1 Kings 10 – 13

The queen of Sheba came to Solomon with many questions and in verse 10:3 we find what she came for:

Solomon gave her an answer to every question. The king knew all the answers, and he explained all she asked. 

This was the greatness of Solomon; his wisdom gave him insight to all matters of things. The Queen came to test Solomon and he passed all her “tests”. Interesting she made the journey just to see if the stories about Solomon were true and in finding this so she gave him lots of gold and spices.

Verse 11:1 is where Solomon’s wisdom fails him:

King Solomon loved countless women from other countries—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, Hittites—as well as Pharaoh’s daughter.

Where this helped solidify alliances with other nations politically, it destroyed the nation from within. Verse 11:2 is the reason why this was not allowed by God:

 All the countries of the king’s lovers were heathen countries that the Eternal One had warned the Israelites about: “Do not mingle with them, and do not allow them to mingle with you. They will corrupt you and lead you away from Me. They will seduce your hearts to follow their own gods.” But Solomon clung to these lovers. 

Sure enough, Solomon drifted from God and this is the period I believe he started the Lesser Keys of Solomon or the conjuring up of demons and spirits. The Bible does not say this, but based on what it does say where he followed other gods and built temples in their name leads me to believe this was when he started to do this.

Verse 11:4 sums up Solomon’s life:

Solomon followed the Lord during youth and middle age, but when Solomon was an old man, these women seduced him into following other gods. His heart was led astray and no longer completely belonged to the Eternal One, his True God, as his father David’s heart did.

He could have been the greatest of kings, but instead let his “dick run his life” (excuse the expression). As soon as his lusts took over he justified the political gains over the loss of blessing from God. I have always had problems with this since here was a man with great wisdom, why did he miss this. I think we see how lust and earthly desires can override even the greatest of kings … so learn to run away from all things that could corrupt your relationship with God.