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Will we see Solomon in heaven? by Jake King
Like father, like son? The Bible is forthright about King David’s sin. For example, it says, “David did what was
right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he
commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the
Hittite” (1 Kings 15:5 ESV). But it’s
also clear that David was forgiven of this sin.
“David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ And Nathan said
to David, ‘The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die’” (2 Samuel
12:13 ESV). But can the same thing be
said about David’s son Solomon? Solomon’s Sin The Bible is forthright about King Solomon’s sin. The end of Solomon’s story in 1st
Kings is a sad one: Now King Solomon loved many foreign
women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite,
Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had
said to the people of No mention is made in 1st Kings of Solomon
repenting of these sins. So we wonder,
“Will we see Solomon in heaven?” King Manasseh Notice I said, “No mention is made in 1st
Kings of Solomon repenting.” But that
doesn’t mean that Solomon didn’t repent.
Solomon’s descendant, King Manasseh, provides us with an interesting
comparison. In the book of 2nd
Kings (the continuation of 1st Kings), Manasseh is presented as one
of the worst kings ever. “He did evil in
the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 21:2 NASB) summarizes all his evils. Some specifics include him sacrificing his
own son in fire (verse 6) and putting an idol in the temple (verse 7). “Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent
blood” (verse 16 NASB)—“According to Jewish tradition, Isaiah was sawed in two
during Manasseh’s reign” (TNIV Study Bible, cf. Hebrews 11:37). Like Solomon in 1st Kings, the story
of Manasseh in 2nd Kings ends with no mention of Manasseh repenting
of these awful sins. “The Things Omitted” But then comes 1st and 2nd
Chronicles. When the Old Testament
(which was written in Hebrew) was translated into Greek in Alexandria in 280 BC
(a translation called the Septuagint), the translators referred to the books of
1st and 2nd Chronicles as “the things omitted,”
indicating that they viewed these books as containing things left out from the
records of the books of Samuel and Kings.
The story of Manasseh illustrates this.
In 2nd Chronicles we read that Manasseh humbled himself,
prayed to God and was heard by God. Then
we read about Manasseh trying to right many of the wrongs he had done. But what about Solomon? Thus, the story of Manasseh illustrates that 1st
and 2nd Kings doesn’t always give the full story. So does 2nd Chronicles likewise
tell us that Solomon repented of his sins?
No it doesn’t. In fact, 2nd
Chronicles doesn’t mention Solomon’s sins at all. The books of 1st and 2nd
Chronicles present perfect pictures of David and Solomon, paving the way for
their truly sinless descendant, Jesus.
But there is another book in the Bible to consider, the book of
Ecclesiates. Ecclesiates Concerning Ecclesiastes, Rolan Cap Ehlke commented,
“Jewish tradition recognizes the book as the product of an old man, reflecting
on life and preparing to die.” In the
book, Solomon no longer cherishes his “many concubines,” rather regarding
having them as “vanity and striving after wind” and “no profit” (Eccles. 2:8-11
NASB). What did Solomon value? “The end of the matter,” he concluded, “all
has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of
man” (Eccles. 12:13 ESV). I believe
we’ll see Solomon in heaven. |