Solomon is Crowned, 1 Kings 1-12

For Starters...

God had promised to David that his son, who would sit on David's throne, would have a great kingdom and build the Temple. The question, however, was "Which one?" Although there was some momentary doubt about it, the son who sat on David's throne did rule over a mighty nation and build a renowned Temple in God's honor.

What's the Story?

David was becoming very old indeed and his last few days were days of weaknesss and illness. In order to perhaps stir the king to greater vigor, his advisors brought in a beautiful,new wife for king David, Abishag. This good intended gesture, however, had no effect on his health and in the case of a king's death there are more than literal buzzards that will circle.

Adonijah, one of the king's sons assessed the situation and decided that if he were to successfully claim the throne, the time was now. Adonijah, therefore, allied himself with Joab, David's longtime general, and Abiathar the priest and publically declared himself the new king amidst a specially selected group of supporters.

Bathsheba, Nathan (a prophet), Zadok the priest, and David's "mighty men", however, reading the handwriting on the wall, immediately came to David about this. David had originally indicated that Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba, would be David's successor. David, weak of body, but still strong in mind, advised an immediate coronation ceremony for Solomon grand enough to "trump" Adonijah's bid for the throne. David ordered that Solomon be brought out on David's royal mule and sit on David's own royal throne during a coronation ceremony attended by Zakok the priest, Nathan, and David's "mighty men".

At the sound of Solomon's trumpets and the reports of the royal mule and throne, Adonijah's fairweather allies suddenly melted away -- supporting the wrong "candidate" could be hazardous to health in those days. Adonijah himself realizing that he had been "trumped" sought mercy from Solomon, which he granted, provided he behave himself.

David, however, before he died and knowing that Adonijah and his allies would ultimately be trouble, pulled Solomon aside and in addition to the advise to "...be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;< 1 Kings 2:2,3, RSV, also told him to be very wary of Adonijah, Joab, Abiathar, and Shimei.

This turned out to be excellent advice almost immediately as David died. Adonijah, thinking that he could hoodwink Solomon, made a "backdoor" play for the throne by asking for the young and beautiful wife of David, Abishag (a claim to David's authority). Solomon, consequently, set about eliminating all his political enemies and consolidated his reign quickly.

Before long, Solomon, in gratitude to God, offered sacrifices in Gibeon. That night, the Lord came to Solomon in a dream and offered to him his choice of what He might give him. Solomon, knowing his youth and inexperience, chose wisdom. As a result of his wise choice -- he could have chosen things like riches, long life, etc. -- God granted him wisdom AND riches AND long life.

Solomon's kingdom continued to grow in power, influence, strength, wealth, and size over the course of the next several years, reaching all the way from Egypt to the Euphrates, the borders that God had promised Moses some 400 years earlier.

Using the power and wealth of his kingdom, Solomon then set about building the Temple that God had given to him, through David, as a great project. At the dedication of the temple Solomon prayed this beautiful prayer, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built! Yet have regard to the prayer of thy servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, hearkening to the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prays before thee this day; that thy eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which thou hast said, 'My name shall be there,' that thou mayest hearken to the prayer which thy servant offers toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant and of thy people Israel, when they pray toward this place; yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place; and when thou hearest, forgive." 1 Kings 8:27-30, RSV.

It was during this time that Solomon also built his own palace. Once finished it was considered by the whole world to be among the most beautiful in the known world. Solomon recognized this as he prayed, "Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised; not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he uttered by Moses his servant." 1 Kings 8:56, RSV. The queen of Sheba (Ethiopia) came in response to the reports she had heard about Solomon's and Israel's greatness, with great questions and large gifts for him -- perhaps in hopes of upstaging him with her own wealth and abilities. If those were her hopes, however, they were soon dashed and she is quoted as remarking, "The report was true which I heard in my own land of your affairs and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it; and, behold, the half was not told me; your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report which I heard." 1 Kings 10:6,7, RSV.

As the years passed, however, Solomon wandered away from God, due mostly to the foreign wives that he married (probably in peace treaty deals with neighboring countries). They desired places of worship in Jerusalem for them to worship their pagan gods and found ways of otherwise influencing him toward a more "religiously diverse" point of view, one that the LORD didn't agree with! As a direct result, "Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, 'Since this has been your mind 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. Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.'" 1 Kings 11:11-13, RSV.

Just the Facts...

* Solomon followed David to the throne, not Adonijah
* Solomon built the temple
* God granted Solomon not only wisdom, but wealth and long life.
* Solomon raised Israel to the height of its power, wealth, and size.
* Solomon disobeyed God toward the end of his life.
* It is because of Solomon's disobedience that the kingdom was later divided into two kingdoms.

So What?

* Does God keep all His promises? How does this story demonstrate it?
* Why did God bless Solomon as He did? What does this tell us?
* Is being wise enough to stay out of trouble, temptation, sin? How did it happen to Solomon?