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In the first article on Solomon, I said that he was an obedient son; he took care of those individuals who had been a problem to his father. But he failed to be obedient to God, to walk in His ways, keep his statutes and commandments. He had barely taken care of his enemies and secured his throne, when he made an alliance with Egypt and married Pharaoh's daughter.
He also took wives from some of the people that were to be annihilated, when the Israelites came into the land of Canaan. They failed to destroy all the Amorites, Hittites, Girgashites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Deuteronomy 7:2-3 says, "You shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. Nor shall you make marriages with them."
God had told Abraham that in four generations, He was going to bring his descendants out of Egypt and use them to bring judgment on the wicked, ungodly people of the land. He was going to judge the nations through the Israelites, "for the sin of the Amorite is not yet complete," Genesis 15:16. Many of those people became a snare to Solomon and also the Israelites in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Solomon chose to pursue pleasure, power, and material gain. It says in I Kings 10:29, "Now a chariot that was imported from Egypt cost six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty; and thus, through their agents, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria."
The first problem with this business venture of Solomon is that it was in disobedience to what God had commanded. They were not to return to Egypt, not to buy horses there, and not to get a wife there. The second problem is that Solomon was going back to Egypt so he could make money. The third problem was that he sold them to the heathen kings around him; that seems like a really bad idea!
We can almost be sure that some of those chariots and horses were eventually used to kill some of the Israelites. I Kings 11:23-25 is just one example. Rezon "was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon (besides the trouble that Hadad caused); and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria."
Solomon deliberately chose to turn away from God and serve the false gods of the women he had married. It's possible that the prophet Nathan had an impact on his early days; and even King David had set a type of Godly example. But experiencing the mercy and grace of God will never take the place of a changed heart (being born again from above).
What a contrast we see if we compare Solomon to the life of Joshua! In Joshua 1:7-9, God tells Joshua, "Be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do all the law which my servant Moses commanded you." Near the end of his life, this is what Joshua said, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," Joshua 24:24. Joshua was sold out to God his entire life and was blessed with grace and perseverance.
After just three kings, the nation of Israel was going to be split, with two tribes remaining with Rehoboam the son of Solomon. In Solomon's thirst for power and wealth, he had abused his own people. In his earlier day as king, the people were eating, drinking, and rejoicing, I Kings 4:20. As he grew older, he made their service burdensome and put a heavy yoke on them, I Kings 12:4. Looking back on the life of Solomon, we can say that God used the weakness and sinfulness of man to accomplish His sovereign purpose.
But why did God leave Solomon go without bringing him back in line? Here are a few of my own thoughts.
1- God was receiving honor and glory to Himself through the life and leadership of Solomon. It wasn't until near the end that he totally abandoned the faith and served and worshipped other Gods.
2- The life of Solomon leaves an example for everyone who followed, that wisdom and knowledge can never take us back to God. The things of this world will always have a tendency to separate us from God.
3- We need true dependance upon God every day of our lives. We must be led and directed through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. When we begin to think that we can handle things on our own, that is when we begin to fall spiritually.
4- Solomon saw the righteous life of Nathan the prophet and also his father's love for God. But loving the grace and mercy of God isn't enough, we must know the Giver of those gifts in a personal way (through His Son) if we want to enter heaven.
5- When we read about men like Uzziah and Solomon, who appeared to be walking with God and yet fell away, we can all get discouraged. We must remember to leave it in God's hands like Abraham in Genesis 18:25; "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"