Can We Be Wiser Than Solomon?

by Barry Kenavan

Even though Solomon was wiser than everyone (1 Kings 4:31 tells us that "he was wiser than all men"), did he ever make decisions that were not wise?

Some things he did caused him serious problems when he was older. In 1 Kings 11:1-3 we see that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Verse 4 tells us that this led to major problems for king Solomon in later years. "For it was so, when Solomon was old [around 50 years of age], that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God . . ." His wives encouraged him in turning from his God to their false gods.

Is there anything we can learn from this?

The dating years are full of the chemistry that makes us want to spend time with the opposite sex. The chemistry and the fun are important, but is there something else we should consider? Verse 2 of 1 Kings 11 tells us that this wise man failed to consider what God told him. "From the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, 'You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.' Solomon clung to these in love."

As a result of this, we see that "his wives turned away his heart" (verse 3) and Solomon "did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord . . ." (verse 6).

Even though he may have loved these women, Solomon made the choice to let the chemistry of attraction rule instead of the words of God in 1 Kings 11:2. His heart was not perfect with God.

In our dating years we will be attracted to many people, but there is something that goes beyond attraction when it comes to being successful in the eyes of God. We need to consider that God has given us some directions as to whom we should date and eventually choose to be our partner in marriage. Even though Solomon was wise, he did not remain upright in God's eyes because he failed to apply what 1 Kings 8:61 said to him: "Let your heart therefore be loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments . . ."

When Solomon was considering potential wives he forgot to apply this knowledge to the people he kept company with. Eventually the company he kept wore him down (compare Proverbs 27:15-16). He gave in to what they wanted rather than what God wanted him to do.

If we choose to keep company with those who are upholding the instructions given by the One who created us and knows far more than Solomon, then we will not make the mistake Solomon made. His story is recorded so that we can make wiser choices than he did. VT