Solomon is the third and last king of the united kingdom of Israel,  following King Saul and King David. He was the son of David and Bathsheba, the  former wife of Uriah the Hittite whom David had killed to hide his adultery with  Bathsheba while her husband was on the battle front. Solomon wrote the Song of  Solomon, the book of Ecclesiastes, and much of the book of Proverbs. His  authorship of Ecclesiastes is contested by some, but Solomon is the only “son of  David” to be “king over Israel” (not just Judah) “in Jerusalem” (Ecclesiastes 1:1, 12),  and many of the descriptions of the author fit Solomon perfectly. Solomon  reigned for 40 years (1 Kings  11:42).

What are the highlights of Solomon’s life? When he ascended  to the throne, he sought after God and God gave him opportunity to ask for  whatever he wanted. Solomon humbly acknowledged his inability to rule well and  unselfishly asked God for the wisdom he would need to rule God’s people justly.  God gave him wisdom and wealth besides (1 Kings 3:4;  10:27). In  fact, his riches and wisdom surpassed all of the kings of the earth (1 Kings 10:23). God also  gave him peace on all sides during most of his reign (1 Kings 4:20-25). The  favorite illustration of that wisdom is his judging a dispute over the identity  of the true mother of an infant child (1 Kings  3:16-28). Solomon was not only wise in his rule but had great general wisdom  as well. His wisdom was renowned in his day, and the Queen of Sheba traveled  1,200 miles to verify the rumors of his wisdom and grandeur (1 Kings 10).  Solomon wrote many proverbs and songs (1 Kings  4:32) and completed many building projects (1 Kings  7:1-12, 9:15-23). Solomon also built a fleet of ships and  acquired tons of gold from Ophir with Hiram, king of Tyre, as a partner (1 Kings  9:26-28; 10:11, 22). Solomon had 700 wives  and 300 concubines, many of them foreigners who led him into public idolatry in  his old age, greatly angering God (1 Kings  11:1-13).

There are many lessons we can learn from the life of  Solomon. First, when we seek God with all of our heart, He will be found (1 Kings 3:3-7). Second,  those who honor God will be honored by Him (1 Kings  3:11-13; 1 Samuel  2:30). Third, God will equip us to accomplish the tasks He calls us to if we  will rely on Him (1 Kings 3; Romans  12:3-8; 2 Peter  1:3). Fourth, the spiritual life is a marathon, not a sprint. A good start  is not always enough to finish well (1 Kings 3, 11). Fifth, we can sincerely ask  God to incline our hearts toward Him (1 Kings  8:57-58), but we will wander off the path of righteousness if we choose to  violate His revealed word. Contrary to God’s written word concerning kings,  Solomon multiplied to himself gold, horses, and wives (700 wives and 300  concubines) (Deuteronomy 17:14-17). He also married non-Jewish wives  (Deuteronomy  7:3, 4; Exodus 34:16). Sixth, those  closest to us will affect our spiritual lives (Exodus  34:16; 1 Kings  11:1-8; Daniel 1, 3; 1  Corinthians 15:33), and we must therefore be very careful of the company we  keep. Seventh, life lived apart from God will be meaningless, regardless of  education, fulfilled goals, the greatest of pleasures, and the greatest  abundance of wealth (Ecclesiastes 1:2).