King Solomon is famous for being the wisest man on the planet in his day. People traveled across deserts to speak to him, and he packed the creds to back it up. He wrote 3000 proverbs and 1000 songs. (1 Kings 4:32).
But did King Solomon finish the race as strong as he started? (2 Timothy 4:7).
We will examine that question, but first, another question — how did King Solomon acquire such great wisdom?
The Source of Solomon’s Wisdom
He said in Proverbs 4 that his father, King David, taught him. This is the David you’ve heard about — the man after God’s own heart. But that’s not the only way Solomon became so wise. He asked God for one thing: wisdom, and God granted the request (1 Kings 3:6–12.)
As a good father, King Solomon taught wisdom to his son, Rehoboam, evidenced by the many proverbs addressed to “my son.”
However, God had one condition when He blessed Solomon with wisdom.
“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.” (1 Kings 3:14, NIV).
Ah, there it is. The big “if.”
The Big If
It’s the same “if” all men face.
Will we walk according to God’s commandments all of our days? Will we finish the race strong?
Many good men don’t. They falter in midlife and have crises. Their sinful actions have painful consequences for them and others within their blast radius.
King Solomon’s Struggles
Even King Solomon, the wisest and richest man in his day, struggled with the big “if.”
He ultimately had 700 wives and 300 concubines (so much for wisdom) and adopted the idolatrous religions of a few while building pagan altars and participating in pagan worship.
Solomon trained his son, Rehoboam, on wisdom, yet his moral failures negated everything he taught him. What was the impact on Rehoboam?
“He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 12:14, NIV).
It makes you wonder how Rehoboam would’ve turned out if Solomon had controlled his lusts and followed the Lord all his days.
Even the wisest of men can fall to their lustful desires.
True Wisdom Is Your Life Aligned With Your Words
My words were more important to my son when he was a wee lad, and he believed everything I said with blind faith. Now, he’s a sharp young man and can easily detect if my words fail to match my actions. How I live is far more important than my words. After all, what can I say that I haven’t spoken in the last 17 years?
I’ll fail as a father if my life doesn’t align with the volume of words my son has heard from me. A lifetime of honorable living is damaged by one moral slip.
Or 999 of them, as in King Solomon’s case.