As we look upwards, it’s hard to imagine the mountains almost twice their present size – however in their infancy they were almost that large. Slowly, through the processes of weathering and erosion, the mountains have been reduced to a fraction of their original size. Erosion is happening all around us. Even though you may not recognize it, the forces of erosion are constantly shaping our planet. Sometimes, as in a mudslide or avalanche, erosion happens quickly. More often than not, erosion happens so slowly that you can’t even see it. Over time, the simple act of water running downhill can not only carve out a hole the size of the Grand Canyon, but it can literally move mountains. The Grand Canyon stands as a monument to the destructive power of erosion. Character can erode in much the same way, slowly, escaping the notice of onlookers as well as the one experiencing the erosion. Even a character as strong as Solomon’s can fall prey to the effects of erosion. Today let’s take some time to discover what led to the erosion of Solomon’s character.
I. Solomon was envied by the rest of the world as he stood exalted for his greatness, wisdom and wealth.
A. Solomon’s great fame was the result of God’s hand being on his life. (2 Chronicles 1:1-12)
1. The kingdom is firmly in the hands of Solomon. This is God’s act. The Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.
2. Solomon’s request for wisdom and knowledge in ruling the people so pleased the Lord that He also promised him unparalleled riches, wealth, and honor.
3. Because Solomon’s heart is right, God will bless him as he has no other king — past or future. Leadership must seek God’s interests rather than their own.
4. Confident in the promise of God, Solomon returned to Jerusalem where he reigned over Israel. The promise to David is confirmed. God is faithful, and Solomon is prepared for his task.
B. Solomon had an unparalleled record of achievements. (Ecclesiastes 2:4-6)
1. These verses are basically a royal résumé. It is the king’s catalog of accomplishments based on 1 Kings 3–11. The king immerses himself in building projects, horticultural endeavors, and sexual exploits.
2. A sensible use of money may be a form of creativity; so Solomon expressed himself in extensive buildings and the planting of vineyards, fruit trees, and gardens.
3. In this Solomon resembled the monarchs of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Persia, whose achievements in building and planting were considered some of the wonders of the ancient world.
4. Solomon built enormous estates with parks and gardens—literal paradises. Orchards with all kinds of fruit trees punctuated the landscape.
5. It’s easy to imagine him taking his friends on guided tours and having his ego inflated by their expressions of awe and enthusiasm.
C. Solomon was held in high regard and enjoyed the praise of men. (1 Kings 10:1-24)
1. The purpose of 1 Kings Chapter 10 is to emphasize Solomon’s glory. From drinking vessels to sailing vessels, from an ivory throne to handcrafted chariots, he possessed everything the human heart could desire in quantities that stagger the imagination.
2. The queen of Sheba was completely overwhelmed by Solomon’s wisdom and by the splendor of his kingdom.
3. Gold was so plentiful that Solomon even used it for making shields to hang in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. His ivory throne was overlaid with pure gold. At each side of the throne was a large carved lion. Also on each side of the six steps leading to the throne was a lion.
4. Solomon’s fleet of merchant ships brought him all types of exotic items such as ivory, silver, apes and baboons.
5. Silver in Israel was of such abundance that it was considered of little value during Solomon’s reign.
6. Solomon’s riches and wisdom brought him worldwide fame, and gifts poured in to him from admirers who came to visit him.
II. Solomon’s diary, the book of Ecclesiastes helps us see the subtle trap that would eventually catch Solomon. (Ecclesiastes 2)
A. Having failed to find fulfillment in intellectual pursuit, Solomon turns next to the pursuit of pleasure.
1. It seems reasonable that one would be happy if one could just enjoy enough pleasure, he thought. Pleasure, by definition, means the enjoyable sensations that come from the gratification of personal desires.
2. Solomon’s indulgence in pleasure was not done impulsively. It was undertaken with deliberate planning. The testing used “qualitative research” with the king acting as both the participant and observer.
3. Solomon decided that he would drink the cup of fun to the full, and then, at last, his heart would ask no more. But the search ended in failure. He concludes that pleasures under the sun are worthless.
4. In his search for satisfaction, he had placed no limits on his expenditures. If he saw something he desired, he bought it. If he thought he’d enjoy some pleasure, he treated himself to it.
5. Solomon found a certain sense of gratification in this ceaseless round of getting things and doing things. This fleeting joy was all the reward he got for his exertions in pursuing pleasure and possessions.
B. Solomon felt he had earned the right to enjoy himself. He had worked hard for all of this. But the payoff did not match the effort expended.
1. The chilling realization that fame is short-lived and that man is quickly forgotten made Solomon hate life. Instead of finding satisfaction and fulfillment in human activity under the sun, he found only grief. It troubled him to realize that everything was meaningless a chasing after the wind.
2. The big lie proclaimed by the movies, TV, and the advertising media is that man can make his own heaven down here without God.
3. However, Solomon learned that all this world can offer are cesspools and cisterns, whereas God offers the fountain of life.
4. Does this mean that God is opposed to His people having pleasure? Not at all! In fact the reverse is true. God wants His people to have a good life. But He wants us to realize that this world cannot provide true pleasure.
5. Solomon reveals his bitter disappointment in life. It had, in effect, played a trick on him. All his life he had thought that he was pursuing a grand task in his quest for wisdom, but he had been trying to catch the wind. His efforts were destined for oblivion.
III. Compromise was the sure sign that Solomon’s character had began to erode.
A. Solomon’s marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter was one of the first signs of compromise in his life. (1 Kings 3)
1. Solomon’s ability to make a marriage alliance with Egypt demonstrates the king and nation’s newfound prominence, which might produce some nationalistic arrogance.
2. Another problem existed was that marrying a foreign princess might bring destructive foreign religious and political ideas to Israel.
3. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he loves Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women. Altogether he accumulates “seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines.” Like the marriage to the Egyptian princess, most of these unions probably were politically motivated.
4. Deuteronomy 17:17 forbade the king of Israel to marry heathen wives. The extent to which Solomon disobeyed this important command is shocking. The result was exactly as predicted: His wives turned him to idolatry.
5. Of all the sins recorded in Scripture, God takes idolatry the most seriously, for no other sin has the capability of wrecking the entire covenant by itself.
B. The ill-treatment of a friend through a shady business deal showed Solomon’s character was deteriorating. (1 Kings 9:10-14)
1. This passage relates a business transaction between Solomon and Hiram involving the transfer of twenty border towns. These towns were in Galilee in the western part of the territory of Asher.
2. Apparently he has offered Hiram cities instead of the food that was given in previous years. These cities were “Cabul,” meaning “worthless or rubbish,” constituting a poor payment to a “brother”. Hiram had sent gold to Solomon and received “garbage” in return.
3. This episode shows a conniving side of Solomon. Readers may wonder whether he is completely trustworthy. Still, Hiram continues to work with Solomon and the friendship lasts as long as both men live.
C. Solomon’s tolerance of other religions sent his character plummeting. (1 Kings 11:4-8)
1. As Solomon grew older, his resistance wore down; and he became increasingly vulnerable. His service to the Lord became more and more obligatory. Notice that his love for the Lord is measured by the standards of David, who, with all his faults loved God with a passion throughout his lifetime.
2. Solomon’s heart was no longer wholly God’s. The Lord had ceased to be the major factor in his life. Once this shift occurred, the next steps into idolatry became more natural and easier to accept.
3. Solomon established a religious tolerance that treated all religions alike leading to his own downfall.
4. Solomon’s sin will soon cause the nation to crash from the heights it has achieved. His idolatry will lead to idolatry among the people. Israel has begun the long road to exile, though they do not know yet that their actions entail such consequences.
Billy Graham tells in The Secret of Happiness of the disturbed patient who consulted a psychiatrist for help. He was suffering from deep depression. Nothing he had tried could help. He woke up discouraged and blue, and the condition worsened as the day progressed. Now he was desperate; he couldn’t go on this way. Before he left the office, the psychiatrist told him about a show in one of the local theaters. It featured an Italian clown who had the audience convulsed with laughter night after night. The doctor recommended that his patient attend the show, that it would be excellent therapy to laugh for a couple of hours and forget his troubles. Just go and see the Italian clown! With a dejected expression, the patient muttered, “I am that clown.” He too could say of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?”
How often in life we look at others and imagine that they have no problems, no hang-ups, no needs. But E. A. Robinson shatters the illusion in his poem, “Richard Cory”:
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when He said,
“Good morning,” and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich—yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace;
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
