Solomon was the third king of a united Israelite kingdom. He was renowned for his wisdom and wealth, building the first Temple in Jerusalem. However, he took many foreign wives who turned him away from worshipping only God. As a result, upon his death the kingdom split into northern and southern kingdoms.

1. The Wisest King

2.  Solomon means “peace”
 Also known as Jedidiah ( Hebrew) and Sulaiman (Qur’an)
 King of Israel ; Third king of the United Monarchy
 circa 970-931 BC
 Son of King David and Bathsheba
 Known primarily for his wisdom
 Supposedly wrote many OT books:
 The Song of Songs
 The Book of Ecclesiastes,
 Book of Proverbs

3.  Sons:  Wives:
 Rehoboam  Daughter of Pharaoh
 Abijah  700 Wives
 Asa  300 concubines
 Jehoshaphat
 Joram
 Ahaziah
 Joash
 Amaziah
 Azariah
 Jotham
 Ahaz
 Hezekiah
 Manasseh

4. Russian icon of Solomon
Solomon in the Planning of the Temple

5. Brief Facts
 Adonijah, Solomon’s brother tried to become king before
Solomon. Thanks to Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba,
Solomon officially became king
 He composed 3,000 parables, and 1,005 poems.
 He was visited by the Queen of Sheba and was amazed by his
wisdom
 God appeared to Solomon thrice !
 The first time, God said, “Solomon, ask me for something good.”
Solomon asked for wisdom, and God was pleased.
 The second time, God promised Solomon that if he remained
faithful, his kingdom would be secure, but if he abandoned God,
he would lose his kingdom.
 The third time, God told Solomon that because he had
abandoned God, he would lose the kingdom.

6. Solomon: The King
 He was anointed King of Israel in Gihon
 During his reign, he made Israel a world power and great wealth flowed into
the kingdom.
 He had such great wisdom from God that people came from distant lands to
hear him.
 Increased trade and set up a tax system
 There came a time when Solomon would get 666 talents of gold a year
 He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen
 Set an extensive building campaign:
 Palace (also called House of Forest of Lebanon)
 Temple
 Walls
 Citadel (Millo)
 A palace for the daughter of the pharaoh
 storage cities

7. Solomon’s Temple
 Constructed in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah
 Took 7 years to build
 Completed its construction, with the help of an architect,
named Hiram, and other materials, sent from King Hiram
of Tyre.
 A place for the Ark of the Covenant
 Built in 960 BC, destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC
 Rebuilt on 516 BC and destroyed again in 70 BC
 He sacrificed 22,000 oxen and 12,000 sheeps

8. Solomon’s Temple

9. The Judgment of Solomon
 Two women approached
Solomon, each claiming they are
the mother of a child
 Because Solomon can’t really tell
which one is the true mother, he
orders the baby to be cut in half
 One of the woman cries out to
have the other woman have the
child
 Solomon, knowing that the true
mother would not allow such fate
for her child, knows that she is
the true mother

10. Solomon’s Downfall
 Solomon’s downfall came in his old age
 He had taken many foreign wives, whom he allowed to
worship other gods. He even built shrines for the
sacrifices of his foreign wives.
 For this apostasy, God told Solomon he had decided to
remove him from being king. Yet out of respect for
Solomon's father, faithful King David, he would not do this
during Solomon's lifetime, nor would he remove him
completely — Solomon's heir would retain a small
portion of the kingdom.
 The prophet Ahijah of Shiloh prophesied that Jeroboam
son of Nebat would become king over ten of the 12
tribes, instead of one of Solomon’s sons.

11. Solomon Dies
 Solomon died in Jerusalem after 40 years of ruler in Israel
 He was buried in the city of David
 Israel was at its peak during Solomon’s rule, thanks to
King David as well
 After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam took the throne
whose rule resulted in the revolt of the northern tribes
and the division of Israel --- only the tribe of Judah stayed
with the house of David

12. Israel before and after the Division

13. Strength Weaknesses
 Humble  Disobedience to God by taking too
many wives and marrying the
 Wisdom and an understanding daughters of foreign kings.
heart  Disobedience to God by greatly
 Great Leader multiplying horses and chariots
 Disobedience to God by greatly
multiplying silver and gold
(Deuteronomy 17 : 16-17)
What was he called to do ?
 Put his own needs before or on
• To lead Israel equal footing with God’s priorities
• To build the temple

14. Thank you !