CHAPTER 3

(1014 B.C.)

SOLOMON MARRIES PHARAOHS DAUGHTER

¹And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt (even though this was not an alliance, but rather a relationship, still, Solomon broke the Law of God, which forbade making alliances and intermarrying with foreign nations, lest they should lead the hearts of Israel away from Jehovah to other gods [Ex. 34:16; Deut. 7:3-4]; we do not find the Lord rebuking him in this Chapter, even though the Holy Spirit did record the event; nevertheless, it was unlawful; we find it referred to elsewhere as his folly [11:1-9]), and took Pharaohs daughter, and brought her into the city of David (even though Solomon was not reprimanded now by the Lord, still, what he did was wrong; the worst thing that can happen to a Believer is for the Believer to succeed in his wrongdoing, even as Solomon did here; in such a case, success is taken for approval; but disobedience of the Word of God is never right, and will always ultimately lead to great trouble), until he had made an end of building his own house, and the House of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about (despite the great Work of God being done here, the Holy Spirit is, as well, showing us the seed of destruction that is being planted in its very midst, which was because of self-will on the part of Solomon; it is a warning to us not to do the same).

²Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the Name of the LORD, until those days. (This seems to be more a statement of regret rather than censure. It introduces a contrast by the writer, seeming to say that this was a blight on the flourishing condition of the Nation. The Law of God did not necessarily condemn a high place, but the wrong use of one for idolatry. All high places used for idolatry were to be destroyed [Deut. 12:2]. In effect, these high places, mentioned here by the Holy Spirit, although now used for the worship of God, would later lead to idolatry.)

SOLOMON ASKS FOR WISDOM

³And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the Statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt Incense in high places (the high places seemed to be an ignorance that God winked at, at least at this time).

⁴And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand Burnt Offerings did Solomon offer upon that Altar. (Gibeon was about 4 miles from Jerusalem. The Tabernacle Moses made was located here [II Chron. 1:3-4]. There was, as well, another Tabernacle in Jerusalem [3:15], which housed the Ark of the Covenant. So, Verses 2 and 4 suggest that there were, contrary to the Law, divided places of worship in Israel.

In all of this, we learn of the frailty of the human family and the glory of the Grace of God. The Holy Spirit is ever seeking to lead the individual into that which is totally Gods Way. God starts with imperfect people and concludes with imperfect people. He looks for a yielding, obedient heart.

To offer a thousand animals in sacrifice portrayed, at that time, that Solomon understood that the prosperity, strength, and veracity of Israel were all based on the shed Blood of the Lamb.)

⁵In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give you. (The offering up of the sacrifices probably took several days and, at the end of their being offered, the Lord appeared to Solomon. So we might say that this which followed was based strictly upon the Cross of Christ.)

⁶And Solomon said, You have showed unto Your Servant David my father great Mercy, according as he walked before You in Truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; and You have kept for him this great kindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

⁷And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your Servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in (Solomon was about 20 years old at the time).

⁸And Your Servant is in the midst of Your People which You have chosen, a great people, who cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

⁹Give therefore Your Servant an understanding heart to judge Your People, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this Your so great a people? (In effect, Solomon asks for wisdom!)

SOLOMON GETS WISDOM AND RICHES

¹⁰And the speech pleased the LORD that Solomon had asked this thing (some claim that he should have asked for this or that, etc., but the Scripture says that this for which Solomon asked pleased the Lord; if it pleased the Lord, it certainly should please us).

¹¹And God said unto him, Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life; neither have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies (destruction of enemies in battle); but have asked for yourself understanding to discern judgment;

¹²Behold, I have done according to your words: lo, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like you before you, neither after you shall any arise like unto you (referring to the degree of wisdom given to Solomon by the Lord).

¹³And I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto you all your days (during the time of Solomon, Israel was the most powerful Nation on the face of the Earth, and was that because of the Blessings of the Lord upon Solomon).

¹⁴And if you will walk in My Ways, to keep My Statutes and My Commandments, as your father David did walk, then I will lengthen your days (regrettably and sadly, Solomon did not do this, and died at 60 years old).

¹⁵And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD, and offered up Burnt Offerings, and offered Peace Offerings, and made a feast to all his servants. (This means there must have been another Brazen Altar at the Tabernacle in Jerusalem, as there was at Gibeon. If this was so, then it was not according to the Commandment of the Lord. It would not be rectified until some years later, when the Temple would be completed.)

WISDOM

¹⁶Then came there two women, who were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him (I think the reason the Holy Spirit placed the account of two women who were harlots into the Sacred Text is to portray the fact that justice was equal for all in the reign of Solomon, typifying that thats the way it ought to be).

¹⁷And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.

¹⁸And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.

¹⁹And this womans child died in the night; because she overlaid it.

²⁰And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while your handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.

²¹And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.

²²And the other woman said, No; but the living is my son, and the dead is your son. And this said, No; but the dead is your son, and the living is my son. Thus they spoke before the king.

²³Then said the king, The one says, This is my son who lives, and your son is the dead: and the other says, No; but your son is the dead, and my son is the living.

²⁴And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king (I wonder what the thoughts were of the many who, no doubt, were present that day, when the king asked for a sword?).

²⁵And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.

²⁶Then spoke the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise kill it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.

²⁷Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.

²⁸And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the Wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.