Oxford Languages defines remarkable as worthy of attention; striking. Solomon, born to David and Bathsheba following the death of their first son, lived an incredibly remarkable life by every definition. 2 Samuel says the Lord loved Solomon and sent word after his birth to name him Jedidiah which means beloved of the LORD. Solomon’s birth is the single instance in Scripture where God’s love for a child and desired name change is explicitly stated and it’s only the start of his extraordinary life.

Solomon, the third and final king—following his father and Saul—of the unified nation of Israel, is known for several astounding achievements. His most renowned effort was the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, which fulfilled David’s vision of creating a dwelling place for the Lord. Construction alone took seven years to complete, and the Temple that became the centralised location for Israel to worship God is an unparalleled showcase of architecture, craftsmanship, design and organisation still to this day. Adding to the amazement is that there was not a hammer, axe or iron tool heard in the house during the development of the Temple (1 Kings 6:7). Silence at the site was most likely driven by reverence to the Sovereign one and His sacred dwelling but undoubtedly, outworked through a precise artistry, mastery and leadership flowing from the top with Solomon straight to the bottom.

Solomon has been credited with building and/or fortifying several cities for economic and political purposes. Some of the constructions during his reign include the fortification of Gezer, Hazor and Megiddo, the fortification of Beth-Horon (which is remarkably accredited to Sheeran, a female architect in the Bronze Age ascending from Joseph) and Baalath and Tadmor, both of which were trade and military outposts. Solomon, a serial builder and strategist, also established storage cities to host resources and provisions alongside chariot cities that housed the military’s chariots and horses. So, it’s unsurprising that with his economic, political and strategic insights, Solomon was responsible for unprecedented economic growth and political stability for the holy nation.

Solomon’s appointment was nothing short of special as well. His ascension to the throne came after Adonijah, his cunning brother, attempted to craft his way to the crown despite their father having already announced Solomon as the nation’s next leader. Soon after being appointed king, Solomon—who would reign for 40 years—offers a significant sacrifice to God at Gibeon. As he sleeps that evening, he encounters the Lord in a dream where he is invited by Him to ask for anything he desires. Solomon asks for an understanding heart to govern His people and the ability to distinguish between right and wrong as he does so (1 Kings 3:9). So pleased by the pure request, God grants Solomon an abundance of wisdom and knowledge in addition to honour, renown and riches not sought after.

1 Kings 4 offers a beautiful summary of Solomon’s gift from God. Solomon’s wealth of wisdom and knowledge exceeded that of everyone else. God elevated and separated the king from all the people in every sense; He ensured no one was comparable to His beloved in any category of intellect.

Solomon, the one beloved of the Lord, could have lived a life with so much more spectacle. However, the son of David started well but became spiritually compromised throughout his later life and devastatingly turned from God. Anyone aware of Solomon’s story wonders all the same. How does Solomon go from being that gifted and doing so much to glorify God to doing evil—to the detestable extent of introducing idolatry into Israel at an institutional level—in the Lord’s sight?

As I sought the Lord about this situation, something in this scripture spoke loudly to me. While it might not be an answer for all of Solomon’s downfall, I believe herein lies the start of his distressing demise.

Since the start, God has cautioned His children about the consequences—inevitable perversion—of partnering with pagans. God first instructed the Israelites against intermarrying through Moses as He provided the law in Deuteronomy 7:3-4 before offering another warning in Exodus 34. As admonished, a covenant with those outside of the holy nation would corrupt the Israelite’s conviction and lead them to turn astray and to idolatry, which is exactly what happened in each instance.

Although the Lord repeatedly instructed the Israelites against doing so, Solomon—warned twice himself—married several pagan women. As an attempt to form a political alliance with Egypt, Solomon first marries Pharaoh’s daughter early in his reign (1 Kings 3:1). After receiving the gift of wisdom from God, Solomon commits the same sin so many times. He wives hundreds of women from neighbouring nations, including Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon and among the Hittites, and loved them.

In his understanding that was as measureless as the sand on the seaside, Solomon would have made many decisions motivated by wisdom, insight and knowledge. I’m assured Solomon’s affection for foreign women superseded physicality and sexuality; I’m confident most of his marriages were pursued for political purposes.

Without a doubt, considerate, insightful, pragmatic, strategic and wise were adjectives attributed to these marriages in the moment. Solomon’s marriages might have made for great worldly wisdom as he and his advisers, counsellors, leaders, governors and officials sought political alliances, diplomatic leverage, economic trade advancements and expanded influence. As great as Solomon’s earthly wisdom was, he always had access to something far more significant – heavenly wisdom from God Himself!

All that Solomon and the Israelites sought in terms of economic, political and societal provision and resources was available through the Almighty. However, Solomon continually chose to rely on his gift over his God and it cost him—and many, many other people—well beyond what can be counted on this side of eternity.

Solomon is a bittersweet blend of celebrated accomplishments that should be common as we partner with God and a cautionary tale about remaining wholly devoted to Him. Sometime in his life, Solomon experienced a significant shift in his heart relating to his gifts and God. While we don’t know specifically when, we are assured that slowly his gifting triumphed the devotion and reverence towards the One who gave him the gift. His blessing of unprecedented wisdom and knowledge became an utter curse the moment it was superior to that of his knowledge and fear of the Almighty.

God irrevocably gives us all gifts for a unique purpose unto His glory. Our gifts through serving and showcasing are to bring ourselves and others to Christ, our ultimate gift. As we see from Solomon, the greater a person’s gifting so too greater the need to forcibly guard ourselves from allowing it to become paramount to us. All the more remarkable our gifting is, all the more refining we must continually allow the Giver to do in our hearts and hands so that He can continue to entrust us with His glory and purpose.

As we lose sight to the purpose of our lives, our giftings lose power and potentially even life itself. Many of Solomon’s feats were achieved in the first half of his reign ahead of the dilution of his devotion and magnification of his knowledge, understanding and wisdom. As incredible as some of these efforts were, God had so much more in store for the son of David. God did not purpose for Solomon to set a precedent that propelled generations of Israelites into straying from Him through idolatry nor to prepare the groundwork for economic and social strain that sparked soon after his death. However, he lost the power to fulfil his true purpose as soon as his gift became greater to him than his God!

Any gift that brings us renown and we receive it will lead to death and in the death, spiritual decay will be birthed. A death of humility and a new life to pride, a death of dependence on Him and a new life of self-exaltation and self-reliance. Any gift where we don’t give the glory back to God will die—by His hand or ours—or will kill us in the process. We weren’t created to sustain carrying glory but only ever angle and amplify it to the One worthy of it all.

God gifted Solomon a divine gift. Solomon’s elevation of his wisdom and understanding above the Giver corrupted the gift and turned it from faith-filled to fatal. Are we going to make the same deadly decision and allow our divine gifts from God to become deadly?