. But that’s just me I guess.

 

[Scribe]

It is the path of the backslider in heart. It does not happen over night. When he made one compromise by marrying the Egyptian he set in motion his eventual apostasy of going after Ashtoreth and Milcom.

When someone listens to that voice that says "it is not a sin" and begins to do what the world calls entertainment for example, it is only a matter of time before they find themselves in a hopeless destructive addiction. It does not happen over night. Their thoughts and words will turn from a narrow path of life to a WIDE path of destruction. Where anything is allowed as long as it does not enslave and all the while they are enslaved by the allowing.

Also notice the theological repetitive typology in the scripture that is first revealed when the sons of god (godly) saw the daughters of men (ungodly) and married any that they chose, and God said "my Spirit shall not always strive with man." It is still the same.

One of the best sermons I have ever heard was about Solomon's backsliding. It is a message for preachers in particular. By David Wilkerson. I listened to this many times in the 80's on cassette and recently rediscovered it on sermon index.

http://ia800502.us.archive.org/29/items/SERMONINDEX_SID15410/SID15410.mp3

 

[Benadam]

Questions about Solomon's relationship with God
I'm going to try a different angle now, in starting some spiritual subjects. We all have our different ways of viewing the scriptures. And sincerely so, if our walks with God are sincere!
Subject this time: How remarkable it is that Solomon at first lived his life for God - but later in life - he turned away from God. How would you explain this absurdity - of his first having served God - but later turned away from God?
The period in which he served God favorably:
2 Sam 12:24
24 And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
KJV
1 Kings 9:3
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.
KJV
The period in which he had turned away from God:
1 Kings 11:4-5

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.

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
KJV
1 Kings 11:9-10

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,

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.
KJV

Solomon was the most gifted man in history.
Satan was the most gifted angel in heaven.
I would say Solomon became enamored with himself like Satan did.

 

[Guojing]

Questions about Solomon's relationship with God
I'm going to try a different angle now, in starting some spiritual subjects. We all have our different ways of viewing the scriptures. And sincerely so, if our walks with God are sincere!
Subject this time: How remarkable it is that Solomon at first lived his life for God - but later in life - he turned away from God. How would you explain this absurdity - of his first having served God - but later turned away from God?
The period in which he served God favorably:
2 Sam 12:24
24 And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
KJV
1 Kings 9:3
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.
KJV
The period in which he had turned away from God:
1 Kings 11:4-5

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.

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
KJV
1 Kings 11:9-10

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,

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.
KJV

His numerous wives from all other nations eventually turned him away from God. To please them, he build places of worship dedicated to each of their gods, and joined them in their worship of them.

I heard one of those wives even descended from the Pharaoh of Egypt! There was a clear reason why, under the Law of Moses, Jews are not supposed to intermarry with foreign nations.

 

[Benadam]

His numerous wives from all other nations eventually turned him away from God. To please them, he build places of worship dedicated to each of their gods, and joined them in their worship of them.

I heard one of those wives even descended from the Pharaoh of Egypt! There was a clear reason why, under the Law of Moses, Jews are not supposed to intermarry with foreign nations.

Looks like they knew what they were doing.

 

[Benadam]

Also notice the theological repetitive typology in the scripture that is first revealed when the sons of god (godly) saw the daughters of men (ungodly) and married any that they chose, and God said "my Spirit shall not always strive with man." It is still the same.

It seems fitting that Solomon would embody the sons of God in Genesis 6 and be tempted in the same way. Hmm maybe there was a flood for Solomon too.

 

[MyrtleTrees]

His numerous wives from all other nations eventually turned him away from God. To please them, he build places of worship dedicated to each of their gods, and joined them in their worship of them.

I heard one of those wives even descended from the Pharaoh of Egypt! There was a clear reason why, under the Law of Moses, Jews are not supposed to intermarry with foreign nations.

Yes, those wives had a lot to do with his eventually turning away from God and joining his wives in his worship of false gods! David didn't marry foreign wives. But Solomon did. That to me, is one sign that Solomon didn't care about God's rules as much as his father - David did! Half-heartedness in serving God, is dangerous!

 

[MyrtleTrees]

Solomon was the most gifted man in history.
Satan was the most gifted angel in heaven.
I would say Solomon became enamored with himself like Satan did.

I agree! And what a loss he suffered from allowing himself to care more about the things of this life, than to care about pleasing God! He turned away from God, and that affected his eternal destiny, since he never repented.

 

[Benadam]

Yes, those wives had a lot to do with his eventually turning away from God and joining his wives in his worship of false gods! David didn't marry foreign wives. But Solomon did. That to me, is one sign that Solomon didn't care about God's rules as much as his father - David did! Half-heartedness in serving God, is dangerous!

His father was a man after God's heart. Your post reminded me of that and made me think that Solomon wasn't. Maybe it was his father's example.....and the psalms his dad wrote that brought him back to his senses. So to speak.

 

[MyrtleTrees]

In Genesis 1:11-12 God set forth an immutable Law. That is, that everything that has its seed within itself would produce "its own KIND". What many Christians hate to admit is that if we came from Adam, we are rotten tree. And a rotten tree cannot - just cannot - bring forth good fruit (Matt.7:16-18). So man, no matter his pedigree, no matter the chances he has in life, no matter his resources, will ALWAYS bring forth bad fruit. Solomon is the prime example.

Now the Christian is another animal. He is that bad tree, but then the Holy Spirit does a work on the human spirit ONLY (Jn.3:6). Immediately a war begins. The flesh has had sovereignty all his life and now the Holy Spirit in the human spirit makes demands. Of this conflict the flesh will be winner IF the resources of the Holy Spirit are not tapped. Galatians 5:17 says; "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if the LIFE of Christ is tapped into, the victory will be the Spirit's (Rom.8:1-2). So, our Lord's instruction to us is "be led by the Spirit, and be violent with the claims of body and soul. "Deny yourself and take up your cross daily". Thus, the Christian has a resource where God's will can be achieved.

But Solomon, blest as he was, was just a rotten tree with no recourse to "the LAW of LIFE in Christ Jesus". That Spirit had not yet been given (Jn.7:39). Solomon, just like Paul in Romans 7, could be as zealous as he liked, but there was a Law dwelling in him that made him fail every time (Rom.7:15, 18, 23). David had the same problem, but he applied half the solution. He was OBEDIENT to the setting aside of his will. But Solomon, unschooled in the rigors of the wilderness and its caves like David, was but wet clay. Instead of the lessons of the lion and the bear, Solomon only knew wealth and fame. And what do these do for a man? They "deceive" him (Matt.13:22). And so Solomon's closing comment of his tragic life was;

13 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

But what does that help when Romans 7 concludes every man UNABLE to keep the Law? How different is Paul's summation in Colossians 1:27:

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ IN you, the hope of glory"

Yes, as the Bible says, no person is able to keep the law perfectly, and it is to be expected that our flesh is always going to fight against God's Spirit!

God was pleased with Solomon at first, because he saw that Solomon had at least some sincerity in wanting to please God. But he never left spiritual babyhood to go into full spiritual maturity, because he willingly chose the things of this life above that of pleasing God. So as in the Sower parable - Solomon eventually gave into the temptations of this life fully - which stamped God out of his life completely!

Yes, God will judge every person's "works" in the judgement! God knows how tell apart those who have fully become His own, and those who have not! And having some sincerity in serving God is a right direction to take on the road of salvation. But it requires prayer and persistence to become strong in the Lord (Ephesians 6) to where there is no longer a danger of falling away. God doesn't tolerate half-heartedness in the end, though he has to tolerate some of it for a time until a person grows past that stage (that is, if he does - not all do - due to lack of eagerness). He disciplines His children to help train them towards becoming fully wholehearted and obedient.

Heb 12:6-8

6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
KJV