Why did Solomon go astray?

Question

In 1 Kings 11:1-10 we read:

1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;

2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.

3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.

7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.

8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,

10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.

Now Solomon was the son of David, God spoke to him twice, God gave him literally the world and in return he just asked for obedience.

Why should someone who God spoke with directly turn away from God? It's difficult for me to understand how a God chosen person can do such thing, worship other "gods" and build temples for them! Why do you need 1000 wives and concubines?

As I'm studying old testament, there's -NONE- that can be compared to Jesus, God even didn't let Moses enter the promised land because of his "lack of faith".

So I'm coming to conclusion that what happened to the God chosen people was part of God's plan, so there will be only one perfect man who truly lived up to God's standards.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Am I on the right path?

Answer 1

Why, Tell Me Why We have record that God talked to Solomon in a dream; and that Solomon was gifted with unfathomable wisdom. But giftings don't necessarily insure character. Solomon was on top of the world. He had a head bursting with wisdom, fame greater than any in the Mideast, money bulging from every coffer, so it was hard to stay humble...and reliant upon God continually.

There must be external defenses to check internal flaws of a person. Solomon knew that in a multitude of counselors there is safety. This applies to business contracts, international dealings, and personal hygiene, too.

But for character aspects there must be prophetic input. Whereas David had three prophets who spoke into his life to keep him on the straight and narrow....and to correct him when he got off the path of holiness (Samuel, Gad, Nathan), we do not read of Solomon consulting any prophets! [There were books written about him by prophets, but no interaction recorded, 2 Chronicles 9:29] There was no prophetic word, without fear or favor, to rebuke him for making national treaties by marrying ungodly wives, multiplying horse, or laying up riches, contrary to the Law.

Wisdom is no substitute for a word from the Lord. Prophetic input is vital for defense against temptations common to man. And they are necessary for correction after moral or ethical failure---as David experienced.

Solomon should have asked for personal prophets, like his father David had.

As well as input from the prophets, David was known for inquiring the Lord by consulting the Priests with the Ephod (Urum and Thummim). (1 Samuel 23:11-12, 30:7; 2 Samuel 2:1, 5:23-24) Before making military decisions David consulted God. He sought out the priests faithfully. Man's wisdom---as a gift or naturally---needs Godly input. One cannot trust his own emotions or desires, or plans, no matter how logical thay may be.

Solomon should have consulted the priests before major decisions (Ephod).

Also that Solomon had all the religious sacraments and temple furnishings at his disposal. All he was surrounded by all the external trappings of religion with the glorious Temple standing in prominence over his empire, his capital city.

On the contrary, David's religion was personal. We are amazed art the number of worship Psalms he wrote that express the longing of his heart for God's presence! His continual praying, his lofty praise, his thankfulness...was expressed with grandiose words, yet they came from the depths of his heart. As the deer pants after the water brook, so pants my soul after thee...Thou art my strength, my song, and my salvation...

Solomon should have had a personal relationship with God, not just external religion.

Answer 2

To understand Solomon's failures, consider widening the scope of your thinking. We can compare any person to Jesus and see flaws in that person. What may be instructive is to compare three kings who are not Jesus: Saul, David and Solomon. Each of these kings excelled in one area and had deficiencies in others. God is infinite, so once cannot assemble a perfect king by combining those three finite men. Nevertheless, by comparing their strengths and weaknesses, we may discern the features of a complete and godly leader.

I have a simplified model of the Trinity as it relates to the distinct spheres of a person: mind, soul, and body.

Jesus is the Word, hence represents intellectual ability, speech, and logic.

The Holy Spirit is the heart and soul of a person, comprising the emotions and desires.

The Father is the body of a person, disciplining our habits, managing time and performing physical miracles that manipulate matter.

Saul. With this model, we see that King Saul possessed excellency of the body: strong, tall, handsome, courageous and a charismatic leader. His lack of heart for the Lord was his downfall, and he was assailed by mental illness, which weakened his mind. For an excellent study in Saul's virtues, see http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1015-87582022000300019#:~:text=At%20the%20same%20time%2C%20in,1%20Samuel%209%3A17).

David. King David is always described as being a man after God's own heart. He wrote many Psalms, which address our desires and emotions. They help us meditate on the Law and get its words into our heart so they may grow. David also had charisma and strength and courage, but made some terrible decisions, especially regarding his son Absalom. When he should have been off fighting a war and leading his army, which Saul would have been great at, he remained at home, saw Bathsheba, and fell into grievous sin.

Solomon. King Solomon is not noted as being a great warrior like David or Saul, and his heart strayed from God when he took foreign women as his wives. His excellence was in wisdom and intellectual ability.

Thus we can see that each of these three kings excelled in one of the three areas and was deficient in the other two. Only Christ has perfect knowledge (as one who is greater than Solomon, as Matthew tells us), an undivided heart, and is perfect in obedience (as evidenced by his testing in the desert and submitting to be crucified).

The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:42)

This only partly answers the question, because many people with lesser abilities than Solomon proved more faithful to God. The conclusion to Ecclesiastes has these words: "Fear God and keep His commandments." The man was able to prove this dictum logically, but to follow those words wholeheartedly? That is a matter tied up in the secret places of his heart.

I know that God has given me many blessings, yet I take them for granted, lose my gratitude and slip into sin. It is easy for me to compare myself to Solomon and see how I am like him in my frailty. What amazes me is how Jesus remained true. Do not be amazed at Saul's failure, but be warned.

We all have deficiencies. If we rely on the Lord, we can overcome them, letting Christ bolster us in our areas of weakness, or getting help from the church. These kings did sometimes lean on God to overshadow their weaknesses, but they were not consistent.

God’s plan? Yes!

Was Solomon’s failure part of God’s plan? Yes. The basis for this is the Word of God. The Word of God is perfect and eternal. Jesus is the embodiment of that Word, as revealed in John 1. Since Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Song of Songs and the passages in Kings and Chronicles that describe Solomon’s life are part of the Word of God, they are certainly part of God’s plan, hence also the record of Solomon’s moral failures. Indeed, Ecclesiastes is relentlessly focused on planning and time management. Solomon’s life was planned by God to teach us about how to plan our lives according to God’s timing and wisdom.

(For more on Solomon, I refer you to my book, Peace, like Solomon Never Knew. It is a lengthy commentary on Ecclesiastes, with additional notes on Proverbs and Song of Songs.)

Answer 3

Why did Solomon went astray?

Solomon was lead astray by his wives and his heart was at one time not true to the Lord as it should have been. In his later life Solomon grew weak in his love of the Lord and was ultimately lead astray by his pagan wives and disobeyed the Lord his God.

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter - Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.

They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.

He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.

As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.* - 1 Kings 11:1-4

Like all individuals, Solomon was not preserved from sinning even if he was chosen by the Lord God. Of those who have been given more; more shall be demanded of them.