The Story Ch 13: The King Who Had It All

Cold Open

Hey Dublin Powell youth welcome to another time of study and worship of our Lord. I hope y’all are having a great Sunday so far. We are going to be picking up today with the story of Solomon, the son of David, and see the rise and fall of his reign. Today is Sunday June 14th and we are studying chapter 13 of The Story, which is about the king who had it all. Let’s get into it!

Intro Videos

Title Card/The Story Video

Son of the King

Now we covered some ups and down in David’s life, so I want to remind you that at the end of his life he had long since repented of his sins and sought the Lord’s forgiveness. The king was getting old, and was quite sick. His wife, Bathsheba, came and reminded him of his promise to make their son, Solomon king after him. David saw that it was time for hi son to take the throne, saying

1 Kings 1:29–30 NIV

The king then took an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

Like many other leaders before him, such as Moses and Joshua, David had some wisdom to share with the next generation about the relationship of God and His people. However, unlike those before him, the dying king spoke only to his son, not to all the people of Israel.

Passing of the Throne

As David nears his death, he said to his son Solomon:

1 Kings 2:2–4 NIV

“I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’

David reminded his son of the Lord’s promise, that as long as the line of David was faithful, there would always be on of his bloodline ruling over Israel. Little did David and Solomon know, the descendants of David wouldn’t last a generation.

Solomon Gains Wisdom

Solomon tries his best to follow the advice of his father. One day, the Lord came to the young ruler in a dream, and said to him “As for whatever you want me to give you” which has to be an overwhelming task for a young, ambitious, righteous ruler! What would I ask for if the Lord came to me and asked for my truest desire? Well, Solomon certainly came up with a better request that I could’ve when he asked God to

1 Kings 3:9 NIV

So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

This pleased the Lord, as it wasn’t a selfish request for Solomon’s glory, but a request that would better equip him the lead God’s chosen people, so the Lord granted Solomon’s request saying

1 Kings 3:12–14 NIV

I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”

Now the wisdom of Solomon is the thing of Sunday School fame, most of us know about how Solomon wrote the Proverbs and wisely decided a custody battle by threatening to cut a baby in half! You know, the kind of thing that really proves you’re a smart guy! But God gave Solomon more than just wisdom, He gave Israel the peace they needed to construct the temple. Solomon described it well when negotiated with the king of Tyre for materials for the project:

1 Kings 5:3–5 NIV

“You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the Lord his God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster. I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’

Remember, up to this point, most of the story of the people of God was battling to establish their country in the promised land, and with David’s rule those wars finally ended for a time. Because of this peace, Israel could focus on God in their new home, and build a place for Him to dwell among them.

Building the Temple

So Solomon gathers supplies and builds the great temple of the Lord, and fills it with the things that his father David had prepared for it late in his life. When the temple is finally complete, the presence of the Lord comes down in the form of a cloud and goes inside of it.

1 Kings 8:12–21 NIV

Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.” While the whole assembly of Israel was standing there, the king turned around and blessed them. Then he said: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his own hand has fulfilled what he promised with his own mouth to my father David. For he said, ‘Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city in any tribe of Israel to have a temple built so that my Name might be there, but I have chosen David to rule my people Israel.’ “My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.’ “The Lord has kept the promise he made: I have succeeded David my father and now I sit on the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built the temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. I have provided a place there for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”

And then Solomon blessed the Temple and the people in the name of the Lord. Solomon had fulfilled his duty as David’s son to build the temple of the Lord! This was a great achievement for him and for the whole nation of Israel, that the Lord now had a permanent home among them!

Solomon’s Fall

Unfortunately, Solomons story doesn’t stop there. He continues to grow in wealth and power, attracting attention from all over the world. Foreign leaders like the Queen of Sheba come to visit and share gifts with the Israelite king. Unfortunately, all of the attention that Solomon received allowed him to be tempted beyond what the wise, powerful ruler was able to resist.

1 Kings 11:1–5 NIV

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. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.

Solomon, the wise king of Israel, builder of the Lord’s temple, son of David, walked straight into rampant adultery and then idolatry, worshipping other Gods. And this wasn’t just building some golden statues or sacrificing unclean animals, the followers of Molek engaged in child sacrifice. This was truly as lost and sinful as the king could be.

Judgement

What then, is to be done? Well, after 3 kings, Saul, David, and Solomon, God declares that as a result of Solomon’s sin He will tear the kingdom of Israel apart when Solomon’s son is king. The united kingdom of Israel, which in 3 generations became the most wealthy, powerful kingdom in the world, was quickly set on the path to ruin. God could not allow his people to be ruled by someone who unabashedly worshipped evil gods and pursued every desire of his flesh.

Summary

Solomon’s story starts as a wild success, of the wisest man who ever lived building a grand temple for the Lord and becoming the wealthiest man in the world. He experiences more peace, prosperity, and influence than any other Israelite leader in history. Only about 500 years from the time that the entire nation of Israel was enslaved by Egypt, Solomon was respected enough to wed the daughter of Pharoah, creating an alliance between the nations. But wisdom and power and wealth did not help Solomon when he was tempted to bed more than one woman, or when some women in his harem persuaded him to worship other Gods, turning his back on the source of his wisdom and wealth and power. For all of his wisdom, Solomon lacked a steadfast devotion to the Lord, and Israel once again was cast into uncertainty as a result! But the Lord had promised that through the line of David, Israel would receive a king who would rule forever, who’s devotion is true and whose wisdom surpasses even Solomon, but that king wouldn’t come for almost a thousand years. We will pick up with Israel’s story next week! For now, let me pray for us:

Lord, give us the wisdom of Solomon and the repentance of David. Give us the strength to resist temptation because we love you, Lord, and we want to serve you. Lord, looking back now on the trials of your people, we are so grateful for Jesus, who is our true and mighty king, who will never lead his people away from you. Please bless everyone who hears this message Lord with the knowledge that your way is right and your words are true and your love is neverending. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

Thanks for joining me yet again, look forward to studying with y’all against next week, grace and peace.