Solomon didn’t waste any time in getting into sin as king. Recall the brief passage in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 in which God gave His instructions for the future king. The consequences of Solomon’s actions led to another consequence, and then another, and ultimately had a big impact on the nation. Why wouldn’t God have reminded Solomon? It’s possible that He did, as He confronted David with his sin, and Saul, his. What does this teach you about God and how He deals with men? How do you relate that with His dealings with you?
Solomon didn’t get it all wrong, though. Psalm 72 reveals that he understood God’s heart for the leadership of His people, and apparently intended to lead them that way. According to the descriptions of his subjects’ lives under his rule in the early years of his reign, he started out leading that way, and the people benefited. However, that changed. His life reveals the inadequacy of good intentions when one is disobedient in other matters. A divided heart is not on God’s side.
It’s interesting also that the very things used to describe Solomon’s greatness as a national leader are the very things that God had said the king must not do. Could God have given Israel victory over any enemy without the numerous horses and chariots? Could He have established Solomon as a great ruler, and Israel as a world-class nation, without the many wives, key alliances, and wealth? He had demonstrated His ability to do those very things, and yet Solomon chose to put his trust in these other security measures and allow the power to corrupt him. If the one whom God loved in such a special way, to whom He gave great wisdom and many other blessings, could fail thus, what hope do any of us have to enjoy relationship with God? None at all, which I believe is part of the point of the long history of the Old Testament, the story of the world’s long wait for the promised Messiah. There can be no doubt that we have no hope for a relationship with God apart from His intervention on our behalf.