Questions about Solomon's relationship with God
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Solomon's repentance has been often discussed among theologians throughout history. Some see no evidence of it and others who believe that he is the author of Ecclesiastes believe that this book is a testimony of his backsliding and what his thought life during that time was like, (his perception, not that some of the things he says are the way things really are)
And then his conclusion concerning the chief purpose in life. 12:3 "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." That this is evidence that he repented in the end.
However, there is some debate as to whether Solomon is even the author of Ecclesiastes. Personally I think Solomon is the author and that he repented in the end and declared all of his backsliding vanity, and a waste of life.
People who are serving God but are poor and cannot do all the things that the rich can do are actually living their best life while the rich who are busy trying to find meaning are wasting their lives.
And then his conclusion concerning the chief purpose in life. 12:3 "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." That this is evidence that he repented in the end.
However, there is some debate as to whether Solomon is even the author of Ecclesiastes. Personally I think Solomon is the author and that he repented in the end and declared all of his backsliding vanity, and a waste of life.
People who are serving God but are poor and cannot do all the things that the rich can do are actually living their best life while the rich who are busy trying to find meaning are wasting their lives.
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I for one am not convinced that Solomon is among the lost.
There are other reasons, but this is enough for me:
1 Kings 3:3 New King James Version (NKJV)
3 And Solomon LOVED THE LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
I do not believe this was a false profession of Love toward God, and I don't know of any place where the wicked proclaim Love towards the Lord.
And I view the whole Book of Ecclesiastes, and his conclusion of the whole matter, as repentance.
Here is just a taste of some of his divinely inspired Proverbs:
Proverbs 9:10 New King James Version (NKJV)
10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 3:5-6 New King James Version (NKJV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 16:9 New King James Version (NKJV)
9 A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
There are many, many, more.
Yes I know the terrible sins he committed, and although I don't KNOW for certain, I believe Solomon is a Child of God, and will be in the assembly of Saints.
There are other reasons, but this is enough for me:
1 Kings 3:3 New King James Version (NKJV)
3 And Solomon LOVED THE LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
I do not believe this was a false profession of Love toward God, and I don't know of any place where the wicked proclaim Love towards the Lord.
And I view the whole Book of Ecclesiastes, and his conclusion of the whole matter, as repentance.
Here is just a taste of some of his divinely inspired Proverbs:
Proverbs 9:10 New King James Version (NKJV)
10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 3:5-6 New King James Version (NKJV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 16:9 New King James Version (NKJV)
9 A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.
There are many, many, more.
Yes I know the terrible sins he committed, and although I don't KNOW for certain, I believe Solomon is a Child of God, and will be in the assembly of Saints.
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Interesting.
Did David care about God's rules when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and should have been put to death as a result?
Did David care about God's rules when he perpetrated the death of Uriah?
So we see that David broke the following blatantly
Deuteronomy 5:17-21
17 You shall not murder.
18 You shall not commit adultery.
21 You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife;
Then we find
1 Chronicles 21:1-7
The Census of Israel and Judah
(2 Sam. 24:1–25)
1 Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.
2 So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it.”
3 And Joab answered, “May the Lord make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?”
4 Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem.
5 Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword.
6 But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.
7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel.
1 Chronicles 21:14-15
14 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell.
15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the Lord looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
We know that David was a man after Gods heart, we know he messed up big time.
Yet eventually repented. He suffered the consequences of his sin and others did as well including his family.
David's advice to Solomon
1 Kings 2:1-5
David’s Instructions to Solomon
1 Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying:
2 “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.
3 And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;
4 that the Lord may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
David is saying walk in his ways, he doesn't say be obedient.
Is he saying be obedient or walk with God?
Is he telling him seek relationship with God. The same relationship that David & God had?
David messed up a lot but he always came back to God.
Jesus said "If you love me you will keep my commandments"
We obey out of love and not to be loved when it comes to God.
David didn't, Solomon didn't.
I think Solomon repented. His ways just like Davids and mine affect our relationship with God.
1 Kings 11:4
4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.
Notice "to the Lord his God"
Finally
2 Samuel 7:12-17
12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.
15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”
17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.
Did David care about God's rules when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and should have been put to death as a result?
Did David care about God's rules when he perpetrated the death of Uriah?
So we see that David broke the following blatantly
Deuteronomy 5:17-21
17 You shall not murder.
18 You shall not commit adultery.
21 You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife;
Then we find
1 Chronicles 21:1-7
The Census of Israel and Judah
(2 Sam. 24:1–25)
1 Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.
2 So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it.”
3 And Joab answered, “May the Lord make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?”
4 Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem.
5 Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword.
6 But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.
7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel.
1 Chronicles 21:14-15
14 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell.
15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the Lord looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
We know that David was a man after Gods heart, we know he messed up big time.
Yet eventually repented. He suffered the consequences of his sin and others did as well including his family.
David's advice to Solomon
1 Kings 2:1-5
David’s Instructions to Solomon
1 Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying:
2 “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.
3 And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;
4 that the Lord may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
David is saying walk in his ways, he doesn't say be obedient.
Is he saying be obedient or walk with God?
Is he telling him seek relationship with God. The same relationship that David & God had?
David messed up a lot but he always came back to God.
Jesus said "If you love me you will keep my commandments"
We obey out of love and not to be loved when it comes to God.
David didn't, Solomon didn't.
I think Solomon repented. His ways just like Davids and mine affect our relationship with God.
1 Kings 11:4
4 For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.
Notice "to the Lord his God"
Finally
2 Samuel 7:12-17
12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.
15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”
17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.
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If that is what being rich and powerful in this life does to a man, then I don't want either of them.
1 Timothy
6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
6:7 For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out.
6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
The race is to he who finishes well. That is not a reference to the size of the bulge in your back pocket.
1 Timothy
6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
6:7 For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out.
6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
The race is to he who finishes well. That is not a reference to the size of the bulge in your back pocket.
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Can't argue with the verses above.
How can we reconcile with the following
2 Chronicles 1:11-12
11 Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king—
12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”
How can we reconcile with the following
2 Chronicles 1:11-12
11 Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king—
12 wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”
True - both Solomon and David sinned at times in their lives. I agree that if Solomon had repented of his sin of serving other gods - God would have forgiven him. But there is no evidence that he repented of it. It seems most reasonable to me to assume God wouldn't neglect to tell about the repentance of those who repented, in Bible stories.
Yes, I'm aware that Solomon's turning away is something Christians have often debated throughout time! I hadn't heard the idea before - that the writing of Ecclesiastes is an indication that Solomon repented and turned back to God. Interesting possibility! Well, we'll know for sure when we get to heaven. If he never did repent of his sin of serving gods - I'm sure he's not in heaven, though.
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To be honest, I don't think too much about that as I just tend to focus on all the good works King Solomon did for God since that is all what practically matters to me anyways (after all, I am only learning how to be a good person). I strongly relate to King Solomon's wisdom since I am a highly intellectual person myself working as both a Computer Scientist and a Software Engineer in software development, so logic and wisdom are very interesting to me, especially in obedience to God. I think people who try to apply logic without God end up with pointless and false end-results. That is because logic demands that you take the full truth into account and if you leave one part out (ironically the most important part, God), then everything that proceeds from logical reasoning ends up being false. King Solomon was blessed with wisdom, which is inspiration by God that corrects false logical reasoning. A very fascinating gift from God.
Right! Solomon was too enamored by the things of this life! No one can go to live with God in heaven, without coming into God's lordship - and placing greatest value on that of pleasing God with life, rather than on anything else. Your verses on the subject are good! The riches of heaven are far greater than the riches of this earth! And earthly riches are temporary, while the riches in heaven are eternal.
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What is most noted by the account of Solomon's life is that God called him "Jedediah" (God loves you) at his birth. God is faithful even when His children are not. God has many "prodigal" sons out in the world. God wanted Solomon to build His temple.....just Solomon.
At the end of his life, he penned these words in Ecclesiastes 2:11:
“When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
If you read Ecclesiates you will see that Solomon was committed to God after all. The prodigal returned and for his Father it was as if he'd never left......God does not abandoned his children, they have been adopted as sons and none are UN-adopted.
At the end of his life, he penned these words in Ecclesiastes 2:11:
“When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
If you read Ecclesiates you will see that Solomon was committed to God after all. The prodigal returned and for his Father it was as if he'd never left......God does not abandoned his children, they have been adopted as sons and none are UN-adopted.
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no ones ever been different that Solomon look at his father David . He was Gods chosen king of Israel served God well with all his heart according to scripture but then he began to look at bathsjeba with lust , then he followed that to adultery , then he plotted and had Uriah her husband killed
in the book of Romans paul explains the human condition tells us why it is we can have a firm love for God and his law , but yet still we are conflicted by another law within us that is inherently opposed to that other law of God in man .
Solomon was like David , all were like Adams fallen nature, good present because of God , and evil present because of deception this is the condition of man And how Solomon could serve the lord and then turn
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
Romans 7:18-24 KJV
man is incapable of righteousness that’s why we have to be healed by the lord and made right as we were before the knowledge of good and evil became part of our internal man
in the book of Romans paul explains the human condition tells us why it is we can have a firm love for God and his law , but yet still we are conflicted by another law within us that is inherently opposed to that other law of God in man .
Solomon was like David , all were like Adams fallen nature, good present because of God , and evil present because of deception this is the condition of man And how Solomon could serve the lord and then turn
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
Romans 7:18-24 KJV
man is incapable of righteousness that’s why we have to be healed by the lord and made right as we were before the knowledge of good and evil became part of our internal man
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It seems you do not know what TULIPS find necessary. 
George Whitfield said, “We are all born Arminians.” It is grace that turns us into Calvinists.
We begin our walk with some basic beliefs, we discern as we grow in grace and knowledge, sorting God's truth from fiction of men.
Always keep a teachable spirit if you are able.
George Whitfield said, “We are all born Arminians.” It is grace that turns us into Calvinists.
We begin our walk with some basic beliefs, we discern as we grow in grace and knowledge, sorting God's truth from fiction of men.
Always keep a teachable spirit if you are able.
