Solomon

The son who built the temple, and the king whose heart turned

Place in the genealogy

Matthew · name 16 · Abraham forward to JesusFrom David to the exile: the monarchyMatthew 1:6Born 'of her that had been the wife of Urias'. Matthew names the sin without naming Bathsheba.

Where Scripture records this person

2 Samuel 12:24-25Born to David and Bathsheba, and the LORD loved him.
1 Kings 3:5-15He asks for an understanding heart to judge the people.
1 Kings 6-8The building and dedication of the temple, and his prayer.
1 Kings 10:1-13The queen of Sheba, and the fame of his wisdom.
1 Kings 11:1-13His wives turned away his heart, and the kingdom is divided in his son's day.
Matthew 6:29Jesus compares Solomon's glory with a lily.
Matthew 12:42A greater than Solomon is here.

Who this person is in Scripture

Solomon is the son of David and Bathsheba who inherits a united kingdom at peace. Asked what he wants, he asks for wisdom to govern, and Scripture says God gave him that and more. He builds , and his prayer at its dedication in 1 Kings 8 is one of the great prayers of the Old Testament.

The same book records the end. He took many foreign wives, built places for their gods, and his heart was not perfect with the LORD as his father David's had been. God tells him will be torn from his son. The wisest in Israel's history is also the clearest warning in it.

Family, as Scripture gives it

Father: David
Mother: Bathsheba
Children: Rehoboam

1 Kings 11:3 records many wives and concubines. Only Rehoboam matters to the royal line.

How Scripture connects this person to Christ

Jesus says a greater than Solomon is here, and builds a of a different kind (John 2:19-21).

What this teaches

Knowing what is right and keeping your heart are two different works. Solomon did the first brilliantly and lost the second slowly.
The warning in Deuteronomy 17:16-17 names exactly what Solomon later did.

Read in the Bible

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