King Solomon
Wisdom, Wealth, and Weakness

A Free E-mail Bible Study



Ralph F. Wilson, original watercolor, 'Solomon in All His Glory' (2024), watercolor and ink, 10x14 in., artist's personal collection.

King Solomon is difficult to figure out. He loves the Lord and is loved by God, yet commits apostasy. How can such a wise man be so stupid?

Solomon is the wisest of all men before or since and fabulously wealthy. A man of peace, yet he dominates the nations around him by military strength and trade supremacy.

Solomon mobilizes an army of workers to construct a temple for Yahweh, as well as palaces, cities, fortifications, and storehouses.

He is a singer of songs and author of books, an observant botanist and zoologist. If he lived today, we'd call him a genius and wonder at his intellect. Yet for all his devotion and accomplishments, a  weakness for foreign women leads him to "follow" their false gods. How could this happen?

Our primary text to study Solomon's life is 1 Kings 1 to 11, with additions here and there from 2 Chronicles and other Bible passages. Along the way, we:

  • Examine the Davidic Covenant that points directly to Jesus,
  • Apply understandings of the temple to our worship today,
  • Explore Solomon's insightful prayer at the dedication of the temple,
  • Probe the great revival promises of 2 Chronicles 7:14 -- "If my people ... will humble themselves and pray,"
  • Find a discipleship balance of talents and gifts, wealth and care for the poor, honor and humility, and
  • Study Solomon's undoing to sharpen awareness of our own vulnerabilities.

Pastor Ralph
Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

We study Solomon's life over six lessons. Thought-provoking questions encourage insights by individual students and stimulate powerful discussions in classes and small groups. Preachers and teachers will find a great deal of their research done for them. Includes 13 diagrams and historical maps.

Here's an outline of the 6-week study (detailed Table of Contents):

  • Preface
  • Introduction to Solomon's Time
  1. Solomon's Path to Kingship (1 Kings 1-2)
  2. Solomon's Wisdom (1 Kings 3-4)
  3. Building Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 5-7)
  4. Dedicating Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 8-9)
  5. Solomon's Splendor (1 Kings 9-10)
  6. Solomon's Legacy (1 Kings 11)

May God use this study to prepare and mature disciples for Christ's Kingdom!

Life of Solomon, by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
Available in book formats - PDF, Kindle, Paperback

I invite you to journey with me and thousands of brothers and sisters world-wide through a study Solomon's life. Here's how we'll study together.

  • Each Saturday I'll e-mail you the lesson for the week. Then you'll read the Bible passage and use my notes to help you understand it better.
  • You can respond to discussion questions using the Joyful Heart Bible Study Forum -- and read others' answers to reinforce your own understanding.
  • With each lesson you'll receive a link to this material in audio form. Some who learn better from hearing than from reading really appreciate this.
  • Then on Saturday, I'll send you the next week's lesson.

Why don't you sign up right now -- and then encourage some of your friends to sign up and study along with you. This new study will begin on the Friday after you sign up..
 

Sign up now!

To sign up, start by clicking on your e-mail frequency preference:

You'll receive your first lesson the Friday after you sign up. There is no cost to participate in the study, though donations are encouraged so we can create more studies and reach more people.

We respect your privacy and never sell, rent, or loan our lists. Please don't subscribe your friends; let them decide for themselves.

Please don't sign up for more than one of my Bible studies at one time. There's no penalty, but each of them is pretty intensive. If you try to do too many studies at the same time without adequate reflection, you'll miss out on God speaking to you.

King Solomon: Wisdom, Wealth, and Weakness

Copyright © 2024, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor@joyfulheart.com> All rights reserved. A single copy of this article is free. Do not put this on a website. See legal, copyright, and reprint information.