King Solomon was one of the wisest Kings ever lived in the history of Israel. He built the Temple of Jerusalem to house the Ark of the Covenant.
The Bible depicts King Solomon’s reign as an era of unprecedented prosperity due to his wisdom, a quality bestowed upon him by God. However, the Bible gives an honest portrayal of all its characters. The scripture honestly deals with the frailties of the people of God while pointing to God’s redemptive plan for humanity.
Despite King Solomon’s disobedience to God, he remained to be a part of Jesus’ ancestral line which was comprised of people like him, who have committed their lives to God in spite of their controversy and sinfulness. This reminds us that God can use even imperfect people like us to bring about his salvation plan. Although sin has its consequences, God remained faithful to his covenant with his people.
King Solomon Disobeyed God
“Therefore, the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. Yet for the sake of David your father, I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.” 1 Kings 11:11-12 ESV
King Solomon had 700 wives and 300+ concubines. Although Solomon married many wives for the same reason, many or most of Solomon’s 1,000 marriages were believed to be politically motivated; they were intended to seal alliances with neighboring states.
Solomon broke the command of God by marrying many foreign women who led him to worship their gods. He built shrines for the Moabite, Ammonite, and other pagan gods.
Disobedience Has Its Consequences
God gave Solomon wisdom as a gift lavishly poured out on him. However, his heart was deceived. His brain was full but his heart was led astray. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, King Solomon’s wisdom and power were not sufficient to prevent the rebellion of several of his border cities. As a result of his apostasy, Solomon lost God’s favor, and his descendants lost the kingdom. His sin resulted in the nation of Israel to divide.
Who are King Solomon’s Children?
There is an argument that there are no definitive records of the exact number of Solomon’s children. With his 1000 wives, the only son mentioned in the Bible is Rehoboam who succeeded King Solomon on the throne, and his two daughters Basemath and Taphath. Whether there are more or this is exactly the number of Solomon’s children, we can glean golden nuggets from the lives of the king and his children.
Son of Solomon: Rehoboam
Rehoboam’s mother is Naamah, an Ammonite. She is one of the foreign wives whom Solomon married. Rehoboam is the last monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel and the first monarch of the Kingdom of Judah after the split.
Divided Kingdom of Israel: Northern and Southern Kingdom
After King Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam became king.
Some dissatisfied subjects revolted against the new king. Jeroboam coming from exile led this complainer to deliver their demands to king Rehoboam.
Older men counseled King Rehoboam to at least speak to the people in a civil manner. However, the new king sought advice from the young men he had grown up with. They advised him to show toughness towards the people and to tax them even more, which the King did. (1 Kings 12)
This caused Jeroboam and the people to rebel against the King, which resulted in the breaking away of Israel and forming of two separate kingdoms.
1. The kingdom of Israel or the northern kingdom (consisting of ten Tribes) was ruled by Jeroboam.
2. The kingdom of Judah or the Southern Kingdom (consisting of two Tribes) was the only one left to Rehoboam.
Thankfully, Rehoboam listened to a prophet of the Lord and didn’t pursue an all-out civil war against the Northern Kingdom. However, Rehoboam’s Kingdom of Judah was living in rebellion against the Lord. In turn, the Lord moved Egypt’s Pharaoh to attack Judah.
In desperation, Rehoboam allowed the Pharaoh to seize all the wealth from the royal palace and sacred temple with vast wealth accumulated by his grandfather David and father Solomon. It’s fair to say that this is hard to take place if Israel and Judah had not split in two.
Jeroboam Rejected Wise Counsel
Jeroboam should have found the guidance he needed in the many wise proverbs his father had penned.
Proverbs 14:16 “One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.” ESV
Proverbs 13:20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” ESV
Rehoboam listened to foolish counsel. He rejected the wisdom that comes from the word of God and the wisdom of the elderly to heed his peer’s advice. He chose to please these young men. It is his pride and self-centeredness that have led him to his downfall.
Daughters of King Solomon: Basemath and Taphath
According to womeninthebible.net, Solomon’s recorded names of his daughters are Basemath and Taphath. They were brought up in the King’s luxurious court. Each of them knew from an early age that they had a special destiny. They would marry important men chosen by their father and live in a provincial harem far from Jerusalem.
Their marriages were pre-arranged while they were kids. When the right time came, Solomon gave Basemath to Ahimaaz of Naphtali and Taphath was given to Ben-abinadab in Naphath-dor of northern Galilee. Both men are important officials in his kingdom.
As much as Solomon loved his daughters, they also played an important role to keep the northern and southern provinces of Israel together. Through his daughters’ marriage, Solomon built a good relationship with these men for political alliances.
As princesses, they had a special purpose and task in life. They were expected to perform certain duties for their father:
- Produce children, supervise, teach, and raise them into power
- Watch what was happening in the area of their husband’s government
- Report back to him if she saw or heard something that concerned their royal father and his realm
Two Princesses’ Predicament
While King Rehoboam has his full control over the Kingdom of Israel, Basemath and Taphath received the honor and treatment due to them. But as their father lost his grip on the entire kingdom, their standing began to wane.
The two women disappeared from the record of history. But what they did is recorded in the memory of God’s heart. Nothing is overlooked by the God who sees it all.
It is interesting that the name Basemath means sweet perfume and the name Taphath means essence. They may not be read anymore in succeeding narratives, but the scent of their offering and service will remain like a sweet offering to their God.
Something to Glean On
We chose to live and get our guidance from God’s word, not from the popular figures we follow on social media. New ideologies may come, and the latest lifestyles may be followed by hundreds of people but the Word of God is still the final authority, unchanging and eternal. It gives wisdom and life to everyone who listens and obeys it!
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