And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men…and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. [1 Kings 4:29-31 (ESV)]
Now so sagacious and understanding was Solomon, that none of these problems were too hard for him; but he conquered them all by his reasonings, and discovered their hidden meaning, and brought it to light. [Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews 8.5.3)]
God gifted Solomon with great wisdom and people from every nation journeyed to Solomon’s court to hear his wisdom. Although 1 Kings 3 tells us that Solomon wisely determined the identity of the real mother in a dispute between two women who claimed to have given birth to the same infant [3:16-28], one wise answer hardly seems newsworthy enough to make him famous beyond Israel’s borders. Even the king’s prolific writings and vast knowledge of botany and zoology don’t fully explain his renown. In a world without mass media, what caused his reputation to travel some 1,400 miles to Sheba (modern Yemen)? Sheba’s queen was so interested in meeting the king that she and her entourage made a journey which, including her stay in Judah and the return trip, took two to three years. What about Solomon caused her to travel so far to assess the king’s wisdom and wealth for herself?
While Scripture is silent as to how it was established that Solomon was “wiser” than anyone else, the answer may be found in Antiquities of the Jews and Against Apion, written by 1st century Jewish historian Josephus. Josephus reported that Hiram, the king of Tyre, sent “sophisms and enigmatical sayings” (conundrums, paradoxes, deceptions, and mysteries) to Solomon for him to solve. Quoting from the ancient Phoenician historian Dius, Josephus added that the two kings regularly put one another to the test with mental challenges. Josephus added that none of those challenges were too hard for Solomon. Since the king who failed to solve the problem was obliged to pay a large sum of money to the one who could, there is speculation that the 120 talents of gold Hiram sent to Solomon may have been to pay one of those debts. [1 Kings 9:14] Perhaps, Solomon’s fame spread because of this high-stake game of “riddle me this” between royalty and people of power. Scripture says the Queen of Sheba came to Solomon with chidah; usually translated as hard questions, chidah meant a riddle or an enigmatic, perplexing saying or question. Was the Queen a participant in this royal game of brain teasers? While mere speculation, such success may help explain Solomon’s downfall.
When looking at Solomon’s lifestyle, it seems that all the fame, recognition, and accolades went to the king’s head and he began to believe his own press—that he knew all there was to know! The king’s hubris led to a sense of entitlement, excessive self-confidence, pride, and decadence. That he collected 700 wives and 300 concubines seems far more hedonistic than wise! Although he spent seven years building a grand Temple for God, tempted by his own self-importance, Solomon spent thirteen years building a palace complex for himself! One of its five buildings, the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon was 150’ long, 75’ wide and 45’ high. In contrast, the Temple measured a mere 90’ long, 30’ wide, and 45’ high. Six steps led up to Solomon’s throne, a figure of a lion stood on each side of every step, and two more lion figures flanked the throne. Inlaid with ivory (one of the costliest raw materials in the ancient world), the elevated throne was overlaid with gold and had a gold footstool. Scripture reports that nothing like it existed in any other kingdom and Josephus said it was of “prodigious bigness.”
Although Solomon’s wisdom allowed him to do great things for the kingdom, he seemed to forget from where that wisdom came. Scripture tells us that he turned away from the very God who twice appeared before him! Solomon failed to obey the few simple rules God set for Israel’s kings in Deuteronomy 17—not to build up a large stable of horses, trade with Egypt, marry foreigners, take many wives, or accumulate large amounts of wealth for himself. I suspect he also ignored the law that kings were to copy those rules and regularly read them so they wouldn’t become proud or turn away from God in any way. Apparently, Solomon’s self-confidence caused him to think himself above the law! Self-importance has a way of blinding us to our faults! The man who penned those wise proverbs about the danger of pride should have heeded them himself. Let Solomon’s story remind us that, when praise goes to our heads, pride and sin aren’t far from our hearts!
Devotions of the Heart 