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“Lesson 06 - How Satan Attacked Solomon”
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Lesson 6
How Satan Attacked Solomon
Wednesday, 01/11/2012
Introduction
Both David and Solomon reigned forty years over Israel. David brought the nation to an unprecedented level of power and influence. Under his son’s rule, these things only increased. It has been said that during the reign of Solomon, Israel was the strongest nation in the Middle East.
Solomon’s success came as a result of the blessing of God. As he began his reign, he approached God and asked not for riches and power, but for wisdom. For this God was pleased. Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for possessions, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, and have not even asked for long life, but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may govern my people over whom I have made you king, wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like, 2 Chronicles 1.11-12. Solomon’s writings of wisdom are some of the most treasured in all of literature.
Overall, the early years of Solomon’s reign are characterized by service and dedication to God. Solomon firmly established the house of David and executed justice throughout the land. Dealing with all the rebels left over from the time of his father, Solomon continually grew his influence among the people and with surrounding nations.
One of the most impressive highlights of Solomon’s accomplishments would certainly include the construction and dedication of the temple. After construction was finished, the temple was magnificent and awe inspiring. It was a cause for national celebration and worship to God. At its dedication, 2 Chronicles 6-7, Solomon prayed for God’s presence to enter the temple, spoke of God’s great power and reminded the people how He had continually blessed Israel. Solomon also asked for God’s continued blessing and relationship with the people. 2 Chronicles 8-9 gives a summary of how the king further expanded the territory of Israel and became the richest person on earth. King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah, 2 Chronicles 9.22-23, 27.
Darkness Influenced Solomon to Use Human Reasoning
While Solomon’s material success excelled to unparalleled heights, there were cracks in his spiritual armor. Early in his reign, Solomon loved the Lord, but he also sacrificed and made offerings in the high places and practiced polygamy, 1 Kings 3.3. Solomon did not address these issues, which would later take a life of their own and turn his heart away from God. "Silently, invisibly, like an incubating virus, sin was at work throughout Solomon's reign and in the end broke out in violent, destructive force. Such is the nature of sin.1" Because Solomon ignored God’s plea to return, he was punished. 1 Kings 11 gives us the details. Solomon’s life contrasts dramatically with his father. When David began to reign, the Philistines dominated Israel. When Solomon began to reign, Israel was at peace and in control of her neighbors, 1 Kings 2.12.2 David died in peace, Solomon in battle. David died in victory, Solomon in defeat. How did Satan get to Solomon? What entry-points was Solomon most susceptible to? In today’s lesson we will see how Satan attacked the king and hardened his heart against God.
In 1 Kings 3 we are told of Solomon’s marriage to the princess of Egypt. As far as Egypt’s relationship with Israel was concerned, events have come full circle. Egypt’s former slaves had come a long way. During this time Israel was in a more powerful position of influence and notoriety than Pharaoh. Historically, the Pharaohs of Egypt refrained from marrying off their daughters to foreign kings. “This illustrates both the relative importance of Israel and the low estate to which Egypt had sunk: Pharaohs of the Empire did not give their daughters even to kings of Babylon or Mitanni!”3 Even though Solomon already had a wife, there is little reason for this new marriage except for political convenience.
Here is a classic example of where human reasoning circumvented the will of God. While he still had a heart for God, as evidenced by the way God blessed him after this, Solomon’s decision to marry foreign wives planted the seeds that led to his turning away from God. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life, Galatians 6.7–8.
Darkness Led Solomon into Denial
We must be aware of the dangers in relying only on human reasoning. Darkness whispers in the background, saying that our way is better than God’s. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death, Proverbs 16.25. Darkness tells us our own present concerns and situation make God’s word non-applicable to our life. In 1 Kings 11.2 the writer quotes Exodus 34.16: You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. Solomon ignored God’s command. To him, the decision to enter into these marriages seemed perfectly logical and in the best interests of Israel. Having close ties to Egypt would have been a benefit to Israel’s military as well as to its economic trade. Marrying the daughters of foreign leaders would have been considered the norm during Solomon’s time. It would have seemed like the natural choice - with little side effects. Even if Solomon experienced the slightest dissonance when he made the choice, his action now paved for the decision to be repeatedly made in the future. By the latter part of Solomon’s reign, he had wives from the Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite nations. He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines, 1 Kings 11.3a.
God warned that the taking on of foreign wives would turn away (one’s) heart after their gods, Exodus 34.16. Did Solomon somehow think he was above this? Had his personal position as king filled him with pride? Did he believe he would not be effected? Isn’t this what darkness tells us during times of temptation? It’ll be OK, it won’t happen to you. Your smoother and smarter than everyone else. This is not reality. The truth is, we are just like everyone else: human and subject to sin. Several years ago I knew an addict whose drug problem was so severe that it almost cost him his job. After showing up for work high one too many times, the employer told him not to come back if he could not get a handle on his drug use. In desperation, his elderly parents dipped into their retirement to send him to rehab. After a few weeks, he checked himself out early, came home and smugly said, I’m not like all those other losers. I don’t have a problem like they do. Within a year, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, he destroyed the lives of those around him, including his own, with a lengthy prison sentence for murder. Darkness makes us feel invincible. Like unsuspecting prey lured into a murderous trap, some walk into spiritual darkness and death with a smile on their face.
Once we’ve been enticed and walked into Satan’s trap, things may be great for a while. But the fun does not last forever. When sin has finished it’s course, we are left alone to deal with the consequences. The shame, guilt, and remorse are ours to bear, not to mention all the other consequences that come our way. In these moments we see our sin for the raw sewage it is. We have to face the fact that Satan has left us to sit in it, cold, miserable and alone.
Don’t fall for Satan’s lies. God’s commandments are given with the intent of building our relationship with Him and keeping us away from harmful things. Solomon clung to the 1000 women around him in love, 1 Kings 11.2. God’s prohibition against foreign marriage served an important purpose. God knew that if Israel engaged in this practice, their faithfulness would wane. This is exactly what happened. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father, 1 Kings 11.4. Solomon failed to take God seriously and it cost him dearly. We may not understand or agree with a commandment God has given, but we need to trust in His higher purposes for us. God’s commands are always for our good.
Darkness Led Solomon into a Slow Fade
While serving as king, Solomon faced incredible pressure on every side. There were pressures in running a government, military, conducting trade with other nations, and inside his family. Stretched thin, Solomon’s vulnerability was with his wives - who wanted him to worship their gods. “In marriage and close relationships, it is difficult to resist pressure to compromise.”4 At first Solomon resisted, maintaining a dedicated relationship with God. But his resistance could not be sustained. As time wore on he began to tolerate the widespread practice of paganism, finally becoming involved in the idolatrous worship himself. Darkness influenced Solomon to rationalize away this danger. Don’t let darkness lead you into denial.
In the opening verses of Proverbs Solomon said: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction, Proverbs 1.7. These verses, written at an earlier time in his life, were completely ignored after his sin became full grown. “One of the most puzzling aspects of the life of Solomon was the fact that he, the wisest of all men, could be so foolish, particularly in the last years of his reign. What must be understood is that the very basis, in fact, the essence of Biblical wisdom is to fear God. It was precisely when Solomon neglected this principle that he began the slippery slope to folly.”5
Solomon ignored his own advice. Don’t assume that these developments happened overnight. His coldness and lack of allegiance to God developed over the course of a few decades. “Exceptional favors had been granted to this king. Twice he had been permitted to receive direct revelations from God, 1 Kings 3.5; 9.2. Solomon had been solemnly warned about pursuing other gods, but he had disregarded this command.”6
We need to become more aware of the slow progression of sin. Overlooking sins that are considered to be small can be the first step in turning away from God. People rarely turn away from God in one day. It is actually much slower than that. A popular song on some radio stations reminds listeners, “It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away. It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray. Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid when you give yourself away. People never crumble in a day, it’s a slow fade… The journey from your mind to your hands is shorter than you’re thinking, be careful if you think you stand, you just might be sinking.”7
Conclusion
May we heighten our resolve to let no sin in our life go unchallenged. Our spiritual light can be extinguished through a slow series of compromises that eventually leads us to places we once imagined we would never go. As darkness influences us, the choices and decisions we employ make sense because sin numbs us of reality. Sin is a cancer and it will gradually eat away our soul, destroying our relationship with God. Hardly no one crashes and burns. They just slowly fade away, one little compromise at a time.
Solomon eventually reached a point that not even the direct pleading of God Himself could reach him. The Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 1 Kings 11.9. That is a scary place to be and we must guard against going there at all costs. Because Solomon refused to return to God, a solemn judgment was pronounced upon him. The Lord would tear the kingdom from him and give it to his servant, 1 Kings 11.11. While this would not happen during Solomon’s lifetime, it did come to pass. Before his death, God raised up adversaries against Solomon. In the south, Hadad, a member of the royal family of Edom, afflicted Solomon’s trading capabilities, 11.14-22. Rezon, an Aramean, fought Solomon with military incursions in the north all the days of Solomon….he loathed Israel and ruled over Syria, 11.25. Internally, Solomon was forced to deal with an Israelite, Jeroboam. Jeroboam was from the most prominent tribe in the north, Ephraim. He seized an opportunity to stir up those in his tribe who were discontent and led a rebellion. Solomon wanted to kill him, 11.40. Jeroboam fled for his life to Egypt.
Questions For Discussion
Human reasoning, denial, and pride can change our heart. Sin can take us to places we never imagined and leave us there, caught in our own devices, alone, and devastated. Never underestimate the subtle power of darkness to creep into your spiritual life.
1. How many wives did Solomon have? What had God commanded concerning the king’s marriage of foreign wives? See Exodus 34.21, Deuteronomy 17.14-20.
2. Did Solomon follow God with his whole heart? See 1 Kings 11.4-8.
3. Why was God so angry with Solomon? See 1 Kings 11.9-10.
4. How does darkness persuade us into using human reasoning to guide our decisions?
5. During times of temptation, how does darkness make us feel?
6. What is the purpose for God’s rules and expectations?
7. What is the connection between time and tolerance and rationalization?
8. In what way did Solomon ignore his own advice?
9. What can be the first step in turning away from God?
10. How does sin make us numb to reality?
11. What were the consequences of Solomon’s disobedience? See 11.11, 14, 26.
1 Rice, G. Nations Under God. p. 31.
2 Constable, T. (2012). Notes on 1 Kings. Retrieved 01/09/12 from http://http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/1kings.pdf
3 Bright J. A History of Israel, p. 191.
4 Life Application Bible. 1 Kings 11.4. Notes on the Old Testament.
5 Merrill, E. (2001). “1 Kings.” The Old Testament Explorer, p. 257.
6 Smith, J. (2005). “The Books of History.” Old Testament Commentary. p. 254
7 Hall, M. (2007). It’s a Slow Fade (Recorded by Casting Crowns). On The Altar and the Door. Beech St. Records: Nashville.
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