“And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.” (I Kings 3:10)“
And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel…” (I Kings 11:9)
The Lord was pleased with Solomon, but later He was angry with him. What caused such a change? James explains the matter well: “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). That verse speaks of one who is literally “two-spirited”. When Solomon became Israel’s third king, he was a prime example of a double-minded man. Within the same verse, we read that “Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father”, and “he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places” (I Kings 3:3). Solomon loved the Lord but practiced idolatry. He exercised phenomenal wisdom but allowed his wives to turn his heart from God to false gods. He built colossal buildings for God’s glory but also built buildings for sacrificing to the gods of Moabites and Ammonites. He was a double-minded king.
Solomon was extremely wise. His wisdom should not surprise us, though, since he asked God specifically for wisdom to rule Israel well. How does such a wise man act so foolishly? Consider three observations about that. First, wisdom does not always translate to righteous living. Moses, David, and Peter stand out as wise men who sometimes lived foolishly. The sinful heart is not conquered by wisdom but by the blood of Christ. Second, Solomon left himself vulnerable to wicked influences by the people around him. Even the wisest of men couldn’t overcome marrying several women who actively served and worshiped false gods. Wisdom is no substitute for obedience. Third, continuing to practice that which is contrary to God’s revealed Truth opens us up to defeat. Solomon offered sacrifices and burned incense to false gods while trying to serve and honor the living God.
Despite his double-mindedness, Solomon ruled Israel well at times. How could he have avoided the disobedience that sometimes spoiled his kingship? Perhaps the truths of Colossians 3:16 would have reached Solomon and turned his heart toward God. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Wisdom without the constant application of Scripture is hardly wisdom. When we let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, we resist being "two-spirited" people. May God raise up a great army of one-spirited, single-minded Christians–and let the army begin with me.
