| “Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose … He shall not multiply horses to himself … neither shall he multiply wives to himself … neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold” (Deuteronomy 17:15-17). |
| “And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen … and the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones” (1 Kings 10:26-27). |
| “And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines” (1 Kings 11:3). |
| The law made it very clear that there were three things a king of Israel was not to do. He was not to multiply horses for himself, nor was he to multiply wives for himself. Finally, he was not greatly to multiple silver and gold. Yet Solomon did all three of these things. |
| We know that Solomon really wanted to please the Lord when he first became king. When the Lord asked him what he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom so that he could govern the people correctly. God said that because he asked for wisdom, He would also give him riches and honor. It seems that when all this came to Solomon, he rather quickly forgot what was written in the law and disobeyed all three commandments. |
| He was not to multiply horses to himself, for in those days, horses were the strength of the army. Solomon ended up with a big army, but the Lord wanted him to trust in Him, not in the size of his army. |
| He was not to multiply silver and gold, for there was no need for this. Yes, there was plenty of gold available to build the temple, and that was all right. But later, Solomon got as much gold as he could, just to have it around. His heart was on the silver and gold, not on the Lord. |
| Finally, he was not to multiply wives for himself. Yet Solomon actually had seven hundred wives, and three hundred other women beside. Can you imagine a man with seven hundred wives? As we would say today, that is mind-boggling! It tells us that when Solomon was old, his wives “turned away his heart after other gods” (1 Kings 11:4). He had married a lot of women who came from heathen backgrounds, and they worshiped idols. His affections were divided, and he did not follow the Lord like David his father. He thought he could find happiness with many wives, but it did not work. |
| Solomon thought he knew better than the Lord and decided to disobey the Lord’s commands. He found out that the Lord was right, and this should be a lesson to us. Obedience and happiness go together. |
