1. King Solomon, the wisest man who once feared the Lord, strayed from his wisdom and God's commands by developing insatiable appetites for wealth and women later in life. 2. His heart became turned away from fully devoted to God, and he engaged in idolatry by worshipping the false gods of his many foreign wives. 3. The lessons are that no one is immune from temptation, no position or privileges can protect from sin, and sin can gradually creep in if one is not vigilant and committed to resisting it at all times.

1. WHEN WISDOM WAS NOT ENOUGH
KING SOLOMON STRAYS FROM HIS OWN PROVERBS
March 9, 2014
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
USA
MARCH MEMORY VERSE
John 14:6
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.”
John 14:6
REFERENCE
SEEKING WISDOM – FINDING GOLD
A Study Guide By Dr. David Jeremiah
TODAY’S LESSON
WHEN WISDOM WAS NOT ENOUGH
- King Solomon loses his “fear of the Lord”.
- How could this happen to the wisest man on earth?
REVIEW OF LAST SUNDAY’S LESSON
Solomon’s Early Years
Spiritual influences that impacted Solomon’s life
– Blessed before he was born.
– Blessed at his birth.
– Chosen by God as Israel’s King to follow David.
– Prayed for by King David.
– God blessed Solomon’s request for wisdom.
– Blessed by God beyond any other man.
What is wisdom?
– “The right use of knowledge.” – Spurgeon
– “Common sense in an uncommon degree.”
– “Wisdom is knowledge using its head.” – Twain
Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One
is understanding.
Proverbs 9:10

2. THE 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM
Proverbs 1:1-7
1. Wisdom is Development.
2. Wisdom is Discipline.
3. Wisdom is Discernment.
4. Wisdom is Dignity.
5. Wisdom is Discretion.
6. Wisdom is Depth of Understanding.
7. Wisdom is Devotion to God.
HOW DOES WISDOM COME TO US?
1 Corinthians 1:30
30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us
wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
1 Corinthians 1:30
• Jesus Christ is our wisdom from God.
• Jesus (Wisdom) dwells in us through the Holy Spirit.
SOLOMON’S EARLY YEARS
1 Kings 4:29-31
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of
understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom
was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all
the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the
Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame
spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and
his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the
cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about
animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to
Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his
wisdom.
1 Kings 4:29-34
Describe King Solomon’s Early Reign
• Blessed & Generous
• Successful & Popular
• Discerning & Upright
• Productive & Ambitious
• Wisdom & Knowledge
• “Feared the Lord”
• Walked in the ways of the Lord

3. GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS FOR KINGS
Deuteronomy 17:14-20
14 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken
possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all
the nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God
chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner
over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire
great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get
more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way
again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must
not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a
copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19 It is to be with him, and
he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his
God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees. 20 and not
consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right
or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his
kingdom in Israel.
Deuteronomy 17:14-20
Summary
1. God’s choice & an Israelite
2. Limited number of horses
3. Do not return to Egypt
4. Do not take many wives
5. Do not accumulate large amounts of gold
6. Read and study the scriptures
7. Do not be prideful
8. Obey God
DID KING SOLOMON FOLLOW GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS?
1 Kings 11:9-11
9 The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from
the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had
forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s
command. 11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you
have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will
most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your
subordinates.
1 Kings 11:9-11
• What caused Solomon’s downfall?
• What are the lessons for us?
• Buckle your seatbelts!!!!!

4. WHAT CAUSED SOLOMON’S DOWNFALL?
1. He had an incredible appetite for wealth.
2. He had an incredible appetite for women.
SOLOMON’S DOWNFALL:
Solomon’s Appetite for Wealth - Luxury
1 Kings 6:37-38
37 The foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid in the fourth year, in the
month of Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the
temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent
seven years building it.
1 Kings 6:37-38
1 Kings 7:1
1 It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his
palace. 1 Kings 7:1
Solomon’s Appetite for Wealth
1 Kings 10:14-15
14 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, 15 not
including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian
kings and the governors of the territories.
1 Kings 10:14-15
• Solomon received 25 tons of gold annually
• Gold price today in pounds = $19,545
• 25 tons (50,000 lbs.) = $977,250,000
Solomon’s Appetite for Wealth - Gold
1 Kings 10:21
21 All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the
Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver,
because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days.
1 Kings 10:21
• Solomon would not drink from a silver cup!
Solomon’s Appetite for Wealth - Horses
1 Kings 10:26, 29
26 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots
and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with
him in Jerusalem.
29 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a
horse for a hundred and fifty.
1 Kings 10:26, 29

5. Solomon’s Appetite for Wealth
Ecclesiastes 2:8
8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.
Ecclesiastes 2:8
Ecclesiastes 2:10
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My
heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.
Ecclesiastes 2:10
Solomon’s Appetite for Wealth – Throne
1 Kings 10:18-20
18 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine
gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides
of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 20 Twelve
lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had
ever been made for any other kingdom.
1 Kings 10:18-20
SOLOMON’S THRONE
by Edward Poynter 1890
SOLOMON’S DOWNFALL:
1. He had an incredible appetite for wealth.
2. He had an incredible appetite for women.

6. 1 Kings 11:1-6
1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s
daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were
from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not
intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.”
Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives
of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As
Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was
not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable
god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not
follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.
1 Kings 11:1-6
HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO A WISE MAN?
• Solomon’s words to Israel in dedicating the Temple built for God:
1 Kings 8:61
61 And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his
decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”
1 Kings 8:61
– What happens to a heart not fully committed?
A HEART NOT FULLY COMMITTED
1 Kings 11:4
4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart
was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had
been.
1 Kings 11:4
1 Kings 11:6
6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord
completely, as David his father had done.
1 Kings 11:6
KING SOLOMON KNEW BETTER
Proverbs 3:5–7
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil. Proverbs 3:5–7

7. IDOLATRY: Not Fully Committed
IDOL: Anything that replaces God in any area of your life.
- Idolatry is our most basic sin, and in it an exchange is made: God reveals
His truth about Himself, and we trade in that truth and walk out with a lie.
- We exchange the glory of God for the glory of the creature (creation or
world).
How do we commit idolatry like Solomon did?
• By worshipping the creation (Wealth, Pleasure) instead of the Creator.
Romans 1:21-25
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave
thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were
darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and
exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal
human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual
impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged
the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather
than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
Romans 1:21-25
- Solomon went from worshipping the Creator to worshipping the creation
(wealth, pleasure)
WHAT ARE THE LESSONS FOR US?
1. No person is immune from temptation.
2. No plateau is safe from sin’s allure.
3. No position is safe from sin’s snare.
4. No privileges will protect from Satan’s reach.
5. At no point can you be lenient toward sin.
1. No person is immune from temptation.
• Wisdom does not automatically immunize anyone against the sickness of
sin.
1 Corinthians 10:13
13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.
And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can
bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you
can endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13

8. JESUS UNDERSTANDS TEMPTATION
Hebrews 4:15
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as
we are —yet he did not sin.
Hebrews 4:15
Hebrews 2:18
18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those
who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:18
BE CAREFUL WHEN…….
• You say, “_____ is not a temptation for me.”
• You say, “Just this one time only.”
• You say, “No one will know.”
• You say, “God wants me to be happy.”
• You are tired, hungry or upset!
2. No plateau is safe from sin’s allure.
I Kings 11:4
4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his
heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his
father had been.
I Kings 11:4
• Solomon is 60 and chasing 1000 women!
• There is no fool like an old fool!
No Plateau Is Safe From Sin’s Allure
• Age –
• Marriage –
• Financially secure –
• Empty Nest –
• Retirement –
• Life’s goals are met -
3. No position is safe from sin’s snare
• Solomon was the King and God’s chosen.
• He was the wisest man on earth.
• Satan intensifies his attack on people who should set the godly example.
• Satan is out to make Jesus’ followers look like hypocrites.

9. 4. No privileges will protect from Satan’s reach
1 Kings 11:9
9 The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away
from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
1 Kings 11:9
• Solomon had talked personally with God.
• God had chosen and blessed Solomon.
• 1,000 wives does not keep you from lust.
• Knowledge and wisdom does not mean godly actions.
• Wealth does not keep you from greed and envy.
• Being smart does not keep you from being stupid.
5. At NO point can you be lenient toward sin
• How did Solomon fall so far?
• Solomon did not become an idolater or a polygamist overnight.
• His demise was a gradual process.
• Solomon slowly lost his “fear of God”.
• It was not a blowout – it was a slow leak!
• Satan’s Tricks
– Desensitization. (slowly lose guilt and shame)
– Delayed punishment from God.
– Doubt: Did God really say………? (Garden of Eden)
– Pleasure must increase over time for satisfaction.
– Pride – I did it my way! I deserve it!
– Make decisions when tired, hungry or upset.
1 Peter 5:8-9
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the
faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is
undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
1 Peter 5:8-9
SOLOMON’S FINAL WORDS
Where Life Finds Its Meaning
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 KJV
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his
commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

10. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing,
whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 KJV
• The whole duty of man = A life totally committed.