Solomon: a warning to the Elishas and to all

When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to follow other gods, and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God, as the heart of David his father had been. -- I Kings 11:4 (NAB)

In some ways, the story of Solomon is one of the saddest in Scripture.

He started out with everything he needed to be a success. His father David had provided him with the kingship, with victory over his enemies, and with a big head start on all the materials needed to successfully fulfill his mission of building the Temple. And he himself acted wisely at the beginning by eliminating his internal enemies and humbly asking God for wisdom to lead His people.

But early on, there are signs of later trouble ahead: He married Pharoah's daughter in order to ally himself by marriage with the king of Egypt (cf. I Kings 3:1). This shows a lack of trust in God to defend his kingdom, as further demonstrated by subsequent marriage alliances with many other nations. But even worse, he directly violated one of the commandments of the Lord to Moses (cf I Kings 11:2, Ex. 34:11-16). The Lord had given Moses that commandment precisely because He knew the danger that would come to the Israelites from intermarriage with the pagans around them, a danger to which Solomon eventually succumbed.

So even though Solomon was successful in fulfilling his mission of building the Temple for the Lord and was wildly successful in the eyes of the world, he was, in the end, a failure in the eyes of God. He lost sight of the true definition of success, that is, being faithful to the Lord to the end.

As a result, instead of ending his years like his father David, "rich in years and wealth and glory" (I Chr. 29:28), he died bitter and disillusioned, writing near the end of his life, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanities." (Ecc. 1:2) And the legacy that he left for his son Rehoboam was not a strong kingdom, like what he had been given by his father David, but a kingdom on the verge of division and ruin, as a result of his sins.

Solomon's life stands as a warning to all, especially the Elishas. It is not enough to begin well. We must also persevere to the end, not only for our own sakes, but for the sakes of those who will follow us. For every Elisha is an Elijah to the generation to follow.

Dear Lord, in Your great mercy, please grant all of us the grace of perseverance in following You faithfully to the end. Amen.