Lessons from King Solomon: Leadership, Governance, and Moral Dilemmas

King Solomon, known as the wisest man on Earth, was a righteous and godly king at the beginning of his reign, but he worshipped idols and had gone astray at the end of his reign. But, in the very last years of his life, Solomon concluded that all things “under the sun” are vanity and only a righteous relationship with God brings satisfaction and meaning (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

Solomon, also known as Jedidiah, was the third king of Israel and the last king of the United Kingdom. He was the son of David and Bathsheba and is known for his wisdom, construction of the Temple, his peaceful reign, and his multitude of wives (1 Kings 11:3). Eventually, his wives would cause his downfall into idolatry, even though God had warned Solomon against having more than one wife (Deuteronomy 17:17) and marrying heathen women (Deuteronomy 7:3-6). Solomon wrote the biblical books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. He died after forty years of reigning over the nation (1 Kings 11:41-43) with a tarnished legacy. 

One of the main events that shaped King Solomon’s life was when God gave him the ability to ask for anything he wanted. Solomon, acknowledging that he was young for a king and did not know how to rule a nation, made the humble request for wisdom. God not only granted Solomon’s request but also gave him riches and honor as well (1 Kings 3:5-15). Another event that shaped King Solomon’s life, specifically his downfall, was his sin of marrying a multitude of heathen women. His 700 wives and 300 concubines eventually caused Solomon to slip into idolatry, even though God had warned him not to worship and serve other gods in 1 Kings 9:6. God therefore punished Solomon by nearly removing the kingship from Solomon’s line and allowed three adversaries to trouble him (1 Kings 11:9-40). King Solomon had a magnificent life, but left behind a tarnished legacy.

Throughout his life, Solomon had three main portions of his reign. Solomon had a righteous, wise, and godly character in the first portion of his reign. Unfortunately, Solomon’s wives led his heart astray, and he slipped into idolatry. He was foolish and unwise in marrying 1,000 heathen wives, eventually leading to idol worship. But, near the end of the king’s life, Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes and expressed his regret for his current disobedient lifestyle. He concluded that riches, honor, and glory were all vanity and that only a right relationship with God brought meaning and satisfaction in life. Therefore, we must fear the Lord and keep His holy commandments (Ecclesiastes 12).

Events that occurred throughout Solomon’s lifetime provide us with important lessons we should reap from the life of King Solomon. One of those lessons is that wisdom is a very valuable trait to have. The saying, “common sense isn’t that common,” has truth in it. Just like Solomon, wisdom can have a positive impact on ourselves and others in our community, school, home, church, etc. It can help us make wise choices, just like it guided Solomon in leading the nation. Another important lesson that can be learned is that who you choose to marry can have a positive, or in Solomon’s case, negative impact on your relationship with God. Therefore, we should always let God guide our decisions in choosing our partners. If Solomon had done this, he would have saved himself a lot of trouble and later on, regret.

King Solomon had many positives and negatives about his life and reign. Judging from the main points of his reign, it seems clear that Solomon started well in his reign, but ended with a diluted legacy. Compared to his father, David, Solomon isn’t as righteous and godly toward the end of his reign. But he was better in his overall reign than Saul and other kings (and queens) of Israel and Judah, such as Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:26-33), Ahab (1 Kings 16:29-34), Athaliah (2 Kings 11:1-16), and Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1-17). In summary, out of ten, Solomon would probably be a 7/10. 

Solomon, the third king of Israel and last king of the United Kingdom, lived “a splendid life with a tarnished termination.” He is known for his wisdom, and ironically, his foolish choice of wives. King Solomon, just like all the other kings of Israel and Judah after him, left a legacy and many important lessons that we can apply to our lives today.