Solomon began his reign by gaining wisdom from God and building an international empire and temple in Jerusalem. However, he broke God's commands by multiplying horses, wives, and wealth. He married foreign women who turned him to their gods, causing him to build temples to other gods and no longer fully follow God's laws. While he initially drew people to Jerusalem through his wisdom, his actions later began leading the people away from the true God.

1. Wise King
Solomon
Chapter 11

2. David passes on the
Kingdom
• David had a lot of military success
and left his son with a large and
prosperous kingdom
• David gives Solomon his last
instructions
– Follow all of God’s commands
– Follow the Mosaic law
– If you do this you will succeed
1

3. Solomon requests wisdom
• 1 Kings 3:5-15
– God appeared to Solomon in a dream
– God told Solomon he would give him
anything he asked for
– Solomon asked for wisdom to serve
the people
– v12 “I will give you a heart so wise…I
will also give you riches and glory”
2

4. International empire
• Solomon creates an
international
empire
• He married
Pharaoh’s daughter
and thus allied
himself with Egypt
3

5. Solomon married the
“world”
• Solomon made marriage
alliances
• He married for political
reasons to spread his reign
• He had 700 wives and 300
concubines
• In this way he extended the
kingdom to the ends of the
earth (the 4th feature)
– He fulfills the promise of David
but not in the right way
4

6. Solomon’s draws the
nations
• When Solomon shares his wisdom
with the world he is spreading the
covenant
• He is drawing people to Jerusalem
or Zion
– This fulfills Is 2:3 (the 5th feature)
• All the nations are streaming toward Zion
to be instructed in the ways
5

7. Queen of Sheba visits
• 1 Kings 10
– The queen came to pick
Solomon’s brain
– She wanted to test his
wisdom
– When she sees his
palace and learns of his
wisdom she begins to
praise the God of Israel
6

8. Solomon builds the temple
• He built the
architectural sign of
God’s covenant
– Fulfilled the 6th feature of
the Davidic Covenant
• Solomon turned to King
Hiram, King of Tyre for
materials and craftsmen
7

9. Solomon builds the temple
• The Temple was built by
Gentiles or foreigners
– This shows the universality of the
covenant
– It drew Gentiles to Jerusalem just
like Isaiah 2 promised (5th and
6th feature)
• Unlike the portable tabernacle,
the Temple welcomed foreign
worshippers
– This fulfilled the covenant in that it
called Gentiles to Jerusalem
8

10. Solomon prays
• Solomon dedicated the
temple
• 1 Kings 8:21-43
– Solomon prayed for all the
foreigners who would call
upon God’s name
– He prays that it will be a
“house of prayer for all
peoples”
9

11. The Ark is moved
• Solomon has the Ark
moved from the tent
to the temple
• 1 Kings 8:19-11
– The glory of the Lord
filled the house
10

12. Solomon losing favor
• Just as Samuel had warned
Israel, with a King comes
oppression and high taxes
• He had to tax people to pay
for the temple
• Thousands were forced to
build the temple
• Solomon began losing favor
because of the heavy taxing
and forced labor
11

13. Deuteronomic Laws Broken
• Solomon is not
keeping the laws of
Deuteronomy
• Deut 17:16-17
1. Must not multiply
horses (military)
2. Don’t multiply wives
3. Don’t multiply silver
and gold
12

14. Solomon breaks the law
1. 1 Kings 10:26
– Solomon collected
chariots
– This is symbolic of
multiplying military
power
– He had 1,400 chariots
– 12,000 charioteers
13

15. Solomon breaks the law
2. 1 Kings 11:3
• Solomon multiplied his
wives
• They caused his heart to
turn away from God and
toward their god’s
• He built temples to their
god’s
• “Solomon’s heart had
turned to strange god’s”
- 1 kings 11:4
14

16. Solomon breaks the law
3. 1 kings 10:14
• Solomon
multiplies gold
• Solomon’s
received each
year 666 gold
talents
15

17. 17
Three-
fold sin
Eve:
Genesis 3
Solomon:
1 Kings 11
Christ:
Matthew 4
Greed Tree good
for food
All the
kingdoms
Lust Pleasing
to the eye
Stones to
bread
Pride Gaining
wisdom
Jump off
the temple

18. Solomon leads people
away
• By building all the temples to his
wives foreign god’s he begins to
lead everyone away from the True
God
• Israel’s kingdom will soon feel the
pain of destruction
17