In Defense of the Faith

What About That Old Sinner and Idolater, Solomon?

Question: We are told that “when Solomon was old” he worshiped false gods and goddesses, tried to kill Jeroboam (whom God had chosen as his successor), and did other evils. How then could God have inspired him to write parts of the Bible, how could he have been “the wisest man who ever lived,” and how could it be said of him that he “slept with his fathers,” which presumably meant that he went to heaven?

Response: Solomon began well. His heart was right with God and God loved him and blessed him abundantly (1 Kings:3:11And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
See All...–13). His God-given inspiration to write (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and The Song of Solomon) occurred long before he fell into sin. His downfall, which came in later life, was his love for beautiful women. He couldn’t get enough of them:

King Solomon loved many strange [foreign] women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in to you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods; Solomon clave unto these in love. . . .

It came to pass when Solomon was old that his wives turned away his heart after other gods. . . . For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. . . . Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab . . . and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.

And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon. . . . Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon . . . I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. (1 Kings:11:1But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
See All...–11)

How could he be the wisest man (apart from Jesus Christ) who ever lived and fall into such folly and gross sin? Indeed, for that very reason Solomon serves as a special lesson to us all: that a man so wise, far wiser than anyone else could ever hope to be, could wander so far from the God he loved ought to make us all the more careful to heed Paul’s admonition: “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians:10:12Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
See All...).

The reason for Solomon’s sin is also sobering: He disobeyed the Lord. How solemn to realize that one step of disobedience leads to another, until one gathers such momentum on the downward path that there is little hope of recovery!

The very fact that the sins of Solomon and other major figures in the Bible are honestly presented in Scripture is one more evidence of its authenticity. A fictitious account would tend to glorify its main characters and cover up their faults. Such was the nature of the accounts written at that time about the Pharaohs and other rulers. They were treated as deities. Moreover, the mention of the sins of Solomon, David, and others raises questions and creates conflicts that a fictitious account would avoid. Here we have further evidence of authenticity and the impeccable integrity of the record.

As for the statement that “Solomon slept with his fathers” (1 Kings:11:43And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
See All...), that does not refer to being in heaven. No one is asleep in heaven. It refers to being in the grave with one’s ancestors. For example, when Jacob was about to die, he said to his sons, “I am to be gathered unto my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave which is in the field of Machpelah. . . . There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah” (Genesis:49:29And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
See All...–31).

Is Solomon in heaven or in hell? I think he is in heaven, but I do not know beyond doubt. Solomon is not mentioned in Hebrews 11 along with David, his father, and other heroes of the faith. However, that chapter honors those who were particularly triumphant in faith, so it is not surprising that Solomon would not be named among them.

We Are All Sinners Who Need God’s Mercy

It would be strange indeed if Solomon, who wrote some of the Bible under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration and who built the original temple at Jerusalem, where the glory of God was manifested for so many years, went to hell instead of to heaven. God disciplined Solomon in this life more in the way He deals with His own than with unbelievers.

Solomon’s sin was inexcusable and exceedingly grievous. In fact, it merited the death penalty under the law. But so did his father David’s sin, yet God forgave him. And so did her adultery merit the death of the woman whom the Pharisees brought to Jesus. And yet in mercy He forgave her too. There is no doubt that God’s mercy, made possible by the sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross for the sins of the world, could also have been extended to Solomon.

Let us hear again and heed the words of Jesus to the Pharisees, who did not want any mercy for this adulteress:

“He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John:8:7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
See All...). John tells us, “And they . . . being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest even unto the last; and Jesus was left alone [with] the woman. . . .” (John:8:9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
See All...)

Whoever would himself receive the merciful pardon of God dare not withhold pardon from Solomon or from anyone else. The destiny of each of us is in God’s hands alone. We rest in the assurance that “the Judge of all the earth” shall indeed “do right” (Genesis:18:25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
See All...).

—An excerpt from In Defense of the Faith (pp. 141-44) by Dave Hunt