King Solomon was the classic example of someone who had bucks in the bank, but without peace.
He ruled the nation, and he commanded the army. He had fabulous wealth, and he indulged himself on parties, infinite sex, palatial homes, and possessions beyond counting.
But all the wealth and pleasure in the world couldn’t fill the hole in his heart.
He complained, “I’ve been king over Israel in Jerusalem. I looked most carefully into everything, searched out all that is done on this earth. And let me tell you, there’s not much to write home about. God hasn’t made it easy for us. I’ve seen it all and it’s nothing but smoke—smoke, and spitting into the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:12-14). Even though he was disillusioned, God gave him #wisdom to understand how life is supposed to work.
My friend Matt Chandler is the lead pastor of The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas. My wife and I love to listen to his messages. *[Matt’s podcasts are free through itunes or at his website: ] ![[Matt Chandler.jpg]]
More About King Solomon
Background and sources
Nearly all evidence for Solomon’s life and reign comes from the (especially the first 11 chapters of the and the first nine chapters of the ). According to those sources, his father was (flourished c. 1000 bce), the poet and king who, against great odds, founded the and united all the of under one monarch. Solomon’s mother was , formerly the wife of David’s general, Uriah. She proved to be adept at court intrigue, and through her efforts, in concert with the prophet Nathan, Solomon was anointed king while David was still alive, despite the fact that he was younger than his brothers.
Material evidence for Solomon’s reign, as for that of his father, is scant. Although some scholars claim to have discovered that the biblical account of his reign in the early 10th century bce, others claim that the archaeological record strongly suggests that the fortified cities and even the Temple of Jerusalem actually emerged more than a century later. In the latter view, the kingdom of Solomon was far from the vast empire that the biblical narrative describes.
Solomon’s Reign
The Bible says that King Solomon consolidated his position by liquidating his opponents ruthlessly as soon as he acceded to the throne. Once rid of his foes, he established his friends in the key posts of the military, governmental, and religious institutions. Solomon also reinforced his position through military strength. In addition to infantry, he had at his disposal impressive chariotry and cavalry. The eighth chapter of 2 recounts Solomon’s successful military operations in . His aim was the control of a great overland trading route. To consolidate his interests in the province, he planted Israelite colonies to look after military, administrative, and commercial matters. Such colonies, often including cities in which chariots and provisions were kept, were in the long tradition of combining mercantile and military personnel to take care of their sovereign’s trading interests far from home. , a town located at the pass through the Carmel range connecting the coastal plain with the , is the best-preserved example of one of the cities that Solomon is said to have established.
Palestine
was destined to be an important centre because of its strategic location for trade by land and sea. It alone connects Asia and Africa by land, and, along with , it is the only area with ports on the Atlantic-Mediterranean and Red Sea–Indian Ocean waterways. Solomon is said to have fulfilled the commercial destiny of Palestine and brought it to its greatest heights. The nature of his empire was predominantly commercial, and it served him and friendly rulers to increase trade by land and sea. One particularly celebrated episode in the reign of Solomon is the visit of the , whose wealthy southern Arabian kingdom lay along the route into the . Solomon needed her products and her trade routes for maintaining his commercial network, and she needed Solomon’s cooperation for marketing her goods in the Mediterranean via his Palestinian ports. Biblical makes much of a romance between the Queen and Solomon, and his granting her “all that she desired, whatever she asked” (1 10:13) has been interpreted to include a child.
King David
Palestine during the time of David and Solomon.
The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon, oil on canvas by Edward John Poynter, 1890; in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Tradition recognizes Solomon as an ambitious builder of .
The demand for fortresses and garrison cities throughout his homeland and empire made it necessary for Solomon to embark on a vast building program, and the prosperity of the nation made such a program possible. He was especially lavish with his capital,