The King Who Had It All

Introduction: Research shows that if you put a frog into boiling water it will jump out. If you put a frog in room temperature water, lukewarm water, and turn the burner up, you can literally cook the frog to death (and have delicious frog legs for dinner. They taste like chicken). The frog story is a metaphor for the person in The Story, Solomon, David’s son by Bathsheba. Solomon was a frog who could jump over any lily pad; who had the blue-blood of royalty; who was a frog any princess would kiss and 700 of them actually do. But Solomon got himself into lukewarm water and by the end, his life is cooked. Solomon started strong, got into the pot, and by the end, as we will see, he ends poorly. Let’s begin The Story in 1 Kings 1.

[Brief review: God called Abraham to become the father of the nation of Israel. The mission of Israel was to point other nations, all peoples, to God. God wants all people to come back to him. God gave Israel a land and God allowed them to have kings. The first king was Saul who failed to represent God. God then chose David as king. David did represent God well, and even though he sinned grievously, he repented and captured the heart of a gracious God who is available to everyone. In 1 Kings 1 David is old and dying and passes the leadership baton to Solomon.]

I. Solomon pleases God by asking for wisdom to reign as king.

A. God invites Solomon to ask for anything. 1 Kings 3:5

B. Solomon asks for wisdom (Hebrew hokma) to rule as king and administer justice.

C. Solomon’s wisdom is tested by two women who each claim the same baby as their own. 1 Kings 3:16-28

II. Solomon writes wisdom so everyone in his realm may be wise.

A. The Bible is arranged topically, not chronologically.

B. Solomon wrote Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs.

[cite examples from Proverbs in The Story pp 146-150]

III. Solomon builds a temple for God and grows in popularity. I Kings 6-10

A. Solomon builds a beautiful temple and dedicates it to God.

B. God’s both blesses and warns Solomon. I Kings 9:4-9

C. The Queen of Sheba visits Solomon and admires his wisdom and his kingdom. 1 Kings 10

IV. Solomon, who started strong, ends poorly. I Kings 11

A. As Solomon grew old, his 700 wives led his heart away to worship idols.

B. The LORD became angry with Solomon because Solomon’s heart was divided. 1 Kings 11:9-13

C. Because Solomon’s heart was divided, his kingdom divided.