(19) Closing Days

Narrator: Chris Genthree
IT may surprise some when we say that the records of Solomon’s forty years’ reign are very scanty. It has pleased the Holy Spirit to give us sixty-five chapters about David, but only twenty about Solomon, and several of those are occupied with the Temple rather than with its builder. Although Jehovah heaped favors upon Solomon such as no other king ever had He never had the pleasure in him that He had in his father David.
Solomon’s reign of exaltation, glory, and prosperity had a cloudy finish. Jehovah was faithful from first to last, but His servant was not. We cannot help contrasting the end of this great king with that of some others noted in the sacred pages. Jacob, after a stormy career (occasioned by his own crookedness), had a glorious sunset. His last days were his best. With holy dignity he pronounced blessing upon the mightiest potentate of that period, and with spiritual discernment he blessed the sons of Joseph. Enoch had a most delightful finish. “Enoch walked with God: and he was not: for God took him” (Gen. 5:2424And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. (Genesis 5:24)). Elijah, after years of discouragement and peril connected with his testimony, was carried up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2).
But Solomon! David’s latter-day utterances fill two long chapters (1 Chron. 28 and 29), and the simple faith and delight in the things of God therein expressed is exhilarating to our souls as we read. His “last words” as given in 2 Samuel 23, although very subdued in tone, breathe unbounded confidence in the faithfulness of God. But no last words of Solomon are recorded. We have the terse statement that “Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead” (1 Kings 11:4343And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead. (1 Kings 11:43)). More about him could be read in the writings of Nathan, Ahijah, and Iddo (2 Chron. 9:2929Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat? (2 Chronicles 9:29)); but no more space is devoted to this most faulty servant in the inspired Word. He was scarcely sixty years old when he died.
It is the end of the race that tells with us all. Happy is the man who, by the grace of God, continues to run well, and who can say like Paul at the last, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:77I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (2 Timothy 4:7)).
Once more, and for the last time, Solomon heard the voice of his God. When He appeared to him in Gibeon, He said, “Ask what I shall give thee,” and He was pleased with the young king’s reply (1 Kings 3) in Jerusalem He addressed him in words of encouragement and warning (1 Kings 9); now He could only pronounce sentence upon His grossly unfaithful servant. To Jerusalem He said later with reference to her idolatries, “Thou wast insatiable” (Ezek. 16:1818And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. (Ezekiel 16:18)); the same was true of Solomon. Others selected their false gods; Solomon adopted them all. Truly, “the corruption of the best thing is the worst corruption.” The kingdom of Israel should now be broken up. As a witness for God it had become worthless. During forty years David had typified Christ as the Man of war; during another forty years Solomon had typified Him as the Man of peace. Now all was over, and Israel’s long night of degradation was about to commence.
“When a man’s ways please Jehovah, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov. 16:77When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. (Proverbs 16:7)). So Asa proved, and Jehoshaphat his son. Both these kings had quietness and rest round about, because they did the will of God (2 Chron. 14:7; 15:15; 20:307Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered. (2 Chronicles 14:7)
15And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the Lord gave them rest round about. (2 Chronicles 15:15)
30So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about. (2 Chronicles 20:30)). Alas, concerning Solomon we read, “Jehovah stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite”; also, “God stirred up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah” (1 Kings 11:14, 2314And the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom. (1 Kings 11:14)
23And God stirred him up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah, which fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah: (1 Kings 11:23)). “With the pure Thou wilt show Thyself pure; but with the froward Thou wilt wrestle” (Psa. 18:2626With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward. (Psalm 18:26)―margin). It is a solemn thing when God is obliged to enter into controversy with any of us, but “if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged” (1 Cor. 11:3131For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:31)).
When enemies rise up against us our first appeal should be to God as to why He has permitted it. The enemies themselves may have no thought of God, but they may nevertheless be His instruments for the discipline of His people. The cruel Assyrian was the rod of Jehovah’s anger with respect to Israel― “howbeit he meaneth not so” (Isa. 10:5-75O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. 6I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. (Isaiah 10:5‑7)). The sufferings of the Hebrew Christians, under which they were disposed to faint, were apparently due to the persecution of the ungodly; but they were also the Father’s, gracious chastening. “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them which are exercised thereby” (Heb. 12:1-131Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 4Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. 5And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:1‑13)).
Hadad and Rezon appear to have been troublesome for many years, and Solomon could have crushed them; but in his greatness and majesty he apparently despised them. Jeroboam arose later, and became a much more serious foe. He was an ambitious young man, and even aspired to the throne (1 Kings 11:3737And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. (1 Kings 11:37)). Solomon, in forgetfulness of his own words in Proverbs 16:77When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. (Proverbs 16:7), already quoted, instead of exercising his conscience before God about this antagonist, sought to slay him, after the manner of Saul with David.
David’s throne is guaranteed by God, not to Solomon or to any other unfaithful creature, but to Christ. Jeremiah 33:55-57 makes this clear. “In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David: and He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.... For thus saith Jehovah; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of Israel.” Instigated by Satan, Athaliah might endeavor to destroy the seed royal (2 Kings 11:11And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. (2 Kings 11:1)); and Rezin and Pekah might plot to replace the seed of David by the son of Tabeal (Isa. 7:66Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal: (Isaiah 7:6)); but the purpose of God stands nevertheless.
The downfall of such a man as Solomon was a tragedy of the first magnitude, for it involved the ruin and devastation of the land and the people for three thousand years, and the deferment of deliverance and blessing for all the nations of the earth. Everything has doubtless been according to the counsel and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:2323Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: (Acts 2:23)); but this does not lessen the guilt of sinful men. Before it pleased God to subject Israel to the domination of the Gentiles, He was graciously pleased to grant occasional revivals in response to the fidelity of good kings such as Hezekiah and Josiah; but the hearts of the people were never right towards their God. Excellent kings might draw the multitude after them, but they served Jehovah “but feignedly” Jeremiah 3:1010And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 3:10)).
Blessed day that is coming, when the King of His choice will return, and be welcomed by the people, then fully reconciled to God. “It shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God: we have waited Him, and He will save us: this is Jehovah: we have waited or Him: we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation” (Isa. 25:99And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. (Isaiah 25:9)).