Plain were the admonitions, wonderful the promises given to Solomon; yet of him it is recorded: “He kept not that which the Lord commanded.”“His heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods.” 1 Kings 11:10, 9. So hardened was his heart in transgression, that his case seemed well-nigh hopeless.
(SS 40.1)
From the joy of divine communion, Solomon turned to the pleasures of sense. He says: “I made great works; I built houses and planted vineyards for myself; I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees ... . I bought male and female slaves ... . I also gathered for myself silver and gold ... . So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem ... .”
(SS 40.2)
“And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I kept my heart from no pleasure ... . Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”“So I hated life ... . I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:4-11, 17, 18, RSV.
(SS 40.3)
By bitter experience, Solomon learned the emptiness of a life that seeks in earthly things its highest good. Gloomy and harassing thoughts troubled him night and day. There was no longer any joy or peace of mind, and the future was dark with despair.
(SS 40.4)
Yet the Lord forsook him not. By reproof and severe judgments He sought to arouse the king to realize the sinfulness of his course. He permitted adversaries to harass and weaken the kingdom. “The Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite.” And “Jeroboam ..., Solomon’s servant,”“a mighty man of valor,”“even he lifted up his hand against the king.” 1 Kings 11:14, 26-28.
(SS 41.1)
At last a prophet delivered to Solomon the startling message: “I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.” Verses 11, 12.
(SS 41.2)
Awakened as from a dream by this sentence of judgment, Solomon began to see his folly. With mind and body enfeebled, he turned from earth’s broken cisterns to drink once more at the fountain of life. Long had he been harassed by the fear of utter ruin because of inability to turn from folly; but now he discerned in the message given him a ray of hope. God stood ready to deliver him from a bondage more cruel than the grave, and from which he had no power to free himself.
(SS 41.3)
In penitence Solomon began to retrace his steps toward the exalted plane of purity and holiness from whence he had fallen. He could never hope to escape the blasting results of sin, but he would humbly confess the error of his ways and warn others lest they be lost irretrievably because of the evil influences he had set in operation. The true penitent thinks of those who have been led into evil by his course and tries to lead them back to the true path. He does not gloss over his wayward course, but lifts the danger signal that others may take warning.
(SS 41.4)
Solomon acknowledged that “the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart.”“Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, ... but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days.” Ecclesiastes 9:3; 8:12, 13.
(SS 41.5)
By inspiration the king recorded the history of his wasted years with their lessons of warning. And thus his lifework was not wholly lost. With lowliness Solomon in his later years “taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging proverbs with great care.” He “sought to find pleasing words, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.” Ecclesiastes 12:9, 10, RSV.
(SS 42.1)
“Fear God, and keep His commandments,” he wrote, “for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Verses 13, 14.
(SS 42.2)
Solomon’s later writings reveal that as he realized more and more the wickedness of his course, he gave special attention to warning the youth against the errors that had led him to squander Heaven’s choicest gifts. With sorrow and shame he confessed that in the prime of manhood, when he should have found God his comfort, his support, his life, he put idolatry in the place of the worship of God. And now his yearning desire was to save others from the bitter experience through which he had passed.
(SS 42.3)
With touching pathos he wrote concerning the privileges before the youth: “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.” Ecclesiastes 11:9, 10.
(SS 42.4)
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, While the evil days come not, Nor the years draw nigh, When thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. Ecclesiastes 12:1
(SS 43)
The life of Solomon is full of warning. When he should have been in character as a sturdy oak, he fell under the power of temptation. When his strength should have been the firmest, he was found to be the weakest. In watchfulness and prayer is the only safety for both young and old. In the battle with inward sin and outward temptation, even the wise and powerful Solomon was vanquished. His failure teaches that whatever a man’s intellectual qualities may be and however faithfully he may have served God in the past, he can never trust his own wisdom and integrity.
(SS 43.1)
It is as true now as when the words were spoken to Israel of obedience to God’s commandments: “This is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations.” Deuteronomy 4:6. Here is the only safeguard for individual integrity, the purity of the home, or the stability of the nation. “The statutes of the Lord are right,” and “he that doeth these things shall never be moved.” Psalm 19:8; 15:5.
(SS 43.2)
Those who heed the warnings of Solomon’s apostasy will shun the first approach of those sins that overcame him. Only obedience to the requirements of Heaven will keep man from apostasy. So long as life shall last, there will be need of guarding the affections and passions with a firm purpose. Not one moment can we be secure except as we rely upon God, the life hidden with Christ. Watchfulness and prayer are the safeguards of purity.
(SS 43.3)
All who enter the City of God will enter through the strait gate, for “there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth.” Revelation 21:27. But none who have fallen need give up to despair. Aged men, once honored of God, may have defiled their souls, sacrificing virtue on the altar of lust; but if they repent, forsake sin, and turn to God, there is hope for them. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:7. God hates sin, but He loves the sinner.
(SS 43.4)
Solomon’s repentance was sincere; but the harm that his example had wrought could not be undone. During his apostasy there were in the kingdom men who maintained their purity and loyalty, but the forces of evil set in operation by idolatry and worldly practices could not easily be stayed by the penitent king. His influence was greatly weakened. Many hesitated to place full confidence in his leadership. The king could never hope entirely to destroy the baleful influence of his wrong deeds. Emboldened by his apostasy, many continued to do evil. And in the downward course of many of the rulers who followed him may be traced the sad influence of the prostitution of his God-given powers.
(SS 44.1)
In the anguish of bitter reflection on his course Solomon declared, “Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.”“Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor.” Ecclesiastes 9:18; 10:1.
(SS 44.2)
Beyond our knowledge or control, our influence tells on others in blessing or cursing. It may be heavy with the gloom of discontent and selfishness, or poisonous with the deadly taint of cherished sin; or it may be charged with the life-giving power of faith, courage, and hope, and sweet with the fragrance of love. But potent for good or for ill it will be.
(SS 44.3)
One soul misled—who can estimate the loss! And yet one rash act, one thoughtless word on our part, may exert so deep an influence on the life of another that it will prove the ruin of the soul. One blemish on the soul may turn many away from Christ.
(SS 45.1)
Every act, every word, will bear fruit. Every deed of kindness, of obedience, of self-denial, will reproduce itself in others, and through them in still others. So every act of envy, malice, or dissension will spring up in a “root of bitterness” whereby many shall be defiled. Hebrews 12:15. Thus the sowing of good and evil goes on for time and for eternity.
(SS 45.2)