“Fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.” That’s what Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 12:13. So, how well did he do in living according to his own wisdom? How consistently did he follow God’s law in his own life?

It’s easy to see that he missed the mark. I Kings 11:1 points out that he married many foreign women, even though 11:2 reminds us of God’s warning: “They will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Yes, Solomon had probably told himself that’s just the way the world worked in those days. Kings exchanged brides as a way of sealing the alliances they made with each other, and alliances were necessary to preserve the peace and independence of Israel, right? But no amount of diplomatic savvy should ever override the clear word of God. Solomon should have known better.

But that wasn’t the only time Solomon relied on his own wisdom instead of God’s clear instructions. After all, I Kings 10:26 tells of Solomon’s 1400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen. 10:28 adds that these were brought from Egypt, and of course they represented the very latest in military technology. Kings had to have well-equipped armies to defend their people, right? Except that Deuteronomy 17:16 specifically commands that an Israelite king “shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’” God wanted His people to trust in Him, not in their armies to keep them safe. Solomon should have known better.

And what about Solomon’s great wealth? I Kings 10:14-22 breathlessly catalogs all the gold and silver and ivory and other exotic and expensive trade goods that flowed into Solomon’s kingdom. Some of this gold ended up as shields, hanging on the walls of Solomon’s own house. But what did Deuteronomy 17:17 say about the King of Israel? “Nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.” God wanted his princes to rely on Him, not on their wealth, for their support. Solomon should have known better.

And Solomon’s problem wasn’t just that he married foreign women – I Kings 11:3 tells us that he married 700 wives. Oh, and he also had 300 concubines, women he slept with who didn’t have the rights or privileges of being married. Oh, it was the fashionable thing to do – the kings all around Solomon also had large harems, symbols of their power and wealth. But God’s Word clearly said of the King of Israel, “Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away” (Deuteronomy 17:17).

For that’s exactly what happened, isn’t it? Solomon’s heart turned away from the Lord his God toward the money, the power, the sex and the fame that were his. He even constructed statues of false gods like Chemosh and Molech and worshipped them, in spite of all the blessings the One True God had given him, and in spite of the fact that the One True God had appeared to him two times (I Kings 11:7-9).

So, sure, Solomon knew all the right things. He made all the right alliances with all the right kings. He built up the wealth and power of his kingdom. But since he didn’t put God’s Word into practice in his life, he ended up rejecting God, and his son eventually lost the kingdom he had worked so hard to build (I Kings 11:11). Was Solomon really so wise after all? So, why do we Americans so often follow his example? We really should know better.

I Kings 11:1-13 (NASB)

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,
2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them, neither shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.
4 For it came about when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as David his father had done.
7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon.
8 Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded.
11 So the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.
12 “Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
13 “However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”