Who marries 700 women, has 300 concubines, follows their foreign gods, and yet still constructs the most elaborate temple for Jehovah God? The same man who is known as “the Preacher,” the wisest and richest man to walk the earth (second only in wisdom to Christ, of course). Solomon.
As the book of Ecclesiastes confirms, Solomon denied himself nothing. And he paid for it dearly. He forgot his own admonition at the end of the book to fear God and keep his commands.
Just as God had warned, Solomon was led astray by his foreign wives and began to worship their gods. He even built high places for the various gods that each of his different wives worshipped.
This angered God greatly and he would’ve completely stripped the kingdom from Solomon but for his promise to David. Solomon broke his covenant with God, so God tore the kingdom from him—not during his rule and not 100% of the kingdom, again, because of God’s promise to David (1 Kings 11:1-13).
What would’ve happened had Solomon followed his own advice—practiced what he preached?
In Proverbs 18:22, Solomon says that he who finds a wife finds a good thing, but he was unable to describe the virtuous wife in Proverbs 31... We look to King Lemuel for that account.
I suppose that if finding a wife means you find a good thing, finding 700 wives is even better? Not really. Maybe that’s why he dedicates two and a half chapters in Proverbs warning against adultery, in addition to a warning in Ecclesiastes 9:9 to enjoy life with the wife whom you love.
While it is easy to point our finger of blame at Solomon for not practicing what he preached as it related to his wives, the graver and more foundational error was not fearing God or keeping his commands.
Are you practicing what you preach?
What does it mean to fear God and keep his commands today?
