Solomon - and God's Second Visit

"And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do, that the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared unto him at Gibeon." I Kings 9:1

Solomon had completed his great task and had built the Temple of God. He had been faithful, although with a number of mistakes, and he had coordinated the building of this wonderful Temple. Now while the thoughts of success ran strong in his mind, God visited Solomon and attempted to ground Solomon in an awareness of his need.

In the night God came to Solomon, as He had at Gibeon, and God reiterated some of the concerns that God had for Solomon. He said:

"And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. (God states that He has made holy what man had built, and that His eyes and His heart would be there perpetually.)

And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:

Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. (God promises to bless if Solomon will obey His laws. I believe that God is trying to remind Solomon to Deuteronomy 17:14-20)

But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: (God is alerting Solomon to His future potential. Will Solomon listen and learn?)

Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people: (God says that if Solomon, and his people turn away from Him, the Temple will be cast off.)

And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?

And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil." I Kings 9:3-9 (The reason for destruction is that God’s people turned away from Him. God does not turn away from His people.) Highlighted comments are writer’s thoughts.

It is this writers’ belief that God was trying to remind Solomon that he needed to be serious about the things of God. He wanted Solomon to remember that his security was not in his wisdom, his glory, or his wealth. Solomon’s security was in the fact that Solomon had known God and God had blessed him with prosperity. Jeremiah 9:23-24 If Solomon could hold onto this thought he would be protected from the natural vanity that man develops as success happens to him. When that pride gets to the point that man feels that he does not need God then he is totally lost for he is now dependent upon himself. God wanted to remind Solomon that his success came from God and God alone.

Thus Solomon set out on the greatest time of his life. He had been blessed by God with peace and security all around. I Kings 4:24-25 He has astronomical amounts of money coming into the kingdom. Many visitors from other countries came to seek out his wisdom, to see the Temple, and to learn how to better handle their kingdoms. He had opportunity to introduce all to the Lord God of the kingdom. All was prepared for the greatest evangelistic efforts the world had ever known.

But, everything cultivated to entice man to a positive view of himself was granted to Solomon. While he was settled in God he was safe. While aware that all good gifts come from God and that it is He that blesses and exalts then there would be hope. If he would choose to exalt himself then he would be in terrible danger of slowly losing his awareness of dependence upon God and would become dependent upon his earthly wisdom. If he would do this he would eventually turn away from his awareness of God and, as God had predicted, he would turn his heart after other gods, and he would abandon the God of Israel. All of this awaited Solomon, and when we read his story, all of these lessons await us. We can learn from the successes and failures of Solomon. I pray we will learn more than he did.