The Wealth, Power, Wisdom and Weakness of Solomon
Throughout history there have been many different types of leaders. There have been kings, emperors, pharaohs, presidents, dictators, and tyrants who have led many countries and nations. Rulers can be beneficial, malevolent, kind, brutal, or completely ineffective. King Solomon was a very rich, wise, and famous king of ancient Israel. He was the son of King David and Bathsheba. Bathsheba wanted her son to rule, so David had Solomon anointed king before he died. David’s older son, Adonijah, wanted his father’s kingdom and threatened Solomon’s throne. So Solomon sent a messenger to kill Adonijah and his allies, thus securing his throne. Solomon overcame the last potential threats to his kingdom by killing his brother and his brother’s allies. King Solomon then secured his throne by appointing his friends to high positions of power. The author of the book of Kings, in the Bible, is unknown, or anonymous. It is likely that during Solomon’s reign Israeli history started being written down. It is also likely that a Hebrew wrote the book of Kings due to a bias in favor of Solomon. Hebrews had a very positive view of Solomon because he built “The First Temple” which housed the Arc of the Covenant, a vital relic to the Hebrew people said to contain the Ten Commandments. It took him seven and a half years to build this Temple to honor their one, true God. King Solomon’s reign is thought to be circa 965 B.C. to about 927 B.C. As the son of David and chosen heir to the throne, Solomon was made King towards the end of his father’s reign, while David was still alive. Solomon inherited a very large kingdom from his father.
Solomon accumulated enormous wealth. He controlled the entire region west of the Euphrates and had peace on his borders…He had a large share in the trade between northern and southern countries. He established Israelite colonies around his province to look after military, administrative and commercial matters (Jewish).
Solomon was extraordinarily wise in how he set up his kingdom. He made sure to establish peace with the surrounding countries so that he could trade with them and gain more profit. He divided his kingdom wisely so that he could rule
Solomon obeyed God and kept the covenant. When Solomon asked for wisdom, God blessed him with wisdom in addition to riches and fame. Solomon built a temple to God signifying God’s presence. He was prosperous and successful and so was the nation of Israel. He was famous and known for his wisdom. However, with all his riches and success, he forgot who gave him these blessings. God blessed him with success and riches, yet ultimately these successes and riches led him astray from God. He married foreign wives to have peace with other nations. “Instead of securing the kingdom, Solomon's numerous diplomatic marriages paved the way, following his death, to its division and decline” (Green, 156). These foreign wives came to Israel and introduced their foreign gods and foreign culture. In addition to idols, Israel’s riches made them subject to materialism. In their materialistic pleasure and worship of idols, they forgot about God and eventually rejected Him. Because of these influences, the United Monarchy of Israel was divided after Solomon’s
Biblical texts take a very critical view of the kings of Israel, who represent national power. This is seen clearly in the story of the people of Israel’s wish to have a king ruling over them as well as in the narrative of the fall of the kingdom (2 Kings 24-25). The true king of Israel and of the whole world is God himself (cf. Ps
There are many different themes common on the subject of Kingship in Israel that are highlighted throughout scholarly analysis of the subject. Sages of the time, thought to have written Proverbs, believed that the king was a person way beyond the normal run of things. This piece from “Proverbs 30:29-31” is a prime example:
Once in D.C., he awoke not knowing where he was or when it was for that matter. How long had Solomon been out and what exactly happened to him? In mass confusion and pain to top it off, he finally came to the realization with what was going on, he soon learned that he had been beaten, drugged, and kidnapped. As he looked around for answers as to why this would happen to him, he noticed other men and that is when it all clicked in his mind; he was captured to be joined with fellow
The surrounding nations had an influence on the people of Israel and this was not pleasing to God. They wanted a king. They wanted to be like other nations and have a leaded. A king they could see.
God calls his people to obedient. In return for obedience, God promises to provide. During the time of Solomon the people of Israel lacked obedience. God as king was no longer good enough. Israel’s lack of obedience caused them to anoint a king that also lacked faith in the Lord. Man is broken and even great leaders have flaws. Israel’s demand for a king ultimately resulted in the division of the kingdom.
King David had sworn to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, that her son would be king following him. Solomon was a wise man. When the Lord came to Solomon and allowed him to ask whatever he wanted Solomon asked for more wisdom. “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (2 Chronicles 1:10). Solomon ruled with greatness and that was evident in the cities he built, the number of followers he had. Another sign of his greatness was the fact that the queen of Sheba ventured to Jerusalem just so she could lean at his feet and gained wisdom.
Alexander the Great ruled his kingdom as a king that had tunneled his skills and had a good deal of experience in the past. He was thankful that his father, Philip, gave him the best teachers
Great military strength and the ability to conquest many empires was not a very common attribute many kings had
Alexander the Great was often referred to as one of the most influential and the greatest leader of the world has ever seen. He accomplished a large heap in his governance role and military voyages. He conceived of himself as super-human, he was set up to rule by his father, King Philip the II, who had taken to him to military battles and given him mastery of the cavalry during one important battle; the Battle of Chaeronea. It was after his father’s death that Alexander began to affirm his authority and to set in question his father’s dream of intruding on the Persian Empire. His father, Phillip II, who was “The Greek philosopher Aristotle” and he helped to blow up his son knowledge in science and philosophy of the mod globe. He was known as Alexander the Great not only for his military intelligence but how he conquered vast territories and dominated lands from the west of the Nile to the Indies. He amassed the largest empire in the entire ancient world
He served from 1000-961 BCE. He became king when he defeated Goliath, a man who taunted he Israelites for 40 days. People respect to David and David also established the capital of Israel, Jerusalem. David was done in his power Solomon succeeded David. Solomon had bankrupt Israel because he spent too much money on himself.
Was Alexander the great, was a great ruler. You can tell this because spared Thebans who went against him, he built a magnificent city and center for learning, and conquered his enemies/rebels.
Solomon was the son of David. When king David died, Solomon became king. Under king Solomon "the kingdom was established" in peace (I Kings 2:12,45-46; I Chronicles 22:9). "Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king" (I Chronicles 19:23) and "built a temple for the name of the Lord" (II Chronicles 2:1). For Jesus to be greater than Solomon He would have to ascend the throne of God and build the house of God, with all His enemies no longer making trouble. Matthew records Jesus the King saying to His disciples "I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18); later, having ascertained that the Messiah is a Son, the Son of David, Jesus shows that even king David calls the Messiah "Lord" (Psalm 110:1 and Matthew 22:41-45). Jesus is therefore the King of kings.
The nation of Israel was set apart as holy to the LORD. But they When the children of Israel demanded a king, they did so to be like the other nations. The first three kings were Saul, (outwardly tall, handsome and strong—a seemingly good choice for a king, but inwardly arrogant, proud and unrepentant—not God’s choice), David (a man after God’s own heart who repented of his sins and as such was God’s choice), and Solomon (the wisest man who ever lived, but because of covenant disobedience became the catalyst for the division and ultimate exile of Israel.
King David, a member of the tribe of Judah was chosen by God to lead his people. As everyone knows, he proved by his wise choices to be a very effective leader. As a great military strategist David united the tribes and extended the national boundaries so that in his time Israel enjoyed a greater fraction of