Inspirational people: Solomon part 1, was he a wise or foolish king?

When we think of Solomon, we think of wisdom. But was he truly wise? This is what I learnt from Morling College Old Testament Foundations:
Solomon is typically seen as one who began his reign well and was only led astray by his foreign wives towards the end of his life. However, there are indications that Solomon already failed to fully submit to the requirements of the Torah from the beginning of his reign.
1 Kings 4:34 tells that “From all nations, people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom”, as exemplified by the blessing by the King of Tyre and Queen of Sheba.
What Solomon actually requested from Yahweh was a “hearing heart” so that he could discern good from evil. This wisdom is on the will and decision making rather than the emotions.

• This wisdom to execute justice makes him “successful” as a king, eg. The prostitute’s baby.

• The wisdom to rule/organise: It also enables him to organise his kingdom in a way so that it greatly prospered, becoming a mature, rich and influential nation.

• The wisdom to build the temple: especially the organisation of the labour and building materials.

There is ambiguity to Solomon’s wisdom. He exhibits great human wisdom: The wisdom to skilfully organise the world. However, wisdom literature stresses that true wisdom is found in the fear of the Lord. The “fear” meaning a reverent awe that acknowledges God for who he is. The truly wise person fears the Lord and keeps his covenant. This is the kind of wisdom which Solomon ultimately failed in, when his wives turned his heart towards other gods and his heart was not wholly true to Yahweh as David’s heart had been. He exhibited covenant unfaithfulness during his reign:

• Solomon’s sordid succession: He came to throne with some ruthless politics where he dealt ruthlessly with a conspiracy by his half-brother Adonijah, Joab and Abiathar.

• Solomon’s alliance with Pharaoh: At the beginning of his reign he allied himself with Pharaoh. Egypt always had negative connotations in the OT.

• Solomon’s worship at the high places: Closely related to Solomon’s marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter is the mention of his sacrifice and offerings at the high places.

• Solomon’s bureaucracy: The bureaucracy described is exactly what Samuel had warned Israel would accompany kingship: forced labour, taxes, conscription, oppression.

• Solomon’s palace: Solomon took seven years to build the house of Yahweh but thirteen years to build his own house.

• Solomon’s pride: The eleven month delay between the completion of the temple and the transporting of the ark is suspicious. Was it because the presence of God was not such a priority for him?

• Solomon’s despising the Promised Land: Solomon gave Hiram of Tyre twenty cities in Galilee as payment for “cedar, juniper and gold” for the temple. The northern tribes are impacted here.

• Solomon’s violation of the Torah: The king was not to 1) amass a large number of horses, 2) marry many women, or 3) accumulate large quantities of gold & silver. He did all three.

Solomon provides a warning to Christians. Today we might call Solomon’s wisdom “pragmatism”. The problem with pragmatism is that we live in a broken world, a world under God’s curse. Pragmatism can be an important part of wisdom, but it must never take place of the fear of the Lord.