Back to All Events

1 Kings 11:1-13, Solomon’s Errors

Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today

So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not completely follow the Lord, as his father David had done.
— 1 Kings 11:6

NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, November 5, 2022

by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff


And there it is, folks. Solomon, whose reign was completely the polar opposite of David’s chaotic, war-torn, sin-filled years on the throne, turns out to be just as human as his dad. Solomon, whose kingdom was peaceful, who built the temple, and whose wisdom was known throughout the world, turned around and blew it in the end. Wives who worshipped other gods and enticed Solomon to do the same. Altars in “high places” to gods other than the God of Israel.

What?!? Honestly, I wonder if Solomon didn’t suffer from dementia in his old age, to have so completely forgotten everything he had ever believed in and lived for. That would certainly let him off the hook, although God didn’t completely. Because of Solomon’s poor choices, God would tear Israel apart—what we would soon see as the split between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. His son would succeed him on the throne, but when Israel splintered, he would be left with only one tribe. God’s one concession is that God would do this after Solomon had died, and God says it’s for the sake of David, not Solomon, that Solomon would be spared the chaos. I find that somewhat odd, that after just how much Solomon exceeded his father in almost every way, God would continue to hold David up as God’s most beloved servant king.

I suppose it doesn’t really matter—the how and the why. What matters is that even such towering figures as Solomon and David, as Moses and Jacob, and pretty much every major figure in the Bible, were entirely human, and therefore flawed. And God loved them—and us—anyway. There are still consequences for our actions, of course, but we know that in spite of them, God still loves us, and wants to help us do better.

Have I every done anything I believe is unforgivable? Can I believe that God forgives me?