The Three 'G's

For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David. 1 Kings 11:4

Solomon was lifted up by God to build Him a sanctuary. There was none as wise as Solomon in all the earth, yet this very wisdom became the basis of his corruption. What was the lifestyle that caused one so blessed to fall away from the plan and purpose of God for his life? Solomon fell prey to the three most basic temptations faced by all leaders: glory, girls and gold.

(1) Glory. Solomon’s will was in direct disobedience to the laws for kings. In Deuteronomy 17:16, God warns that a king “shall not multiply horses for himself.” Solomon went on a great military spending spree to gather chariots and horsemen (1 Kin. 10:26-28). They filled the whole kingdom of Israel. God was not against the formation of a necessary defense force but He was absolutely against a king putting his entire trust in them. Solomon presided over the greatest military buildup in Israel’s history only to satiate his own pride and vain glory.

(2) Girls. Deuteronomy 17:17 says that a king shall not “multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away.” While it is good for a man to have a wife, God says, “Don’t multiply wives!” “King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites … he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart” (1 Kin. 11:1,3). These sins may seem very remote to us but Jesus says that you can commit adultery in your heart (Matt. 5:28). The Bible talks about fallen church leaders that have “eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin” (2 Pet. 2:14). Those things can disqualify us from God’s anointing and blessings.

(3) Gold. Finally, Deuteronomy 17:17 warns that a king is not to “greatly multiply silver and gold for himself.” Solomon used his navy to bring into Jerusalem gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks (1 Kin. 10:22). He was using his God-given wisdom to enrich himself. There is nothing wrong with money. But the lust of money is the root of all evil. God did not forbid a king from gathering silver and gold. What He did forbid is the greedy multiplying and hoarding of them. It is the greed and adoration of possession that can ruin us as they did to King Solomon. If someone as great as Solomon could fall into temptation, then “let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12).