First Kings

Chapter Three: Solomon’s Wisdom

by

Jim Bordwine, ThD

Introduction

In 1988, we moved to a small town in western North Carolina called Newland. I had taken the position of senior pastor at a PCA church in that town. One thing that became evident almost immediately was the fact that I had inherited the work of previous pastors. One of those pastors had been the founding minister of this church and, though retired, still lived in the community and attended this congregation.

Although he and I got along just fine, we did not share identical convictions in some important areas. For a long time, I found myself bumping into the positions he taught many years previously. This was never a huge problem, but it did make it more difficult to provide leadership.

During this period I realized how every pastor inherits the ministry of the previous pastor, both the good and the not so good. The only exception, of course, is the pastor who plants a church. He does not have to deal with another man’s convictions imprinted upon his congregation.

This phenomenon that is not unique to the ministry. It can be observed whenever new leadership comes in to replace previous leadership. In our study of First Kings, we have noted the end of David’s rule and the beginning of Solomon’s reign. Solomon, as we would expect, inherited certain elements that had developed under his father. Now that he was king, however, it was up to Solomon to eliminate or modify those aspects of the kingdom he did not wish to tolerate. And there were some significant matters in this category.

This morning, we come to the third chapter in First Kings. This chapter contains the well-known account of the conversation between the LORD and Solomon in which the king asks for wisdom above everything else. That wisdom would serve him well, particularly in confronting some of the characteristics of the kingdom that were detrimental to the nation.

As the writer records this encounter between the LORD and Solomon, he prefaces it with a short description of the context in which Solomon began to operate. This description is found in vv. 1-4 of chapter 3. In summary, this information tells us the challenge facing Solomon at the beginning of his reign.

01. Solomon’s Challenge (vv. 1-4)

1 Kings 3:1 Then Solomon formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to the city of David, until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days. 3 Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place; Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

The marriage alliance

At first pass, we might not discern the significance of Solomon’s marital alliance with Pharaoh. We might assume the writer just meant to record the fact of the marriage without suggesting anything of great consequence. Such an analysis would be short-sighted, however. This brief report about Solomon’s marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter introduces a fact of Solomon’s reign that shows up in a more disturbing manner as this book unfolds.

In Deut. 7, the LORD forbids His people to marry Canaanite women: “ . . . you shall not intermarry with them [i.e., the Canaanites]; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will quickly destroy you.”

God did not mean that this dramatic downfall of His people would happen instantly the very day one of them married the daughter of the pagans; He meant that such unions would inevitably, over time, lead to the ruination of Israel’s unique identity and perspective as a nation chosen by God.

While it’s true Solomon did not violate this particular law, since he married an Egyptian princess, the consequences of this action were basically the same. He certainly did disobey the spirit of the law. Later sections in this book reveal some of the results of Solomon entering into this special relationship with Pharaoh. I would maintain, therefore, that outcome to which I just referred was set in motion when Solomon took the step of making the daughter of Pharaoh his wife.

This alliance with Egypt, for example, prepared the way for the acceptance of certain Egyptian practices—and, once again, this didn’t happen overnight, but over time. Solomon’s relationship with the leader of Egypt made the infiltration of pagan concepts much easier and less threatening than would have been the case had Solomon maintained a strict and obvious prohibition against pagan influence.

Various theories have been suggested to explain why such a marriage would occur in the first place. The daughter of Pharaoh did not normally marry outside her own people. There must have been some advantage perceived by Pharaoh so that he allowed his daughter to marry Solomon. Some have thought Pharaoh approved of the marriage because it made him an ally of one of the most powerful nations in the region, one that had seen marvelous success under Solomon’s father, David. It would also lead to a tremendous increase in trade between the two nations. And in fairness to the reputation of Solomon, I should add that some scholars suggest that this Egyptian princess renounced paganism before marrying Solomon. They base this opinion on the fact that no trace of Egyptian pagan worship is found in Israel under Solomon’s rule.

As v. 1 indicates, Solomon has begun a number of building projects. He built a new royal residence and started construction on the temple for the LORD. In addition, Solomon ordered the fortification, or perhaps the extension, of the wall around Jerusalem. All of this occurred during Solomon’s first year.

I mentioned that I’m referring to these opening verses as “Solomon’s challenge.” By marrying the Egyptian princess, Solomon set up a challenge for himself. His action meant he would now have to have extraordinary vigilance to keep his people from the moral pollution that would present itself as a natural consequence of this union between the king of Israel and pagan nation. The marriage made Solomon’s reign more difficult that would otherwise have been true.

The State of Israel’s Worship

The writer also tells us something about the spiritual climate of the day: “The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days.” (v. 2) These “high places” were locations where an altar and normally some kind of sanctuary existed. They were generally found in the higher elevations so that the worshiper would be closer to God, so they thought. These are not the “high places” mentioned elsewhere. Those locations were associated with pagan worship.

The people of Israel took it upon themselves to provide convenient places of worship. This sounds like a reasonable idea until we are reminded that worship of Jehovah was strictly regulated and was to take place only in Jerusalem. The inconvenience that might be part of obeying this stipulation was of no consequence. The people were not free to modify what the LORD required. While they thought they were doing a commendable thing, they were, in fact, transgressing God’s law. That this practice was common throughout the land is indicated when the writer adds that even Solomon “sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.” (v. 3) In fact, Solomon had presented “a thousand burnt offerings” at just one of the more prominent high places.

Simply because there was no permanent building in Jerusalem at which worship could take place was not an excuse to do what the people did. The tent of meeting was still standing and it was in Jerusalem, so there was a place available that would allow the people to remain in compliance with God’s commandment. There seems to be no reason for the high places other than what I already suggested, which is the inconvenience caused by having to travel to a specific location. For some, of course, that would be a hardship, but God’s commandments cannot be set aside just because fulfilling them is difficult in one manner or another.

Another aspect to the challenge facing Solomon, therefore, was the spiritual state of the nation. As king, he had to lead the people back to a strict observance of the law of God; he had to be willing and able to enforce the law. Sadly, Solomon’s participation in the unlawful worship of the high places made this challenge even more potent. He not only had to ensure the compliance of the citizens, he also had to discipline himself and redeem his reputation to a degree (I’ll have more to say about this momentarily). The last voice people will listen to is the one telling them to give up what the speaker is unwilling to give up. My point is that the last thing Solomon needed was a personal spiritual weakness with which to contend.

The Faith of Solomon

At the same time, the writer says something encouraging about Solomon: “Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David . . .” (v. 3) I think this illustrates something relevant to our modern experiences. Solomon appears to have been a Godly man, taking great care to live his life according to the Word of God. He sought to follow the generally commendable example of his father. But in the matter of the high places, Solomon “joined the crowd,” so to speak, and this severely compromised his testimony.

Often today, you see Christians who are living otherwise commendable lives, except for one or two areas where they seem to have adopted a worldly perspective—and it frequently seems as if they are completely unaware of the contradiction between different aspects of their lives. This is what happens when the influence of culture subtly embeds itself in our thinking. We don’t engage in deliberate, outright rebellion against God’s Word, but we end up violating that standard nevertheless.

This statement about Solomon’s love for the LORD tells us he was, at heart, a righteous man. He is going to find himself pulled in many directions, however, when it comes to his dedication to holiness. This is one of the unique temptations that come to people in positions of great power.

We have here a third aspect of the challenge Solomon faced as the new king. In this case, Solomon had to be exceptionally vigilant in regard to his personal holiness. I pointed out before that he faced the challenge of leading the people into a more acceptable walk before Jehovah, but here we realize Solomon had the added duty of disciplining himself so that he could maintain a good and beneficial relationship with God as he led the people.

Application

This short passage offers to us a number of helpful lessons and applications as we carry on our lives before the Lord. First, for example, this passage reminds us of the powerful attraction—and potential danger—of worldly alliances and relationships. There were a number of genuine advantages to be had in Solomon’s alliance by marriage with Pharaoh, king of Egypt. There were an equal number of potential pitfalls associated with such a relationship, as well. In time, while Israel did benefit from its involvement with Egypt, the nation also suffered as a result of this arrangement. You have to wonder if what Israel gained was so valuable that it was worth the spiritual damage done. I would tend to think that no advantage was worth weakening the nation’s spiritual condition. In fact, I would ask if any advantage is worth compromise?

If we are honest this morning, I think just about everyone here would have to admit to relationships of one kind or another with unbelieving elements of our present world. In most cases, this is going to be a friendship between you and a non-Christian. Before I’m misunderstood, I am not saying friendships with non-believers is, in every case, sinful. It would depend, of course, on the nature of the friendship.

My concern is that in the relationships we have with non-believers, for example, the influence upon us is often more pronounced than our influence upon them. And that is always the danger. Routinely, however, when you ask a Christian about some relationship he has with a non-believers, his response is always some version of “Well, I try to have a good testimony before my friend.” The problem is—and again, if we are honest, I think we would have to admit this—that in most such relationships, we are far more influenced than we are influential. It’s the believer is these relationships who says and does things he would not normally say or do because of the environment in which the friendship puts him. So, instead of spending the majority of your time with this person talking about spiritual matters, you spend the majority of your time joining them in their version of living.

Again, it’s not that we should have no relationships with non-believers; the point is that we have to be particularly careful in such relationships to maintain our point of view and to make sure our faith is a prominent element in the friendship. Otherwise, these kinds of relationships will do one thing and that is drag us down and pull us away from the Lord. And that is a truth you can count on without doubt. Examine your relationships right now, therefore, and be open with yourself. Do you have friendships in which you are being pulled away from the Lord or away from what would otherwise be the course of your life as a Christian? Are you making sure your friendship with that non-believer is always returning his or her attention to God and the gospel?

What I’m saying could be applied in other relationships, of course. Consider the implications for your business relationships or marital relationships. Doesn’t the Scripture warn us about being unequally yoked? Is the Bible wrong when it warns us about the dangers of aligning ourselves with those who do not share our faith? Is God paranoid and afraid some of our devotion to Him might be redirected? God warns us because of the very real and painful consequences that await His children when they ignore the fact that they are in this world, but not of this world.

Regardless of what kind of relationship we have in mind, we have an obligation to maintain our spiritual priorities. That which matters most to God, and which should matter most to us of course, is our thankful obedience to His holy Word. Yes, we can be of tremendous help to non-believers and, to a degree, we should be willing to interact with those who do not know Christ. But what we must never do is allow such relationships to hinder our efforts to walk before God appropriately.

A second lesson follows from the first and has to do with the “weakening” effect of sinful choices. I just spoke of the potential danger found in unwise relationships. But Solomon’s marriage to the Egyptian princess provides another level of application; that decision prepared the way for the influx of various negative influences. Solomon could have found other means by which to create a favorable relationship with Egypt. He chose marriage, of course, but could have followed some other course. The point is that the very thought of aligning himself and the nation with Egypt was misguided regardless of how Solomon carried out his intention.

Any friendly relationship between Egypt and Israel exposed God’s people to pagan influences. Whatever advantages this arrangement brought to Israel were offset by the spiritual damage that was done. We must be aware, therefore, that we cannot make one isolated sinful choice and think the matter ends there. Inevitably, even a single sinful choice exposes us to danger. That single sinful choice, even though we don’t realize it at the time, weakens our resolve and multiplies the strength of temptation that we will face later.

You have probably heard the phrase “the chink in the armor.” This refers to a small crack or area of weakness in that which is designed to provide protection. Long ago, when some men went into battle in suits of armor, it was recognized that cracks or even extremely small holes in that armor could be disastrous for the man inside. Any such blemish in the armor rendered the entire suit less effective. Therefore, it was common practice to inspect ones suit of armor between encounters.

Likewise, even the smallest break in your spiritual armor can be big trouble. One area of weakness renders you more vulnerable in all areas. Be careful, therefore, that you do not fool yourself by thinking the occasional sinful choice will have no consequences. And if there is some ongoing sinful choice that you’re making right now in your life, take heed. Before greater damage is done, repent of that sinful choice and thus repair that spiritual armor that protects you in this fallen environment. Your goal is to be as strong as possible, not see how much you can compromise and still satisfy yourself that you are a believer.

A third application has a do with the importance of Godly leadership. As I have stated already, Solomon’s relationship with Egypt is going to have more than a few negative consequences for Israel. The simple lesson to be kept in mind is that those in positions of leadership have a particular obligation to exercise self discipline and wisdom. When leaders stumble, they are not the only ones to suffer. Those who are depending upon the one providing guidance must bear with the consequences of the leader’s choices.

The most obvious example of where this application would have relevance in our lives is in our homes. If you think that in your role as a father, for example, you can engage in sin without harming your wife and children, you are, to put it simply, a fool. God has so ordained the family that the peace they enjoy or the turmoil they endure is related directly to your conduct as head of that household. As a husband and father, a man no longer has a luxury of living for himself and bearing the consequences of his decisions by himself.

Please know, men, that there is a heavy weight on your shoulders and it is not a weight that can be ignored or discarded without producing the most regrettable outcome. You may not have any great responsibility in any other area of your life, but you have incredibly important responsibilities in your home. It is imperative, therefore, that you live a life of honor before God; it is imperative that you guarding yourself from all manner of temptation so that you do not stumble.

If what I am saying applies to you and you know full well that there are some matters and your life that are threatening the peace and stability in your home because you are the leader in the home, then I urge you to repent and seek God’s help. Do not do what so many men do, which is fail to deal with their problems because of the potential embarrassment that might result. Consider this: in all honesty, which is most important, your freedom from embarrassment or momentary uneasiness when you seek help or the spiritual development and safety of your wife and children? The simple truth is that you are the key to bless sickness in your home and, to a significant degree, in the homes that will one day be established by your children.

The few verses we studied offer a fourth application related to the modification of what God commands. In the matter of worship, God commanded that He was to be worshiped by the people in Jerusalem and only in Jerusalem. The people, however, modified this command by removing the part about location. They apparently assumed that as long as they were worshiping God, He would not really care about where that worship took place. But that change to God’s command was as much a violation as anything else.

God had a purpose in specifying that He was to be worshiped in Jerusalem. This requirement emphasized the fact that the God of Israel lived with His people. He was not like the pagan gods who could be worshiped anytime and any place. Jehovah was to be treated with more respect and reverence. It was no small matter, therefore, when the people decided that this requirement was not all that important.

The modern expression of this sin is seen in the tremendous amounts of liberty Christians are taking with the worship of God. We have reached that point where as long as we call something “worship” it is acceptable. In general, Christians have little regard for the principle that has guided Protestants in the past, which is the regulative principle. It says that only God can tell us how God is to be worshiped. Therefore, we are not free to introduce new elements into our worship and assume they are acceptable to God simple because we call them “worship.” We are safe when we look at Scripture and discern what God has approved and limit our worship to those elements.

The danger of violating this principle, of course, is that worship becomes a matter of what pleases us rather than a matter of what pleases God. And that is exactly what is happening today. Churches are competing with one another to see which one can attract the biggest crowd. Inevitably, this results in various outlandish events each one designed to top the last one. This is going on right here in Vancouver, as you all know. But God hasn’t changed. He hasn’t released an addendum to the Bible telling us that since He isn’t as popular as He used to be, we should see what we can come up with to make Him and the church more appealing. Our concern, then, is to do our part to honor and serve God as He requires, not according to what we or others think might be a more interesting approach.

Conclusion

Speaking of the importance of doing what God says as God says, we should note this sacrament. We have the same basic observance week after week. We need the kind of stability repeated acts and repeated reminders give us. We need to be reminded every week that Christ gave Himself for us and that we are, therefore, free from the mastery of sin and are capable of living honorable lives before the Lord. We need the repeated encouragement that we have been redeemed and are forever secure in Christ.

These are the truths that give us joy and hope in this world. The fallen environment in which we operate each week can easily discourage us. But God has given us certain helps and one is this sacrament. Any serious contemplation of the meaning of this sacrament produces a profound sense of thanksgiving and humility. With those two essential characteristics refreshed, we return to the demands of another week and we live each day for the glory of the One who saved us and who is keeping us.

Gladly, therefore, we will read once again of the creation of this sacrament and receive it again this Lord’s Day with entire thankfulness:

Matt. 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”